Campaign Recap – Session 1 (8/21/2022)

Screams of the Lost

The Realm of Arrafem is vast and set into several regions. Each region is completely separated by mountains, oceans, and great divides. The only promise assured to a person leaving their region is exile. There is one exception however; once every 50 years, every leader from every region will travel to the Eye of the World for a great meeting called the Conflation. The sole purpose of this meeting is to place every region on the same level of technological advancements and military prowess. 

This particular story will focus on The Shining Region.

Located in the southwest corner of the realm, the shining region is surrounded by two mountain ranges and the Shining Ocean. The largest city, and also the capital, is Dawn’s Break. Under the rule of King Rickard Ontaris, in his 40th year of service, the Shining Region is thriving! For almost 20 years peace has been held, ever since the great battle at Black Tide’s Bay, which was the last threat that this region had seen since. 

South of Dawn’s Break is the small town of Brightsteppe, and this is where our story will begin. 

It is midday. The sun is shining brightly across the fields and the winds from the west are bringing a cool chill off of the Mukrom Mountains, mixing with the musk from the Orewood Forest, and sending this sweet smell directly across the fields. 

On the crest of a hill, a man is sitting on his horse. This man looks traveled, and he should be. He has been traveling from the capital for the last couple of days, searching for someone that has done something truly evil. Searching for answers. Searching for vengeance. 

As he rides down into town he sees several children playing with wooden swords, fence posts dented and chipped as a result. As he passes, the children stop their playing to look up at him and they see a young athletic Tiefling. His name is Darthos.

As he travels into town he can hear the casual conversations. Dharthos takes in the scene, and heads towards the inn. He ties up his horse outside of the inn and heads inside. As he walks inside he is greeted by Barley, the owner of The Pointe. He is given a drink and begins to ask some questions, looking for any answers to his many questions. Barley tells him that he might find some answers at the cemetery outside of town because the caretaker was complaining about some recent damage, but that he should not travel out there on his own. He recruits the help of Jamie, a local sellsword, and they head out. 

No real answers came from the cemetery. The groundskeeper informs him that there was a cart that had gone by a few nights ago, but the groundskeeper acts like it is a pretty normal occurrence for youngsters to travel from the city into the mountains for a fun weekend. Heading back into town, he decides to head to bed for the night and continue his search in the morning. 

In the meantime, Aergodyn, a somewhat short in stature wood elf, is awoken from his rest by the sounds of a fight breaking out in The Dire Squire. This bar gets pretty rowdy when it is run by the Durbin boys, and this is a very common occurrence. Upon looking at this scene, he approaches Barben and Borben and tries to discuss the option of easing the situation before something terrible happens. They certainly think that they are doing a fine job, so he decides to head to The Pointe for a calmer scene, and maybe even a show. As he gets there, Fleet, a widely known Aarakocran bard, is in the process of putting on a decent show. 

During the show, a loud scream comes from outside. Aergodyn rushes outside to check out the commotion, and is just in time to see a wagon fly by. From the back of the carriage he can hear the muffled screams of a couple of children. Looking to his left, he can see 4 horses tied to a post and makes the quick decision to steal one to pursue the wagon.

The scene shifts back to The Dire Squire, where Burley and his wife, Elba, come running into the bar, screaming about how their daughter was taken from her bed. Burley says he will give a bottle of Shining Ale to whoever brings her back. Nobody accepts this offer and the scene shifts back to Darthos, who is readying his horse for pursuit. There is a brief moment where Darthos and Aerdogyn decide that a team effort would be the most beneficial. 

While Aerdogyn prefers a stealthy approach, Darthos rushes to the carriage. Upon reaching the carriage, it slows to a halt and two goblins climb out of the back, wielding scimitars. Darthos tries to speak to the goblins, and is questioning them about the contents of their cart. The one goblin tells him to move along, and the other goblin appears to not speak the common language. He proceeds to converse, but the silent goblin charges him. 

Darthos reacts by throwing a javelin at the goblin. The javelin goes directly through his chest, pinning him to the ground. Still alive, but very badly injured. The other goblin runs to the front of the cart and Darthos can hear him shouting orders to an unknown figure. Hearing this commotion, he decides to jump on his horse, and head to the front of the cart. Upon reaching the back of the cart, he surprises the two other goblins that were riding on the front of the cart as they were digging through a box scrambling for their weapons. One quick swing of his mighty glaive, The Giant Slayer, and the goblin is cleanly decapitated. The head rolls, several feet, and a sound is heard coming from the woods. As soon as the head stops moving a small, green skinned elf with pink flowers in her hair is spotted scrambling towards the freshly severed head, giggling with anticipation. 

Suddenly an arrow comes flying from behind.. Aerdogyn has decided to make his presence known, and has done so in the most impactful way possible. He critically strikes the goblin at the rear of the cart, and he falls.  Aergdogyn proceeds to the cart, ignoring the goblin impaled on the javelin. The goblin takes a swing, and surprisingly lands a strike on the wood elf. Ignoring the damage, he makes it to the cart and sees 5 children bound and tied in the back. 

The impaled goblin struggles to free himself from the javelin but fails, and the goblin at the front of a cart takes a swing at Darthos, but misses and begins to flee, dodging an attack along the way. He also dodges a spell attack from Setsuna and another attack from Darthos. Unfortunately for him, his luck does not hold out and he is finally dispatched, set ablaze by the sacred flame from Setsuna. 

The party sits in wait while the previously impaled goblin succumbs to his wounds. The party investigates the scene and does not find any clues, but does untie the five children. Setsuna introduces herself, and wonders why the others have such fascination for small people in wagons. She informs them that another one went by a little while ago. They decide to take the children back into town and when they get there, a search party is being formed. The townspeople are relieved and several reunions are being had. 

Elba, Burley’s wife, is looking in the back of the cart with great concern. Setsuna inquires what is wrong, and it appears that her daughter is still missing. Burley declares that he will offer five hundred gold pieces to whoever brings back his baby. Morgran, the stout dwarf in the corner, lights up a cigar. He informs anyone who will listen that money means nothing to him and that he practically owns a mine, allowing him to get whatever riches that he needs. The party asks for his assistance, and he lets them know that they do not have anything he desires, but he will join them on their mission. Maybe he is feeling generous, or perhaps he is looking for a good fight, and the bar had closed early due to the circumstances. 

Burley insists that the group take his bouncer with him. He calls out for Gurk, and a giant half-orc clamors down the stairs. He attempts to lean on the handrail, and it is dislodged from the ground due to his massive size. He tries to fix it, and he is fairly certain that he did a great job, as it is leaning sideways as he walks away. 

The party travels back in the direction they came, coming to another wagon that appears to have a broken axle. Two goblins are trying to repair the wagon and do not see the party coming. While the party decides the best way to approach, Gurk has a plan of his own. Gurk rages and quickly cleaves a goblin in half, sinking his greataxe several inches into the side of the wagon. The other goblin is terrified and freezes in his place. Darthos attempts to throw his javelin, but somehow misses. Morgran takes the lead and throws a handaxe at the goblin, striking his shoulder. He takes the axe from his body and throws it back at Morgran. Morgran attempts to show off and catch the axe, but he fails and catches it by the blade, suffering some damage. Aergodyn fires a shot and misses. Setsuna follows up with a sacred flame that also missed. Gurk has had enough. He grabs the goblin by the head and guides it right across his greataxe, severing the head completely. Setsuna suggests that he keeps the head, but he tosses it aside. The party then realizes that the wagon is empty, and the horses are missing. Whoever was driving must have undid the horses and traveled ahead. 

While pursuing the horses they come across a fork in the road. Aergodyn looks for tracks and can easily decipher which direction the horses went. They soon arrive at the mouth of a cave in the Murkom mountains. A couple of horses are tied outside and there is a campfire that is slightly burning. Setsuna stares at the horse, imagining what a horse skull would look like. She describes the skull to Gurk, but her description could truly invoke nightmares.

Inside of the cave, Setsuna can hear voices, but cannot make out what is being said. They stealthily make their way into the cave and take torches off of the walls to guide their way. Dharthos takes a second to explain the art of stealth to Gurk who tries to grasp the concept.  They travel a little further into the cave and Setsuna can hear the sound of goblins singing and playing instruments. She can also hear an elven voice chanting some sort of ritual.

They come to a fine red curtain blocking the next room. Setsuna takes a moment to enjoy the texture of the curtain, and while she is doing that, Darthos peeks inside. In the next room, there is an immaculate stage and there are goblins performing for several children that are bound on stools. The children seem to be in pain, crying out in agony and yet somehow laughing. Across the ceiling of the cave a faint purple mist is traveling from the children directly into glass jars behind the stage. A dark robed elf can be seen waving his hands and chanting. Aerdogyn tries to figure out what ritual is being cast but cannot completely figure it out. He tells everyone that it is some sort of necromantic spell and it appears to be draining life from the children. 

The party burst into the room, surprising everyone inside with Gurk taking the lead. He spots two more goblins to the right of the room and swings with full force, missing the goblin who jumps to the side. His greataxe sinks deeply into a chest full of supplies and he cannot dislodge it. Morgran is next and he charges the two goblins in the back. He dispatches the first goblin with his first handaxe and throws his other handaxe at the other goblin, missing his attack. The goblin strikes back, hitting Morgran’s armor but dealing no damage. Aerdogyn takes aim and strikes the elven mage with an arrow. The mage flinches due to the damage and can no longer concentrate on his spell targeting the children. The purple cloud dissipates from the area. The children are sighing in relief and the mage is furious at what is happening. 

Darthos is up next. He runs towards the goblin that was previously missed by Morgran and strikes the goblin with his glaive, the damage is not quite enough to finish him off. Setsuna follows up with an attack with her sickle and fells the goblin. She squats down and watches his life slowly fade from his face. The goblins on stage drop their instruments, and two of them run to pick up their weapons. One fires their crossbow at Gurk and misses. Gurk tries to dislodge his greataxe and fails. In anger he charges the goblins, drawing his handaxes. Morgran retrieves his handaxe and throws one of them at a goblin, striking a blow, but not fatal. Morgran feels a pulse of energy surge through his body, and his speed increases. He throws a second handaxe but misses his mark. Aerdogyn misses his next shot and tries to hide in cover. 

The evil mage makes his first move of the battle. With Aergodyn hitting him and ending his spell, he has quite the vendetta. He pulls all of his energy into a magic missile attack. Three missiles fly from his hands and they all strike true. Aergodyn is pelted by the first two, and is sent spinning from the strikes. He turns toward the mage just in time to see the third missile heading directly into his chest. He collapses. The party is shaken and terrified at the mage’s power. 

The third goblin on stage rushes at Morgran, not worrying at all about picking up a weapon. His unarmed strike misses as Morgran easily dodges this attack. Darthos rushes to Aerdogyn’s side, and lays his hands on him. Life rushes back into Aerdogyn’s body and he is brought back into the land of the living. Setsuna tries to toll the dead on the mage, but his mental fortitude easily allows him to stop the mental onslaught. 

The goblin fires as Setsuna, but she pulls her shield up just in time to protect herself. Gurk comes in swinging his handaxe and finishes off the unarmed goblin, and damages the other with a thrown handaxe. Morgran draws his shortsword and finishes off the goblin with the axe buried inside of his body.  As the goblin is falling, Morgran pulls the handaxe from his corpse and attempts to throw it at the goblin on stage. His throw strikes true, and the goblin is barely standing. 

Aergodyn strikes back in anger, critically hitting the mage with an arrow. The mage is almost finished, but he still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Suddenly, Darthos’s head turns towards Aergodyn with anger and purpose. He takes his glaive, and drives it straight into Aergodyn’s chest. The glaive pulses with power.  Aergodyn’s eyes fill with confusion, fear, and then darkness. He collapses to the ground, and Darthos feels satisfied with the job that he has done.

The mage shambles to the back of the cave, and reaches for the back wall, searching for something. Setsuna once again tries to toll the dead and the mage did not see this one coming. Power surges through the mages body, and he cannot break this unrelenting force. The spell surges through his veins, and to his head, which ultimately explodes. When the mage dies, the spell that is controlling Darthos fades and he is in disbelief of what had just happened. 

Morgran rushes to Aergodyn and pulls a potion from Aerdogyn’s bag, pouring it into his mouth, forcing life back into his body once again. The lone goblin flees in terror. He runs toward the back of the cave, reaching toward the wall. While he is scrambling across the walls, searching, he is met by Gurk, who strikes him down from behind ending the encounter. 

While Setsuna is checking the mages lifeless corpse, Aerdogyn searches the back wall. Setsuna finds some gold, a broken staff, and a mysterious note. Aerdogyn discovers an illusion spell, and easily disperses it. Behind it stands a pristine door. Setsuna comes across 3 jars filled with purple mist. Several attempts are made to discover the secrets of these containers, but no successful attempts are made. Aerdogyn believes that the contents of the containers are from a siphon life spell, and the life force of the children are perhaps inside. 

Darthos tends to the children. He finds three children from Dawn’s Break, Burley’s daughter, and the Prince of Dawn’s Break, but does not relay this information to the others. Burley’s daughter runs into Gurk’s arms and is relieved to see him. No one thought that a half-orc could be so gentle as he embraced her. 

The party takes a short rest and investigates further. The door is very nice and looks otherworldly in condition. The wooden boards are perfect and the iron handles are beyond comparison. 

The party decides that Gurk should take the children back to the town, and they will continue ahead. Darthos insists that the unbeknownst Prince stay with the party, and no one objects. 

The party splits up the purple containers between themselves and Aerdogyn once again decides to further look into the contents of the containers. He pulls the cork from the container and its contents begin to swirl. Through his investigation, and the help of his arcanic skill, he is able to decipher without a doubt that this is indeed the life force from the children placed there by the mage’s siphon life spell. 

While he is doing this study, Setsuna opens the door. The purple liquid starts to swirl, showing a new energy. It explodes from the container with force and flies through the doorway directly past Setsuna. It takes a straight path down the road ahead. Looking through the door, they see what appears to be another world. They are looking in awe, and suddenly the door closes. They see an axe jarred in the door, attached to a rope. The end of the rope is being held by Morgran, who is pleased with the job he had done to save his friends from the world on the other side.

Setsuna pushes the door back open, insisting that they are fine. 

Darthos walks through the door with Morgran following behind, hand on shoulder. This world is a perfect form. Grass perfectly placed on the ground, all of the dirt roads are contained, not a speck of first trespassing into the grass. They feel like a weight has been lifted. They inexplicably feel good, forgetting the struggles of that last battle. Though it is night time in their world, it is daylight here. The clouds perfectly placed in the sky as by design. The temperature is perfect for a midday nap. The party is ready to continue their adventure.

Where will this road lead? What evil is afoot here, and what were they planning with these children? Hopefully answers will lie ahead in our next adventure, and hopefully you can tune in to see the next chapter in The Shining Saga!