Date At Start Of Game: 09/29/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 12th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

Mercenary Camp

After speaking with the surviving avatars of the Great Stone Mountain the PC head off to first investigate the mercenary camp. The teams spy-master Bilby finds a band of roughly 10 thugs with two Boar Kin that are leading them. They are around a fire and appear to be in good spirits. There are piles of goods around but no captives. On nearby hills Bilby finds 3 hidden scouts. The PC reason that there are no hostages so they must have just sold them to the Ant Kin from the temple. Thus the PC decide to hit the temple first.

The Temple Of Shazartza

Bilby finds two stone doors set into a mountainside. These doors are quite large and depict flaming figures writhing in agony. Across the top of the door is a woman’s face with a twisted smirk. Her arms are outstretched to the edges of the door. The rest of the party come up when Bilby does not hear anything on the other side of the door. Cillian looks for traps then peers through the door. He then removes a bolt on the door using his wind powers.

After opening the door Bilby creeps down a set of stairs into a large chamber with a stone statue of Shazartza sitting on the throne. She stares down the center of the room. On the sides of the room are skeletons. When Bilby moves away from the center of the room the skeletons close. Cillian recommends going right down the middle. Carefully the PC skirt the statue and move into a second larger chamber.

This chamber has pillars and a statue of Shazartza who is kneeling down with arms outstretched over a sunken pit. When the PC enter the pit lights with a magical flame that licks at the bottom of her outstretched hands. As they cross the room Bilby senses with his Bat Kin sonar that a side door is cracked open. He also hears movement behind it. Carefully Bilby alerts Cillian who is creeping across the room. From behind the door Cillian approaches and peers through the wall. He sees am Ant Kin warrior watching the door. Behind him and down a ramp he sees another Ant Kin. This second Ant Kin is covered in blood and is carrying the head of Miya (aka the Deer Kin archer from the other avatar team) and a bloody hatchet. Eventually Cillian and Bilby return to alert the rest of the party who are waiting at a wide entrance on the far side of the room. After alerting the party a hoard of 12 Ant Kin warriors emerge from the doorway! They have four arms and carry multiple weapons. As the small Ant Kin close across the large room Cillian and Kanga open fire with bows. Po starts casting curse spells. Kanga is firing with such accuracy that he is felling an Ant Kin with every shot! When the Ant Kin reach the party Oren balls up around Cillian to protect him from the onslaught. The Ant Kin use precise teamwork and some terrible blows to fell the tough Oren in one round of attacks! When Oren falls the PC react quickly. Po casts a spirit surged heal spell on Oren with amazing effect. Kanga continues to fell the Ant Kin warriors with critical hits using his amazing luck. Bilby jumps down on one Ant Kin warrior and assassinates it while Cillian changes to a sword and starts hacking away. This gives Oren enough time to recover and sweep the Ant Kin warriors to deadly effect! The last two start to run but are pinned by Kanga then cut down by Po, Bilby, and Cillian. With that the group acknowledges the comments from the Great Stone Mountain avatars…you do not want to fight these guys in a hoard especially in an open room.

What other horrors await the PC in the evil volcanic temple…

Date At End Of Game: 09/30/206

Date At Start Of Game: 09/02/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 11th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

The Black Hand

The morning after the siege at the Wickshine Inn the PC have three major things to investigate. They have to examine the tile that Ille was trying to retrieve from the chimney, they have to question Ille, and they have to examine Po’s hand which is still black from touching the tile. First the PC tie and gag Ille then Po examines his hand. The hand that touched the tile is almost a gray ashen color. Around the wrist the coloring fades. When Po tries to heal his hand with his healing spell it does not seem to have any effect. Po then decides to run a detect and discovers that there is a spirit living in his hand. The spell appears to be a transformation spell of some type. The wily shaman then deftly crafts a pair of gloves for his hands that have small pockets in the back. He then places pieces of the black spirit absorbing stone on the back of his hands. Po’s hope is that this might slow the effect of the spell.

The tile is made of a black stone that has been rounded and smoothed on the top edge and sides. There are several lines of verbiage in a strange angular typeface that looks very old. When Po runs a detect spell it reveals an ancient magic with a damaging effect. The PC also ask Abel about the history of the inn. He tells them that is has stood for over 40 years but seems a bit nervous about it. The PC don’t press him on it but deduce that removing the tile may return the apple orchard to health. For some strange reason only Po can read the writing on the stone. To Po the writing appears to be in Ape Man. After some discussion the PC feel that it might be because Po touched the tile that he can read it. The tile says:

The wicked shrine in ruins,
A shelter for the road-weary,
A storm sets the course,
A lush fork points the way,
Over fire, beyond the basalt,
The enemy finds the path.

The PC talk about the stone for quite a bit and come to several conclusions. The shelter line seems to be referring to the Wickshine Inn. They think the “lush fork” might be the branch from Gray Pine. Basalt is volcanic rock and the stick is pointing south to an area where there is an active but not flowing volcano. Finally they decide that since the tile is from the Dark Lord the “enemy” mentioned in the last line is likely to be them.

The PC then move on to question Ille. First the examine his belongings carefully. Po runs a detect on everything. They find some gems sewn into his robe, some very rare and poisonous spell components, and a single magical coin mixed in with the rest of his money. This coin has a flowing letter “W” or “M” that looks like a bird on one side and a waxing moon on the other side. Po detects transformation magic on the coin. The PC try flipping the coin to activate it but nothing happens. Next comes the interrogation. First they lock Ille in a room and remove the gag. Bilby conducts the investigation using his sword to threaten him. When the cagey necromancer starts to ask questions instead of answering questions Bilby runs his sword through Ille’s foot. This loosens his tongue. The PC ask how Ille found out about the tile. He tells the PC that he met a traveller on his way to Oakhurst that told him that there was a lot of power at the inn. Ille then ran a detection spell when he got to the Wickshine Inn and it pinpointed the tile. When the PC press Ille tells them that the strange traveller had a passion and drive for the Dark Lord that fascinated him. Unfortunately the only thing he can remember about this traveller is his name, that he was around 3′ tall, and that he is black colored. Ille realizes that he is now likely under some type of spell to make him forget. The traveller’s name was Malotoch. This immediately triggers a reaction from Po as this is a Raven Kin word. The word means, ?to have a crow to pluck,? or literally to ?exact vengeance?.

The Hanging

After interrogating Ille the PC head downstairs to discuss his fate with Abel. Abel is very upset about what Ille did to his staff and thinks he should be hanged. The PC agree. At that point most of the tavern empties out to the apple orchard. Abel rigs a noose and puts Ille on a chair. Before pulling the noose he removes his gag and asks Ille if he has anything to say before he is killed. Abel is doing this as a standard custom. Ille mutters something under his breath. When prompted he says louder that the Dark Lord works in mysterious and powerful ways. With that Abel moves to kick out the chair. At this point Ditmore, the Raccoon Kin merchant, and Eadon, the Boa Kin bodyguard, buckle over in pain. They try to scream but only black goop emerges from their mouthes! Po rushes over to try and help but the black goo is starting to quickly cover their bodies. Po tells Abel to knock out Ille. The PC watch in horror as the pair change into vile looking shadow demon creatures! With that Bilby steps over and finishes off Ille. Kanga opens fire on the Ditmore shadow demon while Po start casting curse spells. Cillian and Bilby focus on the Eadon shadow demon. After a brief combat the shadow demons fall into pools of black goo that bubble in the sunlight.

Exter, Ditmore’s brother, is heartbroken. He starts crying over the loss of his twin. Abel is just glad that this whole thing appears to be over. The PC then decide to leave the Wickshine Inn and to continue following Gray Pine’s branch.

Spirit Storm Session Log: Epic Tale #6 – Crimson Tears – Session #11

The Village Of Raftport

Almost three weeks later the PC reach the village of Raftport. Raftport is downstream from Shatter’s Peak. It acts as a more serious trading post along the White Cap River. When the PC enter they are surprised to see very little activity. What people they do see eye them cautiously then proceed on their business. Bilby goes into the bar and listens to some conversations while Cillian checks out the word on the street. Bilby overhears Amelia, a Fox Kin woman wearing a red cap, speaking with a Raftport constable. She is imploring the man to send some men to find her husband and boy who have not returned home. The constable explains that his men are too thin to go looking for them and begs Amelia to stay home where she will be safe. With that she leaves the bar.

When Bilby returns to the party he notices that a Rat Gog dressed in rags is watching him. He carefully ditches the Rat Gog and starts following him. He is watching the party. With that Bilby communicates with the party and sets up an ambush. As the party comes down and alley the Rat Gog slyly watches. Bilby jumps down and puts his sword to the Rat Gog’s throat. The Bat Kin then tells him to talk or he will slit his throat. To his surprise Bilby hears a voice from behind him! A low toned voice calmly states, “Please do not hurt my friend or I will be forced to hurt you as well.” As the PC round the corner they see Bilby, the Rat Gog, and what is obviously a Turtle Kin shaman with a staff. The Turtle Kin begs everyone to put down their arms. The a tense moment PC oblige. After talking with the pair they learn that the Rat Gog is named Shick and the Turtle Kin is named Drobe. The two explain that they are avatars for the Great Stone Mountain. They think the party are avatars as well as they have been watching them for some time. Shick reveals that he was actually disguised as Josia Two-Coins back at the Wickshine Inn. Drobe even claims to be able to detect avatars from a close range. Kanga knows Drobe from his initial calling when the Turtle Kin woke him up from a sleep and asked if he was an avatar. The pair reveal that the rest of their party has been killed in a nearby temple that is dedicated to Shazartza. Shazartza is one of the ancient gods who was supposedly the mistress of the Dark Lord. She is associated with fire and earth spirits as well as forges, endurance, toughness, and toiling work. Ant Kin minions from the temple meet with mercenaries in a nearby camp at regular intervals. These mercenaries are waylaying river convoys and have lately started attacking locals. The mercenaries appear to be selling people that they capture in these raids to Ant Kin from the temple. Drobe then asks the PC to look for their thought dead friends because they have again been summoned by the Great Stone Mountain. This concerns the Turtle Kin shaman as they have not been called to return since their initial callings several months ago.

The adventure ends with the PC discussing their next course of action…

Date At End Of Game: 09/29/206

Date At Start Of Game: 07/28/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 10th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

Resting In Ambrosia Trades

After resolving the situation between the warring tribes the PC decide to rest a while in Ambrosia Trades. Oren works on his breastplate with a local blacksmith named Blyre. Po starts researching a new spirit refreshing spell. The others go about other miscellaneous tasks. After about two weeks the PC decide to leave. They follow the stick to the south then east across the Fayland Crossing.

The Wickshine Inn

As they are coming down the mountains on the west side of the crossing the summer rains start to pick up to near torrential levels. Night falls and the PC start to worry about shelter. As they round a bend in the road they see a small inn nestled between the hills. It sits on the edge of what appears to be an old apple orchard. Outside a large Ape Man is securing shutters on the windows. When they get closer Po notes that the apple trees are bare and do not look too healthy. The man greets the PC and welcomes them to the Wickshine Inn. A stable boy, a young Bear Kin, comes over and joins the party as they enter the building. Inside the PC remove their outer clothing for drying by the fire while they meet the staff and guests

The staff includes the following:

• Abel and Dorthea Still – Ape Kin – The proprietor and his wife.
• Usta and Jinny – Cougar Kin – Young teenage girls who appear to sisters. Usta has a mark on her shoulder that one of the PC has seen on slaves.
• Aved – Bear Kin – A youthful helper that seems to have Usta and Jinny’s attention.

The guests include the following:

• Kurdy Deel – Badger Kin – An old tinker with a thick wool hat. He claims to be at the inn to help the Stills mend some old pots.
• Marten L’Gentsia – Dolphin Kin – Dandy bird scholar who like to bore people with his most recent discovery. Po sees that his broach is magical.
• Ille Sorden – Ape Kin – Thin man with graying hair who claims to be travelling east looking for his son that died in a battle near Oakhurst. He speaks with Oren who was in the opposing army during that battle. It did not go well for the defenders so Oren does not have much hope for Ille. Po detects that Ille has some type of healing spell active on his person.
• Eadon Marsh – Boa Kin – Loud warrior who Ille has hired as a bodyguard during his trek east.
• Ditmore and Exter Shurry – Racoon Kin – Traders who specialize in “hard to find good”. They buy some of the trinkets from Po and later show off their glasswares. Ditmore has a cold so the pair has been in the Wickshine Inn for a night.
• Josia Two-Coins – Rat Gog – Travelling priest who carries a crudely carved wooden walking stick. Po thinks that the Joshia is either a bush league shaman or someone posing as one.

After carousing for a while Oren strikes up a conversation with Abel and Dorthea in the kitchen. Abel tells Oren that the Wickshine Inn has been in his family for four generations. Long ago the inn was part of a village called Wickshine. It was called Wickshine because of the fine apple brandy that was brewed by the locals. About 20 years ago the apple production dropped dramatically. This sent the village into a tailspin. Now all that remains is the inn.

Under Siege

The PC are awoken early in the morning when they hear a scream from Dorthea. The PC react quickly. Oren and the rest of the PC head down the stairs while Bilby jumps out a nearby window. When Oren comes down the stairs he spies two spiny black creatures approaching Dorthea. They are about the same size as the twin Cougar Kins so Oren’s first guess is that something happened to Usta and Jinny. While flying around the back of the inn Bilby sees a large group of figures approaching through the morning fog. He flies in a downstairs window to alert the PC that there are incoming foes. Abel axes one of the spiny creatures while Po casts spells. Oren attacks a third creature that he thinks is Aved. After downing his foe Oren smells a strong incense smell on the body. Cillian and Oren race upstairs to investigate. Cillian finds a thick incense smoke in the upstairs rafters that is coming from a loose board over Ille’s room. With that Cillian follows Oren as they bash into Ille’s room. Ille attacks Oren with a spell that causes his old scars to rupture in pain! The attack is so devastating that it actually stuns the tough Armadillo Kin. After the attack Ille casts a spell that makes him turn into a shadow and flies downstairs. Cillian quickly knocks over Ille’s censor which has the immediate effect of causing the spiny creatures to turn back into the young staff members. The PC downstairs see Ille appear near the hearth as hoards of skeletons start to break in through the shuttered windows. Ille laughs in a maniacal fashion as he reaches into the hearth and pulls out what appears to be a black tile. Bilby being the closest PC slices out at the hand holding the tile. In a deft strike the tile goes flying! As the tile hits the ground Po swoops down and picks it up. To Po’s surprise the tile attacks his brain and clenches his hand around it so that he cannot release it! In desperation Po flies up the stairs thinking that the stone might somehow control the skeletons. All the while the tile is gnawing away at Po! Bilby narrowly escapes the skeleton hoard using deft acrobatics. Ille again turns into a shadow and appears in the room. This time Oren lays him out cold with a well placed shot to the stomach. Po flies out of an upstairs window then it knocked out by the tile and falls. The tile slips from his grasp as Po hits the ground. Cillian looks out the window and grabs the tile using his wind spirits. He then carefully places the tile into a pouch without touching it. Luckily Po awakes and take flight just as the skeletons close on his position. In not much more time the PC take out the remaining skeletons who appear confused now that Ille is unconcious.

The other guests are frightened but not harmed. The young staff are several injured but Po prevents them from dying by using his healing abilities. Now the PC are left to question Ille and examine the tile…

Date At End Of Game: 09/02/206