Rise of the Runelords Recap # 64 [RPG]

[20 Abadius 4708]

In the catacombs under Sandpoint, the adventurers have stopped for a short break.  Nerissa opens her pack to pull out some rations, sees the strange mask she was found with when she washed up on the beach, and gasps—“I remember . . . everything!”  Suddenly, her eyes roll back in her head and she falls to the ground convulsing.  Ava, realizing the seriousness of what’s happening, instantly grabs Nerissa and teleports her to the surface so that help can be sought at the Cathedral.

The remaining three members of the party decide they may as well continue with their explorations.  In one ancient chamber, a jagged block of marble forms an altar of some kind.  A shallow concavity in the block holds what appears to simply be filthy water, but Salma’s divinations prove it to be so-called “Waters of Lamashtu” capable of creating mutations and deformities in those who drink it.  The adventurers move on and soon come to what must be an immense underground cathedral.  Bodies of monsters slain just months ago lay here and there.  As the trio of explorers approach a sort of dais that holds a bubbling cauldron of water, the ghostly form of a young man wearing robes and holding a thick grimoire appears above the cauldron. 

Xeveg Kishalq died in the Cathedral of Wrath
when his allies refused to treaty
with the demon that held a knife to his throat.

At first, the adventurers are concerned that they’ve triggered a hostile wraith or spectre, but then the ghostly figure starts to speak!  In a sombre tone, he explains that he was once Xeveg Kishalq, the first Hero of Sandpoint slain since the monumental events that started with the Swallowtail Festival.  He says he has been sent “by those who watch” to deliver a message to those who currently quest in defence of the town: the path lays elsewhere, and although in time they must return here, a nigh-unstoppable force will soon sweep down on Sandpoint if they tarry too long.  The spirit of Xeveg then states he has been authorized to answer three questions.  The trio consult amongst themselves and then start by asking why the giants came to Sandpoint.  The spirit says that the giants were looking for a stone they could speak to in order to ascertain if Sandpoint hid a place of great importance.  When the second question is whether that place is the catacombs, the spirit says that it lays below the catacombs, but that its time has not yet come.  “What’s so important about this place” is the third question, and the spirit says that, in time, words will be scribbled on the walls that lead to the keys to the true conqueror’s undoing.  The spirit starts to fade, but not before its final words echo through the chamber:  “I was the first to fall, but I shall not be the last.  May you fare better than I.”

 The adventurers discuss what they’ve heard.  Although wary that they may have fallen for trickery and misdirection, the looming threat of an invasion of Varisia by Mokmurian’s army seems too dangerous to ignore.  With Salma casting a spell to help them find a way out of the catacombs, the adventurers make their way back into Sandpoint by passing through a secret door and out a cave that obviously once served as the means by which the goblins snuck into Sandpoint to attack the town. 

After checking at the Cathedral and learning that Nerissa has entered a deep catatonic trance and will require Ava’s constant monitoring, the three return to their suite at the Rusty Dragon to plan their journey to Jorgenfist.  One idea is to accept the offer of Tuvarok, the captured giant, to lead them to the fortress.  Kang, however, expresses worry that Tuvarok will surely lead them into a trap, and that by the time they reach the Iron Peaks on foot, Mokmurian’s army could already be on its way.  Jinkatsyu says the key is Mokmurian himself: if the adventurers can cut the head off the proverbial snake, the army may fall apart.  Extensive discussion is held on the best route to take to get to Jorgenfist, with leading contenders including a quick teleportation to Galduria and then travelling the rest of the way on foot, teleporting to Hook Mountain and then west to Ravenmoor and then northeast to the Storval Stairs, or trying to discover enough information about Jorgenfist (perhaps through scrying) to allow a direct teleport there.  No consensus is reached, but the trio agree to conduct some inquiries on their own and then meet back at the Rusty Dragon in the evening to make a decision.

Salma visits with Ilsoari Gandethus and gets permission to look through the man’s journals on travels through Varisia.  The half-elf finds notes about a prominent inn in Ravenmoor called “The Bobbing Cork” that might serve as the basis for magical spells that could help keep the adventurers from getting lost if they start at Hook Mountain and travel to the town.  Kang, for his part, tries to address the problem with altitude sickness he and his now-deceased former companions encountered on their ascent to the Kreeg Clanhold.  However, the secrets behind “Nisk Tander’s Elixir of the Peaks” continue to evade him, a fact that is particularly galling for the self-described “Master of Alchemy.”  Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu decides to consult with an expert, and visits his old friend Veznutt Parooh.  Parooh explains the natural path from Sandpoint would be to take the Lost Coast Road over to Ember Lake and then pass through Galduria, Wolf’s Ear, and Ravenmoor before travelling cross-country up the Storval Stairs and then directly east into the Iron Peaks and the Valley of the Black Tower.  When Jinkatsyu asks about what might be possible if the adventurers started at Hook Mountain, Parooh gives a surprising answer: what if the adventurers used rafts or canoes to sail across the Storval Deep and follow the Muschkal River straight to Jorgenfist?  Jinkatsyu is intrigued by the possibility.

That evening, however, when the group meet up again, Salma says that a water route would be too dangerous: there are known to be giant creatures in the lakes in central Varisia, and carrying even a small canoe could be exhausting in the mountains.  Kang suggests a minor alteration: following the river, but on foot, so to avoid getting lost.  Salma, however, is concerned that uneven terrain and rocky cliffs could make following the river much harder than it sounds.  With a route still unsettled, the adventurers decide to sleep on it.

[21 Abadius 4708]

Longnight, the shortest day of the year, is an extremely cold one.  At breakfast in the inn’s common room, the adventurers reach a decision: they’ll teleport to Hook Mountain, descend to its base, journey directly west until they reach the Muschkal River, and then follow it on foot north until Jorgenfist.  Kang notices that the common room is busier than usual, and that several ethnic Varisians seem to be streaming in.  A barmaid explains that they’ve come for the celebration of Madame M’vashti’s life.

The trio make final preparations for departure.  Ava is told about the plan and instructed to contact them through magic once Nerissa recovers from her current predicament.  Potions to endure extreme cold are purchased, and Kang and Salma discuss the best spells to use on what they expect will be a difficult journey through a rugged and foreboding landscape.  When the three are as ready as they can be, Salma teleports them directly to the entrance to the Kreeg Clanhold near the peak of Hook Mountain—and right next to the cave’s new inhabitants!  Hundreds of venomous snakes are slithering all over the cave floor, obviously having found it a warm, dry place to survive the winter.  Kang, however, labours under the  misapprehension that the snakes are common, harmless garden snakes!  But Salma knows better, and immediately evokes a magical inferno to kill dozens of them.  But the survivors slither and swarm all over the newcomers, and Jinks and Salma can’t help but be bitent and poisoned before another magical fireball can destroy the rest.  Fortunately, the adventurers are hardy enough to shake off the worst of the poison and they’re able to continue.

A tangled mass of venomous snakes
 like this would fell many lesser adventurers.

The journey down the mountain is marked by a near tragedy, as Jinkatsyu’s handhold gives way and he falls nearly two hundred feet before landing on a ledge below!  Somehow, the kitsune survives, but only with the aid of several magical healing elixirs will he be able to continue on the next morning.  For now, the adventurers sleep in the temperature-controlled comfort of a magical dome conjured by Salma.

[22 Abadius 4708]

The adventurers reach the base of Hook Mountain safely and turn west.  It doesn’t take long to reach the point where the Muschkal River flows into Lake Coal.  The trio turn north, but soon further progress is blocked by a series of jagged cliffs.  Salma and Jinkatsyu are able to ascend, but it takes Kang hours of work to finally reach the top.  Finally, near midnight, the exhausted adventurers set up camp and rest.

Having set off on a dangerous journey through the mountains towards Jorgenfist, three adventurers have temporarily left their companions behind in Sandpoint.  Will they come to regret their diminished strength in the time ahead?

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Director's Commentary (March 24, 2019)

Neither Nerissa's nor Ava's players could be present at this session, hence the Nerissa's mysterious fainting and Ava's need to watch over her.  I'm 99% against meta-gaming, but I do approve of it in circumstances like this when, if the same in-game circumstances happened with everyone at the table, half the party would never leave the other half behind.  (Another occasion when I don't mind a bit of meta-gaming is when a new PC is introduced to the party, and the existing PCs are more willing than normal to let a perfect stranger accompany them.  Sometimes personalities and motivations and in-character paranoia have to be stretched a bit to accommodate a new PC--though there are limits!)

In retrospect, I'm of two minds about having Xeveg's ghost appear.  On the positive side, I felt justified with might otherwise have been heavy-handed GM intervention because my one Plot Twist Card for the chapter was something like "help comes from an unexpected direction."  In addition, I was still prepping the rest of Chapter Four and hadn't even touched Chapter Five yet, and had no idea what to do if the PCs jumped a chapter ahead!  On the negative side, it might have come across a bit forced and cheesy (though I did my best to make it an interesting role-playing encounter and provide a nice call-back to a memorable event earlier in the campaign).

It might sound odd, but I really enjoyed the part where the PCs learn about and discuss the pros and cons of different routes to Jorgenfist (some of which I never envisioned!).  When players are doing good role-playing about something important, I can just sit back and relax and enjoy the show.  I made careful to stay neutral on things, but I was somewhat glad they didn't choose a route that involved Galduria or Ravenmoor, because I hadn't managed to obtain much information on either city and I always want destinations to be portrayed "authentically".

This session contains the end of the very, very, low-on-the-radar Madame Mvashti subplot.  It never achieved what I had originally intended, but GMs can only influence the overall story, they aren't writing a solo novel where they have total control.