10 - 9/17/25 : Fortes in Fide

"No matter how arduous, no matter how dark the skies, no matter how much blood flows from my wounds, I shall stand with you. We shall fight for our loved ones and our friends, for the right to live and die free. We shall do everything we possibly can, and after that, we shall begin to do the impossible. And if the hour should come when our arms can no longer raise our swords, our bodies will become a shield to cover those who still have the strength to fight. I, Galfrey, Queen of Mendev, swear this to you. This is my vow."
Queen Galfrey I of Mendev's paladin oath sworn to the High Priests of Muir at her coronation, circa 3425 I.R.

Before the festivities ended, Satomi had a brief discussion with Irabeth about the whereabouts of Staunton Vhane. Irabeth informed her that Staunton had been turned over to forces of Queen Galfrey for judgment, since his actions were difficult to adjudicate from her position. A few days passed as the party recuperated and prepared to accept their charge given to them by the Queen. Gathered before a newly formed army on the outskirts of Kenabres, Queen Galfrey made ready to proclaim the 5th Crusade:

"Rise, warriors! Today is a day of sorrow, and pride. Sorrow, because we weep for our brothers and sisters who perished in Kenabres. Pride, because despite demonic treachery, our heroes repelled the attack and saved the city. In light of this victory, I, Queen Galfrey of Mendev, declare this day the first day of the Fifth Mendevian Crusade. And I am glad to introduce the four valiant heroes who will lead the attack on the forces of Abyss. The heroes of Kenabres, Knight-Commanders of the Fifth Crusade - your leaders, from now unto victory or death!"

Once the pomp and circumstance had died down, Galfrey accompanied the party and introduced them to some of their new support staff;

Commander Irabeth Tirabade, whom they already knew, would be spearheading the advisory of military matters.
Anevia Tirabade, who would act as a spymaster and counter-intelligence officer.
A portly human man named Wilcer Garms, who would be acting as the head quartermaster of the march.
Sosiel Vaenic, a human cleric of Shelyn, would oversee the matters of faith with the crusaders and the efforts of its chirurgeons.
Nurah Dendiwahr, a halfling historian from Nerosyan, would serve as the crusade's primary historical and geographical consultant, as well as its official chronicler.

The queen also pulled the Knight-Commanders aside to task them with their first decision as leaders of the crusade; the fate of Staunton Vhane. After some discussion, the party decided to have Staunton re-instated as a leader in the Condemned, and planned to have the unit act in a far less suicidal capacity than before. After some last words of advice and encouragement, the Queen departed to the capital to shore up the country's battered defenses on the southern front and to officially petition the Church of Muir to bless the crusade. With the Queen gone, the new Knight-Commanders explored their camp and got to know their new staff, and also found that Joran Vhane was present as well. Joran thanked the party for sparing Staunton's life and gave Elseth the magic sheath that paired with Radiance that he had promised her. Satomi consulted Joran about the Nahyndrian Chisel and the possibility of creating some sort of holster for it that would dampen its nullifying effect on nearby scrolls. Upon examining the item, Joran was shocked to learn that he could not identify the material the chisel was made out of; a rare problem for a master smith such as he. He also reasoned that it being a powerful artifact presumably created by a powerful spellcaster like Areelu Vorlesh meant that subduing its properties would be extraordinarily difficult and prohibitively expensive. However, he promised to draw up some blueprints and throw together a list of ideas for materials to use for a theoretical sheath for the chisel. On a smaller scale, Satomi also asked Joran to reforge one of her battle fans with cold iron, which he was glad to do. The party was also relieved to discover that scrolls held inside of a bag of holding seemed to be immune to the Nahyndrian Chisel's nullifying effects. Before their departure, Horgus Gwerm greeted the party, congratulated them on their new role, and lamented how he would not be able to contribute as much as he would like to the crusade given that his physical fortune had gone missing. Hilda kept her mouth shut, the gold still safe on her person to spend as she pleased. The army then officially began the march to the lost city-fortress of Drezen. The landscape around them quickly and unnaturally changed from coastal grassland to a rocky tundra as they travelled; such geographical impossibilities were quite common in the Worldwound. As the army stopped for the night, the perimeter guards alerted Anevia and the Knight-Commanders of a figure breaching the perimeter. The party investigated the disturbance, finding a severely dehydrated human man wearing military fatigues. After he was healed and given water, the man regained his composure and saluted, identifying himself as Yaker Ankelle, Hellknight of the Order of the Godclaw. His unit, under the command of one Paralictor Regill Derenge, had been ambushed by a horde of fiendish gargoyles while split from their recently dispatched scouting parties. Without the crusade's assistance, he reasoned, the unit would be lost. Haliel greeted Yaker, whom she recognized from when they had joined the order as armigers around the same time. Obviously driven to help her fellow knights, she petitioned the Knight-Commanders to render aid. Anevia was somewhat reluctant to offer aid to the Hellknights, given their on-and-off animosity with the crusaders over the last century, but also reasoned that they could be of some benefit to the newly called crusade. The Knight-Commanders conferred amongst themselves and with Haliel and decided to render aid to the Hellknights. The ambush site was not far across the nearby river Sellen, but it would take too much time for the entire army to ford the gap; instead the party took Haliel and and a boat across to seek the Paralictor and his forces. Arriving at the site known as Reliable Redoubt, the party encountered a gnomish hellknight that exuded authority, issuing orders to a group of crusaders from an independent knightly order. Yaker identified this man as Paralictor Regill Derenge, who had taken command of the forcibly joint unit of his Hellknights and the beleaguered Knights of the Sunlight Sword. Regill ordered the Sunlight Sword and his hellknights to retreat to a more defensible location, but the crusaders did not wish to abandon the two wounded hellknights left in the open, even if transporting them would leave them at risk of being caught in the open. Regill gave a nearly imperceptible hand signal to order some of his still-standing knights to quickly execute their wounded brethren, coldly stating "problem solved" before once again repeating his order for everyone to retreat to shelter. However, the arrival of the Knight-Commanders with Haliel and Yaker in tow gave him pause. He quickly approached the crusaders and appraised them of their situation, petitioning them for aid. The party got ready for a fight just as the gargoyles set upon the redoubt once again. Joining with the Hellknights and the Sunlight Sword, the Knight-Commanders helped to drive off the first wave of the gargoyle swarm, making use of their new mythic powers for the first time. The Hellknights and the Sunlight Sword suffered a few casualties, and Yaker himself was grabbed by a gargoyle and flown away into the distance to unknown ends. As the gargoyles dispersed, Regill stated that they should take shelter in a nearby cave and await the assault from the remaining gargoyles in a location where they could remove their advantage of flight. The crusaders disagreed, preferring to get on the road immediately despite the risk of being in the open for the gargoyles to find them. They debated the strategy with Regill, who eventually agreed for the sake of expediency, and the combined force began their retreat. Thanks to Hilda's ingenuity and familiarity with snowy terrain, the crusaders and their allies were able to hide themselves from the gargoyles as they fled, using snowbanks and trees and other natural features to conceal themselves from eyes in the sky. They could not, however, conceal themselves from a foul retriever; a construct of demonic make that was designed to track down the prey of their fiendish masters without error or weariness. A battle ensued, where the crusaders had a tough time penetrating the retriever's sturdy metal hide and avoiding its deadly eye beams. Their persistence would carry the day however, and the conflict ended in their victory and the success of their retreat back to the army camp. Regill spoke to the commanders after they were safe at the camp, and proposed that he and his subordinate Hellknights - many of whom were deployed away from Reliable Redoubt during the attack - forge an alliance with the Fifth Crusade and accompany them on their march to Drezen. Faced with a dangerous but possibly quite beneficial bond of cooperation with Regill and his people, the Knight-Commanders conferred over their decision…

Portraits

QUEEN GALFREY I OF MENDEV, CHOSEN OF MUIR

The first, and so far only monarch in Mendev's century of existence. When the First Crusade concluded with Mendev's death at the hands of Deskari, Galfrey was left in charge of the remaining crusaders; a position of prominence she leveraged to compel the Church of Muir to crown her as the Queen of Mendev. She has served as Queen for over a century, yet remains eternally youthful thanks to her empowering status as the only known Chosen of Muir. Seeing the party's newfound party as an opportunity, she has named them the Knight-Commanders of the impending Fifth Mendevian Crusade.

KNIGHT-COMMANDERS OF THE FIFTH CRUSADE

Player Characters

Satomi Sakane - A vivid kitsune dancer hailing from the far-off nation of Xha'en, once bound in service but now free to don her true name. She is lithe, cunning, alluring, and possesses deadly talents beyond mere dance. After murdering her former master Lord Tacitus, she has taken back her freedom, and now seems to foster a budding ability to force the whims of fate to obey her demands. Satomi now once again goes by her true surname, Sakane - an infamous kitsune clan known for their uncanny ability to show up at and influence major world events.

Elseth Atlasia - A cleric of the goddess Muir turned into a wrathful warrior of the heavens. Having abandoned her oath of pacifism sworn long ago, Elseth's clerical powers have left her, but her goddesses' might has remained, transforming her into a bloodied avenger seeking to put an end to the demonic invaders infesting Kenabres. She wields the holy shapeshifting lance known as Radiance, which was once a sword forged by Joran Vhane for Yaniel - a hero of the fourth crusade.

Alanis Fenrora - An elusive high elven mage who chose to investigate the Armasse festival on the date of the terrible demonic assault. She is a capable warlock whose powers court dark and oft forbidden magics, those that whisper to those beyond the grave and drain the life from those still living. These skills have proven handy as the party strives to survive the demon-strewn streets of burning Kenabres. By finding and claiming the Wand of Zacharius, Alanis instantaneously perished - but was soon awoken in a new undead state, much to her scholarly delight.

Hilda Grimm - A high elven evoker and an apprentice of Halaster, the Mad Mage of the Undermountain. Hilda has lead multiple tumultuous lives, as her soul was torn from her body as a child and was made a sentient being, while her original body accompanied the witch Tasha on her interplanar schemes. With her two halves being made whole by Halaster, Hilda has come to the lands of the Worldwound to prove herself as a wizard worthy of his tutelage. As a show of her dedication to arcane ascendancy, she sacrificed a portion of her abyssally infused flesh, and replaced her right arm with one made entirely of magical energy.

Companions

Seelah - A cheerful paladin of Muir who has fallen in with the Eagle Watch and the defenders of Kenabres. She has offered her blade to the party should they need it while combing through the demon-infested rubble of Kenabres. Although staunchly allied to the Clydwell Plaza Survivors for their efforts in liberating Kenabres, Seelah is quickly growing wary of their less-than-altruistic inclinations.

Ulbrig Olesk - Chieftain of the Olesk Clan and - if his claims are to be believed - a proud Sarkorian. Once imprisoned as a statue in the wild shape of a griffon, Ulbrig was freed by Satomi's mysterious fate-bending powers, and now finds himself in a demon-strewn wasteland where his homeland once stood, two-hundred years removed from the life he knew. Although he refuses to believe Sarkoris has completely fallen, he has sworn to aid the party in driving the demons out of Kenabres.

Wenduag - A mongrel ranger and the best huntress in Neathholm. Wenduag sports blue skin, glowing catlike eyes, and four pairs of spiderlike legs sprouting from her spine. Wenduag is a prideful warrior who values the strength her people have found in the underground, and hopes to see them join the fight against the demons without bending a knee to the crusaders. It was revealed that she secretly served the demon cultist Hosilla, but betrayed her in favor of the party, whom she now serves faithfully.

Sylvia Wynter - A human apprentice wizard from Revelmoore who grew up in Saint Branwen's Orphanage. Enamored with magic but without wealth or a foundational arcane education, Sylvia sought to learn the secrets of the weave from the legendarily insane Halaster Blackcloak as a last resort. Halaster has teleported her to Kenabres and foisted her upon the eccentric Hilda to be trained as her apprentice.

Haliel Dosan - A half-emerald-dragonborn fighter and newly initiated knight of the Order of the Godclaw, who fell into the Kenabres Underground with the other survivors. As a proud Hellknight, she is concerned with maintaining order and discipline during their attempts to liberate Kenabres.

Woljif Jefto - A talented arcane trickster, member of the Thieflings of Kenabres, and an occasional associate of Satomi. He is an independent maverick amongst his kind, preferring to follow his own rules and make his own decisions when it suits him. Despite common expectation, Woljif seems to have stuck around, and is now accompanying the Fifth Crusade and the Knight-Commanders who freed him from imprisonment.

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

Irabeth Tirabade - A half-orc paladin of Muir and commander of the Eagle Watch in Kenabres. She organized a defense against the demon invaders in Kenabres and helped lead the crusaders to victory at the Gray Garrison. Reunited with her beloved Anevia, she now accompanies the Fifth Crusade as its chief military advisor.

Anevia Tirabade - A human scout and wife of Irabeth Tirabade, commander of the Eagle Watch. She serves the watch as a spy, informant, and occasional archer. She has resumed her place as Irabeth's second-in-command, and has taken up the job of leading the Fifth Crusade's counter-intelligence efforts.

Sosiel Vaenic - A human life cleric of Shelyn, Goddess of Art & Beauty. He was a member of Kenabres' congregation, which was largely lost when the city fell. He was hand-picked by Queen Galfrey as the Fifth Crusade's lead spiritual advisor despite - or perhaps because of - his allegiance to a deity other than Muir, offering him a different perspective that the other crusaders might lack.

Wilcer Garms - A kind, portly human man who serves as the lead quartermaster of the Fifth Crusade. It is his duty to ensure the crusaders have everything they need for the march on Drezen, and to maintain order and fairness while distributing supplies.

Nurah Dendiwahr - A chipper halfling historian from Nerosyan who was appointed by Queen Galfrey to be the Fifth Crusade's official chronicler. Her duty is to serve as a consultant on historical and geographical matters concerning the Worldwound and the past Crusades.

Joran Vhane - A master dwarven smith and younger brother of the infamous Staunton Vhane. Joran has joined the Fifth Crusade to serve as a field smith for the army, and to accompany his brother following his unexpected liberation.

Horgus Gwerm - A prominent Mendevian nobleman who was rescued from the fall of Kenabres by the party. Although he owes them a great deal, he was unable to contribute his full fortune to the Fifth Crusade - mostly due to Hilda having made off with the lot of it in a bag of holding.

Yaker Ankelle - A hellknight of the Order of the Godclaw, who was initiated as an armiger alongside Haliel. He made his way to the Crusader Camp after abandoning his gear and swimming the breadth of the River Sellen to petition the Fifth Crusade for aid in a devastating gargoyle ambush on his unit. He was captured and taken away by the gargoyles during the rescue attempt.

Paralictor Regill Derenge - A severe gnomish hellknight of the rank of paralictor, who directs a force of hellknights of the Order of the Godclaw under his command. His unit was ambushed while at diminished strength by a swarm of gargoyles, but the Crusade's timely intervention saved the majority of his forces. Impressed by the Knight-Commanders, he has proposed an alliance of their forces and his own.

Sir Ashus Striegher of the Sunlight Sword - A human knight of the independent knightly order known as the Knights of the Sunlight Sword, fervent worshipers of Solanus. His party of fellow knights had fallen in with Regill Derenge's hellknights after suffering losses in the Worldwound themselves, and they were further depleted by the gargoyle ambush.

10 - 9/17/25 : Fortes in Fide

Portraits

QUEEN GALFREY I OF MENDEV, CHOSEN OF MUIR

KNIGHT-COMMANDERS OF THE FIFTH CRUSADE

Player Characters

Companions

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

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