Recap and Relevant Details

In this thread, I'm going to post a story recap up to this point, and I'd like for you all to help fill in any missing details.

But, we can also use this thread as a communal space for tracking important details going forward. It can sometimes be difficult to go back through all the story posts and find specific information. We can keep track of current individual and group goals here as well.

Session 1

Three of our heroes, unknown to each other, are independently in attendance at the Port Charlotte Emergence Day Celebration.

Through a series of unfortunate events (Harp accidentally assaulting a carnival barker with a dangerous projectile, Therrien standing up to the guards on his behalf, To’ot being accused of attempting to solicit a minor), the adventurers found themselves in jail.

The deputy was visited by a cloaked and hooded figure, and the prisoner were shipped to the City Hall jail to await trial in front of a judge. They were instead visited by Port Charlotte’s Administrator, Sebastian Starsoul, who led them through some back tunnels and hallways into Duke Einrich Milliner’s waiting chamber. In no uncertain terms, the Duke told the party that they must do a favor for him, or risk being lost in the penal system (which, we’re all pretty sure is a euphemism for execution).

The three heroes reluctantly agreed after the Duke explained that he had been cursed, and there was a witch in a nearby cave who might be able to remove this curse, stating that the stakes were much larger than his own insignificant life. Our three party members were then treated like guests, outfitted with equipment, and sent on their way.

Session 2

After a two-day journey, our three heroes arrived at the cave that Duke Einrich marked on their map. While formulating a plan in the clearing just outside the entrance, they were approached by an odd pair. A dragonborn paladin of Adonai and a teenaged wizard interested in the dark arts come striding out of the woods. After a brief but tense moment, the paladin and our half-elf hero greet each other as friends. Our adventuring party had become five members strong. Rhiv, the paladin, had been instructed by the church in Port Charlotte to investigate some troubling rumors of undead activity in a nearby cave system, and to bring the young wizard, Gerault, with his as his charge. (The boy was being rehabilitated after getting caught defacing a local cemetery.) Through his searching, the two had arrived at this particular cave. Together, our heroes entered the cave.

After a particularly flourish-filled fight in tight quarters with a giant spider and a spider swarm, the group found a secret passage that brought them to a large room, in the middle of which was a deteriorating pile of clothes. Upon approach a purple light began to glow, illuminating the walls of the cave as water through a fishbowl. From the rags a spectral form rises into the air, the ghost of a long-dead witch.

Through the course of a conversation (that won't be recounted here), the party learns a few important details regarding the Duke and his family and history. To'ot agrees to bring Rawena, the witch, with the group in order to meet the Duke. She needs to speak with the Duke in order to iron out some details and understand what the current situation is. Our heroes five return to Port Charlotte.

Session 3

After reaching the edge of Port Charlotte our heroes set up camp and plan to enter the city the next morning. During the night, while Harper stood watch, Gerault slipped out of camp and disappeared into the direction of the city. Upon awakening the party organizes, and it is decided to keep Rawena and the tiara outside of the city. Rhiv decides to accompany Harper on the trip into the city in a vain attempt to track Gerault, or at least get more information about his whereabouts. While Harper visited the Duke to bring him out to meet Rawena and the rest of the party, the paladin visited his church in Port Charlotte to inform the Priest of Gerault's disappearance, update on the witch and the adventure in the cave, and attempt to procure some additional support (a blessing and an untrained acolyte).

After a particularly flourish-filled conversation in which Rawena and To'ot's bond strengthens, it is determined that Rawena will help the Duke if she is helped to regain her corporeality. Through the course of the conversation, the party learns a few more details regarding the fact that the Duke is the elder brother that should have been King. The younger brother, now King, made a pact with Rawena to get rid of his older brother. She decided to subcontract that task to the devil she didn't truly know (a powerful sorcerer). Through arcane machinations the sorcerer essentially cast a spell on the older brother / Duke in order intertwine the two of them into an endless lifeloop in which the Duke reverts to a child every 30 years and the sorcerer lives on forever. Following the initial conversation the Duke and his assistant Sebastian begin to argue about next steps, and whether to bring the party to the library to assist in researching next steps, when suddenly the Duke transforms into a mewling babe. Sebastian gives the heroes the pouch of 1000 gp that were in the carriage, along with the Duke's signet ring and the deed to either Sebastian's personal piece of land OR his ship, both of which are near Redwall. The party presents the new situation to Rawena and convinces her to help a little more forcefully than before.

Sneaking back into the city in the Duke's carriage, the party visits his armory and stock themselves with fine gear and plenty of ropes. They set off the next morning for Redwall, the capital of East Blackwall, at a high pace, carrying the duke in a Baby Bjorn on To'ot's back and a small supply of goats milk. The goat, unfortunately, was left behind. After setting up camp on the second night of travel, Harper scouts the area and tries to rob a house that ends up being relatively bereft of valuables. He does, however, manage to cut himself and leave his DNA all over the crime scene. The next morning, as they pack to leave the party decides to approach the house yet again to bargain for some goat milk, and are quickly suckered into adventuring forth to save the poor homesteader's two goats that had unfortunately been taken during the night. What was expected to be a quick dispatch turned into a pitched battle in which they took some significant damage in trade for a Owlbear pelt, some milk, and a small token of gratitude from the frightened farmer.

Episode 4: In which much is asked and little revealed of our somber companion and ally in arms, the crossbowman Clark Harper or A Song of Ice and Fire

Upon returning from their conversation with a family of traveling elves, Harp informs To’ot of a copse of odd-looking trees. The half-orc is interested, and proceeds to investigate, but with no results of note. After a late night, our intrepid adventurers break camp a bit later than usual to conserve their energy.

On the road the next day, the group sees a highway sideshowman, performing various acts of sleight-of-hand, and Harp seems pulled from his usual sullen demeanor. He attempts to foil the con artist, and feel like himself for a change, but is a bit rusty on his card playing. Therrien notes that Harp even risks some golden tokens from his culture, and is curious how he got them. A spotter in the crowd makes Harp act even more riskily than he otherwise would, and after being caught attempting to cheat the cheater, flips the table to cause a scene and pursues the street performer.

The rest of the group is somewhat confused by the goings on, but keep their heads and bring a now-dueling Harp his horse. The ex-swashbuckler is able to recover his golden tokens, and apparently his high spirits. The encounter puts Harp in high spirits, so much so that it’s as if he’s a different person for a matter of hours. He returns to form, however, at a tavern a couple hours up the road.

A legendary tavern charging exorbitant prices turns out to be almost worth the price of entry for our intrepid band, as they tally up quite the bill consuming pheasant, soup and ale. Harp’s mania is at a high, and he asks the minstrel in the tavern to sing a well-known lament, and he volunteers to accompany him. After recovering the harp from his horse, the tall youth plays a keening highland tune, which totally bums out virtually everyone at the tavern. And so Harp returns to his previously stoic personality.

The group returns to their mounts, and the road, without further event until the evening camp. To To’ot’s dismay, Therrien decides to provide the camp with a full buck worth of venison, of which we cook as much as we can and dry it out for the road. To’ot attempts to put the buck’s soul to rest, whatever that means.

The next day finds them facing a mountain trail, and the weather seems unseasonably cool, at least to Harp. Unless they want to camp on the mountain for the night, the party will have to pick their way through the pass at a faster-than-prudent pace. A series of close-calls leads to disaster, with a rock slide taking Harp’s mount down to shadow, and nearly his life. The realization dawns on Harper that all his equipment is lost as well, including provisions, extra crossbow bolts, a heavy crossbow and, most damningly, his father’s harp. This sends him into a spastic, depressive spiral, resulting in a nearly catatonic state.

As if the day couldn’t get any worse, as the sunlight begins to fail from time and cloud cover, a blizzard begins to build as they approach the peak of the mountain pass. Harp feels his whole body begin to petrify. "She is here" he says. The group asks who it is: "Death herself." As Harp’s body turns to a marble statue, The Cold Woman stands 8 feet tall in their way in the pass.

A battle ensues and, as is his custom, Rhiv busts himself open again, all over the friggin’ snow. Although much damage is done, with an unexpected suddenness, the threat was over and the enemy was gone. The Cold Woman had grabbed Harper by the throat and forearm, lifted him into the air, and walked straight through the snowy stone wall on the north side of the passage, disappearing from view.

Session 7 (??) - The three members of the party currently not in the Pit of Despair delved into the depths of the library. Rhiv, with his new romantic interest, Biri, set off in search of information about Drakonis Severin, the legendary resting place of Ancient Dragons, while Therrien, To'ot, and their escort Dunigan searched for clues about the Horn of Dorothir.

Rhiv found a passing reference to Dorothir of Ankanalu in his research (along with a new lead in Professor Rusuil at the Mage's College here in Redwall), while the boys search proved unfruitful, at least for a while. With his new information, Rhiv and Biri joined his fellow party members, and the five of them continued searching until Therrien put together two different references, giving the group a firm grasp on what the Horn of Dorothir is and does.

The Horn of Dorothir is a magical artifact, removed from the corpse of an Ancient Black Dragon some time before or in the early stages of the Dark Age. As Dorothir aged, he could no longer rely solely on his physical and martial prowess in combat, and began augmenting his abilities through the use of magic. Through experimentation with the arcane, he created the Horn (along with a few other less powerful artifacts), which, through a ritual, can be used to bring any dragon that has ever existed back to corporeal life.

The party, intending to continue their research on other subjects returned to the Lift Room. As they approached, however, all peripheral vision faded to black, Biri and Dunagal disappeared, and the three adventurers were confronted by the shadowy presence of a Drow, an ebony-skinned descendant of the elves, with angular features, sharply pointed ears, snow white hair, and bright yellow irises. The figure spoke to the group with a rumble, warning them, "I know you're looking for me. If you do not cease your pursuit, you will not enjoy the benefits of life much longer. Enjoy this small sample of my power." Immediately the shadowy drow transformed before their eyes into a minotaur who did not hesitate in charging the party.

In the course of the battle, To'ot took control of his latent Wild Shape ability, shifting first into a long constrictor snake then into a giant spider before delivering the killing blow by dropping on the the minotaur from the ceiling. Rather than dying in any typical way, the minotaur dispersed into the peripheral shadows, the darkness lifted, and Biri and Dunigan were treated to the site of a severely bloodied Therrien and a giant spider who transformed back into a half-orc.

After a brief discussion about how to respond to Biri and Dunigan's obvious concerns, Rhiv decided to tell at least some of the truth, and, prudence aside, the two decided to continue helping the party. To'ot, however, felt a pressing concern about the safety of baby Duke Einrich, so, transforming into a bat, he fled the library and headed to the Temple of Adonai in the Middle Ward, hoping to proceed to the Lower Ward to convince Harper to rejoin his mates, then flying back to rejoin the group at the Royal Library.

Meanwhile, Therrien and Rhiv continued researching, looking up information on the fabled city of Ankanalu in hopes of finding some place to start looking for fragments of the Horn, as well as attempting to obtain more knowledge on Left for Red and the Drow peoples. Satisfied that they had gained all they could, the two adventurers left the library intending to return to the Adonaic temple to regroup. Upon exit, however, they were corralled by a detachment of the King's Royal Guards, who stated simply, "The King would speak with you."

End Session 7

Session 8? 9? Who even knows any more?

Unprovoked

To'ot in bat form followed Lord Wellington to his manor. Dropping from the sky, he charged the gates, entangling the two guards who had come to send him away, but unable to prevent an alarm from being sounded. Deftly scaling the magically sprouted vines, he leaped over the 10-foot gate, and headed straight for Wellington. In response to the alarm, two more guards stepped forward to intercept To'ot. After the two guards at the gate freed themselves from the entanglement they pinned the half-orc in, two guards in front and two behind.

Then To'ot turned into a brown bear.

Just then, the rest of the party arrived at the gate, with Therrien and Rhiv quickly joining the fray inside the walls of the Wellington property. Harper, still unaware of all that had transpired with the group over the last few days, sat the battle out, choosing instead to watch from the shadows.

After a few traded blows, one guard surrendered, another fell to the strong paw swipe of the bear. Wellington ducked into the house to avoid being a target, and Therrien pursued, crashing through the window. To'ot, emotionally drained after spending an hour flying around the city as a bat and killing a person, returned to his half-orc form and followed Therrien. From inside the house, Therrien spotted a guard closing in on To'ot and cleaved his head in two. Now both fully committed to "silencing" Wellington, they turned to begin searching the house when Rhiv arrived at the window. The last guard had fled, and Rhiv felt strongly that the group needed to leave the scene immediately if they had any hope of continuing their mission of stopping Thalnoth Ur-Quan. In the end, To'ot chose to send an intimidating message to Wellington through the lone remaining (and severely wounded) guard.

As the group was leaving, their guard escorts arrived. A short investigation cast doubt on the innocence projected by the party. The guard captain entered Wellington's manor, and the four adventurers returned to the King's castle, still unsure of whether they are suspected of any crime. Upon arriving, they are sequestered in their shared quarters for the remainder of the evening.

Therrien and To'ot share a surprising moment. To'ot begins by telling the group that he takes full responsibility for acting so rashly and putting the group in unnecessary danger. As a result, he is swearing off using Wild Shape until he has a better handle on how to balance, how to remain fully himself and not get swept away by the beasts he channels. To'ot tells Therrien that he is an inspiration, and that the half-orc strives to achieve the same kind of control over his primal nature that the elf displays. Therrien responds by giving To'ot the wolf fang that he received as he embarked on his totem path, encouraging To'ot to "become the rage." Moved by the gesture, To'ot gives Therrien his small pouch of earth, earth that he had recognized as native to his home, hoping it would provide Therrien an even greater sense of balance.

And, Therrien, needing to give his companions the right to choose who they fought alongside, told the party his story...

End Session

Session 10

After a relatively straight-forward, trip from the portal to the docks of Hanover the party arrived at the location of the ship they were set to be deeded following coordination with the King's guard captain. Upon arrival the human that had agreed to sell the ship "for three times its value" met them at his office near the docks. After a roundabout story of woe, the man apologetically extorted the group into helping his cousin with a problem. After Therrien and Rhiv unsuccessfully try to intimidate him into going with the original deal, Harp and Rhiv try--and fail--to persuade him into promising to take care of the problem after they complete their mission. Grumpily the group agrees to take on the quest in exchange for the pilot meeting them at a point down river and taking them the rest of the way down the river.

After trying to invent a new-person to person horse sharing model, the company decides to just walk. After a 6 hour hike they arrive at ________, a small village _________ of Hanover. As grudgingly as they offer help, the receipt is just as grudgingly accepted. The pilot's cousin, the barber cum sheriff cum mayor of the town, walks them to a nearby field where they see crops that have seemingly been turned to some tarry rock from the roots down. After a short discussion and some investigatory digging the party makes their way to a small nearby cave--at which point the sheriff excuses himself and returns to town. After several minutes of spelunking their way through the caves the party encounters an inky darkness that slowly deepens to the point of overwhelming all of their light sources, both magical and non-magical. Even Brighthill's divine light was overwhelmed by the overwhelming gloom. Despite their fear and concern rising in their hearts, they press on. Suddenly both Brighthill and Therrien are attacked by some unknown creature that latched onto their faces. The party quickly dispatches two of the three monsters through some powerful--and lucky--strikes.



Seconds after the darkness was lifted with the departures of darkmantles, a growing rumble began around the party, growing quickly louder and louder. As the rumbling was too indistinct to know its origin, the party chose to hunker down and prepare rather than flee. Within seconds a powerful monster bore a hole through one of the walls merely feet from the group.



Despite their preparation, Harp, Therrien, and To'ot were struck dumb by the monser's gaze. Before the stones and dust had a moment to settle or the umber hulk had time to strike out on its own, Rhiv was able to overcome the affects of fear and rushed forward bringing down his hammer with ringing forth with the power of Adonai shattering the jaw of the wicked beast. Despite this strike the monster was able to quickly return the favor and with his powerful claws and jaws it brought Rhiv almost to his knees. Brighthill managed to keep everyone relatively hearty and only To'ot was actually knocked out of the fight for a short period. After several rounds of failure each member of the group gradually realized the importance of avoiding looking at the eyes of the enemy . Once this technique was used the beast was quickly subdued with the final killing blow being delivered by a raging Therrien leaping down a tunnel after the fast fleeing enemy.



As the group gathered their breath and examined the corpse of the enemy they heard the unexpected sound of voices speaking. Harp quickly ascertained the origin of the noises and crawled to the edge, seeing an odd gathering of _________________ circling a bubbling pool of the same tarry substance they had seen in the fields above them. Unfortunately, while crawling to the edge Harp managed to disturb some pebbles that clatter loudly into the yawning cavern............

END SESSION