[Campaign Log] Via

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party arrives in the city of Aveliel, being warned it's mostly under the control of Order of the Wish. They charter a boat heading south, which they find is leaving in ten days. However, the passage is ten times what it should be. When they ask the captain why, he explains a dragon has been taxing people for passage, and he promises to refund some of their money if they can make it cut that out.

 

Father Danaecus summons a Seraphim for protection. Three days later, the building across the street collapses suddenly, and he rushes to the scene, advising the Seraphim to keep a close watch. Lina hears a scream from an NPC's room, so she rushes over to see what's happened. While Father Danaecus is trying to keep the building from collapsing further, Lina and some NPC's fight off the Order of the Wish, who seem to be intent on capturing Rinandra.

 

When Rastal tries to help from outside, he's shot with arrows. Iarid, the former Order of the Wish swordsman, revives him, but draws the fire of the bowmen.

 

Before passing out from his wounds, one of the would-be kidnappers jabs Rinandra with what looks like a sewing needle, and she collapses. The party thwarts those trying to carry her off and take her back inside. They also see to Iarid, who's on the verge of death. Father Danaecus stablizes him, but he remains unconscious.

 

That night, Iarid is attacked again, stabbed by a dagger. There is no sign of an intruder. Danaecus watches over him the next night, and is visited by Rinandra, who seems to have lost her memory again. She says that Aralden (her husband, bard, NPC) has a question for Danaecus, and stays behind when he goes to find out what it is. He turns back around and confronts Rinandra, who agrees to come with him. They find Aralden sleeping. The next morning, Aralden says he can't remember what he was going to ask the Father, but it wasn't important, anyway.

 

Two days before they leave for Rosehollow, Lina and Rinandra go for a walk, and wind up encountering the Order of the Wish, in the middle of a very quiet city. Thanks to a silence-rendering magic item, they neutralize Lina, but the Seraphim arrives in time to stop them from taking Rinandra.

 

On his way there, Father Danaecus spots a man nonchalantly walking away from the scene. He realizes he's dealing with a member of Order of the Wish, and attacks. The magical silence doesn't stop Danaecus from casting spells, as he's learned to cast them silently. He captures the man, despite backup arriving, and they bring him back to the church where they've been sleeping. They learn he's #9 in the hierarchy of the Order. When he refuses to tell them anything (but laughingly dares them to jab Rinandra with the needle he's carrying), they have him sent to the church at Romennor for questioning.

 

Aralden, meanwhile, learns that there's been a prison break at the palace, and everyone was freed in the attack.

 

Without further interruption, the party boards the boat. They meet a very friendly cat who snuggles up to the women in the party in particular, and who appears at odd hours to stare at certain closed-door activities.

 

After about a month of slow sailing, a shadow is cast over the boat, and they see a large, serpent-like dragon hovering over the ship. It cannot speak Common, so the Father speaks to it, learning that, some time ago, pirates stole some of the dragon's stash. The dragon levies a tax as a test for pirates; legitimate ships pay the tax, while pirate ships resist, and are sunk. They agree to find the dragon's treasure, including a gem called The Star, a sapphire half the size of Lina. The dragon takes Princess Charlotte as a ransom, in case they try to escape without fulfilling their promise. Charlotte makes the dragon promise he won't do anything she doesn't want him to, and the party grudgingly allows her to go.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The captain of the ship the party is on reports to the party that he has a crew member who used to be a part of the pirates they need to find. He gives them some information about numbers and warns them that the women among them may be in danger for their very virtue. Father Danaecus shows them that he's able to switch them into a new form, and Lina elects to storm the pirates in a male form to avoid being raped.

 

After some planning, the ship anchors several miles off the coast of the pirates' island. Two NPCs stay behind to pick people off with long-range weapons, and the party, under the cover of night, attacks. They cause significant confusion, and are able to slip past. However, while they're walking toward the pirate camp, the pirates go for the beach, and corner their support. As they're plotting how to get into the Captain's quarters, Father Danaecus hears the bard calling for help. They go back, and, despite being vastly outnumbered, capture 18 of the pirates and subdue the rest.

 

By this point, both Lina and the Father are low on energy, so they return to the ship to sleep and plot some more. When they return, again under the cover of night, they row up a wide river that leads straight to the camp. The Father uses a magical item he'd commandeered from the Order of the Wish which causes silence, and the pirates are left wondering what's going on.

 

When they've taken down the pirates' numbers significantly, the pirate captain storms out of his quarters, swearing up a storm. They negotiate, and the captain is stubborn until they tell him what they've come for. At which point, it becomes obvious he's relieved to be rid of the thing. He gives them food and safe harbor, and tells them the gem is cursed. Father Danaecus sees that there is an enchantment on it, so he's careful not to touch it.

 

After several days out at sea, the wind picks up, then it starts to storm. Father Danaecus sends a messenger-Seraphim to get the dragon, who takes the gem and returns Princess Charlotte. He tells them he knows about the curse, and had hidden the gem away where it wouldn't be able to hurt anyone.

 

After the gem is taken away, the storms clear, and the rest of the journey is calm and quiet.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

This'll be the last log until after Christmas, unless circumstances change.

 

This game had the party starting out at sea, about to reach land. Iarid pulls the party aside and tells them he knows that Adacia, the girl who helped them with the pirates is with the Order of the Wish. He tells them that he had evidence to back it up after a crew member who apparently didn't exist had told him. He said the crew member claimed to have shared her bed and found out through pillow talk. The party investigates this mysterious crew member, and comes up empty.

 

At the port city, the party follows Adacia. She employs tactics to lose a tail, though the party didn't let on they knew about her. Father Danaecus, in the form of a shady-looking character, follows her to a shady inn, where she speaks briefly with some members of the Order of the Wish, and pass her a note. Father Danaecus follows her to another inn, and calls his fellow party members to ask what to do. He winds up confronting her, and finds out she gave the Order information about the party in exchange for information about her missing cousin. She agrees to leave town and talk to no one else so that she might seek her cousin.

 

The party switches inns, and finds out the following morning that there was a break-in at their former inn, and that innocent people were killed. They slip out of town after seeing to it that the girl keeps her promise.

 

After some traveling, the party reaches a fae settlement, but are barred from entering. However, when the fae recognize Father Danaecus, they send out a young fae to serve as a guide and tell the party they'll let them in if they can obtain dragon scales. The young fae shows them to a nearby dragon's cave, where they learn that the dragon is the one prohibiting the fae from allowing anyone but those from the Order of the Wish from entering the fae territory. Their guide shows them a path around the territory to get to Rosehollow.

 

After more travel, they reach Rosehollow, to find an abandoned shell of a town. They find a magical well which still looks brand new, and, sitting on the edge of it, a boy of perhaps 11 or 12 years old. He tells them he's been there for five weeks, and asks if he's imagining them.

 

The boy tells them all he knows is that his name is Al, and that he's existed for five weeks, this desolate place being all he's ever known. Father Danaecus uses the seraphim feather to contact Seth, who confirms that Al was a seraphim, up until five weeks previous.

 

Father Danaecus does some searching, and finds a book, written in draconic, tucked away inside the foundation of the church which used to stand there. The book contains shockingly graphic descriptions of a priest's "unnatural" urges. The journal concludes with the description of the defilement of a seraphim, and the claim that such befouling of the creature stripped him of his powers so that he could be killed once and for all. (The party had traveled to Rosehollow because they heard an insane seraphim had been destroyed there, and they were trying to learn how to kill a seraphim.)

 

Father Danaecus sends a message to Father Salem, the former seraphim who's retained all of his memories of what he used to be. He's horrified to learn there's a record of what the humans did to his old friend, and he assures the party that the defiling wasn't what killed the seraphim; rather, he and his fellow seraphim had restrained the insane one until his replacement had been reborn.

 

They only learn this after the fae has made a copy and vanished. On Father Salem's declaration that the method described in the book won't kill a seraphim (but it will make him very, very angry), they return to the fae territory, having gotten scales from the dragon who sits on the church's council.

 

Father Danaecus is called to the council then, to deal with an odd situation. He learns that a child has been left on the doorstep of the Council, who appears to be the same sort of creature as the church has declared blasphemies, only its wings are feathery, not demonic. Father Danaecus catches the council up on what he's learned of dragons and their half-human progeny, drakes. They adjourn to absorb this new information. Then Father Danaecus reveals the journal he's found, and advises the church seal it up. The dragon who sits on the council is intrigued, and agrees to seal the journal beyond anyone's reach, but only after she's read it to see if there's anything useful in it.

 

Meanwhile, Rastal has his armor enchanted, and Lina learns some magical theory while she's amongst the fae. Father Danaecus, upon his return, convinces the fae girl that the journal is no good, and she sulks at the idea of having wasted a boon.

 

The party travels some more. Along the way, they find an encampment of Order of the Wish swordsmen. Father Danaecus shape-shifts to appear to be one of them, and they accept him so readily that they allow him first watch, with only one other. He disables the other quickly, and the party captures the sleeping four and frees their prisoner. The prisoner is an older man who tells them he doesn't know why he was taken. They march the Order of the Wish swordsmen for a half a day, and then go to a nearby fortress, all shape-shifted to look like the men they'd captured. They shape-shift Aralden, their bard, to look like the prisoner. He's tossed into the brig overnight, while the party is given comfortable arrangements and told to go out on another loop with the prisoner in the morning, in hopes of running into the heroes.

 

Aralden assures them the following morning his treatment was less than humane, and they puzzledly set out to return the instrument-maker to his home.

 

The last night of their journey, Lina sees the man slip away, and follows him invisibly. She sees him cast a spell, and is able to identify it as for the purposes of gathering information. When he returns to the camp, they question him. Upon being asked how long he's worked for Order of the Wish, the man grins and replies, "I don't work for them." He then vanishes, taking Al with him.

 

The party is left confused and betrayed, but it's Rastal who points out that, rather than assuming the man doesn't work for Order of the Wish, what about the possibility that the Order of the Wish works for him? Father Danaecus kicks himself for missing the obvious, then divines Peircylwin's location, being able to do so as long as he knows what a person looks like, and his name. He's shown the man they freed from the Order of the Wish, and the party realizes with horror that they've allowed the most evil person in the world to walk among them, share their food and drink, and take this helpless boy from them.

 

The news gets worse. They soon learn that the boy, in previous incarnations, was Aveliel, the first hero. And for whatever reason, Piercylwin has been trying to resurrect Aveliel.

 

The party sends a message to the messiah, who sends back a message that they are to meet him in Lightbridge, where he'll see to it they're safe. He provides information about demons (several sheets of handwritten notes), as well as some information about Piercylwin and what he's been up to.

 

When the party finds that Piercylwin set up several traps to kill Iarid, they fake his death and see to it that several members of Order of the Wish are convinced of it. They then shape-shift Iarid into a new form so that he won't be easily recognized.

 

And Father Danaecus, when divining Piercylwin's location, finds that Piercylwin seems to have a black dragon at his disposal. When the party is joined later by Duncan, Eireille's protector, he reveals that the black dragon is his mother, and that he had escaped from the very fortress the party will wish to destroy to get to Piercylwin.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Father Danaecus shares some revelations he's had thanks to some spells he's casting, namely that "Al" is well and is no longer in confinement, and he's been given a means to communicate with him as a barter for ceasing all spying on Piercylwin. He's also bartered the name and location of OotW's number three. When he mentions it, Rinandra, the bard with the lost memory, mentions she's heard it before, but doesn't know where.

 

The party heads off into elven territory, when they're intercepted by a messenger with a delivery. She is openly from the Order of the Wish, and doesn't think anything strange of their request that she be the one to open the box. When she does, she screams and back away. Then the disembodied head inside comes to life, and speaks to the party. He tells them it was he who ordered Lina dead, thinking it the wish of #1, but that he was mistaken. He informs them they're more use to the Order alive than dead. They question him, and, finding nothing of use, burn the remains, box and all.

 

When they reach elven territory, they're welcomed as if they were expected. They find the elves have a human guest, a seer, who has some kind of vision during dinner. She announces that an event, the Sixth Upheaval, will depend on the party for when and how badly it affects the world.

 

The following morning, Ryllis, their elven friend, shows up with a message in hand, offering an exchange of herself for "Al". The party confers and decides they would rather a relative stranger were in Piercylwin's hands than someone they called a friend. Ryllis remarks on the irony of being considered their friend, considering they thought she was trying to kill them, when they first met.

 

They teleport to fae territory, where Rinandra's memory is restored, and Rastal gets the armor he commissioned. Rinandra remembers that #3's name is also that of the brother she thought had died in the fire that claimed her parents.

 

They teleport to the Holy City of Romennor, where Father Danaecus makes his report to the church, Rastal is reunited with Sir Gerard, and Lina looks for Rohac, aka #3.

 

Rastal manages to contact the High Seraph, Angelique, in a dream, and she tells him that the Upheavals are world-shaking events. The first two, she reveals, were the creation of Via itself, and the creation of life in the world. When he wakes, the party is surprised to find he survived the encounter, much less with useful information.

 

Father Danaecus finds some information about the Order of the Wish in the church's library, in the books about heroes that the Messiah bestowed upon the world. The party is shocked to learn that the first female hero was a member of Order of the Wish.

 

After some digging (and an excellent job of spying by Rastal), the party discovers the location of the OotW lair. But before they've even decided if they will storm it or not, they're approached by Rohac himself, who's being guarded by a man in priestly robes. They chat, and Rohac reveals that the purpose of the Order is to care for orphaned children, and give them a chance in the world to be anything but criminals. He doesn't deny that some members have done awful things, but likens it to the Church, whose members have also done bad things. He assures them it's being dealt with.

 

In the meantime, brother and sister are reunited, much to both their surprises. Rohac claims he's been training too extensively to learn of his sister's heroing deeds.

 

The party asks Rohac if they can speak with Piercylwin, and he points them to the Capital City of Asini, where Piercylwin has gone to "take care of something". After finishing up their research, they head to the Capital.

 

Along the way, Michael comes back with information regarding Piercylwin. He reveals that Piercylwin is half-demon, and that he and Aveliel were friends, before the incident where Piercylwin wiped out most of Aveliel's village. That, he alleges, was an accident, due to the Third Upheaval.

 

Upon arriving in Asini, the party is unsurprised to be introduced to the King's newest magical advisor, Piercylwin. He acknowledges their previous meeting openly. They approach him later in the library and are confronted not by the evil villain they'd expected, but by an unassuming, unthreatening philosopher-mage. He, too, knows of the coming of the Sixth Upheaval, and warns the party that the only force keeping demons from Via is the spells Angelique has woven, which will break when she dies. The pieces fall into place, and the party realizes that the Sixth Upheaval is when Ryllis dies, replacing Angelique. If they can't trigger her memories to return immediately upon her ascendance, she'll have no reason to bind demons back on the Fae plane. And even with her memory intact, some demons will slip through.

 

Father Danaecus, whose notes for creating divinely magical items were burned by the Church for being blasphemous (and who's been assured by Micheal that's hogwash), asks Piercylwin for the material he gathered on that very subject, and Piercylwin gives him his extensive materials. Lina asks him if a person can do both divine and fae magic, and Piercylwin demonstrates it's possible by performing first a divine spell, then a fae one.

 

And as the world of Via prepares for the Sixth Upheaval, the heroes prepare to stop it from destroying the world they know.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Our intrepid adventurers begin by . . . going to breakfast.

 

There, Father Danaecus notices that Piercylwin has a slightly magical aura about him, as if he were recently exposed to a very powerful magical item. It fades as the Father observes.

 

Eventually, he realizes that it's the sort of shimmer only a dragon could produce, and visits Piercylwin, where he finds that Eva, Piercylwin's draconic (literally) wife is temporarily taking his place, while Piercylwin deals with the rampant insanity inherited by all half-demons by locking himself away for a while. Danaecus learns from Eva that Piercylwin has been asked to perform a spell which will grant the King with immortality.

 

Rastal, meanwhile, tracks down some leads on the unnamed assassin who attempted to kill the Elven High Queen. This leads him to a man who, Aralden tells him, was lying to them. He follows this man to a bar and sees him pass off a message to the bartender. When he demands to see the note, the bartender's hired thugs attack Rastal. Though they don't have much luck, the ensuing mob who's eager to knock the man pulling a sword in a barfight (even if he's using it nonlethally) unconscious. The bartender has enough time to scoot behind the bar and shoots Rastal, knocking him out.

 

After he's ransomed, Rastal returns with Father Danaecus and Lina, and they learn that the message was sent to a Lord Vaishan.

 

Further investigation of Vaishan leads them to his home, where it's revealed he's away on business. They schedule a lunch visit with him, under the pretense of missing paperwork.

 

However, once they're sitting, Rastal questions Vaishan about the murder of two people who owned a farm outside Romennor, and the near-murder of their son. Vaishan confirms that he'd been sent to kill Rastal's parents, who refused to sell their land.

 

Father Danaecus, meanwhile, has noticed that the room is filled with deadly enchantments pointed at the three of them, and stops Rastal from charging at Vaishan. It takes all of them, and a couple of guards to hold Rastal back, and he stomps off to blow off some steam. Father Danaecus, meanwhile, hires some street urchins to keep an eye on Vaishan, for a generous sum.

 

The urchins report back on Vaishan's leaving his home late one night, but losing track of him. That night, a man who owns property in the city but has no heirs passes away, apparently of natural causes. But the urchins also report that Vaishan has been picking up women at one particular inn.

 

The party hatches a plan to use Lina (with help from Father Danaecus's shapeshift spell) as bait to get Vaishan alone and with his pants down - literally. However, being a temperate sort, Lina gets woozy from the wine Vaishan plies her with, not helped at all by the fact that it has a mild poison in it. Luckily, her fellow party members knock him silly before he can get very far in his attempt to take advantage of her.

 

From there, Ryllis teleports them all to the main Elven territory, where the High Queen of the Elves questions Vaishan enough to confirm that he does work for the King, and that it will be worth her while to have him questioned further. She allows Rastal to participate in his interrogation, provided he stays perfectly silent, and Rastal becomes the first human to see just how sadistic elves can be.

 

Once Vaishan confirms that he was hired to assassinate the High Queen, the Queen thanks the party, and they return to Asini. There, Prince Alaric meets them, requesting their presence in the throne room. The King is chewing out Piercylwin for his "delays". Piercylwin casts a spell which leaves the King twitching and foaming on the floor, and strides out of the throne room.

 

Father Danaecus confirms with Piercylwin that the King was speaking of his immortality spell, and that Piercylwin was arranging for the spell to be sabotaged. When he asks him to delay it just a bit longer, Piercylwin, amused, replies, "I'd planned on delaying it several years, but, if I don't have to hold it off that long, that's excellent."

 

A few days later, the water dragon the party met, the one who owns The Star, arrives in a human form, and asks the King for Charlotte's hand in marriage, having learned the Common language since their last encounter. The King is flabbergasted to see Charlotte likes this idea, as she's rejected all suitors before, and gives his consent.

 

But just as wedding plans are getting underway, a messenger arrives from the Elven territories. Lina slips into the throne room, invisible, to see the King's reply. When the elf informs the King that the elves have evidence that the King attempted to have their Queen assassinated, the King has him murdered, and orders the body to be sent back to the elves.

 

The party hastily gathers up their things and leaves the castle, heading for the nearest elven territory before winter can set in. As they're leaving, Solanum follows, and asks if he can join them. He tells them he has further evidence he can offer, and he knows the King's plans. They agree he can come with them.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party heads east, dropping off a pregnant Rinandra in Eriden, then going to Eireille's keep in Deeplake. There, they are greeted by the drake Duncan, and view a light on in one of the towers. Eireille informs them the REAL Piercylwin stopped by to research her vampirism problem.

 

Lina attempts to dispel rumors about the heroes being out to execute the King, and about the elves starting the brewing war. While she's out and about, she runs into members of The Church of Fleshly Concerns, who invite her to join them inside their church. Blushing, she arranges a meeting on neutral territory.

 

Father Danaecus, meanwhile, distributes the writings of the Messiah, who intervened when a Seraphim attempted to take him to Romennor to stand trial before the Council on charges of war crimes. He speaks with the members of the church, attempting to convince them that the Church's decision to side with the King is wrong.

 

The sex cult joins the heroes' cause, and Father Danaecus discovers, unsurprisingly, that there is a dragon among them.

 

They continue on to the east, after hearing that Piercylwin summoned up the voice of Eireille's long-dead husband, and briefly speaking to Piercylwin himself, who's headed back to the capital the following day.

 

They stop off in Elmfair to view the progress of the Church of the Messiah, where the Father spreads the message further and talks them out of getting involved in the upcoming war.

 

The heroes travel to the elven territory, where Solanum turns himself in willingly and submits evidence that the King has been planning to take the elven lands for at least the last 30 years. He offers to speak with any who can verify his words as truth, and goes willingly to be locked up. Seth speaks with him later, takes his testimony, and gives him a hard time for the way he treated Ryllis. Solanum confesses to jealousy of Ryllis's considerable skill, despite her station, and Seth later tells the party that he detected a certain affection in Solanum's mind for Ryllis.

 

Shortly thereafter, giants appear in the elven settlement, offering their assistance in the conflict. However, the elves have realized the danger they place themselves in, by leaving the settlement, and they send an envoy (with the heroes) to the nearby Fae settlement. There, the heroes negotiate the building of several large boats, big enough to accommodate the giants. The Fae, however, insist that they're remaining neutral in this conflict.

 

While the heroes and elves are climbing onto the boats (which the Fae deliberately placed out of reach), the sky is suddenly darkened by the arrival of many, many dragons, gathered by the dragon who formerly sat on the Council. When she disagreed with the Council's assessment that they should side with the King, they imprisoned her and sealed away her powers. She was freed by a Seraphim sent by the sex cult. She's brought 200 reinforcements, 100 of whom are merely Drakes, but, she assures them, still helpful.

 

The boats sail west then, toward the main Elven settlement. They encounter a fleet sent to capture them, but, after speaking with them, the Admiral determines that attacking them would only get his ships sunk, and he and his small fleet scurry off.

 

However, on the shore in front of the main Elven territory, there's a much larger force. The water and air dragons force a path for the ships, though, and they and the gaints make short work of the ground troops standing in the way.

 

The High Queen of the Elves is glad to see the heroes, and enlists their help in training her troops. She places them in command of the ground troops, who will attack from one side while the ships attack by river. It being winter, they use their training time and wait for the thaw, lest they find their water route frozen over.

 

The ground troops encounter two blockades in close succession, but scare the first and dismantle the wall set up to deter them. The second stands their ground, believing their Seraphic backup to be all they'll need. However, Lina sends a female member of the sex cult to negotiate a truce, and, when the man in charge orders the Seraphim to kill her, the Seraphim instead kills the Commander and carries the woman off into the woods. She doesn't emerge for a few hours, and, when she does, the Seraphim returns to the Heavenly Plane. She assures them he won't be an obstacle.

 

Though the ground troops are outnumbered (and the dragons are uninterested in such silly skirmishes), the heroes and their troops make short work of the King's forces in their path, though Father Danaecus is knocked unconscious and nearly killed, if not for another ally noticing his vulnerable state and dispatching the swordsman with an arrow.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party marches on, discovering just how long it takes to move an army from place to place. Along the way, Lina speaks to Aralden, their bard, to inquire as to his seeming withdrawal. He shows her an item the Messiah has given him as a gift, which plays otherworldly music.

 

When they reach the next town, they find a white flag flying at the keep, and are greeted by Chrislai of Order of the Wish. She proposes that, once the party has rested, they begin terms for a temporary alliance between elves and the Order. She asks that Prince Alaric attend to act as a mediator.

 

That night, Father Danaecus is visited by Eva, who inquires after this "place to the Southeast" her husband won't tell her anything about. He answers her questions, and cautions her to be careful. She replies flippantly that she's an Earth dragon, and doesn't need to be careful.

 

During the meeting, terms are drawn up reasonably quickly. When the treaty is signed, Chrislai gives a sword to Alaric, which Father Danaecus sees glowing magically. She explains that it was stolen many generations before from the royal family, and that she is returning it to its rightful owner. The item is the Blade of Justice, which will not harm an innocent, but will glow red and cut deep when fighting a person with blood on his (or her) hands.

 

They march onward, supplemented with fresh supplies and several thousands of fresh troops from the Order of the Wish.

 

Two days outside Asini, they find a large encampment, obviously put there to slow them down. Rastal suggests that the earth dragon tunnel underneath the camp, then that the giants in the army throw boulders until the ground collapses. They do so, and the plan works splendidly. Those who survive the attack flee to the safety of the city.

 

When they reach Asini, Father Danaecus and the Order of the Wish mages thin down the ranks on the wall, while their drake allies cast a spell to temporarily dissolve the city walls. Suddenly, Michael begins to levitate, and glows with soft golden light. This draws the archers on the wall, and he's struck. He vanishes before he hits the ground. A moment later, the voice of the Creator booms into the minds of everyone for miles, "A land at war deserves no Messiah!" The Seraphim guarding the city hastily return to the Heavenly Realm, wanting no further part in aiding those who've angered the Creator.

 

The heroes fight their way to the center of the city, crashing their way through two squadrons before finding the rest of the soldiers eager to be fighting someone other than their party. They make their way to the castle, where three dragons clear the doorway for them. Inside, they encounter little resistance until the door to the throne room, which is guarded by ten men, whose expertise is unknown. Lina traps the man with the keys in an entangle, then Father Danaecus knocks him unconscious. They dispatch the other nine with some difficulty, but no fatalities.

 

Finding the throne room empty, Prince Alaric reveals a secret panel behind the throne, and they pass down a dark and narrow tunnel. Two archers attempt to stop them, but are easily neutralized. The party continues to a secret treasure room, which is also devoid of life. Rastal finds another switch, and they finally encounter the King.

 

Prince Alaric reveals that he's recovered a family heirloom to his father, and points the Blade of Justice at him. It glows a deep red. They fight, and Alaric is the first to be struck. But he strikes back, felling his father with a single blow. Lina and Father Danaecus revive the King, who is silent.

 

They go back out, and up to a balcony at the front of the castle. Their dragon companion roars to get everyone's attention, then Alaric announces his intent to punish the King's evildoing ways, proving it by displaying the long-lost artifact. When no one contradicts him, he beheads his father with the Blade of Justice.

 

The weeks following leave the newly-coronated King Alaric very busy. Between meetings, however, he finds time to notify Father Danaecus of a strange book within the library, titled The Holy Bible (King James Version). He also sends word to him to go outside the walls of the city. Where Michael fell, Danaecus finds a dogwood tree in bloom, with two arrows through its trunk. As he sits under it, a blossom, appearing to be spattered with red, falls into his lap.

 

Lina joins him, and attempts to call the Messiah to them. He appears leaning against the tree, and assures them he's fine. He tells them his plan was to make the Seraphim leave, to even the odds in the battle.

 

As nice as the peace is, however, it doesn't last. When they return to the castle, they hear shouting and things being thrown in Piercylwin's laboratory. Lina and Danaecus enter forcefully, and they learn that Eva has gone missing. Piercylwin blames Father Danaecus for telling Eva about the mage to the Southeast. He goes off to find her, and the party follows on foot.

 

However, soon after, they're approached by a drake who looks exactly like Duncan. He introduces himself as Banquo, and warns them that his father is acting strangely. Lina clarifies that he means Piercylwin, and they take his advice to go straight to the Eastern Elven settlement.

 

Several days later, they respond to a report about a disturbance. Piercylwin tries to kill Father Danaecus, but is stopped by an exploding magical item, and the Seraphim Seth's intervention. The party keeps him asleep while they try to figure out what to do with him. Father Danaecus identifies a magical item infused into his collarbone, meanwhile. They learn that he's being watched by someone they've never heard of, and that the last place Eva was seen was Shadowdale.

 

They arrange to meet the reincarnated Aveliel in Eriden, the bardic city, and to discuss what to do with Piercylwin. Seth proclaims that, being able to read minds, all he can hear is Piercylwin's request that he kill him.

[John Desmarais]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Dang! I wish someone was running FH close to me...

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

I would've thought that you'd be more likely to find people on that side of the state.

 

Well, if you can make it to Dragon*Con, Josh is running a Via game for a few hours. Unofficially, of course.

 

There'll be more later; last night's game brought a new character in, and brought the characters that much closer to the Sixth Upheaval. ^ v ^

[John Desmarais]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

I would've thought that you'd be more likely to find people on that side of the state.

 

You'd think so - until you actually live here. This is area with three fairly good-sized cities (Winston-Salem, Greensboro & High-Point) all crammed up against one another that can't support even one game store.

 

Well, if you can make it to Dragon*Con, Josh is running a Via game for a few hours. Unofficially, of course.

 

Not too likely. Having kids really forced me to reduce the number of conventions I go to (sigh).

 

JD

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

You'd think so - until you actually live here. This is area with three fairly good-sized cities (Winston-Salem' date=' Greensboro & High-Point) all crammed up against one another that can't support even one game store.[/quote']

Yikes! That's too bad. You should move to WNC.

 

Not too likely. Having kids really forced me to reduce the number of conventions I go to (sigh).

 

JD

Ah. Sorry to hear it. Does it help to know that they have daytime on-site babysitting services? Or is it a matter of finances? (Because that I can understand, too.)

 

If it wasn't such a long drive, I'd say you should come join us.

[John Desmarais]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Yikes! That's too bad. You should move to WNC.

 

My wife would love to, but the employment opportunities for me here are greater.

 

 

Ah. Sorry to hear it. Does it help to know that they have daytime on-site babysitting services? Or is it a matter of finances? (Because that I can understand, too.)

 

Mostly it's the school thing (and the occasional weird custody thing with my step-son). I usually end up going alone - which is less fun than going with my wife.

 

If it wasn't such a long drive, I'd say you should come join us.

 

I appreciate the thought, but 150 miles is probably a bit much.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

My wife would love to, but the employment opportunities for me here are greater.

 

Mostly it's the school thing (and the occasional weird custody thing with my step-son). I usually end up going alone - which is less fun than going with my wife.

 

I appreciate the thought, but 150 miles is probably a bit much.

Ah. Well, Dragon*Con is always over a long weekend, so no school need be missed. But yeah, 150 miles is a bit much, and Asheville's job opportunities for the skilled sector are a bit lacking.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party learns that Father Danaecus has been visited in his dreams by the Creator. Danaecus shares what he's learned from his dream with the party, then they all go to speak with Piercylwin. He tells them to go to Shadowdale, and warns them that it is in a region of Via "untouched by the influence of heroes." He warns them of slavery, illegal goods, and a high concentration of pickpockets.

 

Lina gets a message from her husband, the newly-crowned King, that he requires her assistance, and she has Ryllis teleport her to Asini after she says her goodbyes to Danaecus. Iarid also leaves apologetically, explaining that it's now his job to keep an eye on Rexsom, Danaecus' brother and the #2 (soon-to-be #1) of the Order of the Wish.

 

The party heads off to Eriden, and meet up with Al, who's come to meet them. They stay in Eriden for a few days, resting and meeting Aralden's newborn son and catching up on reading. Upon their departure, they learn that Al has a healthy dose of paranoia. They find this initially irritating, but helpful once they enter the Thornwilde region. It isn't long before they spot slavers' caravans and other shady characters on the road.

 

They reach Shadowdale without incident, and, while Rastal is settling into the tavern, Father Danaecus goes out to buy some slaves, with the intention of setting them free. He learns that all of his avenues for quickly getting them out of the region are cut off, as the Seraphim Seth is busy dealing with a crisis on the Heavenly Plane, and Ryllis is very pregnant and doesn't think teleportation will be safe anymore.

 

When the Father returns to the tavern to eat his dinner, he and Rastal hear a scream in the alley. No one else even seems concerned, so they leave nonchalantly, and rescue the woman who's being beaten by her owner. A young woman named Flora follows them out, and scolds them for doing something so obvious and contrary, pointing out that such things aren't done in Thornwilde.

 

Rastal and Flora talk over drinks, and he reveals that they're heroes. She responds with skepticism. He learns the following morning that she has an errand at the very castle they're headed to, and asks if he can come along.

 

The castle on the opposite side of the town is shrouded in fog. When Flora and Rastal enter it, Flora is able to see eight heavily-armored figures making their way for Rastal. He can see nothing beyond the fog, but he can hear them. He takes her advice and heads back.

 

When she gets to the castle, Flora meets with the wizard Aciarren, who informs her the components she was sent to pick up aren't ready yet, due to an uncooperative dragon. When she shares this with Rastal and Danaecus, they surmise that Eva must be the dragon he's referring to.

 

Meanwhile, while out shopping with Sarah, Danaecus turns his back for a moment, and nearly loses sight of her. When he finds her again, she's speaking to a dark stranger who has, at his side, what can only be the sword of Aveliel. Sarah appears entranced by him, and he melts off into the crowd at Danaecus' approach. Later, Sarah is found gazing off toward the mist-shrouded castle. She doesn't remember anything about these trance-like states.

 

The party hatches a plan that puts Flora back into the castle, and she agrees to carry it out. They send her back, and she tells the wizard she's been pickpocketed, and that she'll take him up on his offer to allow her to stay there. He agrees, and grudingly allows her to speak with the dragon, to persuade it to cooperate.

 

He leads her down a deep, spiraling staircase, through a shrouded dungeon and to a locked door. Beyond that is another set of bars, and the dragon is there, bound and locked in a human form. Flora speaks to her for a while, until Aciarren leaves the room. Then she gives Eva a magic item Father Danaecus has procured, which will dispel the magical bindings. Eva breaks free, scoops Flora up, and heads to where Danaecus and Rastal are. They flee Shadowdale.

 

They land that night on the outskirts of a draconic territory, and, though Eva is wary, she's too tired to carry them further. They encounter a dragon that night, who demands that they leave Eva behind. Danaecus speaks to him, and convinces him that Eva's wishes should be factored in, too.

 

They continue to the Fae settlement where Flora grew up, and Eva submits to donating the spell components the Fae wanted from Aciarren. Rastal and Danaecus meet "George," the pet demon of the Thornwilde Fae.

 

The following morning, they all teleport to Romennor, hearing it's in need of their help. Flora goes with them in hopes of finding something out about the parents who abandoned her. When they reach the holy city, they find it's a wreck. They're approached by someone they don't recognize, but Eva cries out joyfully. They realize it's Piercylwin in a new form, who they'd been told was dead; killed by Seth. He doesn't have the magical item Aciarren had bound him with anymore.

 

The reunion is called short as Rohac, now-number-two of Order of the Wish, approaches the party and requests the heroes' assistance in protecting the city from Angelique's wrath.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party helps clear families from crumbling buildings in Romennor, then heads to Rastal's property to spend the night. They find a number of refugees from Romennor there, and Rastal allocates funds for the expansion of buildings on his property, to house the refugees and give many of them work.

 

The party returns to Romennor the following morning, and goes to the crumbled remains of the church, where Danaecus has traced Angelique's whereabouts. They hear strange music, and, upon entering, they find Aralden, their former bard, playing to a sleeping Angelique. He tells them a stranger has shown him a new form of magic, which he used to calm the raging Angelique. When they tell him to stop playing, he quite gratefully does, confessing he's been calming her for the last 8 hours.

 

When she wakes, Angelique tells them that she went to Romennor sensing the presence of the Creator. When she arrived, she found his essence bound inside an item, which she now holds. She tells them calmly that she killed everyone involved in this blasphemy. Against Seth's wishes, Danaecus summons the Seraphim, and requests an audience on the Heavenly Realm. After making sure Danaecus will be unharmed in his visit, Seth complies, and Father Danaecus chews out the Seraphim who were too busy trying to figure out how to get back into the Creator's good graces to see what had happened. Angelique goes to the Heavenly Realm to help figure out how to reverse what the priests have done.

 

Danaecus sets to cleaning up the church to the best of his ability, while Rastal sees to the refugees staying on his land, and Flora looks into finding the journals of those who performed the spell to summon the Creator. Danaecus teleports to the city of Aveliel long enough to find volunteers willing to help rebuild the church.

 

Danaecus is approached by Rohac in the middle of all of this, and told that Rohac had been ordered by Rexson, Danaecus's brother, to bring Danaecus in alive. Rohac shrugs, and declares that he's taking a vacation, to escort his brother-in-law (Aralden) back home and to meet his nephew.

 

The party sails westward, to the port city of Aveliel, and travels to Elmfair. While Father Danaecus is checking on the status of his Church of the Messiah, he receives a message that Ryllis has gone into labor. He quickly teleports, and finds her in need of a healing spell, but only just starting the delivery. Several exhausting hours later, she gives birth to a winged child with an inner glow. When Danaecus holds the child, he hears a voice in his mind, and the boy introduces himself as "Gabriel."

 

The bard falls ill in Elmfair, and another offers to take his place. Danaecus is wary, but convinced the young man is at least a bard, and who he says he is.

 

Shortly thereafter, Father Danaecus receives word from Piercylwin, who's been preparing the priests in the Church of the Messiah all they'll need to know for the upcoming Upheaval. He says they claim to want to face down a demon, but won't go summoning one without the party's say-so. They return long enough to witness the event. They see the summoning, and that the demon seems intent on harming Piercylwin (who levitates well out of reach). Danaecus then stuns the beast, earning its ire, but the attacks from his teammates bring it down before it can even draw close enough to harm him. Piercylwin assures them that was an older demon, more powerful than most. Nonetheless, the priests go back to the drawing board to continue their training.

 

Within ten days, Ryllis's newborn boy is the size of a ten-year-old elf, and displaying powers beyond those of regular Seraphim. He demonstrates to Father Danaecus, quite proudly, that he can take people to the Heavenly Realm without their getting sickened or overwhelmed. He explains that he's growing quickly because he'll be quite powerful someday, and can't risk being small and helpless long enough for someone to stop his growing up.

 

Meanwhile, Father Danaecus finishes the magical item which will restore Ryllis's memories when she ascends, and the party welcomes in their new bard, but with a healthy dose of skepticism. Father Danaecus suspects their new bard had something to do with the old bard's sickness. However, nothing in the bard's demeanor indicates he means them any harm.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The bard Lyrien declares he's visiting Elmfair, having noticed a dragon heading that way. Flora accompanies him, and, having dreamt of meeting a girl who strongly resembles him, in Shadowdale, she inquires about his family. He readily admits he has a twin sister, and that he hasn't seen her in almost two years. Upon further questioning, he admits she'd been captured in the Thornwilde region, and he hasn't seen her since.

 

They find nothing of use in Elmfair, and head back to the elven settlement. Over dinner, the party questions Lyrien about his sister, and he admits that she's in Aciarren's hands, and that he's been told she'll be freed if he accompanies the party, reporting on their whereabouts. He adds that he's told Aciarren nothing, and doesn't trust that the evil mage will keep his word.

 

The party decides they'll visit Eireille, and stop by Elmfair for supplies, with Ryllis accompanying them. Piercylwin asks if they'll deliver a message and a potion to her. Meanwhile, a Seraphim appears in the church, with a proclamation to clarify what constitutes blasphemy, a warning about allowing corruption within the Church, and the order that all churches must allow sanctuary, and what that involves.

 

When the party arrives at Deeplake, they learn that the potion given them by Piercylwin is the first of three treatments to cure Eireille's vampirism. They stay for a while, until they hear news of a royal proclamation - slavery has just been outlawed.

 

They head to Romennor, where they're given control of a small army to protect the church at Shadowdale, and they take a priest to be assigned there. They also snag a King's Accountant, who is responsible for financial reparations involving slavery.

 

Once in Shadowdale, Flora seeks out the lead given her by Lyrien, and finds a woman who's shocked to recognize her. The woman, a slave, explains that she left Flora where she did to save her from also becoming a slave, and she gives Flora the name of her father. For harassing his slave, the store-owner hassles the party, but Rastal and Lyrien knock him out, and they leave.

 

The following day, while searching for Flora's father, the party bumps into Aciarren, who tries to grab Flora. However, Father Danaecus blinds him, and they struggle with him to get the magical sword at his side. He deflects their attacks, and Lyrien goes into a tracelike state. Father Danaecus then teleports the evil mage and himself out into the middle of the ocean, where it's sunny. Aciarren starts to burn in the sunlight, then vanishes.

 

The party decides to teleport into Aciarren's castle to find Lyrien's sister. However, Lyrien returns to his trancelike state, and attacks Flora. When the party stops him, a mist envelops the bard, and he vanishes.

 

Shortly thereafter, they encounter a contingent of guards, who, though outnumbered, are quickly neutralized by the party. But while they're recovering, the mist appears again, this time enveloping Ryllis. Father Danaecus dispels it, and, when Aciarren appears, he's behind Ryllis, his sword at her throat. He tells them to drop their weapons.

 

Father Danaecus touches the Seraphim feather in his pocket, and, reluctantly, Seth appears, his flesh scorching. He snatches Ryllis out of the evil mage's hands, and Aciarren flees. Seth vanishes, and the party finds themselves free to move about the castle. They find Lyrien's sister, who screams and passes out when they grab her. Then they return to the church, plotting how to free their bard from the evil wizard's clutches. There, they find Seth nursing burn wounds, nearly crippled from his short visit to the unhallowed castle.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party casts a summoning to replace their badly-burned Seraphic ally, who needs to return to the Heavenly Plane to heal. They then calm Leila, who's nearly catatonic at the shocks she's been through. She insists on hiding under a bed.

 

The new Seraphim points out that the church is surrounded by guards, all of whom have arrows trained at the front door of the church. They ask if he'll retrieve one, and he does so. The guard is quite shaken by his sudden appearance inside the church, and begs them not to hurt him. He warns them that his peers were told to seek out and burn the heroes tracks, and Flora realizes her mother is in danger. She tells Leila to stay there, and Leila asks if she might stay with Sarah. The party agrees that's an excellent idea.

 

They teleport out to the inn where Flora's mother works, and find it's on fire. Flora's mother is not amongst the survivors. Flora, Danaecus and Rastal rush in, and a few ice spells from Flora calm the flames enough that they're able to free a back room full of slaves. But Flora's mother isn't among them. They rush upstairs, and find her in a locked room, passed out and tied up.

 

When they return to the church, they hear a scream, and rush to Sarah's room. There, they find her covered in blood from multiple stab wounds to her belly, and the window broken from the inside. Danaecus stablizes her, and she tells them Leila stabbed her, cursing at her all the while.

 

Shortly after, the front doors of the church open, and a body is dumped inside. It is wearing the same clothes as "Leila" was, but she looks different, and is covered with blood both from Sarah and her own deadly wounds. They quickly teleport back to Elmfair, and Danaecus takes the body to Piercylwin, after dropping off the lone guard at the pirate island they'd once visited.

 

Piercylwin is able to ascertain that the girl was killed by Aciarren, and that he told her, right before he killed her, that she hadn't followed orders. However, she wasn't Lyrien's sister, he says; she was posing as Leila to get close to the party.

 

The following day, while Flora and Rastal go out to gather spell ingredients, Father Danaecus casts a new spell, one that will bring him to the world of the Messiah. He finds himself in the middle of the desert (and, since Via HAS no deserts, has no idea what to make of it). He manages to find his way to a road, and, following that road, is reaching the outskirts of Vegas when a sports car pulls up to offer him a ride. Despite the severe culture shock, Father Danaecus finds his way to an airport, trades in some of his gold for US dollars, gets a phone card and appropriate clothes, and calls Michael Williams. Michael sends a friend to go get Danaecus, and the friend arrives on a chariot with flying horses. She introduces herself as The Greek, and helps the priest aboard.

 

When they arrive at Michael's, The Greek shows him in. Danaecus explains to Michael what's happened since Michael was last in Via, and Michael notes that, for him, it's only been 2 days since he was last there. Danaecus also tells Michael of his purpose as Messiah: to see to it that the world of Via never dies.

 

Michael instructs Father Danaecus to stay put and not touch anything, and departs. A little later, Father Danaecus hears the phone ring, and, when the answering machine picks up, he hears Michael's voice warning them they're about to return to Via.

 

When they return, Danaecus finds it's been three days since he left. He immediately sets Michael to freeing the Creator from his glass prison. Angelique delivers the bauble cheerfully, as sane as anyone has ever seen her. She tells Michael something before going off to fly circles around the church.

 

After much concentration on Michael's part, a form materializes behind the Messiah, and the Creator pats his son on the back for a job well done. Michael about jumps out of his skin. The Creator smiles and vanishes.

 

After Danaecus is approached by an agent of Order of the Wish with a polite request that he turn himself in, he and the rest of the party depart for Deeplake, under the auspices of meeting Eireille halfway. The party is stopped outside Elmfair by a large contingent of Order of the Wish. The party teleports several days down the trail, and keeps going.

 

Several nights later, some spies catch up with them. They teleport the spies away, one by one. A few nights after that, they wake to find themselves surrounded by men on horses, who demand their surrender. Danaecus explains their important mission to the representatives. They draw up a truce, whereby they escort the father to meet Eireille, and then back to Elmfair, and then he comes with them.

 

When they do meet up with Eireille, they find she's been traveling mostly at night, and with a light escort. Adjusting to her nocturnal schedule is difficult, but they manage, and return once again to Elmfair.

 

When Piercylwin learns that the Order has been sicced on Father Danaecus, he orders them to stand down, assuring them that Piercylwin himself is not really dead, but that he has good reason for hiding out. As an afterhtought, he orders them to release their prisoner, and the party is surprised to find Father Salem has been in their custody for some time. He confesses he's been having a difficult year, and introduces himself to Flora.

 

The party sits in on Piercylwin's talks with Eireille. Piercylwin tells Eireille he has a spell which will allow her to selectively block pieces out of her memory. The idea would be for her to go keep Aciarren distracted for a while, then leave and forget everything that happened. He tells her he isn't pressing this on her, and leaves her to make the decision herself.

 

When the party goes to the tavern that night, Flora is joined by Salem, who's full of compliments and charm, and the rest of the party by Duncan, who's pretty intent on getting himself good and drunk. They tell him to confess his love for Eireille if that's how he feels about it, and he expresses confusion at what they might mean.

 

Danaecus talks Piercylwin into applying some reverse psychology on Duncan, and so, when Piercylwin orders his son to stay away from Eireille and by no means confess ANY feelings for her, Duncan storms out to talk to her.

 

Danaecus realizes suddenly that he'd left something on in Michael's apartment, and crosses dimensions to fix it. While he's at it, he gets some of the strange food he'd seen in Michael's refrigerator, and, when he returns, the party passes the night drinking and sampling Chinese food.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Piercylwin points out to the party that the Eireille plan breaks down if Lyrien recognizes her, so he must be freed before the plan takes effect. They plot his rescue, and Father Danaecus commissions a magical elixir to melt the bars on the window of Lyrien's prison. He decides he'll pass the time by taking a jaunt into the Messiah's realm again, and this time offers to take others. Rastal initially refuses, but Danaecus talks him into it.

 

Danaecus and Sarah arrive safely, but Michael lands far off-target, and Flora and Rastal wind up in Sequoia National Park. They're given directions by helpful but puzzled tourists, and one of them calls them a cab. Michael pays the fare when they arrive.

 

Meanwhile, waiting in Michael's apartment, Danaecus discovers indoor plumbing, and that Michael's mother (who's come to meet him for their usual Saturday morning breakfast) bears a striking resemblance to Angelique.

 

Michael gets everyone into normal clothing, takes them for food, and then brings them to a place to register them as offworld visitors. Having discovered the wonders of chocolate and abundant supplies of food they find rare, the party heads to a grocery store, where Flora loads up on chocolate and Father Danaecus on sugar. They then go to a bookstore, where Danaecus finds the collected works of Shakespeare (a gift for Aralden), and Flora finds a book on magic.

 

Danaecus sends Rastal back to Via, where Rastal finds that four years have passed in their absence. He returns to his home outside Romennor to await his friends' return.

 

Flora and Danaecus return to Michael's apartment to gather the things they'd left there, then they, too, return to Via. A few more months have passed, and they track down Rastal and seek news of what they've missed. They learn that Thornwilde is actively seeking war with the King, and Rexson, Danaecus' brother, is supporting them (and so, therefore, is Order of the Wish). Meanwhile, Thornwilde seems to have an ample supply of funds for their war, and has been sending out parties to capture and enslave people, and these parties have raided elven territories.

 

They learn that Ryllis has freed Lyrien, who, she says, was "broken" the last time she saw him. They track him down in Eriden, and find signs of an attack or natural disaster there. Lyrien has recovered from his time in Aciarren's custody, and tells them he remembers mercifully little. They inquire about the damage to the city, and learn that there was an earthquake after Lyrien's arrival, and the city was subsequently attacked by raiders from Shadowdale. Though the raiders lost, they did take several dozen prisoners, likely as slaves.

 

The party meets with the King and Queen, and Lina is delighted to see them. They're updated on the politics side of the war, and Alaric's efforts to weaken Thornwilde.

 

Piercylwin is conspicuously absent throughout all of this, and the party learns that Eva is hiding out on Griffin Island, under the protection of another dragon.

 

They stop by Deeplake long enough to meet Ullarnys, a fae Flora knew when she was younger. The fae recognizes her, and is proud that she remembered the spells he taught her. He reveals that her father is a slave trader, and that her younger brother is following in his footsteps.

 

Father Danaecus decides that the best way to strike at Aciarren is to lessen his allies. To that end, the party decides to go after Rexson. They're accompanied by Ryllis, Al, Rohac (the retired #2) and Father Salem.

 

They're teleported outside Piercylwin's keep, and start walking. They encounter a barricade with 20 members of Order of the Wish guarding the road. Thanks to spells making the ground icy, and other such resources, they make short work of that group. However, when they reach the walls of the keep, they're stuck until they remember that Father Salem has a tunneling spell. He gets them to a secluded spot at the back of the keep, and they stroll in through the back door.

 

Luckily, no one thinks anything of their presence, figuring an alarm would've been sounded if there were intruders. So the party makes it all the way to where Rexson is holding a meeting of some kind, and storm in.

 

Al and Rohac hold the back of the group while the rest whittle away at Rexson and his crew. Danaecus takes down Malva, Rexson's resurrected wife, and Rexson retaliates in full, severely wounding his brother. Luckily, Flora and Rastal are able to take care of Rexson, and they tie him up.

 

When Danaecus recovers, he calls Seth, who appears and chides Rexson on his past crimes, and sentences him to oversee the rebuilding of the town of Constal. He also marks him as someone not to be trusted with any authority. He leaves Malva be, though, and explains to Danaecus that, under the current Church law, she's free to do as she pleases.

 

Flora, meanwhile, tends to Father Salem, who was also injured in the fight. He assures her he's fine, and makes sure she's uninjured.

 

Rohac assumes control of the Order of the Wish, and commands that they are no longer allies of Aciarren. The party examines the papers on the conference table, and find maps of Thornwilde, as well as several plans. One map contains a large red "X" just to the south of Shadowdale.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party spends some time recuperating at Piercylwin's Keep, under Rohac's care. They bump into Malva a few times, who thoroughly creeps them out, and who tells Father Danaecus she doubts her husband considers the matter settled.

 

Danaecus announces he's leaving to help procure supplies which will aid in the impending Upheaval, and goodbyes are said. When he reaches Elmfair, he's presented with a gift from the Messiah: several coffee plants, instructions on care for them, instructions on how to treat the beans when they're ready to be harvested, and several pounds of sugar. He sends this last to Asini to help raise revenue for the war with Thornwilde.

 

Meanwhile, the party teleports to Asini, where the Queen introduces them to Zalvin ix'Daris Sebastian Coriliel, Daris for short. He's a descendant of Aveliel, and the inheritor of The School of the Balanced Blade. He flirts with Flora, who isn't unhappy about the attention.

 

Al, the reincarnation of Aveliel, chooses to keep silent on the matter of his true identity to the newcomer. While sparring with Rastal, he tells him that he disagrees with the Vian assessment of himself as some god-like figure, and explains that he's only human. He points out that his bid to destroy Piercylwin was merely an attempt to straighten out a friend who seemed to have lost his mind. He also mentions that he never even wanted to have children.

 

The party heads south, to Thornwilde, and Daris is sickened by the spell to transport them. To avoid detection, they land far away from Shadowdale and travel there. Along the way, they're stopped by guards who demand a road tax and to inspect their provisions. They defeat them, and decide to stick to offroad travel, lest people come looking for the ones who stomped those eight guards.

 

When they reach Shadowdale, Daris is the only one to enter the city to resupply. He spots Eireille, who's wearing a wedding band and accompanied by several guards. He shares this observation when he returns, and questions the party when they indicate they know her. Initially, he's outraged at the idea that she's there only under the influence of a spell, until Flora explains that it's all right.

 

While Daris is still in Shadowdale, Flora asks Father Salem, who's seemed mildly upset by Daris's flirtations, what his intentions are toward her. He explains he respects her too much to push his desires onto her, and was awaiting some sign of interest on her part before pursuing. She indicates she's interested, and they spend Daris's absence getting to know one another better.

 

When Daris returns and sees Flora is spoken for, he pulls Salem aside to indicate his flirtation will cease. Salem expresses a dislike in general for Daris, and defends his own less obvious overtures toward Flora. He tells Daris that Daris takes well after Aveliel, and his tone makes it clear it's an insult. Daris chastises him for speaking ill of the first hero.

 

The party continued to travel south, to a spot marked on one of Rexson's maps. As they draw close, they notice that there's a blockade on the road, obviously set up to prevent people from approaching the spot marked on the map. Flora does a spell to locate her relatives, and finds they're in that camp.

 

Daris infiltrates the camp, and finds that there are slaves being kept there. The party captures Flora's brother, who is in no mood to cooperate with them. Daris, meanwhile, frees several slaves, and Ryllis brings them to Elmfair.

 

They question Flora's brother, who doesn't believe that Flora is his sister because he'd been told she was dead. They tie him up and keep a watch. In the morning, he's far more cooperative, claiming to have dreamt of a very persuasive man who said to trust the heroes. Ryllis comes back with Flora's mother, who weeps at the sight of the son she hasn't seen in so long. Thus is Flora's brother convinced that his father has been lying to him. He agrees to accompany his mother to Elmfair.

 

They continue on, reaching the spot marked on the map after much travel through the woods (and barely avoiding being spotted by patrols). There, they find a huge encampment with hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Ryllis (invisibly) and Daris (through charm and social engineering) find out all they can about the encampment, and Daris gets himself and Al inside, where an earth dragon is kept. They learn it's kept around to help dig tunnels, and fed by people and dwarven slaves who misbehave. They manage to get into the room where the dragon sleeps, and Ryllis (again invisibly) quietly frees the dragon. Al and the dragon both speak dwarven, and so the dragon is able to communicate well enough to understand he's been freed. He tunnels them all to freedom.

 

Once outside, the dragon stares wonderingly at the sky, inhaling all the new scents. He seems momentarily interested in Flora, but his eyes light up when he sees Ryllis, and he shape-shifts into the form of a handsome elf. She ignores him.

 

The following morning, they teleport to Griffin Island, where they understand Eva to be. Daris loses his lunch again. They see a dragon approaching, who lands and speaks in Piercylwin's voice. He shape-shifts into Piercylwin's form, confirms that it is him, and leads them up Griffin Mountain.

 

He explains, once they're settled and eating lunch, that he's hiding out here temporarily, and that the dragon form he wears was given freely by a dragon who wanted to be human. Then he moves on to other subjects. When he speaks of his half-demon parentage, Daris excuses himself, too weirded out to keep listening.

 

Al joins him, and reveals his identity to his descendant. Daris is relieved to hear of it, but elects to sleep outside, nonetheless.

 

When he wakes, he finds a beautiful woman curled up next to him, who claims to have thought he was lonely. She informs him this is her cave they're sleeping outside of, and invites him to bed.

 

Stay tuned for the next installment of: As Via Turns!

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party wakes on Griffin Island, and meets for breakfast. Over breakfast, Flora asks Piercylwin if he'll teach her the demonic language (if such a thing exists), and he agrees. Daris tells the party of his past, of a wife killed by a slaver raid in the city of Filo, and his failure to protect her. The party agrees that going after the slaver who initiated the raid is an excellent idea, and they head out. Piercylwin assures them he'll be difficult to find, and they reply that they'll likely bump into one another, unworried.

 

They have an uneventful journey to Fae territory, where Flora commissions a ring of invisibility with provisions from Michael's world. While they're awaiting the completion of this item, they see a shipful of people arrive from Thornwilde, who pick up a number of unique weapons. Flora bribes the Fae into telling her what these items do, and she learns that they're set to trigger and release a powerful bolt of energy at any strangers. The Fae tell her the triggers can be dispelled and reset, and can only fire at one person at a time. They notify the King and Queen of this development, then head to Elmfair to speak with Flora's brother. He's able to identify the man who raided Filo as the slave trader Eloi.

 

While in Elmfair, the party hears news of a ship encountering another on its way to Thornwilde, but the Thornwilde ship sank the merchant vessel.

 

They sail off to intercept Eloi's slave vessel, and realize it's headed into an elven territory. Ryllis teleports ahead to warn them. The party encounters the ship on its way back to Thornwilde.

 

Thanks to sound tactics, they make short work of the crew abovedeck, and Daris leads the way belowdeck. There, he, Rastal, Al and Ryllis encounter several slavers, but they're able to neutralize that threat, as well, until Eloi emerges from his cabin, holding the Elven Queen of that region hostage. The party drops their weapons obligingly, but Daris braces with the hidden weapon inside his bracer, and obliterates Eloi's hand. They capture Eloi and his crew, and set the elves, who'd been captured as slaves, free. The Queen thanks them for their help and, then, embarrassed, asks if they can do anything about the plague of Wasting that's about to hit the female captives. They promise to send help when they can.

 

They sell Eloi's ship for a tidy profit, then head back to Asini to turn Eloi in to the King and Queen. On the street heading to the castle, Eloi taunts Daris, insulting the memory of his deceased wife. Daris snaps, and shoves his thumb into the mangled remains of Eloi's hand while Flora and Rastal look on dispassionately.

 

They turn in the slaver, then spend some time at the castle, recuperating from their journeys. While there, they hear news that an army from Thornwilde has attacked the town of Blackwall, to the west, accompanied by two demons. They begin preparations for taking on the powerful creatures, while the King and Queen gather enough troops to liberate Blackwall.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Rastal goes to dinner with Livona, the hired bait, to find that she's interested in drawing up a contract for their arrangement, not as interested in talking about herself. Over time, he learns that her mother was killed in the war with the elves, and that Liv is supporting her sick father and seven siblings. When he meets them later and sees the situation Liv is living in, he gives her the entire payment up front and tells her she and her family can stay on his property rent-free. She declines the generous offer, at least until her father is safe to travel.

 

Meanwhile, the party learns that there are several nasty rumors circulating about them, and attempt to quell them. They hit an impasse when they realize it would take a bard to dispel the rumors, but bards are afraid of them because of the rumors. They head off to Eriden to see if Lyrien will agree to be hired on.

 

Along the way, they discover that Deeplake is being guarded by soldiers from Shadowdale, in Eireille's name. Daris defends three women from the guards' attentions, thereby raising the ire of the guard. The innkeeper covers for the party when they leave early the following morning, delaying the contingent thundering after the heroes.

 

They take sanctuary at The Church of Fleshly Concerns, where Flora learns through Father Salem (former Seraphim and her current partner) that it's standard practice for these churches to summon up Seraphim and . . . He's too embarrassed to explain further, and the party gets the gist.

 

Thanks to the Church's distractions, the party is able to stay while the guards pass on by, and the Church cloaks them with a spell to make them unnoticeable. They reach Eriden with no troubles, and are let in through the gates after passing word to Lyrien on the inside that they wish to speak to him.

 

Lyrien agrees to be hired on, but the party waits for the Deeplake guards to grow bored before they leave the city. Eventually they do, and they leave, skirting the city of Deeplake on their way back.

 

After some spreading of positive stories, thanks to Lyrien's help, they're able to reverse some of the damage done to their reputations, and recruits start showing up by the dozens to help them liberate Blackwall. After some very basic training is given these new recruits, they leave for Blackwall.

 

Along the way, they realize that Lyrien's nightmares and casting necromancy in his sleep is going to be a hindrance, and send word to Piercylwin to see if he'll help them. He appears and agrees to help, under the condition they trust him on his next venture. All agree readily except for Salem, and Flora is torn on the issue. Salem assures her he won't hold it against her if she agrees for the sake of expediency, and Piercylwin agrees that he'd expect Salem to be suspicious of him no matter what, anyway.

 

In a short period of time, Piercylwin frees Leila, Lyrien's sister, and heals her mind of the damage done to it while imprisoned by Aciarren. Then he treats Lyrien's symptoms, which, he tells the party, are more deep-seated and require more time.

 

While she sleeps that night, Flora receives a visit from the Creator in her dreams, who tells her Salem hasn't much time left on Via, and that he's owed a progeny. The Creator asks if Flora will provide it, and offers to send her to a dimension where time will flow differently, so that the gestation wouldn't interfere with their current venture. She agrees to talk it over with Salem, who seems quite pleased at the idea.

 

When the party wakes the following morning, it's to the sound of a baby crying. Flora explains what's happened, and they send the child off to Father Danaecus, where it's safe, to be cared for until Flora can do it.

 

She names her child after his father.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Rastal has Father Salem cast a flying spell on him, and doubles back to approach the people following the party. He finds members of Order of the Wish, who state that they wish to help the heroes liberate Blackwall. He also briefly speaks with Solanum, who's among them, and who tells him that Lord Vaishan (the man who killed Rastal's parents and was hired to kill the Elven High Queen) has been freed by a large party of humans, and the elves have yet to find him.

 

Several days later, before they've caught up with anyone or the Order of the Wish has caught up with them, the party is ambushed by crossbowmen. They make short work of the threat, while Daris sneaks behind to reach the ones in the back. He attacks one, and that swordsman and another man wrapped in blankets vanish, leaving a young man behind. That young man, Jaydus, surrenders and turns his weapons over to Daris.

 

They tie him up, and Jaydus confirms that Vaishan sent these men after them, but he doesn't know where Vaishan has gone.

 

They travel some more. One night, Flora's alarm spell goes off, and, when they investigate, they find their prisoner's bindings loosened. Jaydus tells them he didn't try to free himself, but Rastal strikes him, wounding him.

 

Several nights later, the alarm spell goes off again, and they see someone scampering off into the darkness. Flora slows the person down with a spell that makes the ground slippery, and the person falls and slides down a nearby hill. Daris slides after the intruder, to find it's a very scared and frantic little girl. She tells them she's escaped from Blackwall, and that a demon ate her mother. Between tears, she tells them her name is Cyllenna, and she devours the food they offer her. She agrees to go with them to Blackwall to help them help her fellow townspeople. Meanwhile, she clings to Daris.

 

The night before they meet up again with the army, Flora wakes when Salem climbs out of bed. She follows him, and listens in on his conversation with Seth, where they discuss Seth's rocky relationship with the aloof Ryllis. When he returns to bed, Salem muses on the oddity of being a mentor to heartbroken Seraphim when he understands people no better than anyone else.

 

Finally, they join the army again, and they march on Blackwall. The army keeps the forces at Blackwall distracted while the party tunnels under the wall for which the town is named (a naturally-formed wall of solid obsidian), and they seek out the demons. They find them guarding a cage full of injured women and children, and, thanks to good planning and sound tactics, they knock both demons unconscious in a short time. They disappear, heading back to their home dimension. Then a spell incapacitates most of the party, leaving only Daris and Cyl standing. Daris speaks with Aciarren, who's hiding in the shadows, and Aciarren declares he's taking Ryllis and Lyrien with him. Cyl contradicts him, and blasts him with a spell. He swears, and vanishes.

 

Cyl confesses to Daris that she's a shapeshifted dragon, and asks him to keep her secret. They wake the rest of the party, and send Ryllis and Lyrien away, somewhere safe.

 

That night, while celebrating their victory, the party spots Aciarren watching quietly from a corner of the inn. When Daris and Rastal approach, Aciarren uses a spell to read Daris's mind, and indicates he doesn't consider the party a threat, but that there's information he wants. He offers to barter for it, but Daris and Rastal leave. Shortly after, a barmaid approaches and is bitten for her trouble. The heroes intervene quickly enough to save her life.

 

Over the next couple of weeks, Flora and Salem marry, and Liv (the hired bait) expresses bitterness toward Rastal for his disinterest in her. On the way back to Asini, however, Cyl casts a spell on Liv which motivates her to break her silent treatment of Rastal, and visit him in his tent. They talk, and she agrees to learn more fighting tactics so that she's not a liability to him.

 

Meanwhile, the party members, one by one, begin having strange and disturbing dreams which interrupt their sleep. Flora learns a spell to combat this effect, but, in the meantime, her mind is rifled through while she sleeps, and Aciarren learns what is so special about Ryllis.

 

However, Ryllis and Seth have reconciled, and, when Aciarren tries to harm Ryllis when she's in her safe place, Seth injures him, instead. Seth promises Ryllis he'll always be close at hand when she returns to the party, and she relaxes, content in the knowledge that Aciarren won't risk attacking her and angering the Seraphim again.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party stays in Asini, where they hear news that three cities near Thornwilde have surrendered to Thornwilde and no longer are under the King's sovereignty. This includes Filo, Daris's hometown.

 

Meanwhile, Cyllenna goes off to visit her brother. While she's gone, Aciarren shows up, obviously furious about something and threatening Flora. Salem tries to stop him, but ends up with a headache for his troubles. Aciarren demands to know where "she" is, and so Flora shows him to where Ryllis is still sleeping. He, between clenched teeth, informs her that's not who he meant, and is incredulous when Flora tells him she doesn't know who he's talking about. He reads her mind, and, upon finding that she doesn't know where his wife is, casts a spell and vanishes.

 

That morning, Lyrien, the party bard, doesn't feel well, and says he's hungry, but is uninterested in food. As he's showing several other symptoms of being recently-undead, Daris buys him some blood from a local butcher, and that tides him over.

 

They tell the King and Queen of this development, and the Queen asks that they not leave him there at the castle.

 

They contact Piercylwin, who crabbily relates that he hasn't time to drop everything at their whims. So they go to him (after Cyl gets back from her family visit). They find him in a shouting match with Duncan, who, it turns out, has freed Eireille from the mind-wipe that Piercylwin performed to allow her to get close to Aciarren, out of concern for her safety.

 

Ryllis, meanwhile, becomes severely ill after teleporting the party, and reveals she's been having visions and dreams about Angelique that are starting to affect her.

 

Piercylwin agrees to cure Lyrien, but orders the party to gather the demon's blood, which is a necessary ingredient of the cure. They head to the Fae territory in Thornwilde, where they chip away at George until he's unconscious and bleed him. Though he's caged, they barely avoid injury, themselves, and the Fae are delighted at the show put on by the heroes.

 

On their way back (on the back of the Earth dragon they'd freed), a village they're passing over fires on them. The dragon returns the sentiment with a Breath weapon consisting of stone and magma, and buries the attackers.

 

When Lyrien's cure is complete, Piercylwin points out it'll be at its highest potency if Lyrien takes it with the blood of a virgin. He introduces three volunteers, all of whom ask a favor in return. The party opts to restore the ancestral lands to a young woman from Filo in return for her generous donation.

 

After Lyrien is cured, they leave for Filo. Daris sends word to Jaydus, with instructions to meet them at his estate in Filo, if he can.

 

They run across several patrols on the way to Filo, but none attack them. One night, Angelique appears at their encampment, obviously experiencing another break from reality, and demands to see her son. Flora casts a Locate spell, and the spell pinpoints Salem, who's standing behind her. She tells this to Angelique, who dismisses him with, "That's only half of him." Salem is too shocked by this revelation to say anything for himself.

 

Angelique leaves after spotting Ryllis, who has a pounding headache from the High Seraphim's presence. Flora prays for illumination that night, and the Creator appears in a dream to explain that Williams' wife was pregnant with twins when she was split in two to create Angelique, and one of the children came with her. She wakes Salem to share this news, and he decides it's his duty to not let his holy bloodline end. He asks Flora how she would feel about another child, and she agrees not to cast the pregnancy prevention spell.

 

The party reaches Filo soon after, and they're taxed at the gate. Thanks to an "accidental" overpayment, Daris earns the party an escort, who, when Daris tips him generously, tells them to contact him if they should need anything. They reach Daris's estate without problems, and find Jaydus has been there for some time. He tells Daris that he found a smashed urn and scattered ashes, and cleaned them up to the best of his ability. Daris, upset, sees to his wife's remains.

 

The party attempts to settle in, but find people mistrusting and wary in the city. Lyrien manages to befriend a servant in Lord Mannis's employ (Lord Mannis, they find out, is the one running the show, and is serving as a liaison to Aciarren).

 

Cyl and Daris take to strolling the streets together (Cyl masked as the 8-year-old girl she'd appeared to the party as), and she frees some of the slaves in the market without calling attention to her actions. She and Daris see to it that at least one woman escapes for good.

 

And so the party plots the liberation of Filo, posing meanwhile as normal, unthreatening residents of a changed city.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

Flora and Rastal find their sleep being interrupted by the sound of a woman sobbing nightly, and perform their own investigations. After several nights, they inform Daris, and learn that everyone but Daris and Cyl is hearing the noise. It begins to worsen.

 

Meanwhile, Daris informs the party he's inviting the Captain of the Guard to dinner, and that he has a method for getting him to tell them information he normally wouldn't want to leak. They hold a large dinner, and, during dessert, the Captain tells them of a necromancer in town named Diela, hired to make their lives difficult. Privately, he tells Daris he's met their bard before, and to tell him if he hears anything about the heroes. He also reveals some of the Guard shift changes, which are complicated enough that Daris is unable to memorize them.

 

Later, a ghost appears in front of Daris's door, and, when Flora says Daris's wife's name to it, the ghost looks at her, then vanishes. Flora guesses correctly that the ghost of Avella is haunting them, thanks to the necromancer.

 

They wait several nights, meanwhile purchasing some slaves to save them from a worse fate. The ghost attacks the girls in the night, but vanishes after Daris confronts her. Flora casts a Locate on the ghost, and they track her to a local inn. They go out to confront Diela, who, when asked if they can come in, replies she doesn't advise it. When Daris opens the door, he's shot with a crossbow bolt, which sinks deep into his shoulder and knocks him out. Rastal then picks up Jaydus and throws him into the room, and Jaydus is riddled with several more crossbow bolts. The necromancer then casts a spell which knocks everyone unconscious. When they wake, Diela and her lackeys are gone.

 

That night, Daris forces Rastal to sleep outside as punishment for mistreating an ally, even if he doesn't like him, and Rastal dreams of Diela. She, laughing, thanks him for all the help he's been to her cause thus far, and offers him payment and Vaishan's head on a platter, if he'll work for Thornwilde instead of the heroes. He refuses, and she shrugs and allows him to wake.

 

Daris speaks to Rastal the following morning about his actions, and Rastal expresses no remorse about his treatment of Jaydus. When Daris leaves, he sees Al has heard the conversation. Al tells Daris he cannot protect such a person, and that he's leaving.

 

Meanwhile, Rastal gets a message from his estate that Liv has been severely injured. He sends Salem and Ryllis to see to her, as there is no healer on his staff. He goes to the church to pray for her recovery, meanwhile. While he's there, he dreams once again of Diela, who warns him of a second attempt on Liv's life, and offers to thwart it for him in exchange for his loyalty. Once again, he refuses.

 

Daris invites the Captain of the Guard to dinner again, and tells him he's heard that one of the heroes, the one named Al, had left that day, and indicates he's gone in the opposite direction he has. He also tells the Captain that Lyrien is spying for the heroes.

 

Daris later gets a message from Lyrien that he's run into trouble, and won't be home that night. When Lyrien does return, he informs Daris he's being chased by the Guard, but that the necromancy he doesn't remember picking up came in handy in keeping him hidden.

 

Liv's condition initially worsens, but Salem's ministrations eventually heal her. When Rastal arranges for a guard to be sent for her, she sends word to him that it's unnecessary, but he refuses to budge on the matter.

 

The party discusses their plans, and realizes they're focusing on the necromancer when Lord Mannis, who's in charge from Thornwilde, is more of a pressing concern. They formulate a plan to free the newest slaves, and question their house-slaves regarding how they were captured and what happened to them. The girls reluctantly fill them in.

 

Daris finishes working on a new weapon, meanwhile: a large crossbow which fires tree-sized bolts hundreds of meters. He demonstrates this weapon for the rest of the party, and they're duly impressed with his skill.

 

The next cloudy, moonless night, the party sets out, with a local (female) bar owner posing as a captured slave, toward the slave quarters. They reach it without incident, and find some guards have just brought in two more slaves, and two more are guarding the door. They knock them unconscious and steal the keys, then slip inside and take out the two others without a problem. Then they free the slaves, sending them into the church to take advantage of Sanctuary.

 

On their way back, they encounter the necromancer once more, who's protected herself magically. She asks them to surrender, and they attack. They make short work of her lackeys, and, before they can take her out, she summons several black-clad warriors from the shadows. However, a spell from Father Salem knocks her unconscious, which also dispels the ghost of Avella.

 

The black-clad warriors prove difficult to hit, as they're quick on their feet, but the heroes prevail without casualties. Exhausted, they head back home with Diela as their prisoner, and leave Lyrien to guard her.

 

The following morning, they find Diela dead from a vampire bite, and Lyrien unconscious from the same cause. When he wakes, he confirms that Aciarren paid his pet necromancer a visit, and apparently killed her for failure in her duties.

 

Upon leaving the estate, they find the black-clad warriors, who were found unconscious by the Guard, are being blamed for the freeing of the slaves. They summon Seth to take the slaves from the church to someplace safe, and he does so.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The party decides to stay in Filo for the time being. However, Jaydus approaches Daris and informs him he's heading back to Asini, and is escorting Cyl to her brother's, while he's at it. He explains he's already caused too much strife amongst them, which was never his intention.

 

Cyl and Jaydus depart the following morning.

 

Meanwhile, Daris is invited to dine with Lord Mannis by the Captain of the Guard.

 

When Flora, Salem and Rastal leave the estate that day, they find the locals oddly silent, and the guards eyeing them suspiciously. Rastal speaks to the friendly guard at the front gates, who shrugs and says he's been getting that vibe, too. He tells Rastal that Mannis is likely angling for a bribe with the dinner invitation.

 

The night of the dinner arrives, and the party is early. They leave Ryllis behind, as they can come up with no explanation why she'd be accompanying them, and she's been feeling unwell.

 

When they're escorted into the dining room, they see Aciarren sitting at the table, sipping from a silver goblet. He has a casual demeanor, however, and shows no intent of harm. Uneasily, they sit.

 

After a very awkward and quet dinner, Mannis speaks up, telling the heroes he knows who they are and that they're not leaving his estate that evening. Aciarren seems bored by this speech, and remarks, offhand, how strange it is that the spy he'd placed in the party isn't present. Rastal reacts as if this was Jaydus, but Aciarren scoffs at the thought, declaring him too goody-goody to be any use to Thornwilde. He indicates that Cyl was sent to spy on them and report on their plans and whereabouts, as no one would suspect a little girl.

 

Mannis calls for guards, some of whom haul Daris away. Flora and Rastal dispatch theirs, and so Mannis hollers for more guards. Daris, meanwhile, sprays two of his guards with a makeshift firebreathing trick, and the others arrive in time to help him before the rest of the guards arrive.

 

Thanks to Flora's Icy Ground spell, the guards who approach are unable to get very close without falling down, and Flora, Salem and Lyrien take them out while they're floundering. However, despite her careful planning to bring extra potions of endurance, Flora runs low on magic power quickly from maintaining her spell. The party falls back to the dining room once more, where Rastal is battling Mannis.

 

It's clear Mannis has had excellent training, and he gets two lucky shots in at Rastal, knocking him unconscious. However, Flora responds with a blast of magic she'd been holding in reserve, and Mannis falls.

 

As they hold the doors closed to bar the press of guards, Daris addresses Aciarren, inquiring as to his role in all of this. Aciarren airily replies that he doesn't care which side wins. Daris, infuriated by the mage's pettiness, fires a bolt at his goblet, splashing blood all over the floor. Aciarren shrugs, declares he likes it better straight from the source, and departs calmly.

 

Daris dashes to a window (they're on the first floor), and they toss out Mannis's unconscious form. The Captain of the Guard, who's been watching this with some trepidation, reluctantly fights them, and he and his guards lose. However, he's bought Mannis enough time to awake, and, by the time the party escapes, Mannis is gone. During their fight, a young woman dashes out of the kitchen, bleeding from the neck, and begging for their help. They oblige.

 

They return to Daris's estate, where they find several unconscious guards. Daris follows the trail to the basement, while Flora sees to their most recently-rescued damsel.

 

Daris finds Ryllis in the basement, curled up and looking quite frazzled. The Messiah is there, as well, attempting to comfort her. He doesn't recognize Daris, and Daris is alarmed to find a stranger in his home. But, once they meet up with the rest of the party, they're introduced. Rastal points out Salem is Michael's brother, and Michael indicates he already knows, and has known longer than they have.

 

They bundle up and leave for Cuspin to regroup and make plans. The Filo-native guards let them pass, promising to mask their departure as well as they can.

 

On the road, they see that they're being followed, but luckily their pursuers are several days behind, and show no signs of catching up soon. A few days out of Cuspin, however, they meet a party on the road, who are too busy fighting off a single woman to pay them much heed. They help finish them off, and the woman introduces herself as Arachne. They invite her to join them, and she does, readily.

 

They reach Cuspin without further incident, and find the gates being closed behind them to ward off the hundreds of Thornwilde soldiers who followed them to the free city of Cuspin.