Session 466 - The Questing Knight
General Summary
The story so far
A group of heroes adventures in the mysterious Kingdom of Emelrene, a realm where planar rifts are found in abundance.
Seth, the son of Acheron and trained by dwarven weaponsmiths.
Kitiara found a newly hatched dragon and formed a powerful bond with it.
Raven, a magical clone of Quazzy, the infamous Raven Woman, and a member of the Cult of the Twisted Elf.
Alphonse, a Chirurgeon and dropout from the Guild of Arcane Lore.
29th of Nuzyael (Spring) 731TR
This is the continuation of Session 464 – The Dragonskull Vault.
Raven has been instructed by her semidivine patron, Desridaen, to thwart the schemes of the evil god of murder, Naveh, and his servants. As she has moved into the Neoma region, Raven has learned that the Gytevsha, minions of Naveh (locally known as Vanaer), are known to haunt the Shadryn Ethereal Zone. Raven wants to learn as much as she can from this planar rift.
Location: West of Mt Mynlaes in the Kingdom of Emelrene
Part 1 – A Mad Bear
The party travels north along the trails to Shadrynglyd Lodge and meets with the wardens responsible for monitoring the Shadryn Zone and, if possible, containing any threats. To assist the party, Raven hires a laborer named Jef to carry their excess supplies and any treasure they find along the way.
The journey is mostly uneventful, but as they near Shadrynglyd Lodge, they hear a roar. From an embankment, an angry bear emerges. Snarling, it decides to vent its frustration on the heroes. Charging forward and swiping its claws at Raven and Alphonse, both quickly back away as Seth and Kitiara's dragon moves in for melee. Soon, the fierce bear is slain.
When inspecting the bear, something seems off. There are no visible wounds, apart from those inflicted by the heroes, but the beast's eyes are unusually dilated, and its unprovoked, aggressive attack seems unnatural. The heroes decide to follow the bear's tracks.
Part 2 – Orricken the Scout
Storm, Kitiara's Dragon, proved to be a skilled tracker. His magically enhanced sense of smell detects something he describes as unnatural or sour. The smelly trail leads uphill north, and the party sees a man strolling towards them. "I am Orricken the Scout, who be you?" he asks. The suspicious party questions him about the bear. "I frightened him," Orricken says with a hint of glee. The unnerving man has one blue and one green eye, and his mannerisms and speech are creepy and slightly intimidating. When asked about his intentions, he says, "I am looking for something."
He shows some interest in Storm, who telepathically informs Kitiara, "That human has the same sour smell." Seth notices that his shadow does not perfectly match his body. Raven suspects he is a Gytevsha, a minion of the god of assassins, Naveh; the direction he comes from is the Shadryn Zone.
As Orricken leaves, Raven can't resist stirring things up and sends a telepathic Message suggesting they talk.
Part 3 – Shadrynglyd Lodge
The party arrives at Shadrynglyd Lodge and meets with Lodge Master Adan Kheltralyn, a renowned expert on Gytevshai and Vanear (Naveh). Lodge Master Adan is initially unhelpful; any assistance he provides has to be extracted from him. The players describe Gytevsha as having blue and green eyes, and he becomes more cooperative, offering Seth a Dreamguard Talisman to prevent Gytevsha from invading Seth's nightmares.
Lodge Master Adan informs the heroes about a recent visitor to the lodge, Sir Hannstien Mililus. A man with blue-and-green eyes and magical powers manipulated Sir Hannstien's noble father. His father became demented, killing Sir Hannstien's wife and children before taking his own life. It's a tragic case, and Sir Hannstien followed the suspect to this area. The Lodge Master believes the manipulator was a Maldrahide, the same creature the party encountered earlier in the day, and that it was likely leaving the Shadryn Zone.
A Maldrahide is a Gytevsha who was expelled from Naveh's court and now roams the world, undertaking missions to end their exile. Maldrahides are shape-shifters, but they always have a distinct tell that reveals their identity; this fiend's tell is likely his different-colored eyes.
Ignoring the Lodge Master's advice, Sir Hannstien decided to travel to the Shadryn Ethereal Zone to find this fiend. He is not expected to have survived. The next day, the heroes retrace their steps to where they met Orricken and head toward the Shadryn Ethereal zone, hoping to find Sir Hannstien.
Part 4 – Creatures of Cold and Shadow
As the party travels, they feel a sudden chill coming from the nearby Divel Cold Zone, when half a dozen blue-white centipede creatures burst out of the woods. These elemental vermin have a venom that can freeze the blood, but they are quickly destroyed.
An hour later, the party enters the Shadryn Zone. It is bitterly cold, bleak, gloomy, and dark. Alphonse is forced to light a torch; however, the heroes stand out like a beacon. They do attract attention. Half a dozen dog-sized, pale gray-skinned rats swarm them, but what is worse, one of the dead trees begins to twist and lashes out as if possessed. The Shadow-Infused Giant Rats are easily disposed of, but the Corpsewood is a considerably more formidable opponent. The undead tree's black branches hit hard, temporarily knocking out Seth, but Storm tears into the dead wood, and it is destroyed by a combination of Ravens' psionic attacks and Kitiara's electric shocks.
Part 5 – The Questing Knight
In the gloom, the hero spots a light in the distance. Suspecting it might be Sir Hannstien, they head toward it, and it stops then moves toward the party.
Soon, a knight appears, Sir Hannstien, exhausted but still very much alive despite the odds. Sir Hannstien says he his searching for the creature responsible for his family's death, and when told that the party encountered it the day before, he agrees to leave the Shadryn Zone with them. Fortunately, they avoid further hazards. He credits his survival, at least in part, to the Dreamguard Talisman given by Lodge Master Adan, which shielded him from malicious threats from Gytevshai.
Sir Hannstien is grim company, somewhat sullen but willing to talk. He is deeply obsessed with revenge and returns to Neoma Castle with them, where he will try to hunt down his nemesis. He agrees that the Wardens of Shadrynglyd Lodge were not particularly helpful.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
Lodge Master Adan Kheltralyn - Expert on the minions of Naveh (the fiendish Gytevsha).
Orricken - The Scout.
Sir Hannstien Mililus - A knight on a quest for Revenge.
Related Content
Created Content
Castle Neoma.
Player Characters
Seth - Human - Level 1 Guardian
Background - Metallurgist.
Raven - Human - Level 1 Telepath Psychic
Background - Magical Experiment.
Kitiara - Human - Level 1 Dragon Summoner
Background - Dragon Scholar.
NPC Companion
Alphonse - Human - Level 1 Chirurgeon
Background - Academy Dropout.
