The Shardbearers

Marcus Cassius Cato

The Shardbearers are an adventuring guild formally founded in Whinta in the country of Zelira.

named, perhaps foolishly, after the Fragments that the members carry.

## Membership

### Current Members

Alexandra Fel'Ryth (Founding Member)

Anton Calicos (Founding Member, on leave)

Cassius Asclepius (Member)

Marcus Cassius Cato (Founding Member)

Naira Detier (Associated)

### Past Members

Barakus (Associated) (Deceased)

Derran The Immovable (Associated) (Deceased)

Harfang Corat (Member) (Deceased)

Morthran Goldenbraid (Member) (Deceased)

Oz er'Meri (Founding Member) (Deceased)

Ligimiawixip (Associated Member) (Missing, Probable Traitor)

Lucian Markus (Associated) (Deceased)

Tercael Ja-Roahdan (Associated)

Thargrim Steiner (Founding Member) (Deceased)

Trap Bait (Honorary Member)

Wellby Tosscobble (Associated) (Deceased)

Zenrin Brushgatherer (Associated) (Deceased)

## History

### Humble Beginnings

#### **A Meeting in Jenstead**

> A chance meeting in a tavern. A rogue broods in a dark corner. The adventure begins.
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The story of the Shardbearers begins, as with many other adventuring guilds, some time before their official founding, in a small tavern in the town of Jenstead in Zelira.

Alexandra Fel'Ryth, a young Kieri wizard on sabbatical from the Rhetor Historicus, Barakus a well traveled tiefling monk, Wellby Tosscobble a wild looking halfling druid and Zenrin Brushgatherer a brooding halfling rogue folk hero found themselves seated at the same table due to a lack of space in the tavern's bar area.

After trying to prevent, an subsequently becoming involved with, a tavern brawl, this newly gathered party was conscripted by the local lawkeeper to deal with a group of deserters encamped in the Gildwoods to the north.

#### **Deserters in the Gildwoods**

> A new party member. A deal with the Fae. The party commits their first war crime.
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> "My dear boy! It is **because** I am so great that I cannot go myself! You see, if *you* die, no-one would care! But if *I* die everyone would be devastated!"
> - Robard to Zenrin
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During their investigations into the location of the deserter camp, including a memorable encounder with a woodsman named Robard, it was discovered that the Gildwoods' fey population had been angered by the presence of the bandits. After running afoul of a raging dryad, the party required rescue from Atha, a pixie native to the woods. Her aid did not come for free however, and after the faerie made a pact with Barakus, the party promised to envoke the power of the Gildwoods to completely destroy the deserter outpost.

Traveling up to Clarindale to get aid for an incapacitated Zenrin, the party met the dwarven paladin of Vranda, Thargrim Steiner, who agreed to aid them in their quest to free the Gildwoods

Coming upon the ritual circle just outside Clarindale, the party was ambushed by a small scouting party. After dispatching all but one of these bandits, Barakus took mercy, much to the chagrin of Thargrim, on the remaining scout Elrack Mixby was taken alive.

At sundown the ritual to summon the forest's wrath was performed.

> "Guthanna na foraoise a ardú, ár n-achainí a chloisteáil, do chluasa a thabhairt dúinn. Iarraimid an t-aontú ar adhmad óir agus fírinne. Tagann muid i síocháin, mar aitheantas ar an bhfiachas atá dlite dá chéile."
> - The words of the Ritual
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Upon completing the ritual at the stones the trees around the circle began to move. Making an night assault on the camp, the party was somewhat traumatised by the utter brutality of the forest's attack and the echoes of screams from the encampment's occupants, resulted in a hasty retreat by the party carrying a frightened Elrack with them.

A note was discovered at the site, referencing an agent within the city of Duvel, and hinting at links between the deserters, the orcs to the east of the Godswalls, and the two bastion fortresses that blocked the passes across. Little did the party know at the time, but this was perhaps the first clue they had at the wider machinations occurring within the region, an oversight that would have a bloody cost.

### The Long Road to Kist's Halt

#### **An Ambush at Rosenhall Castle**

> Alexandra finds a girlfriend. The party develops trust issues. A darkness is revealed.
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Deciding to make quick tracks up the costal road in the direction of Kist's Halt, the nacent party joined a caravan for safe passage north. Among the caravan's members were the owners of the caravan; Master Mikael Rinson and his wife Nikola and their driver Cavlnar Harik, a shy young woman named Cealer Phratis a traveling student from Septa who Alexandra took a shine to, a gangly man who introduced himself as Zeaky and a large hard-faced Eamanlander named Yjarg Vilke.

After sharing stories and food on the road the caravan stopped the caravan near Rosenhall. That night, during Zeaky's watch, the caravan was ambushed by ratmen and the party and those accompanying them were captured.

Alexandra, Barakus, Thargrim Welby and Zenrin awoke within a darkened room full of pits-come-prison cells. Making their way out of this prison room after making contact with their ratman foes, they found their way to a room containing a chute that was dropping desiccated bodies into an acrid green pool, recognising a couple of the corpses as some of their fellow travellers and realising that yet more of their new friends my be in danger, they rushed through to the upper levels of the fortress.

Moving quickly the party soon found themselves bursting through the doors of a chamber where Zeaky was conducting a profane ritual, using the lifeforce and flesh of the caravaneers to attempt some sort of summoning. The party made it to this chamber just as poor Elrack Mixby was being thrown into the ritual circle. A battle ensued, the ritual was stopped and Elrack was rescued, Zeaky however escaped.

Upon inspection of the ritual circle and the surrounding relics in the room, it was discovered that the ritual was dedicated to the worship of the Dark Ones, with (as demonstrated by the discovery of a green skull fetish) an emphasis on He of Horror.

The caravaneers were mostly silent on the road up to the town of Rosenhall, Mikael and Cavlnar had been killed and Elrack was in a critical condition, it was hoped that they might be able to find a healer for his wounds in town.

#### **Across a Haunted Battlefield**

> Elrack needs a priest. Zenrin is out of his tree. Alexandra finds something shiny
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Upon arrival in Rosenhall, no healer could be found in the town. It was discovered however, that the local cleric of Estar, Ecclesiast Argan Thalva was sanctifying a local battlefield on the outskirts of the township.

Leaving Elrack under the care of the ecclesiast's assistant, the party made their way towards the old battlefield in search of the cleric, rushing in with with no regard as to the dangers that awaited them.

Entering the battlefield, the party found themselves separated in an unnatural fog. Echoes of soldiers of the past battle appeared in the mist, assaulting the party.

Struggling to find one another, the party stumbed through the fog fending off attacks from seemingly all directions. In one corner of the battlefield, Zenrin and Alexandra chose to take refuge in the bough of a tree, taking pot shots at the enemy from the relative safety of the branches. Seeing an opportunity for escape, Alexandra quickly but cautiously scaled back down the tree and bolted away expecting Zenrin to follow. Unfortunately a branch snapped beneath Zenrin as he was making his way down and he fell a significant distance landing prone at the base of the tree. This gave the wraiths enough time to close the distance and, getting to his feet and finding himself alone, Zenrin was overwealmed and killed.

> "I fucking hate orcs"
> - Zenrin's probable last words
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More stumbling through this midday twilight later the party, now one member fewer, finally reconnected. Moving up the battlefield together, they came upon the memorial shrine, which contained the cleric they had sought. They had arrived just in the nick of time as the cleric was doing battle with a giant undead monstrosity, a maelstrom of bones and ectoplasm that seemed to be the source of the supernatural events of the day. It was a long hard fight, with more of the party members coming close to death, but eventually they prevailed, Thargrim smiting the creature down with his Iron Will. As the corpse monster began to dissapate alexandra noticed a shiny sliver of some kind of iridescent crystal which she managed to bottle for future identification.

After collecting Zenrin's corpse and petitioning Thalva for aid, the party returned to town to save Elrack.

The Ecclesiast administered healing to Elrack, although he would carry the scars from his ordeal for the rest of his days.

Thargrim stands vigil for Zenrin, and in the morning the party departs Rosenhall.

### Politics, Punishment and Problems in Kist's Halt

#### **A Garden Party**

> The party doesn't kill a child, Local bard insults mayor, Welby becomes a bear
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Still tired, worn, and wary from the road up to Kist's Halt, the party comes across a couple of hooded figures that appeared to be threatening a small child. Believing this to be more of the cultists they had encountered around Rosenhall the party moved to attack. Fortunately before closing the range, the “cultists” revealed themselves to be yet more children. The children, finding the actions of the party to be a fun addition to their game, invited the party to join their garden party.

#### **A Completely Innocent Philanthropist**

> Local business man is not shady. The party meets an imp and her warlock. The party recovers some "lost" artefacts.
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#### **The Many Misdeeds of Young Master Mixby**

> The party is arrested for harboring a criminal. Thargrim picks a fight with a bird. Molla makes an offer.
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#### **Into the Sewers**

> Thargrim falls in a hole. Barakus bites off more than he can chew. Alexandra makes a choice.
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#### **Shardbearers**

> Alexandra isn't dead. Marcus shoots things. Another fragment revealed.
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Barely surviving the suicidal trip through the Wealm aided by the last gasps of the soul of Barakus, Alexandra arrived in an room a few seconds after the fleeing Zeaky. Surprised as much by her survival of the ordeal as her presence, Zeaky was overcome by Alexandra. Recovering from the trauma of the trip, Alexandra noticed a glimmering blue splint of glass: the fragment, invigorated by its passage through the Wealm. It called to her, and despite an attempt to resist it, the siren song proved overwhelming. Alexandra would grasp the fragment, only to see it vanish: she would be the first Shardbearer. As she began to advance, alone, scared, wounded, and tired, she was discovered by another of the Rat faced cultists – only for it’s head to disappear as a shot rang out.

Marcus Cassius Cato had journeyed to this fort on a tip from the locals of Rosenhall town. Infiltrating the fort through an unused secret entrance, Marcus quickly found the way he'd come blocked by a cave in. Following the path through, he found himself in an empty storeroom. After moving into the castle proper, killing ratmen along the way he came upon Alexandra.

After looting the two corpses, those of Barakus and Zeaky, it was time to move on, the two of them now finding a kinship of a kind in this hostile setting.

Moving through the fort they came upon a couple of cell blocks, in the first they found a ragged prisoner that pleaded with the pair to let him free. At the time, with no way to free him, Marcus tried to decline and calm the man, unfortunately the man began to shout and scream. Mindful of the noise the man was making Marcus was forced to silence the poor man, permanently.

Further exploration of the lower floors revealed the source of the ratmen cultists. Through a profane ritual the poor abducted peasants were being mutated, combined with giant rats and transformed into those cruel beings. The ritual circle was utilising runes designed to harness the influence of some entity from beyond the Wealm which, at the time, was not supposed to be possible. The power sources of this ritual were charged crystals, which were discovered to have been energised at a profane altar in a sanctum lair, along with signs that Zeaky had other cultist's of a similar level. The pair destroyed the altar, revealing another fragment. Alexandra bit back a warning as Marcus grasped the gem, becoming the second of the shardbearers.

After clearing the ritual chamber and finding the key to the cell block on the body of one of the cultists, the duo returned to the other cell block to free the other prisoner, a young woman called Sophia, who they then secreted away in the abandoned storeroom that Marcus used as his ingress point, with a promise that they would find a way out for her.

Moving up to the second level, they came across a rat ogre construct, an abomination built in a similar way to the cultists using an owlbear as a base. Managing to avoid the rat ogre's wild charging attacks and killing its handlers, Marcus was shocked to discover that Sophia had followed them upstairs having become frightened all alone. Her actions, dispite Marcus' frantic attempts to keep her alive, resulted in her violent death at the claws of the charging rat ogre.

Alexandra had horrible memories of the third floor, realising that this was the place that she had previously been held. Making their way through the castle they discovered the room where the party had previously been held. Alexandra recognising for the first time exactly where they were. The duo climbed up to the top floor of the castle, where they ambushed the last few remaining ratmen. Finding notes on the construction of the ritual circle and the exact nature of the magics being used, Alexandra told Marcus only as little as he needed to know before the two of them agreed that the notes should be burned, lest anyone else stumble upon this heretical forbidden knowledge.

Finding some oil and some other potentially explosive materials Marcus, drawing on his military experience, constructed a bomb that would level the building.

After allowing enough time for the two nacent Shardbearers to make their escape, the device detonated demolishing the castle and destroying all evidence of the companion that Alexandra had left in the wreckage of the fortress.

Alexandra and Marcus would eventually reunite with the others of the party, but it was in the bottom levels of the Rosenhall casle ruins that the Shardbearer's would tie themselves to the events that would follow. From then on, they were destined to be sucked into the oncoming storm.

#### **Calm Character Interations**

> Thargrim pays too much for a book. Oz pretends to be an arsonist. Marcus gets shot by artillery
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#### **Ambushees to Ambushers**

> The party become highwaymen. Alexandra starts a forest fire. Marcus executes a prisoner.
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#### **Ghosts in the Field**

> Oz and Wixip grow old together. Thargrim gets in on the secret. Alexandra forgets something important.
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#### **The Rogue's Oak**

> Thargrim feeds a rat. Alexandra becomes a mouse. Molla was a bad guy?!
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### The Curious Case of the Muted Miniogue

#### **The Night Before**

> The Shardbearers file paperwork. Marcus gets drunk. The party does the locomotion.
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#### **The Crime Scene**

> A star is silenced. Marcus and Thargrim threaten a hobo. Anton gets shot.
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Juda Browledge, the manager to the touring bard, Kylie Miniogue approached the party concerning an issue that the newly formed and freshly bannered Shardbearers could solve. During the night after the concert that the party had enjoyed the previous evening an intruder had broken into Ms Miniogue's room, and stolen a bunch of valuables including the bard's voice.

Upon investigating the crime scene and interviewing the victim and her entourage, the party discovered that a mysterious owl had broken into the room through the window bitten Ms Miniogue on the face with some kind of corrosive, venomous attack that left the victim unconscious.

A boot-print of a humanoid female and the essence of druidic magic in the room led the party to conclude that they were dealing with a shapeshifting felon.

A possible witness, in the form of Grubby, a kleptomaniac ex-soldier with a stalker-like obsession with the now mute popstar was interviewed by Marcus and Thargrim while Alexandra and Anton when shopping in search of a Locate Object Etching (they found and purchased 3).

Grubby proved to be a tad unhelpful in the witness department, mentioning only that the interloper had left as a sparrow, however his zealous (and honestly creepy) obsession with our dumbstruck diva, was leveraged to send him out on a mission - use his underworld contacts and knowledge of fences to locate Kylie's prize locket.

Scorch marks on the window frame and reports of a loud noise prior to the window breaking lead Marcus to believe that the window was broken by a long arm etching weapon. A glance out of the window revealed the ideal vantage point for the shot, The roof of the local church. Upon investigation of the church, and gaining the favour of the custodian there, Marcus was able to find evidence that a bipod was used from the church roof although heavy tourism had erased any further evidence.

Upon Alexandra and Anton's return from their successful shopping trip, the locate object spell was triggered and the party ran off in search of the missing locket, hoping that their quarry would not be far away.

Discoving the last known location of the dastardly villain was in Winta's docklands on the way out of the city. Rushing to catch the Miniogue maiming miscreant they followed the trail to the stone circle north west of the town.

### The Herano Affair

#### **Into the Duval Dungeon**

> The Shardbearers go dungeon diving. Wrathbone spits fire. Marcus makes a promise to a ghost
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#### **The Well**

> The seal is broken. The mushrooms fight back. There is a horror in the well.
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#### **Expedition Preparation**

> The party buys a tent. A ranger warns of frozen balls. Marcus receives a letter.
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#### **Across the Godswall Mountains**

> The party trudges, experiences an avalanche and meets a giant.
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#### **Fovun**

> Marcus gets punched repeatedly. Alexandra solves a riddle. The party frees civilians.
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#### **The Long Walk Home**

> Two civilians fall of a cliff. Thargrim builds a bridge. The party fights a dragon.
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#### **Thargrim's Bounty**

> Marcus goes to the post office. The party gets paid. Thargrim has to leave Zelira.
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### Through the Wickenmoot

#### **Bounty Hunters on the Road**

> Sorcerer Zhao throws rocks at Thargrim. Marcus shoots a horse. No-one sees the dragon coming.
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#### **Meeting the Longshots**

> Ani and Ottie are good guys now. Anton goes to bed earlier. Marcus wins a shooting contest.
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#### **The Gatemaker**

> A village burns. A zealot summons a devil. Thargrim finds a really nice axe.
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### The Summit

#### **An Encounter on the Path**

> A goblin attack in the north. The party meets a traveller on the road. Thargim recieves a handshake.
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#### **Imperial Embassy**

> Marcus reveals his allegiances. The true war is revealed. Dinner with Alexandra's parents.
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#### **Alexandra's Speaks to the Polity**

> An eloquent speech, a heartfelt plea, a subtle threat.
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### Persuing the Faustian Lock

#### **An Underwater Excavation**

> Philip backs mortality. The Shardbearers go for a swim. Thargrim meets the baron.
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#### **Drow Reavers**

> The Party meet Harfang the sailor dragonborn. Drow on a boat. Marcus threatens a ring.
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### Fragments in the Wickenmoot

#### **The Special Optio**

> Cassius is the tallest in the village. Gnolls on the road. Avum boys unite!
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#### **The Wimpledon Ruin**

> Harfang's first dungeon crawl. Alexandra becomes less sinister. Wixip gets a shard.
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#### **Gnoll Attacks on the Road**

> More Gnolls. Anton remains standing. An old friend lends a hand.
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### In Search of Antoni Dyatlov

#### **Return to Septa**

> Cealer has a limp. Anton and Marcus sneak. Harfang doesn't get to do anything.
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#### **Orcs on Aspern Farm**

See: Battle of the Blackened Fields

> The Shardbearers hold the line. Zelira is reminded why it hates orcs. Marcus loses another limb.
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#### **A Balor Arrives**

> A demonic incursion. A fate worse than death. A victory... for now.
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#### **Learning the Enchantment**

> Alexandra meets Dyatlov. The Party is silent on the road. Harfang doesn't want to get on a boat.
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### Into the Agony

#### **Aboard the Intrepid III**

> Trapbait is cute. Harfang is sullen. Cassius is jumpy
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#### **The Soulfog Looms**

See: Soulblight, Anthelam, Anthelamite Nation

> The expedition meets Trapbait's pets. Base camp is established. Morthran joins the Party.
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#### **First Foreys**

> Tower Interior. Scream Alley. Warren Corner.
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#### **Attempting an Ascent**

> Alexandra has a plan. Harfang can't fly. Cassius want's to be called Ahab.
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