Ashes of Time I: Inescapable Nature

## AoT I: Inescapable Nature

p3 - July 22nd, 2020

Baz Brightmoon

**New Characters**

Bjorn the Strangler

**Ashes of Time I: Inescapable Nature** was a Brigade oneshot, the first in a series of three run by guest DM Nick P. The oneshot followed Alexstrasza, Baz, and Bjorn as they dug into the mysterious Koyne's child assassin army with the help of Eve. The result was the capture of several assassin's who were turned over to the authorities, and the capture of a girl who was being groomed to the second in command.

(( further introduction info TBR ))

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**This section/page is a stub!**
It provides the basics, but we'd love to have more written for it. Remove this tag when sufficient info has been written.

**Reason -** *Introductory paragraph needs a bit more detail*

## Prompt

Bahn-Hapeye was always a cesspool of crime and misery. When Xian Evinla was killed and F.I.R.E. took over the town, some people thought that this could be a turning point, a new page in history for the bustling and dense slum-town. It’s been five months since then, and only the most desperate still cling to that notion, most having disregarded it as their lives were only marginally improved by the change in power.

Worrying reports have begun to filter into the Zenith’s channels, though, as the occupation continues. Stories of heinous crimes committed by children with their parents as the victims, and stories of a long-dead assassin have even reached out to catch the ears of some Brigade members at the Zenith.

“If you feel as if your life is hell, pray to our lord for salvation. To Koyne, the Eversor. He will answer, and grant a new, beautiful life to any child in need.”

Research done in the Endless Library does bring up the name as that of a famous assassin in the Fringe who operated around 405 ME that also went by “the Blood Artist of the Loch”. However, all recorded instances of him disappear during the Blood of Umber Solstice that year, as if he simply vanished from history.

What’s more, the incidents don’t seem to be confined only to Bahn-Hapeye. They are few and far between, but several reports from Rumahdi, a village downriver from the slum-town, tell the same story, of downtrodden children killing their parents and attempting to vanish into the night, though the ones in Rumahdi were captured before they could flee. It is only a few who have done so now, but as word spreads, more will be inspired to do the same. Where there is darkness, however, there seems to be light too.

A separate report has surfaced of a girl named Eve who seems to have stopped one of the children from escaping in Rumahdi, and let out a rallying call for any adventurers who would stand against such injustice to help her investigate Bahn-Hapeye. Although she received no response after a week, it appears that she had departed anyway, even as her call for assistance finally reached the ears of the Brigade.

## Character Developments

* First Appearances for
	+ PCs
		- Alexstrazsa Thunderpouch
		- Bjorn the Strangler
* Eve appeared as an NPC

## Entry

Alexstrazsa and Baz took a boat to the city. Upon arrival they were flagged down by a fishmonger, and they talked a good deal about the city and its woes. Ultimately this led to a great deal of information, and a clue as to where Eve could be found: The Trundling Troll; the establishment ran by Vie, the fishmonger's wife.

There Alexstrazsa met an old friend, Bjorn the Strangler, and asked him to join them, offering to pay him from brigade funds at a later date. Vie suggested they observe the execution and suggested that Eve might be found there. As luck would have it, Eve was, in fact, there, and together the four of them hatched an elaborate ruse to-- actually, Bjorn started a riot, Alexstrazsa throw a handaxe at the captive girl, and from there the party chased down the girl and made her tell them what was going on.

Iara, the girl they rescued, confessed to killing their parents and cited years of abuse and neglect as the reason. Alexstrazsa decided that it was justified, and told Iara not to do it again. The party learned about a man who trained children to be assassins for unknown reasons named Koine, and followed Iara to try to meet with them.

In the end, the party lost track of Iara, and found their way into a tunnel, knowing she had to have gone that way. The party stumbled upon a massive creature called a Gray Render, which Alexstrazsa named Grayg. Grayg bonded with Baz, however, not Alexstrazsa, due to unknown reasons and was slightly hostile to everyone else. Eventually they warmed up to the other party members, but only to the point of not being overtly hostile.

When the party did find the correct path, Baz was forced to press their hand onto a trap intentionally to get the door to open. On the other side, there were two kids, a boy, and a girl. The girl told the boy to take the other children and flee. When we tried to talk to the girl she got real sassy and draw weapons on us, so we put the hurt on her and all the kids she forced to attack us. Nobody died, and we ended up taking the second in command with us back to the brigade and turning the rest over to the lawful authorities.

## Gallery

Banner. LilgreenfoxMisc doodles drawn while listening in. Lilgreenfox