Session 433 - The Two Headed Man
General Summary
The Story So Far
Ash - An expert in the occult and a skilled monster hunter. Ash uses his talents and budding alchemical expertise to battle what people fear most for a price.
Ryobi - A monk of the embattled Order of the Warriors of Mameka. Ryobi is given an important mission: retrieve the holy blades containing the souls of his brother knights, which were lost in the recent Rethemi civil war.
They are joined by Vinzent, a bard with a morbid demeanor and a haunted past.
This is the continuation of Session 431– The Divine Deception.
10th of Peonu (Spring) 729TR
After a botched mission, the heroes become outlaws, wanted for mass murder, robbery, and blasphemy. They have escaped to the distant, enigmatic Karejian Islands. The illustrious trio has been hired by Tryfon el Frangatos, a sickly noble, to kill the mighty Aegesir Karkanos and supply him with a sample of his venom.
The heroes have acquired an artifact that will aid in this quest and are on their way back to the City of Trikal to plan their next moves. Unfortunately, they run into something unusual on the way.
Location: On the road near the City-state of Assina.
Part 1 – The Two-headed Man
The adventurers hear a woman’s scream for help. She is not far away, only over a nearby ridge, and the heroes race to see what is happening and to help. However, part of the embankment begins to move, under the control of some malicious elemental force. The gigantic sod of spiky grassed earth batters the heroes but is soon broken into harmless chunks of earth.
The heroes approach the strange man, and Ash, a capable alchemist, immediately identifies that the laughing gentleman has imbibed a rare elixir, which has caused a second head to sprout from his neck temporarily. Having two heads can offer some protection from mind-affecting enchantments, but if that was the reason the man drank this potion, it has failed. Ash examines the man closely, and every physical clue indicates possession. Using his array of talismans, he attempts to drive the malicious entity out of the poor man. He succeeds, and a sticky purple cloud is suddenly expelled from the man’s mouth. The angry cloud envelopes the heroes, and they struggle with their sanity, being bedazzled, and begin to giggle. This turns into a painful, debilitating laughter; however, the heroes retain enough presence of mind to separate, so only one is affected. The evil cloud attempts to enter Ash’s body through his mouth, but by the strength of his will, it is ejected. The cloud is eventually hacked into harmless fragments as Ash and Ryobi identify its weakness to spiritual energy.
Part 2 - The Curse of the Witch of Days
Soon, the man’s pained laughter subsides, and the second head melts as the effects of the mutagen elixir diminish. The grateful woman introduces herself as Korinna el Tripolides, and her unconscious husband, Arthimos, is a noble, and his villa is nearby. The heroes help him back, and he is cared for by his servants until he is well enough to suitably thank his saviours.
His tale is fascinating. His twin brother disappeared months ago, carrying essential legal documentation, and he wanted to learn what happened to him. He unwisely consulted with the Aegesir Koritsagria, the mysterious Witch of Days. This magical, god-hating immortal is Karejia's greatest seer and was willing to help, but the price was that he must burn the Abbey of Epytis to the ground. The peaceful worshipers of the goddess of agriculture and healing, Eoni, hold this abbey. Arthimos el Tripolides reneged on the deal; he could not bring himself to harm the pacifist priestess. The Koritsagria did not take that well and placed a laughing curse on him, but fortunately, the heroes removed this, and hope the malicious witch will now leave him alone.
The aristocratic Arthimos would like to hire the party and find his family papers and, better yet, save his brother if possible. Koritsagria told him that his brother was shipwrecked and had fallen under the influence of a Nasiryhn, a female water fae creature whose mesmerizing voice enchanted and captured men as lovers or food. This one is located on the rocky coast of northern Bartino Island. The heroes agree to help, and the nobles arrange their transport to the nearby Island.
Location: Bartino Island, near the City-state of Alimas.
Part 3 – The Maiden of the Rocky Shoal
On the short sea voyage to the City-state of Alimas, the heroes are given wax earplugs in case the gallery passes too close to a Nasiryhn nest. They keep them, expecting to need them.
On Bartino Island, the heroes follow the local farmers’ directions and make their way along the coast seeking out shipwrecks. The coast is dangerous, and the heroes have to deal with a trio of huge monitor lizards, but they are easily disposed of.
Soon, a relatively recent wreck comes into view, and the heroes wade out to investigate. The silence is broken as a well-camouflaged giant octopus emerges from the water, and its thick, rubbery tentacles catch the trio. However, Ryobi and Ash break free, but Vinzent is not strong or agile enough. So dire his predicament, he can’t even cast spells. Ryobi and Ash attack, and eventually their combined might prevails, and the octopus’s rubbery hide is sliced open. It dies a bloody, quivering mass in the water, and only then does a severely squeezed Vinzent work himself free.
Before the heroes can gather their thoughts, the water churns, and a furious, green-skinned, severely looking half-woman, half-fish emerges from the waves. “You will pay for murdering my friend,” the Nasiryhn screeches, and prepares to sing a melody which will captivate the heroes and command them to walk into their ocean to their death. But Ash coldly threatens her with dismemberment. “Return your human slave or you will be sliced to pieces like your pet.” The Nasiryhn has a moment of doubt, and Ryobi presses the moment home with a flourish with his holy sword. “You can have him. I was getting bored anyway,” she whines, and out of the water, a dazed man appears, the twin of Arthimos. The heroes escape as soon as they can, plugging their ears with wax and running inland. Soon, the faint, captivating song of Nasiryhn can be heard, followed by several others, but they are far enough away to resist the call of the sea.
Arthimos’ brother, Aristides, is thankful for the heroes who saved his life and has the crucial legal papers his family so urgently needs. After reuniting with his brother, the heroes are well rewarded.
To be continued.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Related Reports
Aegesir - Updated.
Player Characters
Ryobi - Human - L13 Monk
Background - Temple Guard.
Archetypes - Barbarian/Fighter.
Ash - Human - L13 Thaumaturge
Background - Weaponcrafter.
Archetypes - Alchemist.
NPC Companion
Vinzent - Human - L13 Bard
Background - Cursed.
Archetypes - Blessed/Disciple of Thalia.
Next Session
Session 436 – The Vinzent’s Curse.
NPC Companion
Vinzent
He is a skilled minstrel who is infamous for his depressing performances and bad luck.
Nasirhyn - The Maidens of the Rocky Shoals
Also known as sirens, these dangerous fae are unique to the waters of Karejia. They are related to Dryads, appearing as beautiful women who bewitch men to serve them for a year and a day (or sometimes, much longer).
Sirens live in rocky shallows, and no man can resist their beautiful singing unless they plug their ears with wax. Otherwise, they will dive into the water or wreck their ship to join them. When a siren colony appears near a vital shipping lane, city-states often organize an expedition to force them out.
The Nasirhyn are powerful shapechangers who can change their form to that of any ocean creature of similar size. Some can control sea creatures, such as sharks, whales, or sea snakes, using them as guards for their underwater nests. Sirens, after plundering shipwrecks, can accumulate large treasure troves, which they hide among the reefs.
Koritsagria - The Witch of Days
Each morning, this Aegesir appears as a beautiful girl and rapidly ages. By noon, she is a mature woman, and in the evening, she is a withered crone. During the night, she transforms into a hellish creature, a giant vulture with a woman’s head and scythe-like claws.
As the day progressed, she becomes angrier and at night is a creature of wrath and fury, the feared “The demon of the night”. Koritsagria is a powerful witch who can also control the elements.
Koritsagria is the strongest oracle among the Aegesir and the one most capable of answering specific, complex questions. However, she despises all the deities and will even aid humans if she calculates that it will harm the interests of any of the gods.
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