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Nibiru /
On the Heels of Ambria Vo'naeIndex | Niburu: Nos Tutari | Game Logs | OnTheHeelsOfAmbriaVonae Log 1: 17-May-2020The one thing that they had in common is a desire for revenge- not much to build a fellowship on, but it would have to do. In all honesty, Ken had not felt close to anyone since his brother died. On that day, he'd lost not just his brother, but the whole of the thieves' guild. And home. Vo'nae had hired them for a job and then betrayed them, leaving them with nothing. It seemed a good enough rationale at the time. Finding out that he'd hired a group to clean out nearby ruins, they'd ventured far west of Anvil, into the mountains foothills to find a cavernous entrance. Making their way inside, they'd found someone already there, and tailed him to a door deep in the cavern. Opening the door, they'd found him gone- an apparent victim of a trap. Rowan sent her mother down to find out what had happened. Ken didn't know what to think about that one. She creeped him out, and not many things did that. Take for instance her 'mother'- a bloody skeleton that she controlled. Was it really her mother? Or just another skeleton that she called that for effect? To even consider the question sent chills down his spine- but she was a decent sort, if a bit odd. He wasn't sure if that was normal for one that consorted with the dead or not. They decided to use a rope to climb down the slide and see what had happened. In retrospect, it might have been good to leave someone behind to see to the rope, and soon enough, it was cut, dropping them the rest of the way into the room. The man was there (they found out later that his name was Todd), and some halfling- facing off against skeletons. Rowan took control of them, as Ken tried to parlay. They were in over their heads, and didn't really need a fight right now. He rankled at how they treated Dagyr and Torvus- the two had been loyal companions these last six months. But they still bargained, even as Rowan and the elven archer faced off against each other. With so many skeletons at Rowan's command, he didn't give the ranger a chance in hell of actually surviving and altercation, and Rowan knew it, taking pains to piss the other woman off- that interaction was why he remembered her name. Tramson. The halfling picked the lock as Todd took the front guard with her. More skeletons, and more playthings for Rowan. Pretty soon she was going to have a whole horde at her disposal. Not a pleasant thought, traveling around with skeletons. The one was bad enough, in his opinion. Moving further down the corridor, they had to convince the halfling to leave two sarcophagi alone, and move along. Considering what happened next, he was sort of ashamed not to remember anything other than she was a halfling that picked locks. At the next intersection, they stumbled across some jelly looking cubes that Todd overconfidently faced off with. Sooner than they could even process what had happened, the cube thing swallowed Todd and the halfling. Rowan and Torvus tried to help them, but there was another coming from across the intersection, and an even larger one that came out a bit after. We decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and took off down the hall, entering a huge room with some macabre decorations on the columns. Rowan told us about the 'escape route' that the group had planned- some sort of wand. And then she proceeded to try to take it from the ranger. The ranger decided that we were now threats with her two companions gone and numbers more firmly in our favor. She took off down a corridor, taking a few hits along the way before some figure appeared and teleported her away! Doing the only thing we could do, we continued, passing some statues and braziers before being confronted by a door with chanting coming from behind it. Never a good sign! As we prepared to storm the doors, one of them swung open, and we were admitted by a hunchback into some sort of temple looking place, with a plinth on the far side of the room and pews arrayed before an alter in front of it. Two creepy looking people confronted us, and dismissed us. The mages of mortarion? Or something like that. Death mages. They took control of Rowan's skeletons and sent them against us as they teleported out. We dispatched them with some effort, and Rowan found a wand that basically teleported us back to where we started. No treasure. But a few more hints that what we've stumbled into may be a bit above what we can handle... Log 2: 24-May-2020Leaving the tombs, we camped out for the rest of the night, intending to set off in the morning. But Torvas noticed clouds on the horizon- a sand storm was on the way! We didn't know if we'd be able to outrun it, and Dagyr thought he remembered a shelter along the road. It was a ways out of the way, but he seemed pretty sure that's where it was. I wasn't too sure, but what other option did we have? You don't mess with a sandstorm in this desert! Though it was strange, we did find the building right where he said it was. There was the stink of magic all over the place. Rowan stayed by the fire, and I decided to do the same- it just didn't seem like a good thing to search too much with the level of magic over the place. Dagyr looked around a bit, with Torvas coming to see the strangeness that he found. But thankfully, they decided to leave whatever it was alone, and we made it through the night uneventfully. Making it back to Anvil, we hit the streets to find somewhere to get the grit of the road off us, provision, and spend the night. But most of all, we wanted to see if the information we'd spent so much time getting was accurate. It was a bit strange being back in the city, but also familiar, as we beat the bushes for information. Finding out a stranger was hiring only outsiders in a tavern/flophouse only frequented by locals piqued our interest, and the others went into the tavern while I kept watch on the roof. They were in there for a while, but whatever they did seemed to bring results, as Radnick? showed up, with a new crew. After a bit, we found out that there was a bounty on our head- 500 gp a head, dead or alive. Ambria Vo'nae? had placed it on us recently, though the botched job happened over half a year ago. He said we'd made off with the Loknar?- something that we'd not even heard about before. He was troubled by what we'd found in the tomb where he sent the team, and decided to cut a deal with us. If we'd find bodies and make it look like we'd met an untimely end, he'd turn them in for the bounty instead of trying to take it out of our hides. He'd also hire us to continue the job that the other four were supposed to do, and front us 1000 gp to boot. It was a good deal, all things considered, so we took him up on it. Log 3: 31-May-2020Fully provisioned, we headed out towards Fureur Bight, taking the lone road that travelers used. That first night, we were approached by a halfling with information. They apparently worked for a network- not really sure how far it extended- but they were in the business of procuring information about interesting parties and selling it to them. It took a bit of haggling (and impatience from the Necromancer), but we found out that someone had hired a party of thugs to waylay us on the road. Deciding that we didn't want to take a chance with them, we took the ferry at the crossroads to the other side of the river to camp, paying the ferryman for anonymity. We saw the party that was on our tail- rough and ready bruisers with a mage in tote. They were dressed in the manner of the desert- probably locals looking for easy money. They moved on, and we trailed them to Fureur Bight. None of us had been to the port city before- it was different than those inland. Signs of not irregular rains and crops stood out as a difference. There was also a different quality to the air and the smells of the sea as we entered. We had to pay to enter, getting stamps and papers for our troubles, and headed for the local taverns to try to get information. Ken recognized that the old man in the corner was running the local kids, and others were also coming to him. He knew a racket when he saw one, and ordered a whiskey for the old man. Coming closer, he saw that the man was blind. He introduced himself as Johnny?, and had some interactions with Radnick in the past, which Ken capitalized on. The group of thugs were apparently taken care of- which definitely raised Ken's estimation of the man's network. He offered his services as a fence and for jobs if we needed it, but more importantly, directed the group to the location that Radnick wanted explored. The caverns were at the base of a mountain, in rocky territory, so they had to leave the horses hobbled outside. Of a strange contruction, the initial cave led to a bridge over some lava like flow, into a temple with the blood of a recent sacrifice. Though we couldn't hear anything through the next hallway, Rowan determined that it was because of magic. We decided to move through together, so we'd at least have the advantage of numbers, and found out what had happened to Tramson- she was stretched out on some strange rock that shimmered as we watched, her entrails now her outtrails. She didn't seem to move, but we couldn't make out other than that if she was actually alive. We didn't like the woman, but she didn't deserve this. Three figured, one with a skull head- surrounded her, chanting. A fight ensued from that, with two of them dead. We captured the other, and tied his unconscious form with silk rope (DC 37 to escape). Stripping all three, we finally got loot! Continuing on, we found a hatch that led down into a room, cut into the cavern with tiled brick all around. It seemed man made and constructed, in a way that the caverns above had not. Dagyr took the lead, checking for traps. Thankfully, he found a plate trap before we could trip it and following that passage, we came into a large cavernous room, with water filling the bottom and a plateau jutting up from it. There was nothing on the plateau now, but it seemed that it could have been a nest- but for what? The cavern was hotter and more humid than the rooms- we presumed that this was right beneath the lava. We heard skittering echo through the halls, and out of a hole on the other wall a giant centipede emerged- not happy to see us! Or maybe it was happy- thinking that we were more food. But we struck back, and hard! Torvus was able to gather some venom from the centipede, but Dagyr wasn't as lucky trying to get other parts to sell to the apothecary back in town, ingesting some of the poison as the carapace broke. Adventuring through the passage, we found the fate of the final member of Radnick's earlier party- the mage that had helped Tramson escape us. She was quite dead- she'd not had the luck or the skill to defeat the giant centipede alone. Taking her belongings, we went back to collect or earlier prisoner and take him back to Anvil. Combined log for sessiosn 4,5,6.Making our way back from the den, we were overtaken by a Sandstorm, so took a detour to shelter in a building for the night. It was obvious that it was magical, and there was more to it than we'd seen. But we weren't in the mood to explore or determine what was going on. We just wanted rest. Well, most of is did. Dagyr did a bit of exploring, and found spirits in the place. But as long as they left us be, we were determined to do the same. Rising early the next morning, we came back to the city, determined to find out what happened- and pulled on the string to find Radnick, the member of our crew that didn't show up. He said that Ambria Vo'nae was displeased that we'd not returned with the Loknar, and had put a bounty on our head. Though we could have fought, we determined that it was better to work things out. Ambria had put a bounty on our heads, but Radnick saw the right of it- that he might win, or we might. But both would be bloodied and there was little money to be had in blood. He offered to help us sell the fact that corpses were his bounty, and he'd turn them in for the money and split it with us. We would owe him a favor, but it seemed like a good trade. And what he wanted us to investigate was what we were already tied up in, in any case- the Mortis mages. The trail led to Fureur Bight- but we were almost set upon by a group hired to make sure we didn't make it. We found it out from some halfling information brokers we encountered, and took a detour to let them pass us, taking back to the road afterwards and makign it to Fureur Bight unmolested. We decided that we'd be less conspicuous if we left town with a caravan, and hired on one leaving in a week. Knowing that the cutthroats were probably in the city, I made contact with what went for a Thieves' guild in the city- by way of the master of the information whisperers, Jahnee. I did some work for him during the week, and he 'took care' of our cutthroat problem. Leaving on good terms, he was impressed with my skills, and gave me an introduction to the larger guild in Fedren. We visited both locations that Radnick sent us to- the first being a cultist den, where we saw the final fate of Tramsen- a sacrifice for the cultist. We avenged her though (or either we just killed the cultists to take their stuff- depends on if you're doing a favorable read on us), and then headed to the other location, finding a mansion with catacombs below, a final resting place for a Paladin, much loot, and to our surprise, a living Paladin ready to take on the same group that we were after. We convinced her to have a temporary combining of forces- a combining that became very temporary as they were wiped out to a man fighting demons. Their sacrifice was not unappreciated, as it gave us the manpower to actually defeat them all- that is until a dragon came in. Then, somehow, a demon lord was summoned. And the dragon was his... pet? He took little notice of us, leaving with dragon in tow. We promptly vacated the premises, but found ourselves at the site of a battle, with others coming after. We aren't really sure if those that we fought were good or bad. It didn't really matter at that point, as they were trying to kill us just the same. So we killed them first. Log 7: 26-July-2020After leaving the keep/mansion, with our work for Radnick done, we continued on to our ultimate destination- Fedren. Time to settle accounts with Ambria Vo'nae. On the way there, we met some halflings and shared their fire. Some inexplicable monster came for Rowan's mother, and we fought it off. It seemed that it was after evil creatures. The halflings, seeing this, were not upset with us- just curious. And glad, because apparently one of them had been wanting to get proof that the beast existed. Crazy halflings. Going with them, we were able to get into the city pretty easily. We followed up on a deed that we'd procured from one of the mages, and found that it was a bearer deed for a piece of property, which we promptly took over- a lot better than an inn room! I went to the Manticore's Tale to make contact with the theives' guild, and to find out what I could about Ambria Vo'nae. The Thieves' Guild was going to give me tasks for initiation, and while I was there, I found out our target was going to be there that very night! We came back, Dagyr taking the inn room as lookout, Rowan and Torvus getting a room overlooking the entrance to the Thieves' Guild, and me taking to the roof to try to suss their defenses. Seeing Ambria Vo'Nae followed by someone else into the cellar, we decided to strike. Rowan took out the lookout, and we descended to the cellar door. The party rushed in and took out the catfolk guarding the basement, but not before he was able to sound an alarm. A secret room opened, containing Thueos Joapitar, a Noble, a Blacksmith, a Thieves' Guild Initiate and Ambria Vo'Nae! Torvus took down the blacksmith, and I went directly for Ambria Vo'nae, pinning him to the wall. After taking him down, we took down the noble easily as he tried to escape. The initiate disappeared, and tried to flee, but Torvus cast entangling vines. Theuos was too powerful for us to take, but thankfully, he only cared about leaving. We killed the initiate, chopped up the bodies, and made our way back to the house. |
