Age of Strife 2: Episode 13

## Cast

Neal Pass Erickson - Dungeon Master

Jennifer Latham - Marcella 'Ginger' Thorne

Jeff - Stefan Thorne

Patrick - Luther Thorne

Tyler - Arthur

## Recap

The Blackguard have emerged from the orc woods in Western Duchy of the Kingdom of Kalia. They have lost a quarter of their men and much of their supplies.

### Wednesday, 4th January, 56 AoS

Luther Thorne has a meeting with the party. He asks Arthur about tracking the werewolf and how long they can wait. Arthur says not much time, worse if it rains. Ginger worries some of the muckers might get attacked by the werewolf outside of Waadsworth.

Arthur and Ginger get to work setting up the Donkey. Luther and Stefan go talk with Cousin Maximilian Thorne. Maximilian is busy drawing up the plans for the walls. Luther talks about increasing the costs of making the walls to include some ballista. Luther also asks Max to pad the costs a little to pay any tax that the Thrones would have to pay.

Luther and Stefan goes to visit the Thresher Estate. They meet with Lady Kat Thresher. Luther asks if her people want to join in the hunt for the werewolf, but Lady Thresher reveals she already sent out some of her troops and doesn't want to cooperate with the Thrones.

After the meeting, he party discuss what do next. Stefan wants to leave the werewolf to the Thresher Guards. Luther disagrees. The party equip up and head out of town.

They go to the spot where Stefan & Ginger saw the werewolf yesterday. There are clearly the tracks from mounted riders. Arthur confirms the horse tracks follow the werewolf tracks, which resemble a wolf at the moment. The tracks both horse and wolf head north then west.

An hour later the tracks lead to the edge of the Blackthrone Forest. With some reluctance the party head into the forest.

After an hour of travelling into the forest they reach the 3-mile mark, the border of the true elven territory. At the border are the Thresher's 6 mounted horsemen and 5 Thresher footmen. Luther warns the men that they should abandon the pursuit, reminding them of what happened to Lady Wyatt and her people 3 days ago. 5 Thresher Men have already gone ahead to scout. After some polite conversation, Luther takes his leave and the Thornes go back to Waadsworth.

The party arrive at the north wall of the city and see Cousin Maximilian Thorne doing a survey on the damage and counting the bricks they have left. Maximilian has the situation in a matter in hand.

The party head back to the Thorn Estate so Arthur can heal up.

### Thursday, 5th January, 56 AoS

News comes that the Thresher Troops didn't get the werewolf, and the 5 volunteers who went inside the Elven Territory never came back.

The Thorne Socialites report what they found out about Lord Kel Rugspin Greendall's personal assistant servant, the one who tried to trick the party into attacking Zara Genhal's Carriage. They confirm the servant is from Darbloom.

The family go to the Market Square. They talk briefly with the town crier, who is busy spreading the news of the Thresher's journey into the Blackthorn Forest.

The family then go over to the caravan, still in the Market Square. Luther orders a Silver Arming Sword for 27 gold. Luther asks for his mithril to be turned into a dagger, which will cost 28 gold. The caravan takes a 10% cut of all orders on top of that. Stefan isn't impressed to find out that Luther purchased Mithril.

Stefan then talks with the caravan clerk about getting a mason to help with the Wall Project. He then asks about Highport, the capital of Kalia.

Highport is located on a 20-30 cliff overlooking the Ocean. Has high walls that are 30 feet tall that surround the city with turrets every so often. The keep is in the centre of town on a slight artificial hill. The King is King Orwyn Ironwyrm. Highport is packed and overcrowded, unlike Waadsworth. Dwarves have been spoted to the South-West. Goblins & Orcs have attacked outlaying villages & farmlands.

Stefan talks with the Thorne Socialites about continuing their plans to have someone to infiltrate the Greendall estate. Stefan also wants an infiltrator in the Wyatt household as well down.

Kel Reginald has hired 10 footmen to work for the Thornes.

### Sunday, 8th January, 56 AoS

The Thrones have a meeting. Lord William Thorne describes where he left his stash of wealth in Nixon. In an estate that is over the bridge and down a few blocks. It is the estate with the marble columns on the porch. The loot is hidden in the backside next to the cellar door. There is a big rock over the spot. They are all sort of mutants and beasts around. The closer to the keep in town, the denser the monster population.

Lord Thorne suggests the crypts of a old church Nixon as a place that could have loot, that he hadn't raided yet. Lord Thorne suggests they have a rowboat with them so they can cross the river without using the bridge. The family instead decide to head there overland from the east bank.

Stefan complains again about Luther, but Lord Thorne shuts it down, saying it makes the family look back when he does it.

The party set out with their donkeys.

### Monday, 9th January, 56 AoS

In the evening, the party arrive at Nixon, taking the overland route past River Grove. The party make camp outside of the ruined town.

### Tuesday, 10th January, 56 AoS

It is a bright sunny day. The family venture around the ouside wall of Nixon and find the south gate open. The town walls are intact and not damaged. The party head to the river bank where the town wall ends.

Plants and brush are overgrowned in the abandoned town over the ruined and still standing buildings. Many buildings have been destroyed from fire damage. The stone buildings are in better shape than the wooden ones. The party stay along the river bank.

Eventually they come cross a road that comes from the river and heads to the old church. The front part of the church is blackened by fire damage. The doors to the church are gone. A doors to a lot of the buildings in town are gone.

The party head into the old church. The inside of the building looks like it is intact. The tapestries & trappings are tattered, at the back is a large copper altar, behind the altar is a pipe organ. The keys of the pipe organ are made of wood.

The party locate the stairs upstairs to the upper-floor and bell tower, the back door and the stairs down to the crypt. The party head up the staircase. Arthur leads the way into the landing before the spiral staircase to the tower. Crouched in the corner to the side is a humanoid with an elephant trunk and has bear claws for hands. Ginger and Luther attack the frightened stranger. Arthur fires an arrow from behind, getting the killing shot on the stranger.

Arthur heads upstairs to look from the top of the church tower. The room is 8 foot by 8 foot with a single bell, with a great view of Nixon. Arthur is able to spy many landmarks, the keep, 2 market squares, and several estates near the keep. Arthur memories the roads to reach the estates, but could take 20–30 minutes.

The party meet up in the main hall of the church. Luther says the estates that Arthur saw don't match the description Lord Thorne had given, and goes to look for himself. Luther is able to spot some large estate in the right spot, but they are not as large as the estates near the keep. Ginger spots one estate that could have columns a few thousand feet away to the north, near a blue-roofed house by the river. The party memorise the route.

The party see some figures, in a 2 by 4 formation towards the church, and are 2 minutes away. The party leave the belltower and go hide in the crypts under the church.

The party find that the crypt is very well lit, but there are no torches or apparent lights. No one is casting any shadows. Luther wants to get into a defensive position. They head deeper down the hallway of the crypt.

Ginger looks around the walls and sees none of the wall shelves, there are no bodies at all interred. They hear some chanting coming from inside the temple.

The go deeper in, they come to room where the back wall is comprised of a bones. On the left is an alter made of skulls. On the right rib bones that have been woven into chairs. Above them is an iron chandelier with no candles. Stefan wants to lay an amush as the chanting voices get closer. The party lay up on each side of the doorway.

A figure enters the room, wearing a red robe, their face has jet-black & show-white stripes on their skin. The party launch their attack, killing the first person coming into the room. Ginger sees more red-robed people in the hallway, who turn and retreat.

The party quickly loot the room. On the altar is gold items, and Ginger puts them into the bags. Stefan plays anti-Jenga with the bone wall, but finds the bones are solidly together and he is unable to remove one.

The party leave the crypts and there was a red-robed person keeping watch. When they see the party, the stranger flees.

The party leave the church and head towards the river. They head up river towards the estate with the marble columns. As they travel up river, Luther spots shadows on one of the ruins buildings. Luther warns the party as some stones around the ruined building start shake and rise. The stones rise 8 feet in the air and launch at the party. A stone hits Stefan. Stefan charges at the building. He sees a person with translucent skin, muscles and bones, just the organs and nervous system is visible. Stefan attacks the semi-translucent person with is sword. Arthur runs in after and sees the fight. Luther and Ginger stay outside, with Luther calling for a retreat. Stefan slays the semi-translucent person, with the next sword blow. The floating stones call to the ground.

The party continue up river along the bank and see ripples from the river. They see 3 giant carp with stubby-short-legs come out of the water 100 feet away. The party defend themselves and kill the Nixon Carp. Luther gets bitten in the neck in the fight. Ginger examines the remains, and finds the legs appear

The bridge across the river is 1000 feet away. A building with a blue roof near the Estate with the columns is 600 feet away. Both northwards up-river. The party keep going. Behind them are more red-robed people following.

The party reach the blue-roofed house. The party fire shots towards the red robed people, and they flee. The party keep onward to the column estate. They see tentacles on each side of the road. 2 octopus-like-creature looking creatures come out and attack the party. Luther gets a leg seized by a tentacle and dragged to the ground. The other octopus-like-creature is driven away. The party kill the octopus-like-creature holding Luther.