Previous Session
Helped Sethan survive, but most of his children died because of assassins from House Pryde.
Setup
Players travel back to Drunah to met with Callum Pryde.
Activities
Vaeri 16:45
Hilde goes to her father to say goodbye. He says he is proud of her growing up. He says if Callum wants to be king, they should leave fast.
On their way back to Drunah, during a storm (no direct sunlight), they encounter Vaeri, who was following them in her white bird form, who will tell them she can’t let them go back to Drunah. She will tell them that she heard Thasslia is attacking Othiria to reform the kingdom of Herun, and that it’s too dangerous to go there.
She will fight them if they wish to pass (Drow mage, mm 129, 2900xp), with only saying “it’s too dangerous”. Once defeated, she summons a Stone Golem (mm 170, 5900 xp) and teleports away, saying “This is my last warning, don’t go to Drunah. This is beyond you”. (South of Drunah if the players can track her).
Captured her, banished the golem, Hilde read her thoughts about the party ruining a plan of their, but doesn’t need to kill them. Lex finished her with his ice dagger, which triggered her reaction to transform into the white raven, she flew away, but Hilde finished her with her spiritual weapon. Players talk about her in the carriage. Hilde looks for an arcane focus and finds a white rabbit foot. Hilde takes it, and ties her mouth. After 2 days she wakes up, looks at Hilde, and just asks how long she’s been sleeping for. Goes back to sleep.
Siege of Drunah 18:15
Hilde gives an old couple fleeing the city 10 gold. They set up the carriage in the foods fr night camp.
Auron and Hilde go out of the carriage, and Hilde prays to Pelor for the security of the people, but she feels that her link to her god is weak, that he is no longer so strong.
Lex is in the carriage with Nyssah, and tells her it’s her last chance to tell them why they shouldn’t go to Drunah. She replies, but the string is stopping her from being understood. Lex takes the string out. “THis is beyond you”. Hilde comes in , asks lex if he can also feel that Pelor is weak. He also feels it. Hilde wants to go as fast as possible to the temple in Drunah to pray to Pelor. Lex casts daylight, and prays again, and sees the temple in drunah burnt to the ground, with the priest dead. Dion once told Auron that Callum Pryde hates religion. Hilde asks Nyssah if she knows anything about it, and Nyssah replies “It is known that callum hates religion”. Hilde questions to Nyssah about her goals and dreams “As a human, you can’t understand”. “My brother will come to me”. “If you let me go, I promise to not harm you today. Tomorrow, I can’t promise”. They let her go, hilde says she wished they could be friends. She answers that they don’t have to be enemies, and that they will meet again. Hilde prays afterwards and cries quietly. Lex builds a small altar for Pelor. Finds blue-turquoise herbs, but leaves them, thinking about past experiences with wolf.
People fleeing the city. Arrive at the city, the army is standing not far from the city, ready to siege. Some men of Callum are sieging the castle, mostly waiting (Lex knows this, it’s to starve the people inside until they die or give up). Players can try and get info, but the men will say them “this is a siege, you’d be best to run away before you get killed”. Men are lying on the floor from both sides, but mostly from Drunah. Some men who were attacking Arcastle are here (Hilde and Lex recognises some of the banners on the dead men)
Lex puts down a bloodgold piece on one of the corpses.
If players say they are from Arden, they are brought to Callum, who is with his young son Beinon (21).
Callum will ask the players what they are doing here, as it is dangerous during a siege, they should know since they ran away from the siege of Arcastle. He says he is here for the head of Bathair, to become the king of Herun. Bathair must die for him to become the new king, uncontested. If the players question him about Sethan, they reply? “You must have left before it happened. Sethan and his children are all dead, or all except Ashlei, but I’m less afraid of a woman than a man. Women are weak and don’t think with their heads.” He doesn’t know Sephan is still alive. “Oh, and I think you knew that Jaddon guy as well, didn’t you?”. He is also dead.
Most Dukes of the west of Othiria have already pledged allegiance to House Pryde. Once we have Drunah, the rest will fall like a tower of empty bottles (Thaelia synonym for House of Cards).
He advises the Princess to run back to her father, and return to Arden with their ridiculous army. “All of Herun will belong to me”. Now if you’ll please leave, my son and I have a kingdom to conquer. As they leave, a messenger whispers to Callum. “Princess Hildegard, on second thought… Please stay, you might see something to teach your brother and father about. Bathair has challenged me to a duel”. The duel will be at 18:00 at the city square.
Hilde contacts Dalton about the duel, Jaddon dead, and that Sethan has to hide. And Maximus to prepare an army. “Prydes besieging dulken. Wants all of harren. Makes fun of you. Kings will have a duel tonight.arden needs to be prepared.love you!”
21:30 - As the players walk by the carriage, they pass by the impaled people. 7 corpses, some burnt. They recognise Jaddon and one of the diplomats, but not Jake. Hilde locats Jake north of Drunah, 30min walk. Warn him, and go back to the carriage to prepare. They all pray together for Pelor. Auron feels a little bit of warmth inside.
They go back dressed fully in Arden clothing.
The Duel
At the city square, passing by Jaddon etc. At 18:00, Callum is wearing his fighting clothes, as is his son. The two girls with Bathair exit the castle and approach Callum. They are both bruised up. The younger one still doesn’t speak, but the older one says “King Bathair MacPhaiden, Ruler of Othiria, True Heir to the Kingdom of Herun, challenges Callum Pryde, Ruler of Thasslia, usurper weakling to a duel to the death. Once Bathair kills Callum Pryde, he will take over control of Thasslia to reform the Kingdom of Herun.”
Callum accepts to give up his claim and abandon his kingdom, on the condition that his son fights against Bathair. His son looks just as determined as his father, but a good insight check can tell he is frightened. “If my son can’t defeat our enemies, he isn’t fit to rule Thasslia.”
The fight is tence, the child is fast and takes frequent cuts in Bathair, who isn’t fast enough to defend himself, and his attacks are sloppy. But Beinon doesn’t want to kill him. Bathair is out of breath, bleeding from many places, and can barely stand. Beinon looks at his father, who says “What are you waiting for? Finish it already”. The son doesn’t want to kill and old man, asking Bathair to abandon his kingdom to save his life.
This makes Callum infuriated. Bathair refuses and is on his knees. Callum approaches his son, takes his sword and pushed him to the floor. He lifts the sword, ready to behead Bathair, when two very long blue-purple arms wrap Callum, who lets go of his sword in surprise, and is dragged to the youngest of Bathair’s girls.
Bathair takes this distraction to stab Beinon with a blade (the same he used on Hildegard). Callum appears from behind the crows “That’s not me!” (perception check for everyone, 2nd girl is no longer there), so the guards aren’t sure what to do. The real callum says “of course i’m the real me! What is this??!”. The girl holding Callum is now in doppelganger form, and jumps to Bathair, who cuts his neck open. The fake callum joins the other two, transforms into a doppelganger, and fight against the party, as no one has any idea what is going on.
Hilde tells bathair “the real bathair should fight me like a man”, to which he replies “Bathair MacPhaiden is dead!”. Hilde thinks the doppelgangers are working for the Twins.
Hilde walks up to Bathair with her sword and says “this is over”, and finishes him.
The party looks in the castle for Bathair, and after a couple of hours, find a crypt with two skeletons who look to be hugging. These skeletons have been here since 5 years. It’s Bathair and his wife. The whole time, the kingdom was controlled by a Doppelganger controlled by the Twins. Hilde prays to show respect, but Pelor is still weak.
After everyone is dead, the people of Thasslia will return to their kingdom, as their leader is dead. They pillage/burn the city on their way out.
The guards of Drunah say Sethan is now the king, as he is the heir, and needs to be crowned ASAP.
Hilde contacts her father to warn them. On their way out of the city, they tell some people that Sethan is now the king, that the assassination failed.
Travel back to Redford, meet with Dalton and make sure he’s not a Doppelganger by asking what’s with Jaddon, since Hilde told him that Jaddon was dead. They go to a secure place. Tell about Bathair is dead since 5 years. The doppelgangers, the dual, that the attack on Arcastle was not Bathair, and says she has a guess who is behind this.
Dalton bring the party to Sethan who is in a small farm house outside of the city, guarded. They talk about the future.
Hilde goes to pray at the small Pelor sanctuary in Redford, before they leave the next day for Arcastle. Lex also concentrates on the temple of Arcastle, and fees Pelor has weakened further. Auron also tries to pray.
The night, they sleep in the castle, and Hilde has a bath that she fulls with rose perfume because she has heimweh.
Next session 23:40
End chapter 2.
Go home to Arcastle.
Auron wants to be a Paladin, and later a prince to marry Hilde.
Strengthen Pelor