Hostile Takeover

Our Krevborna campaign continues with the second half of this adventure.

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Johanna, lycan bard and fallen noble 

Father Severin, a defrocked priest with a gobkin sidekick

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest

Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka

Events

As the group carried on exploring the Grail Tomb beneath the Chapel of St. Aiban, they found a tableaux of vlaak statues arranged in a scene depicting fealty. Dario noticed something gray move behind the statuary, and Johanna smelt an unwashed person in the chamber with them. Once corned, the person appeared to be an old man in threadbare clothes; strangely, he had a great deal of wax that had melted down over the top half of his head, covering his eyes entirely--the wax was the remains of candles, no less.

The man explained that he was the descendant of a group of heretics who had been imprisoned by the Church generations ago; he was not a lone survivor, either--his people had been living in the Grail Tomb and thriving in their penance. When asked about anyone else who might be down below, he told the group that Ratibor and his mercenaries had released creatures held in stasis that now had them penned in at the eastern extremity of the floor. They thanked the strange old man for his help and went on their way.

In this case, going on their way meant finding the shattered material that had once held the two now-marauding creatures. Father Severin used his holy magic to get a sense of what they might have to face; his vision showed him that the creatures were chimeras.

Indeed, in a further chamber they found the two chimeras scratching at the door that Ratibor and his group were hiding behind. Morwenna took to the air to throw her blade at one of them, but the winged creature was soon in the air after her. The grounded one spewed fire at the rest of the group, but they quickly closed on it and slew it without too much trouble. Johanna scrambled up a statue to leap at the airborne chimera. Dario followed suit. With both of them atop the creature, it couldn't maintain flight; as it got closer to the ground it was cut down.

The doors were thrown open, revealing Ratibor and his hired swords. When Ratibor's pistoleers and crossbowmen opened fire on the group, Varro charged in to thin their numbers--which necessitated the rest of the group piling in as well. The following melee was fairly brutal. Both Johanna and Ulu nearly met their ends at the blades of their foes, but healing magic from Anastasia and Father Severin saved their hides. Johanna went berserk and tore a Narskeman apart. The battle continued until only Ratibor and two heavily armored swordsmen remained. The soldiers determined that the likelihood of receiving the rest of their reward was now quite low, so they surrendered and the group let them leave.

Ratibor was not so lucky. On his person they found the missing gauntlets; he explained that they were necessary if someone wanted to handle the destructive orbs they had seen depicted earlier in the Grail Tomb's etchings. On his person they also found a letter from Brother Jacob that read as follows:

Ratibor, 

My Dearest Brother in Arms! Greetings and salutations–may the glory of the Light fall upon thee and may the Word resound in thine ear. I hope all goes according to plan in Chancel, home of false promises and a Church that is little more than a gilded slattern, but I have no doubt it does as we are guided by a providence divine. 

Once you’ve found the information sought by Sorrow’s Six, fly to us with all haste, brother, come on as quickly as though Hell followed your trail–for I believe it does. By the time you reach us, the Thorn will have fallen on Braelin and I will follow in her wake. The others come on, too leisurely for my tastes. Onquin will rove from the forest, Ugly Zillah will descend from the north, and that poppinjay Lucio Rinketti will traipse in when he feels like it. And the one they're calling the Blizzard–well, I have not had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but I hear he is a horror. 

Among such unhallowed company, your pious presence will be a relief. I am sure between the two of us we shall convert them all, even our master, to the path of righteousness. Come soon! Your welcome will be warm, your promised redemption nigh!

Yours in God,

Brother Jacob

The group's hearts collectively sank as they realized that something bad had happened to their adopted home of Braelin in their absence. They recovered the missing pages of the books from Ratibor, questioned him thoroughly, then left him to the Church's tender mercies so they could rush back to Braelin.

On the sign that hung above Braelin's wooden archway, they saw two bodies hanging: Ulysses the sheriff and Sister Eliza from the shrine to St. Vionka. They decided to skirt around the town for now and head for Wyatt at his outpost in Fort Onataiga. On the way, they saw that the Wolf and Rose, Embrelle's tavern, had been burned to the ground. 

Speaking with Wyatt, they learned that Brother Jacob and the Thorn's forces had descended on the town and basically took it over. There had been a number of executions. Wyatt had sent word of what happened to his fellow Knights Labyrinthian and was awaiting instruction on how to proceed. He also told them that Aivra (who they know to be the witch Ivara Graymalk) was missing, and that Ragdoll Ilsa was now doing a cracking business now that the Honey Pot was the only drinking establishment in town. He gave a letter to Ulu indicating that the Rue sisters had to travel on their business.

The group was relieved to discover that nothing had happened at the Kaul House--Morwenna used her skull magic to observe things through D'Orleac's skull and they called to him for a brief conversation in some sort of bricked up alcove. When they reached the Kaul House, they found everything in order--but Raenessa appeared and told them she had done something that may have exceeded her authority in the house. They followed her into her basement lair and found--Embrelle ensconced in a bedchamber of her own. Apparently, Raenessa had found Embrelle camped in the woods after her escape from the burning tavern and convinced her to stay at the house until a better plan emerged. The group were relieved that their friend was unscathed.

That night, Irenya made her way to Morwenna's roost and gave her Sister Eliza's skull helmet--which Irenya had scavenged from the destroyed shrine to St. Vionka under the cover of night.

How will the Charnel Hounds push back against the usurpation of "their" town? We'll see what machinations they set in motion in the next session.

The Tomb of Many Colors

Our Krevborna campaign continued!

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Johanna, lycan bard and fallen noble 

Father Severin, a defrocked priest with a gobkin sidekick

Events

The characters arrived in Chancel, where they hoped to find and question Ratibor Bron--a man somehow connected to the machinations of Yavor Mikalek, who had betrayed their mercenary band. To that end, Cassie Mabcrowe let them use a flat she kept above an herbalist's shop. At the flat, they met Father Severin and his gobkin factotum Slink, who were to help them in their search.

One place that seemed a likely place to start was the Vagabond's Shield, a tavern frequented by mercenaries and sellswords. As they arrived, the barkeep was tossing a musician out the door with his accordion. He explained that the only thing that could help him when he had one of his headaches was music, but the ejected bard couldn't even hold a tune. Luckily, Johanna stepped up and performed a song that got them on the barkeep's good side. The barkeep knew of Ratibor as "the librarian" and was able to offer up the location where he seemed to be employed. They also learned that Ratibor had been hanging about the Vagabond's Shield, trying to recruit mercenaries for an "expedition."

At the library of the Divine Mercy, they found a nervous-looking monk who admitted to letting Ratibor conduct his researches among the stacks, even though Ratibor had been ex-communicated from the Church. Ratibor claimed to have been writing a manuscript on "unholy abominations." The monk allowed them to look at the two books Ratibor had spent the most time with: a collection of horror stories called The Opener of the Gate & Other Tales and A Treatise on Profane Magics. Both proved to be missing pages; the anthology was missing a story called "The Krusikan Gambit" and the treatise was missing a chapter on the mountain cults of Krusikal.

Then, over at the Chanticleer, a molly house, they learned quite a bit about Ratibor's sexual proclivities. The madame of the house also offered to buy Dario from the party. They declined.

The Chapel of St. Aiban the Pious was a more productive visit. The blind priest in attendance within the small, forgotten church admitted that Ratibor and his hired swords had ventured into the extensive crypts below--and had yet to return to the surface. He offered to admit them as well, which they took him up on.

However, these were no normal crypts--below the Chapel of St. Aiban was a vlaak Grail Tomb made of a strange, glass-like, but altogether alien material. Dario wisely left an offering of coins at the feet of the vlaakish statue they discovered in an alcove, which ensured it did not stalk them throughout the complex.

They had much more trouble with the colored doors within the Grail Tomb, as they missed the artwork that would have clued them in to how vlaakish color theory works. They did, nevertheless, find four color-coded keys around the necks of vlaakish mummies--though the order to apply them initially eluded the group, causing more than a few magical wounds through their trial and error attempts to figure it out, until Father Severin used his prayers to get a glimpse of the ancient vlaak using the keys as intended. 

Also confounding were the jagged holes in the complex that either had air forcefully rushing into them or being pushed out of them like a vacuum. They threw a few levers they found in a control room, but what that accomplished was not immediately clear. 

In one chamber, they found an eerie mural depicting vlaak forging metal gauntlets, then a vlaak figure wearing the gauntlets and commanding two orbs to unleash cataclysmic energies on an army. Behind the figure lurked an ominous presence. Within the same chamber they found a wooden box; the interior of the box looked to have been made to fit two glove-like objects. 

The next room they entered featured another of the structural holes with air streaming into it. The chamber also featured a number of vlaak automatons made of the same glass-like substance as the complex; the statues attacked and gave the party a run for their money. Ulu threw one out of the hole, but because of the air current it was thrown back into the room where it shattered against the far wall--and the explosion of shrapnel set up a bad situation that almost cost Dario his life. Ultimately, though, the Charnel Hounds vanquished their foes and carried on exploring the Grail Tomb. 

We'll see what else they find next time.

A Fine Pack of Krevborna Characters

The following entries are descriptions I wrote up for a party of characters I used in a Krevborna one-shot adventure in which all members were part of Sir Aubrek Salazar's retinue of "problem solvers." I like how they turned out, so I thought I might as well post them here for posterity.

Angelique Oleander

Backstory: Angelique Oleander is a Polnezna woman who grew up in a wandering clan caravan. Since birth, she has been “blessed” with a supernatural connection to the spectral world. She was apprehended and nearly executed after performing a fraudulent seance in Chancel; only Sir Aubrek’s intervention spared her from hanging. She has been part of Aubrek’s retinue ever since. Being on her own feels like a fatal liability. 

Appearance: A young woman of middling height with unruly black hair and dark eyes. She dresses in the fashion of her people, as she is proud of her heritage.

Fanlin O’Dale

Backstory: Fanlin was orphaned at a young age when his family was set upon by anti-fey vigilantes. His vengeance does not take the form of direct violence against the world that robbed him of his parents; rather, he gets his recompense one theft at a time–and he won’t stop until the scales are balanced. He joined up with Sir Aubrek’s retinue because Aubrek promised him that his tasks would put him in the path of great riches.

Appearance: Fanlin is a forest elf–tall and thin, with skin the color of tree bark. Strangely, people have a hard time accurately recalling the details of his appearance. Are his eyes brown or blue? Is his fair long and flowing or clipped short and militaristic? Who can say?

“Father” Severin Koslavik

Backstory: All his life, Severin Koslavik was told he was destined to serve in the Church of Holy Blood. Indeed, all signs pointed in that direction–he was apprenticed to a Church inquisitor, at least until an unnamed indiscretion caused him to be formally stripped of all standing within the clergy. Strangely, his miraculous powers have not disappeared since his defrocking. His miraculous talents have found him employment in Sir Aubrek’s retinue.

Appearance: A young man who still takes pains to appear to be a pious servant of the Church, Severin still wears the cassock of a cleric. It just makes life easier–people don’t ask too many questions of a priest.

Lady Jeanette de Winter

Backstory: Lady Jeanette de Winter hails from a family of hereditary knights who long-ago pledged their service to the Salazars. When Sir Aubrek Salazar appeared at her ancestral manor, Lady Jeanette found that she was willing to fulfill the terms of her familial oath. Which is strange, since Sir Aubrek Salazar supposedly died generations ago. She knows her time in the Mortal World draws to a close–better to go out in glory, she figures.

Appearance: Steel-haired, steel-eyed, and steel-backed–Jeanette is an aging woman who is still physically powerful, even if she experiences new aches and pains every day.

Damir Milosovek

Backstory: Whether or not he is a natural-born nobleman is irrelevant; Damir Milosovek plays the part of a dashing, fashionable highwayman with aristocratic bearing. Sure, he steals from the rich and gives to the poor–but he simply must make sure that he holds back enough coin to keep his garb stylishly outrageous. Luckily, the terms of his alliance with Sir Aubrek are generous; shame about all the danger it entails, though.

Appearance: A handsome man with long blonde hair and a meticulously trimmed mustache. He takes pride in three things: the sharpness of his blade, his debonair presence, and his colorful feathered hat.

Braelin Map

I realized I hadn't posted this yet. This is the map I made of Braelin, the starting town of the current Krevborna campaign.

Third Novice Advance

We did another "level-up" session for the ongoing Krevborna game. Here's what the players grabbed for their characters:

Anastasia took the New Power edge, gaining Relief and Dispel (and Smite from studying the Book of Carrion Winds)

Dario took the Formation Fighter edge

Johanna increased her Agility to a d8.

Ulu took the New Power edge, gaining Environmental Protection and Arcane Protection (and Smite from studying the Book of Carrion Winds)

Varro took the Sweep edge

Morwenna took the Arcane Background edge, focusing on Magic, gaining the powers Mind Reading, Bolt, and Corpse Sense

 

Morwenna was taught the rudiments of magic by Cassie Mabcrowe as the group traveled from Hemlock Hollow to Chancel, where they hoped to track down a man named Ratibor Bron--who had some kind of connection to Yavor Mikalek. Cassie also gifted Morwenna a deck of bird-themed tarot cards and taught her how to use them to scry.

Speaking of scrying, Ulu asked Cassie to try to gain more information about Krusikal's sundered heart. The group had been operating under the belief that Varro's sword may have been half of Krusikal's heart, but Cassie didn't think that was true. Varro's sword was connected to something dark and unfathomable, but it wasn't Krusikal. 

Left to think on what they might have brought back with them from Ustalecht, they hit upon an interesting idea--what if Commander Kaul's body itself hid the weapon?

They also asked Cassie to scry the location of Raenessa's missing adult children. Alduin was currently somewhere in Veil. Alyndara however...was deceased. The group did not relish having to break that news to their alchemist.

Yes, you can do emotional terrorism even in a level-up session. It's legal. 

The Tower of the Black Prince

The Friday night Krevborna campaign continued, this time with a special guest joining for the evening.

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka

Johanna, lycan bard and fallen noble 

Routh, cauldronborn servant of the Graymalks

 

Events

The Charnel Hounds arrived in Hemlock Hollow after weeks of traveling. They found the Graymalk's sprawling, city-block sized house easily; after knocking on the door, they were ushered into a conference with Vandra Graymalk, a witch with a particular focus on herbalism. She offered terms for treating the hideous plant growths that had taken root in Anastasia and Morwenna: she would cure one of them now and other later, and in return the Hounds would retrieve an item lost in the Hellwar that the Graymalks wanted. Vandra also planned to send her cauldronborn servant Routh with them to keep the group on task. (And to facilitate her plan to betray the group, but of course they didn't know that.)

After accepting her terms, the group was led into the labyrinthine basements of the Graymalk house until Vandra unlocked an iron-bound door that opened into utter darkness. The item they were meant to retrieve, which she would not name, was hidden somewhere in the Tower of the Black Prince's Corruption...in Hell. 

By stepping through the portal, they literally entered Hell.

They walked across a red plateau until they saw a strange tower in the distance. The tower proved to be made entirely of flesh--scabby, puss-leaking flesh. Morwenna flew to the top of the tower and spotted a wound large enough to enter, so she ferried each Hound up to the top one by one. 

The tower's internal wounds acted as tunnels leading downward through the mass of flesh. They encountered pools of blood and puss, as well as a stained glass window depicting an angel in flight embedded into the "skin" of one room. They also encountered demons trying to fish a dead Graymalk witch from a vast puddle of bodily fluids--they charged in, defeated the devils, and looted the witch's purse as their prize. In another "chamber," they surprised a number of shovel and pickaxe-wielding demons hard at work digging tunnels into the flesh below their feet. After fighting the vulture-like overseer, they let the demons creep off as they clearly weren't looking for a fight once their leader was dispatched.

In one of the tunnels heading deeper into the tower, they saw something large and reptilian scuttling in the shadows. They choose another tunnel that eventually brought them to a large brass door. A sentient man mad of shadow lurked nearby. Morwenna approached him--and he proved to be the shadow of the Black Prince, the first necromancer the world had ever known. Contrary to their suspicion that he was there to prevent them from opening the door, he wanted  them to do it--it would allow him to slip out of Hell to pursue his terrible goals in the Mortal World once more. 

Opening the brass door suddenly didn't sound like a good idea. However, he also assured the group that the item they sought was beyond the door. The only catch was that someone had to speak the Enothian words etched on the door as it was opened, and the Black Prince was unable to say such holy words. Seeing no other way forward, they group did what was necessary and--

--found themselves in an uncanny approximation of Creedhall, the color palette reduced to red-on-red and the twisted street they were on leading up a hill to where a dark mansion sat. From one of the skeletal trees flanking the manse, they could see a bag made of human skin hanging from a branch--and they knew that was the mysterious item Vandra had sent them for. Unfortunately, as they made their way up the hill the doors of the mansion opened and a veritable army of the undead trooped out to meet them. In the lead was their commander--a lizard-headed woman missing an arm.

The battle to gain the bag was fierce. Routh was nearly killed by the army's leader, and when Anastasia ran to heal Routh she was cut down in turn. Only quick strategizing (and the initiative cards falling in their favor) prevented a death in the party. Morwenna swooped in and grabbed the bag; rather than fight until every last foe was defeated, they ran for it.

Strangely, when they again crossed through the brass door it did not lead them back to the Tower of the Black Prince's Corruption. Instead, they realized they were inside a large tent with a campfire burning at its center. The tent's occupant introduced herself as Cassie Mabcrowe. Cassie was the friend that Serafina contacted on their behalf because they wanted information on Yavor Mikalek and the otherworldly entity known as Krusikal.

Cassie was happy to provide the information they sought, but she had a deal of her own she wanted to strike with the Charnel Hounds. She explained that the Graymalks planned to kill them as soon as they handed the bag over to them, and that Routh would be commanded to aid in the betrayal. Cassie offered them better terms--she would heal the remaining Hound afflicted with the unnatural plant, free Routh from the Graymalks and bestow him with free will, and give them the name of someone who could help them find Yavor. All in return for what was in the bag, of course.

Knowing a bargain when they saw one, the characters accepted. 

Cauldronborn

Since these guys have popped up a few times in the current Krevborna campaign, I thought I should add them to the world-building blog posts. If it wasn't obvious from what follows, the cauldronborn are Krevborna's answer to the idea of "orcs."

 

Cauldronborn

As a last-ditch tactic in their war to push mankind out of their territory, the aelvani submerged their human prisoners of war in magical cauldrons gifted to them by Baba Vasaga, the Hag-Queen of the Autumn Court. When these captives emerged, they were the first of the cauldronborn—a race of transmogrified warriors who were stronger and more savage than the raw material that created them. When it was obvious that they had lost the war against humanity, the aelvani freed the cauldronborn from servitude. Only small pockets of cauldronborn remain in Krevborna.

Cauldronborn are hulking and brutish in appearance; they often possess gray or greenish skin, sloping foreheads, and jutting teeth. They tend to be physically imposing, strong, and resilient.

 

Suggested Stats: I just use the orc stats from the Fantasy Companion for cauldronborn. 

Ornamental Women Bookmarks

Ornamental Women, my debut Gothic Fantasy novel, has been out for just about two months now, so I'd like to offer a little something to everyone who bought a print copy: a silly bookmark drawn by yours truly. (If you bought an ebook copy, I still love you, but you won't need a physical bookmark for that, right?) Anyway, here's the bookmark:

 

The bookmark is a doodle depicting Serafina, the "Angel of the Graves," main character of Ornamental Women. Since Sera is a dangerous grave robber, she's shown with dagger and shovel in hand.

Want one? Here's how to get it: send a pic of your print copy of Ornamental Women to me at totgad AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address and I'll get one out to you. (Or a copy of your receipt or order history or whatever--I do not need to see your credit card details, obviously!)

If you haven't bought a copy yet--there's still time! I made a bunch of these, so while supplies won't last forever I should have enough if you want to purchase a copy soon. Consider that your incentive! 

The Bad Seeds

More fun with nuns in the latest Krevborna adventure!

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest 

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka

Johanna, lycan bard

 

Events

We last left the Charnel Hounds investigating the Convent of St. Nostalia of the Bladed Mercy because they suspected the nuns were connected to the strange, plant-infected sisters who had attacked Braelin hours before. The Hounds hadn't made a great impression on the nuns after breaking into the convent, leveling guns at them, and announcing their allegiance to heretical saints. 

Things didn't improve much after one of the nuns, Sister Evangeline, offered to take them on a tour of the convent to show that nothing nefarious was going on and they just stood there dickering about it for quite some time. Their behavior toward the nuns effectively cut off any negotiation or the possibility of deceiving them--it was clear they weren't there in good faith.

When they finally decided to let themselves be escorted by three of the nuns (Sister Bronwyn stayed behind in the chapel to finish her prayers), they were shown that nothing was amiss in the laundry. Sister Evangeline was adamant that the strangers could NOT interrupt the rest of any of their sick and dying patients. They were also shown the kitchen, where again nothing was amiss.

Ulu and Varro left the convent to investigate the adjoining cemetery, after promising not to disturb the dead. Again, nothing was amiss...until they searched the nearby bake house. It was evident that the ovens had not been fired in some time, which made them suspect that the nuns weren't actually eating. Also strange was the covered cauldron they found that contained more of the Borcheza perfume they had smelled earlier, and a ladder leading down into tunnels--tunnels where they could hear water rushing.

Back in the kitchen, Dario and Johanna were led down into the basement larder by Sister Petra. The nun beckoned them into the reaches of the larder--then blew out her candelabra. At the same moment, Sister Evangelina kicked the trapdoor leading into the larder shut. A sudden rush of perfumed scent assailed Anastasia and Morwenna, knocking them both out. 

Down in the darkness, Johanna and Dario found themselves attacked by thorny tendrils--things immediately went poorly for them as they were savaged by a surprise attack. They attempted to fight back, but the absence of any light made it impossible. When they finally got a lantern lit, they saw that Sister Petra was no longer standing on two feet; she had sprouted a number of vine-like tendrils from her back that allowed her to scuttle around. The battle in the larder was a very near thing; both Johanna and Dario emerged wounded.

Morwenna and Anastasia awoke blindfolded, gagged, and bound. They felt a small blade cutting each of their ankles, then felt the pain of a walnut-sized seed being pushed into their flesh. 

Varro and Ulu returned to the convent proper and now found the front door barred from within. A window was broken so that Varro could crawl inside and unbar it. They then met up with Dario and Johanna, and the group discovered Morwenna and Anastasia face down and bound in one of the nun's cells. Anastasia determined that trying to remove the seeds from their ankles would cause catastrophic damage, as the seeds had already started sending roots throughout their legs--if not further into their flesh.

Ulu explained about the tunnel system they had found, so it was decided that the best bet was to explore that and hope to find the nuns and perhaps uncover a way to remove the growing seeds from Morwenna and Anastasia. Disconcertingly, as they traversed the tunnels, they found the nuns' discarded habits...and then the nuns' discarded skins.

Further in the tunnels, they faced their most dangerous foe yet: a rushing underground river. Ulu, the strongest and largest of the group, attempted to ford it first--and was promptly swept away by the current. Varro jumped in after her, but was also swept away. Luckily, Morwenna had just enough room to fly and follow them to where they washed up in a little debris-strewn alcove. Clearing away the detritus allowed them to find a passage that circled around to the other side of the underground river, and also netted them a bottle imp to the bargain. With two strong members of the party on the other side of the river, using a rope to help everyone else ford became a much safer prospect.

However, they may have wished they hadn't forded the river when they stumbled upon the three remaining "nuns" (who were now fully plant creatures made of writhing thorny tendrils) caught in the act of merging to form a larger, deadlier creature. Battle was joined and it did not go well. An attempt was made to douse the creature with oil and set it alight, but the thrown torch missed the mark entirely. 

Any initial momentum squandered, the Hounds faced a barrage of attacks that left them all badly wounded and already wrong-footed. Their attempts to rally met with minimal success--ill luck seemed to dog them: guns jammed, attacks missed, and the creature shrugged off some powerful blows. Ultimately, though they were teetering on the brink of defeat, the cavern resounded with the sound of wood cracking as Ulu tore the creature in half. 

With no obvious solution to the problem of the seeds in sight, the Hounds made their way back to Braelin. Raenessa, their alchemist, analyzed the perfume and concluded that it was probably meant to poison the town's water supplies to make everyone transform into plant creatures. Unfortunately, Raenessa had no way to stop the seeds' progress.

Aivra Williams was rounded up from the schoolhouse, since it now occurred to the group that it was strange that she had been targeted by the mutated nuns--they hoped that her blood possessed some sort of anti-plant property--and she was taken to Dr. Ilsa's office. Dr. Ilsa had no way of removing the seeds either, but when questioned Aivra closed the office's door and made all within swear a blood oath not to share what she was about to tell them. She then took down her bun of auburn hair and revealed that she was actually Ivara Graymalk, the eldest sister of the infamous witch clan of Hemlock Hollow. 

She had no way to affect a cure either, but she insisted that her family might be able to help. To that end, she gave them a sealed letter of introduction and urged them to make their way to Hemlock Hollow. The clock was ticking for Anastasia and Morwenna. 

Bladed Mercy

We picked up from the level-up session, and a new adventure began in the current Krevborna campaign!

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange things about blood

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, harpy devotee of St. Vionka

 

Events

After the duel between Varro and Embrelle last session, Varro invited his opponent, her friends Serafina and Alejandra, and their daughter Constance to dinner at the Kaul House. Beaumont D'orleac was glad to see that the party was mixing socially, but since they planned for the dinner to be a seafood boil eaten outside, he left most of the preparations in the hands of Irenya. 

After dinner, they asked Serafina inside to their new library so that she could tell them what she knew of Yavor and Krusikal. Serafina hesitated on the threshold when she saw D'orleac, and when asked to explain her reaction to the butler, she said, "I'm not an expert on the occult, but I know a ghost when I see one."

Serafina was able to shed some light on Yavor and Krusikal: she had a "friend" who sometimes taught at the Malcovat, the school of black magic hidden high in the Karthax Mountains. Yavor was also an instructor at the school, but he turned away from diabolism and embraced the alien magic of the Outer Dark instead--and cheated Hell of an entire cohort of witches and warlocks. Serafina knew that Yavor was a disciple of Krusikal--also known as Kusikal the Unvanquished and Krusikal the Heartless. That last name was especially important because Krusikal had removed his "heart" and sundered it in two so that he could not be slain. Serafina didn't know what the heart was, but she related that her friend considered each half to be a particularly fell weapon. She further promised to contact her friend on their behalf to see if she could provide further aid.

The evening was interrupted with the arrival of a young man who came to tell them that the schoolhouse in Braelin was under attack. Alejandra, Serafina, and Constance sheltered with Raenessa and Irenya in the alchemist's lab; Embrelle borrowed Raenessa's husband's sword to accompany the group to see what the trouble was. 

The schoolhouse was, in fact, under attack--by women with greenish tinted skin wearing nun's habits. They had the schoolhouse surrounded and were banging on the doors and windows with their fists. When talking to them failed, a big battle ensued--and it was big, as there were thirteen of the nuns in total. It quickly became apparent that the nuns were not normal--flowering blooms and thorn-studded tendrils erupted from their flesh. Eventually, the Hounds were joined by Pandora and Morrigan Rue, which helped even the odds. 

(Morrigan was highly proficient with the two swords they always saw her carrying, and Pandora was able to conjure creatures made of shadow.) 

They were also aided by a mysterious gunshot that took the head off of one of the marauding nuns.  

Once the dust settled, the nuns were searched--one of them had a bottle of expensive perfume from the Borcheza company on her person. Curious, that.

Dario also knocked on the door of Crispin Telimov, the tailor who lives across from the school, and detected the smell of gunpowder on him. Did he fire the helpful shot that took out a nun?

The Rues reported that other areas of Braelin had also come under attack, but had been repelled. The Rue sisters agreed to supply the Hounds with horses if they wanted to venture to the Convent of St. Nostalia of the Bladed Mercy up in the hills to see if it had any connection to the attack. 

It was night when the group reached the convent. Anastasia came through the doors into the chapel with guns drawn, disturbing  a nun with scars on her hands during her prayers. The nun was not intimidated by Anastasia or the group in the least, and denied the convent's involvement with the attack on Braelin. Morwenna tried to smooth things over, but mentioning that she was an acolyte of a heretical saint didn't improve matters. 

Things appeared to be in a stalemate when a group of three more nuns arrived, one bearing a lit candelabra. Another, her eyes a bright blue that reflected the candlelight, proposed they talk through whatever issue brought the group to St. Nostalia's convent.

We'll see how well that works next time. 

Second Novice Advance

The characters in the current Krevborna campaign recently earned their second advance in the Novice tier. Here's what everyone grabbed:

Dario: the Feint edge

Johanna: the Savagery edge

Anastasia: the Two-Gun Kid edge

Varro: increased Spirit to d6

Ulu: the Martial Artist edge

Morwenna: gained the Spellcasting edge at d4 and increased Common Knowledge to d6

The group also got to upgrade the Kaul house: they've chosen to add a Library.

We also made time to let the characters interact more with the various NPCs they've encountered so far:

Dario met with Beaumont D'Orleac to get a better sense of how the Kaul household is being managed. D'Orleac explained that Raenessa has not been receiving a wage for her labor as the Hounds' alchemist-in-residence, but D'Orleac has been providing funds from the household account to supply her with ingredients she can't forage from the local countryside. Irenya, on the other hand, is employed by D'Orleac directly. Rather than drawing a wage from the household itself, D'Orleac pays her from his own personal account. Why he does that has not yet been fully broached.

Varro ventured to the Wolf & Rose to see Embrelle and set up a time for their duel. Since Embrelle had friends coming into town to visit on the weekend, they decided that was the perfect time for the fight. They planned to rope off part of the lot behind the tavern, get the Nokoviks to set up a food cart, and have Johanna play the after party--you know, really make an EVENT out of it for the town.

Ulu wanted to meet with the Rue sisters, but she only found Morrigan Rue, the icier of the two sisters, having tea at the Blue Room. Ulu hesitantly asked for the Rues' patronage to help fund her experiments as an artificer, which Morrigan agreed to. The only catch was that, from time to time, the Rues might have a request for Ulu to craft something for them to further their own mysterious ends. Ulu also went to the Nokoviks' shop to buy paints and get their bun recipe; she was told to expect her trees within the next few weeks.

Anastasia and Dario paid a visit to the Honey Pot to see if Doctor Ilsa knew anything about Krucikal or Yavor. She did, in fact, know of Yavor--she referred to him as an occultist particularly interested in the eldritch entities of the Outer Dark.

Johanna and Morwenna trekked up to see Wyatt at Fort Onataiga, which they discovered was extremely dilapidated. Wyatt was his typical sad-sack self, but he did have a book that mentioned Krucikal. Krucikal was an abomination from the eldritch dark, also know as Krucikal the Unvanquished. Something something eating of souls and whatnot.

 

The Fight

A large crowd gathered for the Varro versus Embrelle fight, including town luminaries such as Doctor Ilsa and Aivra Williams. Embrelle's friends were also in attendance: a leggy blonde with crazy green eyes, a pale, black-clad woman, and their unruly-haired child. 

The rules for the duel were simple: the combatants were going to strike with the flats of their blades, full armor was allowed, and they'd fight until one of them couldn't fight any longer.

The fight began! Varro took a massive hit just trying to close the gap to get to Embrelle. When she gave him the death stare and tried to walk him down, though, he stayed resolute and didn't flinch. Somewhat miraculously, he was able to rally toward the end--essentially evening the score between them, but he couldn't quite put her down. Ultimately, she took him out--sending him ass over heels--but then she hoisted him back up in celebration of what a close fight they had. Even if he was unsteady on his feet, she was determined to show that they both fought well and were comrades in arms. The outcome was certain, but in a way it was a shared victory.

Things got wild during the after party, with Dario disappearing to get up to who knows what, Morwenna eating rats, and Johanna getting a massive tip from Alejandra, Embrelle's blonde friend. Alejandra also took a turn playing for the locals so Johanna could get in a dance with Wyatt. Varro, still punch drunk, was peer-pressured into drinking some beer--until Raenessa cut him off. In the late hours of the morning, they stumbled back into the Kaul house. Luckily, Raenessa had already brewed some hangover remedies for them.

The Burning Ghost

The current Krevborna campaign continued with an adventure adapted from the old Ravenloft scenario book Chilling Tales.

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange things about blood

Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword


Events

The Charnel Hounds arrived back at Kaul House to the annoyance of finding that they were once again hosting a party of uninvited visitors. This time, it was both of the Rue sisters, Crispin Telimov, and Aivra Williams--the latter being two-thirds of Braelin's town council. They had come to ask the Hounds to act as an impartial third party to decide a matter of seemingly little importance: a farmer had a sheep killed by another farmer's hound; the hound was killed in revenge. Aivra thought the matter should be at an end, and that the two parties should swear a blood oath to let the matter lie; Crispin figured that the dog was worth more than a single sheep. Ultimately, the group agreed with Aivra. Morrigan ushered Aivra and Crispin out of the house, but Pandora Rue remained behind to broach another issue.

Pandora explained that she had another matter she wanted the Hounds to involve themselves in. She explained that two years prior, the house of local businessman Tilney Raab burned to the ground, and that the fire claimed the life of Thomas Aldritch, his valet. The house was rebuilt, but had since been plagued by strange phenomena: dresses and paperwork burst into flames, the sound of clanking chains was heard, and Patricia, the daughter, was plagued by horrible nightmares. Pandora wanted the group to investigate the haunting and put an end to it. She also stressed that this was a test, of sorts: she believed that the characters were up to the delicate task, but Morrigan thought them blunt instruments who were ill-suited to the kind of jobs the Rues could occasionally offer.

The group accepted, and Pandora told them to venture to the Raab house in the morning. The Raabs would be expecting them. 

Before heading to the Raab house, they stopped in to see Sister Eliza at the St. Vionka shrine. Eliza told them that one of Thomas's leg bones was missing at the time of his burial. 

At the house, the Hounds met all three members of the Raab family. When asked if he had any enemies who might have been responsible for the house fire, Tilney Raab listed four people he had some enmity with: Embrelle Fairchild (because he didn't buy the alcohol for a party he threw from her), Kole the blacksmith (because Kole had been telling people he was never paid for work he did for Tilney), Aivra Williams (because she was not invited to Patricia's birthday party), and Crispin Telimov (because Tilney demanded his money back after not finding the garment the tailor had made him pleasing enough). Before the interview concluded, Tilney mentioned that they had a guest at the house: the famous artist Belladonna Pietra Sangino.

After the family left the sitting room, Dario and Anastasia interviewed a maid named Nelly because they had heard that she was involved with Thomas. Nelly couldn't name anymore who had it out for Thomas, but she admitted to their love affair. She also mentioned that she was not present the day of the house fire because she was sent to attend to Angel and Patricia Raab as they visited family elsewhere.

Varro wanted to see the items that had burst into flames for himself, and he got the young, attractive, and flirtatious Patricia as his tour guide. (Not that he noticed any of those qualities.) She showed him the burn holes in some of her party dresses. While in her room, Varro noticed a strange man approaching the house; he was dressed like a man of means, but from his rough looks and demeanor Varro guessed that his origins were from among the lower orders. Varro rushed downstairs to listen at the door while the newcomer, whose name was Colstan, met with Tilney in his office. What he overheard sounded suspiciously like Colstan demanded more blackmail money from Tilney over an unnamed and nefarious act. 

Varro also asked Patricia if she had been sleeping with Thomas, which earned him a slap across the face.

Johanna and Ulu went to find Belladonna; she was busy working up a background for one of her paintings on the south lawn. Johanna had seen Belladonna before because the artist had painted her father when she was a child; oddly, Belladonna didn't look a day older than Johanna remembered her from years ago. During their conversation, it became clear that Belladonna was excited to paint the ghost. She also gave Ulu a little instruction on how to paint trees, letting her also work on the same canvas.

Anastasia made a quick run into town to pick up her order of silver bullets from Kole, who proved to be one of the cauldronborn. When asked what work Tilney had commissioned, Kole said that Tilney had him fashion an iron manacle--but hadn't paid him for it. Tilney had ordered the manacle right before the house fire.

When the group reconvened, they traded information and came up with a hypothesis: Thomas was sleeping with either Angel or Patricia, so Tilney and Colstan conspired to chain the valet to something within the house and then burned him alive within it.

To confirm their hypothesis, Ulu, Anastasia, and Johanna interviewed Angel while Dario and Varro went in search of Colstan. Angel claimed she hadn't had an affair with Thomas, but she also painted a sad picture of her marriage--it was clear she had very little economic freedom and was entirely dependent on her husband. As the party pondered why the family didn't just move from their haunted house, they settled on the idea that maybe the family couldn't actually afford to--despite their wealthy pretensions. 

Varro and Dario got Dr. Ilsa's permission to break Colstan's legs, if need be, but it didn't come to that. (Colstan used to be one of her ruffians, but had left her employ after coming into some money two years ago.) They found Colstan drinking at the Wolf & Rose. Dario approached him and successfully greased the man's palm to find out where the manacle had gotten to. Colstan gave them the location: it was buried in the Raab's stables. 

That night, the Hounds made the Raab family and all of the servants leave the house so they could try to communicate with Thomas's ghost. Ulu and Dario dug up the manacle, which had fused to Thomas's missing leg bone. At the same time, the rest of the group had a confrontation with Thomas in the music room. The burning ghost lit the piano's keys aflame, they made Varro's clothes combust. Belladonna Pietra Sangino sketched Varron on fire with great glee. When they were able to reason with Thomas's unquiet spirit, he told them they must shackle Tilney with the manacle.

They didn't even need to go in search of him: the Rue sisters were waiting in the entryway with a cowering Tilney, who now sported a black eye. He begged for his life, but the group chained him as requested. Tilney immediately burst into flames and was incinerated. Then the ghost departed, satisfied.

It turned out that the Rue sisters were already well aware of Tilney's guilt--this was all just a test to see how the group would handle themselves. 

Ulu had a few words with Belladonna before leaving the Raab house. She requested the sketch of Varro on fire, as well as a painting of Varro. Belladonna also gave Ulu the finished painting they had both worked on. The treeline was still there, but Belladonna had added Ulu sat before the easel, painting. 

Anastasia found Angel and Patricia Raab; she didn't tell them everything, but she did let them know that they were now free to live their own lives now that Tilney was dead. She also paid a visit to Ulysses, the town's sheriff, to drop a dime on Colstan over his involvement in Thomas's death. However, the next day Ulysses paid the group a visit at the Kaul House. He told them that when he found Colstan, the man had been drained of blood and had puncture wounds at each wrist. The Hounds now suspect that the Rue sisters are vampires. 

The Moyle Mines

We had to skip a week due to gallery stuff and internet issues, but we were finally able to conclude the Krevborna group's delve in the Moyle Mines.

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood

Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, a carrion-eating harpy  

Events

When we last left the Charnel Hounds, they had just defeated three demons in the depths of the Moyle Mines. After the fight, they carried on exploring. They found a pool fed by a natural spring; the water was strangely warm, and deep down in the pool they saw a glimmer of light. Ulu dove into the pool and swam down to retrieve the glowing object. When she resurfaced, she held a glass-fronted wooden case. Inside was a yellowed human skull with a golden laurel wreath at its brow--the light was coming from the wreath.

The group narrowly missed blundering into a cavern with a flammable gas leak--which their lantern would have surely ignited--but Dario noticed that their lantern's flame flared and grew bigger as they headed in that direction. 

They doubled back and found the rest of the skull's skeleton in a large glass case. After placing the skull onto the rest of the skeleton, it animated. The Charnel Hounds were now in the presence of St. Anderlecht. The saint could sense the presence of demons within the caves, and so announced that he must retrieve his sword before dealing with them. The group followed him to a rubbish pit where he rummaged for his blade.

As St. Anderlecht searched, the group noticed the sound of heavy breathing coming from a crack in the cave wall. Ulu reached in and extracted Stavran Moyle, a former commander of the Hounds who had betrayed them, even though he tried to stab her with the dagger he clutched in his hand. Stavran was in bad shape; his leg was broken so badly than bone protruded from his skin and the group could smell that rot had set in. Stavran was tied up and gagged--they planned to deal with him after the demoness in the mines was dealt with. 

After following St. Anderlecht to a chamber with a large pit in the center, Varro and Ulu leaned over the hole to see what was down there--and were surprised to see the demoness and her minions climbing over the lip. Lerhmassa had the lower body of a great golden worm and the upper torso of a human woman. Well, if a human woman had spiraling golden horns and metal plates all over her body. Her minions were mutated miners; sharp bits of gilded metal erupted from their skin in random patches. 

The ensuing battle was difficult. Anastasia discovered that mundane weapons couldn't hurt Lerhmassa, but luckily the group had Varro's magical sword and Ulu still had the potion from Raenessa that enchanted her claws and fangs. Morwenna kept the enemy at bay with her scissor blades, softening them up for other members of the party to get kills. Dario, Anastasia, and Johanna set to work clearing the minions. When Johanna was hit in the melee, she entered a berserk rage and assumed her wolfen form--she bisected her foe in retaliation and sent him tumbling down into the pit in two halves.

During the battle, Lerhmassa seemed to recognized the Hounds, saying, "Ah, you are the ones hunted by Krusikal!" The name Krusikal meant nothing to them. 

Speaking of the pit, after taken some heavy wounds, Ulu charged Lerhmassa and fell into the pit as well--landing on a pile of gold coins and trinkets. During the fight, both Ulu and Varro found themselves near death, but Anastasia's healing magic and the timely delivery of a healing potion from an airborne Morwenna kept the group from taking any casualties. In the end, the minions were dispatched and Ulu took Lerhmassa in her powerful jaws, shaking her decisively to break her neck. 

What was St. Anderlecht doing during the combat? He was busy sharpening his sword with a whetstone. And when he did join the battle, he missed with every swing. When he tried to take credit for the victory after the fact, Ulu knocked his skull back off his skeletal body, rendering him inert again. Johanna took St. Anderlecht's sword and Ulu pried the golden laurels from his skull.

The cave system was thoroughly looted of gold (though the group would later leave the town's trinkets on the doorstep of the church) and they found a tome called The Book of the Seven Carrion Winds on a corpse underneath a mining cart. 

Johanna interrogated Stavran Moyle. They learned that he had betrayed the Charnel Hounds into an ambush by the Fist of Arjal at the behest of a man named Yavor Mikalek. Mikalek paid Stavran, of course, but he also had Stavran's youngest brother hostage. Yavor didn't know the full reason why Yavor wanted the Hounds done away with, but it had something to do with "half a weapon" that Yavor didn't want in circulation. And why lead all of the Hounds into the trap? It was to make sure it didn't look like a single person bearing that weapon had been targeted. 

Once Johanna was satisfied with the information she had, she tore out Stavran's throat. However, a strange thing happened. Purple energy poured from Stavran's eyes, his corpse sat up, said a few words in a different voice, and then he collapsed--dead again, but his eyes and tongue had been burned out. Morwenna then consumed his flesh.

When the group returned home to the Kaul House in Braelin, they found that they had visitors again: Pandora and Morrigan Rue were there, as were Crispin Telimov, the tailor, and the Aivra Williams, the schoolteacher. We'll find out what they want next time.

Dinner and Delving

After the previous session's downtime, the group was resolved to take the Nokoviks up on their invitation to dinner, then head to the village of Goranstad in pursuit of the commander who had betrayed their mercenary band.

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood

Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, a carrion-eating harpy 

Events

The group assembled (along with with Raenessa and Irenya) and made their way to the Nokoviks' place for dinner. (Beaumont D'Orleac stayed behind, saying that someone must watch the house while they're out.) The party was greeted warmly by Yungfang, but a little less so by Mei-Lin, which was par for the course. Still, the Nokoviks clearly believed in hospitality, offering salad greens dressed with ginger and mustard, steamed rice, and a chicken and vegetables dish fried in a spicy chili sauce. For dessert, they were given buns filled with sweet bean paste.

Dinner conversation turned a bit fraught when Yungfang was a little too open when asked why he and his sister had come to the Vespermark from the Khanlands. Yungfang explained, to his sister's consternation, that their village was preyed upon by a vampire lord and that they had led an uprising against the undead. They managed to slay the vampire, but when the vampire's kin arrived seeking revenge they had to flee the country of their birth. Mei-Lin was adamant that telling the story made them vulnerable; she was clearly concerned that they could be hunted down, even so far away from home.

In the morning, the group headed south from Braelin to Goranstad. They found Goranstad to be little more than a shanty town of miners' tents, with only one permanent building: Goranstad's church. However, they arrived in the midst of a flurry of excitement--there was to be a hanging in Goranstad that very night! The condemned was a man named Vatroslav, a former laborer at the Moyle mine, who was caught in possession of a number of stolen gold and silver items. 

Asking around about the Moyle Mines unveiled some interesting facts: the Moyle mine had run dry years prior, but some of the miners still loitered around it; other miners claimed that the Moyle mine was either haunted or cursed; Stavran Moyle, the party's quarry, was seen heading to the Moyle mine to talk to his brother, but hadn't been seen since.

The group managed to convince the guards standing watch over Vatroslav to let them have a word with him before his execution. The man seemed stark, raving mad--speaking of the glory of gold, the shining beauty of golden fruit from the golden tree, and the ascendance of an entity called Lerhmassa. The Hounds recognized the name Lerhmassa--she was a demoness of greed thought long banished beneath the earth. Their interrogation was interrupted by the arrival of the priest and his men, who led Vatroslav to a hastily erected gallows where he was hanged without incident.

Deciding that the Moyle mine should be their next stop, the group was able to bluff their way past the menacing-looking miners guarding the entrance by pretending to be new recruits to the cult of Lerhmassa. They took the birdcage elevator down to the last-known operational mine shaft and began to explore. There were cart rails laid to transport ore and even a few carts still on the tracks. They passed over a carving on the stone floor--a large tree bearing heavy apples. They found a space with spare mining equipment--and discovered an explosive. (They took that with them, of course.) 

The also found a small office area, but all of the survey maps and documents had been effaced with ink to make them illegible. However, when the desk in this room was touched, they perceived a flash of golden light coming from back the way they had come. Heading back in that direction, they saw that a number of demons had been summoned from the symbol on the floor they noticed earlier. The demons had gilded horns and hooves, and carried golden blades with serrated teeth. The group charged the devils. Although the demons were resistant to their mundane weapons, they were still able to best them in combat. Once dead, the demons dissolved into molten pools of gold.

And that's where we ended for the night. Next time they will delve deeper into the mine. 

First Advance

We're trying something new in the current Krevborna campaign: we're actually meeting on a shared video call to do advances as the characters grow in skill and power. Previously, I thought people would consider that a waste of time, but I think they actually had a good time just hanging out and talking about where they want to take their characters.

The session also gave us the opportunity to play through a little "downtime" in the town of Braelin. No dice were rolled, but the characters got a chance to talk with the NPCs more, further their relationships in town, and learn more about their new home. 

 

Downtime 

Ulu paid a visit to the Nokoviks' store. Yungfang wasn't around, but his sister Mei-Lin was. Ulu restocked on rations for the group and bought a bunch of daggers. She asked about any art they might have for sale, and Mei-Lin gave her one of her brother's paintings for free; apparently, Mei-Lin has a low opinion of her brother's art. Ulu also left with an invitation for the group to have dinner with the Nokoviks. On the way back to the Kaul house, Ulu stopped in at the gaol and had a conversation with Ulysses, the town's necromancer sheriff. He compared necromancy to baked goods, which was perplexing.

Dario availed himself of the amenities at the Blue Room, including a brutal massage from Naomi, the woman who runs the place. Later on, he met up with Johanna and Varro to check out the Wolf & Rose tavern--where they met Embrelle, the cambion who owns it. Like the Charnel Hounds, Embrelle was once a soldier, having served in the Hellwar. She and Varro compared greatswords, and made a tentative plan to spar at some point. Johanna asked if they ever had live music, which got her an open invitation to perform on the Wolf & Rose's small stage. They also made the acquaintance of Wyatt Hothstaedder, the Knight Labyrinthian keeping watch on the mountains from Fort Onataiga. Furthermore, they saw some local shifty toughs with small rag dolls tied to their biceps; they explained that they worked for Doctor Ilsa aka Ragdoll Ilsa. They weren't shy in letting the group know that Doctor Ilsa peddles alchemical intoxicants, as well as serving as the local doctor and brothel owner.

More importantly, the group learned that the two men who had been asking around town after them were soldiers from the Fist of Arjal--the very army that had destroyed the Charnel Hounds. No one knew where the soldiers were currently, but Embrelle doubted that they had left Braelin. They seemed very determined to find the last of the Hounds. 

Anastasia and Morwenna took a little side trip to scout out what was going on over at the Children of Eternal Penance compound. They were, obviously, a cult--one lead by a mysterious Brother Jacob. They weren't let inside the walled compound, but were given a printed tract called The Many Sins of Mankind and Cure Above All Cures, which explained that Brother Jacob was "spiritually married" to every member of his flock. It was somewhat obvious that these spiritual marriages also give him conjugal rights, but the less said about that the better. It was also said that Brother Jacob could perform miracles.

When the group reconvened in Kaul House, they found visitors awaiting their return--the two soldiers from the Fist of Arjal were sipping tea in their parlor. Their butler, Beaumont D'Orleac, had made the "guests" comfortable, but Irenya, the maid, was prepared to make them less so--the two soldiers couldn't see it, but she had a pistol trained on them.

The soldiers were there on an errand of conscience: they had found out that the Hounds had been betrayed into a trap in Trevania. As such, they could not stomach being part of a treachery. They had sought out the last of the Charnel Hounds to return a battle standard that had been taken as spoils of war. Before departing, they told the group that one of the men who betrayed them--a commander named Stavran Moyle--was currently in a mining town to the south called Goranstad. That would be the party's next stop. 

Advances

Ulu raised her Intimidation skill

Johanna raised her Survival skill

Morwenna raised her Smarts

Anastasia took the Ambidextrous edge

Varro took the Trademark Weapon edge

Dario took the Attractive edge 

Double or Nothing

This is a recap of the third session of the current Krevborna campaign.

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, a carrion-eating harpy

 

Events

When we last left our heroes, they had lost a contest of arms with Lady Devanya's champions aboard The Vulpine, and now Dario's life was forfeit. 

The group posed an offer to Lady Devanya: a double or nothing wager. She responded that if the group could entertain the majority of her party guests, she would give them Raenessa's ring. If they failed, she would take Dario as a plaything and select another member of the group to serve at her whim for the rest of their life.

The characters then began the task of wandering this strange fey party, looking for guests to entertain. 

(Johanna was pulled aside by the musicians in the ballroom and asked to join them--her player was absent for this session.)

One of the first rooms they explored was full of obscuring steam--everything was dank and dripping. The room housed a large, warm swimming pool currently occupied by a mermaid, a nereid, and a rusalka who splashed at them after their initial offer to join them in the pool was ignored. Everyone went in, except for Morwenna, who despises being wet. Ulu cannonballed her way in. What these three water fey wanted was stories; nothing else would entertain them. Dario recounted the tale of daring that had brought them to The Vulpine; Anastasia told a harrowing story of her own origins in a corrupt orphanage; Ulu spoke of mythic love. Thoroughly moved by the stories, the three fey let the group go on their way. 

In another room, they found a tea party in progress. The folk gathered around the table were a collection of raccoon-like creatures who were busy pouring tea from a samovar and passing around plates of little sandwiches. What these creatures wanted was gossip--which ended with the supposition that Dario, Johanna, and Sabrine could be engaged in a bizarre love triangle. (The Rue sisters and Commander Kaul were also gossiped about, satisfying the raccoon people.)

Deeper in the The Vulpine's uncanny twists and turns, the group found a gaggle of swanmays playing a violent version of croquet--actually, what they were doing was hitting wooden balls at a trio of human men who were buried up to their necks in the green. Morwenna was all too happy to smash a ball into the face of a man pleading for help; Varro joined in as well. This scene degenerated into a competition between Dario and Varro to see if they could launch balls at each others faces to make the other flinch. They both flinched, in fact, and both came away bruised--much to Ulu's disappointment. The swanmays, however, were extremely excited by the violence and wouldn't have minded if Varro and Dario injured each other further. 

They discovered a small chamber had nothing but a long-limbed "man" in a loincloth chained to the wall. For some reason, this creature could not speak, but he carved messages into his forearm with his very sharp nails. He wanted to be released and given clothing so he could leave the party on the The Vulpine. Morwenna was able to pick the lock on his manacles, even though the keyhole kept shifting and moving, and the group created a makeshift outfit. Ulu attempted to keep the creature from leaving the chamber, but was easily thrown aside--no small feat, given her size. 

The creature made his way to the feasting hall, and the party instantly heard the sounds of violence--furniture being overturned, screams, glass breaking. They were about to investigate that further, but were approached by Sabrine, who was there to summon them before Lady Devanya.

Lady Devanya explained that they had held up their end of the bargain and sufficiently entertained her guests; she gave them Raenessa's ring and, having no desire to remain at The Vulpine any longer, quickly retrieved their equipment and left the river boat behind.

Back in the cave in the Felken Woods, they found Raenessa with all her belongings packed. Once given her ring, she shucked the hag body like an ill-fitting garment and emerged as a gray-skinned cave elf. On the way out, they asked her what she would do now. She dropped to her knees, said she desired to repent of the things she had done, and offered to serve the Charnel Hounds for ten years and a day. They accepted her offer, installing her as their resident alchemist in the Kaul House's basement.

Striking the Bargain

This is a recap of the second session of the current Krevborna campaign.

 

Characters

Dario Diego Durant, swashbuckling swordsman

Doctor Anastasia Nadya Strahov, a gun-priest who says strange thing about blood

Johanna Albrecht, a lycan bard with a particularly keen nose

Ulu, the party's urska mom

Varro, a young snow elf bearing a magical sword

Morwenna, a carrion-eating harpy

Events 

When we last left the remnants of the Charnel Hounds, they were in trouble: they had found the child-eating hag in her dank cave lair, but she had mental control over Varro and Ulu. In fact, she had managed to deal Anastasia a grievous wound using Varro as a proxy weapon. 

Luckily, she seemed open to negotiation. 

In fact, she wanted to strike a deal: if the characters were willing to fetch a ring that had been stolen from her, she would release Varro and Ulu, give back the abducted child from Braelin, and cease her child-eating activities. She explained that the hag they saw before them was not her natural form; she had been cursed with a hunger for children by Devanya, the Fairy Queen of the Summer Court, for beseeching aid in finding her own missing children one time too often. If Raenessa got her ring back, she would be returned to her original form and be cured of her murderous impulses. The party agreed to her terms, which were sealed as a blood oath between Johanna and Raenessa. 

The group returned the child to her parents, then rested at Kaul House before they set off again in search of Raenessa's ring. In the morning, they all opened bank accounts with the beautiful and imperious Arabella Godwin at the First Bank of Braelin--but the less said about that, the better.

After three days of travel following the river south from the Felken Woods, the group arrived at where a paddle boat called The Vulpine was moored at the riverbank. After crossing the gangplank, the group found a trio of fey creatures--one a alligator-headed man, another extremely androgynous and moth-winged, and the third a cat-headed woman--who told them they weren't properly attired for the party happening on the second floor of the boat. They were sent to see Lyanthor, the boat's resident satyr tailor. 

Lyanthor unleashed a swarm of flittering fairies upon them to take their measurements, then miraculously produced a series of garments that fit their whims and tastes. He also took their adventuring equipment, including their weapons, which left some members of the party feeling distinctly naked even with their new finery.

After traversing the stairs, the group discovered that the second floor of The Vulpine was far too large for the dimensions of the boat; they rightly suspected fey strangeness afoot. They passed through a feasting hall, where they saw an impossibly odd assortment of creatures eating and drinking with abandon, then crossed a long hallway in which more fey beings milled, before ending up in the black-and-white tiled ballroom.

The dance floor was filled with whirling, madcap creatures of the Summer Court. At the other end of the room sat Lady Devanya, perched on a wooden throne that continually bloomed with wildflowers that immediately withered only to bloom again. Lady Devanya was a tall fey noble with lightly green-tinted skin and pointed elfin ears. She lounged on her throne, clearly bored with the proceedings. Upon her finger was an emerald ring--Raenessa's ring, in fact. 

Dario and Johanna were waylaid on the dance floor by an elf in tree-like attire who aggressively danced up on them. Dario was far more receptive to this treatment than Johanna. The elf's name was Sabrine, and she helped orientate them to what was going on aboard The Vulpine. 

When the character approached Lady Devanya's dais, with Anastasia taking the lead, she looked to them to alleviate the tedium of her eternal party. They made it clear that they wanted Raenessa's ring, and it was resolved that a contest might be just the thing to enliven the fey party: Varro and Dario were to square off against two of Lady Devanya's champions in the fighting pit--because of course The Vulpine had a fighting pit ready for use. If the party's duo won the bout, Lady Devanya would give over the ring, but if the fey queen's champions reigned, Dario would become a plaything trapped on the ship until his natural life expired. 

Down in the fighting pit, Dario and Varro learned that their foes were to be two trolls outfitted with steel claws. The battle was tense, but at the ultimate moment--Dario was bloodied by a viscous blow from one of the trolls. The party would not be leaving with the ring, and Dario's life was forfeit.

Until, at least, a double or nothing proposition was proposed...