ROR:Session/13

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Starring: Calum, Haneet, Hilma, Isra'a, Karaz [Played by Linda], Tokki
Guest Starring: Aldern Foxglove (the 4th), talking angel statue, Xanesha, Erylium (of course)
Challenge: Below
Location: Magnimar's The Shadow Clock
Date Played: 31 October 2015

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Flying High Down Deep

Chapter 2: The Skinsaw Murders - Part 7/8: The Seven's Sawmill / Shadow of Time

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The Seven's Sawmill

Isra'a

We found the location of the cultists’ lumber mill. For a change of pace we decided to go with a stealthy approach. I disguised myself as a cultist and snuck in the basement. Once inside I found three ‘lumberjacks’ were working the machines. I signaled the group to follow and moved along the back of the water wheels to position myself for combat. Initially, I wasn’t sure if they were innocents or not – once my companions arrived there was no doubt. I managed to catch one moving along the back unaware – he never had a chance. We disabled the waterwheel mechanics to prevent us having to deal with the saws inside on the upper floors.

The cultists on the first floor used a trap door to shower us with acid. We moved along the outside of the building and charged the front door. Inside were several cultists – these ones left little doubt as to their intentions. Ignoring the acid bath they gave Haneet, they wasted no time in attacking us. We dealt with them and moved upstairs – Ironbriar had to be close.

We found Ironbriar at the top of the lumber mill, he was waiting for us. He had prepared an illusion that Haneet and myself made short work of… we aren’t always the most perceptive ones in the group. We coaxed out the real one and dealt with him as we so often do – with swift and blinding violence. I think Tokki wanted to question him – I like the stabby kind of justice myself. Within his belongings we found evidence that will hopefully clear our names and a new lead pointing towards the source of the evil.

Tokki

Unforgiving cuts

In the great tree of justice

That must never fall

Devil before me

Draped in the great cloth of law

Must show its true form

The Shadow Clock

Isra'a

The evidence gathered at the saw mill led us to an abandoned clock tower. We discussed methods of dealing with it, one being that we topple the tower. In retrospect, we probably should have done this. The entrance to the tower was unlocked, so we went inside. The interior was dark – we could just make out an abandoned cart, a pile of leaves and high above the tower’s bells. Our impulsive Haneet decided to jump into the leaves – unfortunately for her there was a golem of some sort laying in wait.

The golem wasn’t as dangerous as some foes we have faced, but it kept itself backed in a corner. It made movement to come out of the corner – I should have stopped it, but I was too busy thinking about setting up a flank. It unleashed a devastating attack that felled Calum. I’m not a fan of the old man but I don’t want to see him die either. That was the beast’s last gasp and we set about securing Calum’s body – the threat in the tower must be dealt with now.

Moving upward we were slowed by the disrepair of the stair case and the enormous bell that was loosed in our direction. Deafened by the bell we emerged into the upper reaches of the clock tower. Here were five foes, three cultists, ok makes sense. Aldren Foxglove – sure why not… Elyrium… why? Why did it have to be that damn quasit? One day I am going to kill her – I hope no one is around when I do, or that they avert their eyes.

Being familiar with us and me in particular, Elyrium cursed me once again. She plunged me into darkness – my account of the encounter from here out becomes spotty. I know we were able to deal with the cultists and I believe I destroyed the beast Elyrium summoned. The fake Aldren lasted a little longer but it too fell. Escaping the fight to torment me another day was Elyrium… damn it.

The group helped me scale the scaffolding along the outside of the tower up onto the top. Here I heard an angelic voice telling me I would be shown the way to the tower if I only knelt. I did so – soon our guide appeared and suggested that I fetch the authorities. This seemed like an excellent idea – I began to make my way back down the tower. Being freshly blind this was an ordeal; I am not used to being without my sight. I wonder why she chose me to go for help – wouldn’t one of my companions be better able to accomplish this task?

Down and down I traveled – I should get myself a cane… knives are not terribly useful for feeling your way around. I am not sure how far down I managed to get when the feeling that I should get the authorities abandoned me – why on earth would I get them? I can’t stand them. My companions told me what had happened on the top of the tower – I am ashamed, I was duped once again and left my party to fend for themselves.

Follow-up

🎲 DM Searching Xanesha's lair

• You find the following letter, crumpled and torn to pieces:

My Sister —

I trust your little band of murderers is doing well, gathering the greedy souls for our Lord's rise? Has Magnimar proven to be as sinful as you had hoped? It may interest you to know that my plan to nurture greed here in this backwater has blossomed – the quality of greed in a soul is so much more refined when it is given the proper care. Are you still simply carving the Sihedron on them as they expire? How crude! My method of marking is so much more elegant. In any event, I'm sure that your plans for harvesting greed where and when you can find it "in the wild" are progressing well enough – I just hope that your raw, ungroomed, and likely inferior, victims don't interact poorly when mixed with the purity of my own subjects. If you tire of your little project there, know that you're always welcome to come here and serve as my assistant little sister! The nearby fort should be in our control by the time you receive this letter, in any event, so there'll be plenty of room for you if you wish to take me up on my generous offer.

Oh! Before I forget! Have you managed to harvest that lord-mayor yet? By all accounts, he might just be the cream of the crop in Magnimar – his soul might even rival several from my hand-grown harvest!

• Her notes and scrolls:

She had charmed many lovers throughout the city and was harvesting souls in competition with her sister "for our lord". Prime of those lovers was Ironbriar, who was a quarter-way-decent elf before falling for Xenesha (magically, then for real) and being corrupted by her over time. She had become complacent and liked to be a puppet master and leave the harvesting to the cults below. It was Ironbriar's idea to recruit the Skinsaw Cult, as he had pursued them in the past, to be her tools. She claims that recruiting Aldern was her idea... but that conflicts with Ironbriar's notes saying it was his.

• Chests

Treasure listed elsewhere. Largely logged as offerings from her lovers and cultists.

A ranked-list of greedy souls and potential sacrifices throughout Magnimar, headed by the lord-mayor himself, including the beginnings of plans to get near him for harvesting.

🎲 DM Temple of Sarenrae

• The temple offers to pay bounty for any EVIL items from the party for destruction at 1/3 (instead of 1/2 market value for selling to the public).

Arrests

Calum

• ?

Haneet

• ?

Hilma

• ?

Isra'a

• Fortunatly, Isra’a hasn’t been seen around the magistrate’s office, no way I could have been involved in this jail break you’re accusing me of. I haven’t been seen in Foxglove’s town house. I wasn’t ever told to stay within the city – nor was I ever at the lumber mill.
• Regarding the bell – for that I apologize, it was cut loose and the intent was to stop us from scaling the tower. I never meant to alarm anyone. If we had our way it never would have been cut down and nearly crush us.
• As for the power vacuum caused by the death of Xenesha – I did you a favor. From what my friends told me she has been orchestrating a series of murders throughout your city, corrupted your very own magistrate Ironbriar and had her sights set on you. I haven’t seen anything that would indicate she wouldn’t have succeeded had we not intervened. After seeing the trouble these people have caused in Sandpoint, I wouldn’t want to see that happen to Magnimar too. I hope we have cut the head from the snake and you can resume your rule over this city in peace.

Karaz

• ?

Tokki

• ?

Downtime

• The party has earned 49 days of downtime. This will be December and January in Magnimar. (Climate cf. that of North Carolina.) Chapter 3 will begin 01 February (game calendar). Note, Calums is +1 Negative Level for the first week of downtime.

Calum

• ?

Haneet

• ?

Hilma

• ?

Isra'a

• I would like to make my two kukri +1
• I am wondering about the agile modifier on weapons – is this available to be used?

Karaz

• ?

Tokki

• Enchant MW Composite Longbow to +2 and Armor to +1 (9 of Calum's days and 5000 gp)
• Train in learning how to speak Giant (20 days and 1400 gp)
• Work on making and licensing a rickshaw business in Magnimar
  • Focus on it being a redemption program for debtors in the city as opposed to jail

🎲 DM Section

Encounters

Basement cultists

Buffed Cultist x3 (Clr1/Rog2/Rgr1)

First floor cultists

Buffed Cultist x4

Justice Ironbriar

As-published, Clr6/Rog2

Missing Cultists

Many of the cultists from the lumber mill were not here to encounter, already having been encountered in the Hall of Justice. Those in the Hall were unbuffed Clr1, Rog2.

Scarecrow

Awakened flesh golem (CR7)

Terrible Stair

Environment: jumps/etc. No CR, but would be around 3.

Falling Bell trap

CR4... I nerfed it to be appropriately CR 4 instead of 7 or so.

Belfry

• Buffed Skinsaw Cultists x3 CR3 each (Nerf: was supposed to be Faceless Stalkers CR4 each)
• Aldern Foxglove again (Faceless stalker brd1/wtc1/ftr1 = CR6)
• Erylium (CR 7)

The Ange

• Xanesha (Lamia matriarch CR9)

Recap Reward

Before next session's day

Late

Not done

• Calum, Haneet, Hilma, Isra'a, Karaz [Played by Linda], Tokki

Expires

End of Chapter.