Campaign1/finale
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Finale
Session Dates: May 25th, June 6th, July 7th, 2000
This is a brief synopsis of the final sessions of Hebridonia I. Unlike the previous session summaries, which were written very soon after each game was played, these details are pulled from notes and memories that are five years stale. However, leaving the story of the first campaign unrecorded has bugged me for a while, and it feels good to get it down finally. Mea Culpa. -- Tom
Assynt 25, 1022 - Evening
Sgt. Black returned from her errand as Telovien and Hope were arguing what to do. Using a tracking spell, the party figures out where Seoras and Max have gone. Scouting the warehouse in the district of Whiteinch where they think Max may be, they discover Max inside, tied to a chair and gagged in the center of a lit circle of candles in an otherwise darkened building. Max tries to yell to them, but the gag muffles his words. With no sign of Seoras or anybody else, they enter to free Max. They spend some time studying the circle of candles, until they hear a noise in the back of the room, and then see an undead Seoras shuffling toward them. They decide to free Max quickly and in so doing trip a fire trap spell, while at the same time the doors to the warehouse slam shut. Sgt Black finds a cart and uses it to bash open the door, and they manage to escape the flames, alive but singed. The undead Seoras is consumed in the blaze.
They return to the manor and meet up with Charlis, who informs them that he went to spy on Tynam Montbegon, and found him in his study with a woman that he didn't recognize. He observed for a while but could not make out what they were saying to each other. Then another woman and a man arrived, and he had a bit better luck. The new woman mentioned that some obstacle to their plans had been removed, and Tynam's original companion said something about the temple being nearly complete. Max asked Charlis to describe the people Tynam was entertaining, and determines that the new woman was Nymvayas, based on his close encounter with her just hours earlier.
They rush over to Montbegon's manor, and find only Tynam and his companion at home. The party confronts Tynam and the woman, and they both decide to fight to the death rather than give up their secrets. With that line of inquiry leading nowhere, the part decides to venture into the underground using the salve provided by Aethra. After an hour and a half of wandering, they discover a vast underground cavern, with fortifications and several buildings under construction. They see fenced-in cages along one side of the fortified space where humans are being kept, and observe that groups of humans are taken out under guard, brought over to geomancers who are working on another structure, and through some dark magics the geomancers are able to draw upon the human slaves to power their stone-shaping spells! The drained humans are almost too weak to walk after each casting.
Surveying the cavern, they see that the far side of the Demarian encampment is open to the lower part of the cave, so there may be a back way into the space. It is clear that a frontal assault would require many men to accomplish. The party retreats to Islay manor to consider what to do next.
Assynt 26
Word has arrived that Calum Gournay, the Baron of Stonehaven and next in line for the throne, has arrived in Kalen and insists on speaking with the King. He has heard rumors that the King is dying or may already be dead, and Gournay has arrived to take over (if necessary, of course). To press his point, he has brought 125 footsoldiers and five of his best mages from Stonehaven, along with a rabble of 200 local peasants, all ready to support the Crown if the elves decide to 'seize control' of the Kingdom through a weakened monarch. With Gournay spoiling for a fight, no one can be spared from the Royal Court, the local militia or the Mage Corps to deal with the situation beneath the city. The party is advised to infiltrate the Demarian compound, gather as much information and come up with a plan for dispatching the Demarian threat.
With the help of Aethra's salve, the party ventures underground again, but finds that all of the passages to the underground chamber have been blocked or trapped. They finally find a way into the cavern at its furthest point away from the Demarian compound. They sneak up to the edge of the compound to observe the activity, then fall back to formulate a plan. Though far from sure of their success, they spring into action. The weakness in the Demarian's operation is the human slaves, so they infiltrate the cage area and break open the cages of the 'fresh' humans. As the human slaves pour forth from the cage area, Sgt Black, Charlis and Max attack the geomancers and guards. They fight their way into the temple, where they defeat the remaining Demarians and their collaborators.
Just before delivering the final blow to the Demarian high priestess Nymvayas, she says 'If you spare my life, I can save your King.' Max chokes on sparing the life of the Dargai who killed his best friend, but the others convince him to do what is best for the realm. They escort her to the Royal Court , and consult with Mazériyan and Alyssa, who have been trying to heal the King with no success. Nymvayas explains that Chi magic is involved, and that she knows how to repair what happened when the King was transported to the Ring of Fire. With the King dying, and Gournay pressing to see the King, they have little choice but to let Nymvayas work her magic.
With crossbows at the ready, they watch as Nymvayas works her dark craft on the King. For a moment, it does not appear to be working, but then the King draws a ragged breath and his cheeks flush with life. Nymvayas life is spared, and she is incarcerated in a mana-depleted cell in the second sub-basement of the Mage Corps. With the Demarian threat diffused, the King restored and the immediate threat from Gournay addressed, the party is paid handsomely and released from their duties to resume their lives.
(End of Adventure)
Previously: The Nature of Truth
Hebridonia I Main Page
