Curse of the Bloody Chalice

**Curse of the Bloody Chalice**, also known as the **Curse Game**, is a story arc formed from a game that was originally intended to be a playtest campaign. Unfortunately, the print outs of the "Campaign Setting Book" were not well-received and the quality of role-playing fluctuated from good to very poor almost immediately between scenes. Despite some hardships, the game came to the conclusion of the arc and several interesting characters, organizations, and truths for the world - mostly based in Parnak - were developed here.

## Destruction of Norchestor

The village of Norchestor, which resided on the Parnak/Crimson border, and the lands to its north are razed in a matter of hours. The city's Vassal King, Adolamin Forgedawn, returned from a day's journey to visit his friend Aegan Brall's monastery which was not directly attacked. The only other survivor of the attack was a student of the village's high mage. His name is Magtuk Lothland. The three travel south to report the attack to the officials in Netin.

Aegan goes to report this news to his master, Zhao Cian, only to be commanded by his master to flee the monastery as the old man fights back dozens of shadow beasts later revealed to be servants of a creature known as the Phane. Aegan does not see the result of this conflict and does as his master commands. He seeks to find Adolamin in hopes of persuading him to return to the monastery and help defeat its attackers.

## The Prophecy of Blood

The group met a merfolk maiden on the road with no apparent guard or defense and a mandolin strapped to her back. She said that she was headed to Norchestor and Adolamin told her of the village's fate. She said her name was Oloria, but in truth her name is Olorialei Kal'dra'ayst and she is a runaway princess of Authalla.

The group meet another woman on the road, this one in the mists of morning. She said her name is Elishaya and that she knows these four are cursed. She declared that they are cursed by Varhuine, Master of Time himself. She left several questions unanswered for the group and continued down the road into the mist. Few among the group's number took the woman's prophecy seriously and continued on.

They saw a man in a crow's nest on the side of the road who begged to be freed. When asked of his crimes, he says he did little more than associate with the wrong group in the city of Beraak. Adolamin saw no evil in the man's heart and asked if he would help serve the Vassal King on his quest to right the wrong against his village. This man, one Berwick Honninscrave, agreed to follow Adolamin in his quest.

Finally, they arrived in Netin and a man named Delon Jacod joined with them at the tavern. The tavern in Netin was known as the Celestial Orc. They also met Gedaliah Severus, a high-ranking knight among the Comes Palatinus.

## Lady Paladin's Quest and the Sorcerer's Request

Gedaliah and her retinue asked a man in black robes to join them. Adolamin offered his services to the Lady Paladin and was offered a place among her retinue. The man in black robes is identified as Rupert the Sorcerer. Gedaliah told Adolamin that his magics would be necessary to aid her in an endeavor on the south edge of the Parnaak/Crimson border.

## The Temple of Cindescrae

During the trip, the sorcerer known as Rupert demanded that Adolamin's group go on an errand for him south at a mountainous enclave known as the Temple of Cindescrae. He told the group that a band of bandits and orcs were holding an item of importance that was not theirs and that he wished to have. To ensure that the group went to the temple, he told Gedaliah that if they did not, he would not continue on with the Lady Paladin to her intended destination.

Adolamin and his band met opposition outside the temple. They pierced the defenses and entered into the temple within the mountain. Once inside, they met another band of orcs, these appearing to be noncombatants. It was learned through conversation that the orcs were being subjugated into digging deep into the mountain to find an artifact for the bandits. Some of their warrior stock joined the bandits willingly and those who didn't either died or were forced to travel into the trap-laden halls of the temple.

The temple hall housed a rent in its wall, leading to an unworked area that the original denizens of this place had readied for construction. Oloria recognized the construction style from her childhood, noting that such temples were of common make in the old elven nation of Altimera.

In the darkest depths of the temple was a stream of liquid hot stone that flowed through their path. From its depths rose a salamander, who declared that he was charged with the defense of the orb. Combat ensued as the group would not give ground to an evil creature such as the salamander and the day was won by Adolamin and his band.

In a large cavern filled with a lake of molten rock sat a pedestal holding a red-glass orb. Aegan Brall felt compelled to grab and once he did, it flew up above his head with a life of its own, beginning a slow orbit around the crown of his head. None of the others acquired such a reaction from the glass sphere. So it floated, unstoppable in its orbit. Aegan felt that this was a sign that the lady Elishaya's prophecy of curse was indeed true.

As the group exited the temple, they came across a pair of bandits perched up in a cave on the mountain's face. They threatened the group with arrow and gun fire and demanded they hand over the treasure they found within the temple. Unable to comply, the group attempted to defeat the defensively positioned bandits. In the end, the bandits, one an elf and the other an orc, escaped and detonated an explosive device to force a cave in, separating the party long enough to keep them well off their trail.

After reuniting and recovering, the group continued south in hopes of reporting back to Gedaliah and Rupert.

## Blight in the Maiden's Grove

While traveling south, Adolamin's group met with a group of *tinechor*, or elven guardians of the Witte Wieven. They were instructed to travel to the Maiden's Grove to meet with Elemonad Nar'ista, the Maiden of the Grove.