Altheya - Episode 6: The Ashen Road

Katie Morrison as Daisy Thistleheart

 Kim Richards as Gruffudd of Tremorrew

Rhiannon Frost as Ophelia D'larosa

 Tom Hazell as Xantheus Auregan

**The Ashen Road** is the 6th episode of the Altheya: The Dragon Empire Campaign. It was broadcast live on both the highrollersdnd Twitch and YouTube channel on the 10th of December 2023 from 5PM to 8PM GMT.

*The party mop up the last of the Gnolls, Ophelia goes on a hunt and we arrive in Ashen Rest!*

## **Summary**

### **Announcements**

* Mark welcomes everyone and introduces the players.
* High Rollers is still raising money for CALM for the 2023 Jingle Jam. This campaign ends on 14th December 2023. The target has been raised a few times, but HR is currently aiming for £10,000 as a fundraising goal.

### Recap

*After stocking up on various supplies for their journey ahead, our newly formed party have left the village of Burnell behind and set foot on the road towards the town of Ashen Rest, home of the Draconic noble, Duke Ignarious, and a major trade town in the province of Caldra. With a few soldiers as an escort and the Authorator, Zarron Tekis, accompanying them, their initial travels were easy and calm. However, on the second night as they begin to make camp, a hideous laughter was heard echoing around the hills followed by an ambush by Gnolls, vaultspawn creatures created long ago and infected with demonic madness and hunger that drives them to commit unspeakable acts.*

*The battle will now continue.*

### **Part One**

*The team deal with the remaining Gnolls, play a friendly game of "Trust!" and Ophelia begins a hunt!*

The leader of the pack of Gnolls, the Cackler, casts *Moment of Brutality* on Ophelia but she manages to resist its attempt to drive her to lash out at Gruff. He then attempts to bite Xantheus, but in a sudden flurry of green and blue light, the illusion of Seren, Gruff’s pet ice diver bird, swoops down and fends the Gnoll off. A Gnoll Marauder swings his rusty hatchet at Gruffudd but misses before Daisy summons another radiant gladius and dagger, throwing them at the Cackler – it dodges the gladius but is hit by the dagger, the radiance burning away at its matted, blood-spattered fur, and reacting in some way to the demonic presence within the creature. The Cackler, sensing the direction from where it was damaged, casts *Fell Teleport*, disappearing in hellish dark flames, and appearing suddenly behind Daisy in the shadows. Nim’s voice is suddenly heard in Daisy’s mind, a mixture of rage and fear, “*Spawn of the Hellion pits! I feel it! It’s Demon blood!”*

Ophelia skirts around Gruff towards the badly bloodies Marauder – its thick, dark blood is pouring out of its wounds – she moves in for a *Reckless Bite*, tearing aside its rough hide armour, and sinks her fangs into it. As she drinks the blood from the creature, it withers and dies, shrinking in size as its eyes go milky white. Ophelia tastes a horrid, bitter taste – while it is not good blood to drink, there is a dark power in it and an overwhelming sense of greatness and strength flows through her. Unfortunately, she remains afraid of the Cackler.

With the death of its ally, one of the Archers bites Zarron Tekis, tearing out chunks of his flesh and opening up some bleeding wounds. The soldiers rush forwards – Cade and Sergeant Yorrow move to assist the Authorator, and Yorrow finishes off the heavily wounded Archer with a massive hit of his flanged mace, crushing its skull. Bliss and Daeron run up to Daisy to try to assist her against the Cackler.

Rowan rises from the ground, grasps Gruff on the shoulder and thanks him briefly before glancing around at the others, noticing that Xantheus is looking fairly rough. He runs towards Tekis, turns and throws a bolt of green towards Xantheus, casting *Healing Word.* He asks the Authorator if he is ok, but the Authorator says that he is fine, indicating the Cackler that is near Daisy – the last remaining Gnoll. Rowan casts *Vicious Mockery* on the Cackler, declaring, “You are not that frightening!” The Gnoll resists the taunt, however, it looks at him and cackles madly – Rowan sees in its eyes that the creature is mad, driven by hunger, insanity, and carnage, and he is not even certain that his words would affect it. Xantheus throws a *Firebolt* at the Cackler, but it soars past him ineffectually.

Gruff, seeing Daisy in danger, runs over to her, casting *Shillelagh* while on the way. He swings at the Cackler, who parries his strike and turns it aside. The Authorator, in his black leather armour and coat and with his Orcish scar glowing along his jawline, rushes over, hurling a *Firebolt* at it, burning the Gnoll and singing its fur before it starts cackling in a hideous manner. The Cackler attempts to bite Daisy and Gruff, missing Daisy but sinking his teeth into Gruff in a mad frenzy. Daisy summons the radiant gladius and plunges it into the Cackler, sizzling and burning the Demonic life out of it – in its death frenzy it bites Daisy who is partially resistant to the necrotic damage of its bite. With its last vestige of life gone, the Gnoll falls to the ground, dead.

The Soldiers look around and Sergeant Yorrow orders Daeron to do a perimeter sweep to ensure that no others are around to threaten them. Tekis spits on the bodies and begins to examine them – the bodies that had been struck by radiant light by Daisy’s sword are bubbling and melting as if burning from within – over time, a light begins to pour over their wounds from within and eats away at their flesh, although some parts, like the head appear to be untouched. As they watch the bodies, they see that the blood boils, the organs are malformed, twisted, and mutated and they burn away.

The sun is setting but there is still enough time to complete setting up the camp before dark. The soldiers spend some time with Rowan and Gruff’s help gathering the Gnoll bodies and piling them up into a funeral pyre for burning, making it as far away from the camp as they can, because they know that the smell of the burning bodies will be awful. Bliss recommends that they do not touch the bodies with their bare hands since they are so disgusting. Cade tells them that they worry that magic may bring them back to life, so they burn them if ever they find them. Gruff puts a large hand on Cade’s shoulder and asks him if he often takes the road to Ashen Rest – Cade says that he doesn’t, because he is usually stationed in Ashen Rest, but that Captain Vecaro and the others do. He tells Rowan that the Imperial Highway is a well-travelled road that is usually patrolled, and it would be unusual for the Gnolls to attack like this, so they may have been desperate or mad. He is glad that the Gnolls attacked a soldiers’ camp rather than a merchant’s caravan or wagon, otherwise there could have been a massacre. Rowan asks if the attacks are escalating, but Cade does not know, and he recommends asking the Sergeant.

Sergeant Yarrow is assisting his soldiers with the bodies. Daeron returns and reports that he has looked around and cannot see any more – he thinks that they may have been unlucky that the Gnolls attacked them. Xantheus worries about whether they are safe to camp there that night, but the Sergeant thinks that they will be safe enough. Gruff mentions to the Sergeant that in Iceheart, it is usually the Knights who deal with Vaultspawn, and asks if that is the case in the south as well – he tells Gruff that if they are known about, especially if there is a larger creature (like a Chimera or a Displacer Beast), then a Knight or Knight Errant (who wants to prove themselves) may be sent to deal with them. The Duke may even send one of his personal Knights to deal with it. Given that they have just performed the equivalent of a Knightly duty, Gruff asks the Sergeant to write him a character reference with a note that he witnessed Gruff assisting with this task.

The Sergeant is happy to do so, recognising Gruff as a seasoned warrior and being especially amazed at the magic that Daisy conjured with her glowing knives. He does appear to be a little worried about Ophelia who still has black blood dripping from her chin. He does recommend, however, that Gruff gets this from the Authorator, whose word carries far more weight than his own. Gruff agrees to do so.

Ophelia notices that the dead bodies are covered in boils and pustules, infected wounds, and the like – it was not pleasant for her to drink their blood, and she feels the need to purge herself as Percival extends his cloak to give her some privacy as she vomits. Daisy stays away from the pyre, putting light on her dagger and sitting well away from it. Nim sings her wordless arias without lyrics that Daisy recalls hearing as a baby and a young child – it brings her some peace and helps to calm her. Rowan, meanwhile, retrieves his lute that he dropped in combat, then sits by the campfire, listening to the gentle sounds of the world in this area – deep below the earth is a deposit of slate and ash stone that is sleeping. Sensing the uneasiness of the party, Rowan starts to play a melodic tune, begins to sing a song, but the lyrics do not satisfy him, so he goes back to wordless music. The instrumental music is beautiful, and Rowan somehow manages to add in the sound of other instruments like drums, chimes, and others. It provides some entertainment for the rest of the group as well, with Bliss joining in (poorly) on her tambourine, and the Sergeant comes over and tells some fireside stories. Daisy moves closer and Nim, hearing the music, goes quiet as they both enjoy the sound. Ophelia begins dancing to Rowan’s music once she has stopped retching, pulling out a ribbon and doing an artistic dance which mesmerises Bliss. Guy, Daeron, and Cade pull out a deck of cards and begin playing on a nearby large rock.

Once Rowan has them all around him, he asks to play a game among friends, the game of Trust – Rowan will begin by asking a question of someone, which they must answer truthfully, and then they may ask a question of someone else. Rowan is still playing his lute which is ornate and beautiful, almost otherworldly, made of petrified wood and covered in runic sigils that no one in the party can read, and barely notice.

Rowan, beginning the game, asks Ophelia to tell them a secret about Percival. Ophelia is aware that they know that Percival is a skeleton, and she tells them that he cannot speak (so cannot tell her things), but she has him because he is her loyal assistant – he carries all of her burdens for her, makes sure that she is well-kept and safe, and gives her someone in whom to confide. Daisy asks why she has Percival; Ophelia tells her that he was a great gift bestowed upon her by the House of Blood on Osseus to ensure that she could carry out her mission and is a very noble gentleman. When Ophelia mentions the House of Blood, Percival bows his head. Daisy asks quickly if Percival likes them – Ophelia asks Percival the question, he looks around before nodding his head. With so many questions being asked of Ophelia, Xantheus asks Rowan the rules of the game, but he tells Xantheus that they are open ended.

Ophelia next asks Gruff a question: why, when he comes from Iceheart, he is in the south. Gruff tells her that he is setting off on a noble quest that he has had since he was a child – Gruff has always wanted to become a Knight. Growing up in his little village, there was not much opportunity to do much more than contributing to the village and helping it prosper, but he has since been encouraged to leave to pursue his dream. Gruff has heard that in this area of Caldra, there is a Circle of Knights whom he would very much like to join. He tells Ophelia that there are virtues of a Knight that he tries to live by – protecting the meek, infirm, and vulnerable, sharing wisdom, and defeating Vaultspawn. Ophelia tells Gruff that he is doing a splendid job, especially with him looking after Xantheus (Rowan tells her that she gets three bonus points for complimenting the answer – she is delighted, puts her sunglasses on, and sits back, very contented with herself). Rowan clarifies the rules, saying that you cannot ask a question of the person who just asked one, so Gruff looks around the group, noticing that Xantheus, wearing his gloves, only briefly meets Gruff’s gaze before looking away towards Zarron Tekis – it is clear to Gruff that Xantheus does not wish to play this game. Xantheus notices the soldiers playing cards on an overturned shield, Bliss sits amongst them listening in and enjoying the music, but Zarron Tekis is sitting behind them listening to the whole conversation and watching the whole group intently. Gruff instead asks a question of Rowan, asking where he got his beautiful lute. Rowan tells him that it is Sostenuto, gifted to him from his village, and is the best gift that he has received in his entire life. He knows that the lute has been on a long journey of creation that took almost the entire village and their efforts to make for him. He asks Gruff if he would like to touch the lute, but Gruff is concerned that his touch would sully such a beautiful instrument – Rowan tells him to the contrary that Gruff’s touch would only add to its elegance. A very moved Gruff reaches out and gently plucks a note that is beautiful, clear, and ripples with energy.

Rowan asks the next question of Daisy and her powers, requesting her to tell them about the bright glow that has manifested about her recently. Daisy tells him that she does not know that much about it, given that this is the first time. Rowan reminds her that they are playing Trust, but Daisy insists that she did it intuitively because she was scared. It is clear that she is omitting something, however, and Nim advises her not to say any more. Daisy insists that she has been learning how to defend herself because she has been on the move and needs to be able to take care of herself, and that she was not expecting to come on a group that she would be travelling with. She asks the rest of them to give her some tips if they have any. Daisy is then asked to finish the game by asking a question of the last member of the group, although Xantheus suggests that Bliss may want to play, too. Bliss says that she has never seen anyone conjure a knife made of light before although she has heard of people with natural magic who don’t have to study. Ophelia suggests that her magic may be a gift from the Proto Magi (they scare Daisy, and she does not know much about them), or may be a gift from the Scions according to Gruff, and Bliss begins to tell them a story about a priest who was able to call down light magic from the gods. Daisy asks Nim to cast *Whisper* on Gruff and Xantheus, and Nim replies, “*I will connect your minds. I will listen. Be cautious. I still – there is something about the Dragonborn… but the Knight, the seeking Knight, I trust them.”*  As Bliss is telling her story, Gruff and Xantheus feel a soft hand placed over theirs, then there feels like there is a light in their head before they hear Daisy’s voice in their minds. She asks them not to freak out before recommending that they stop talking in front of other people, especially about Xantheus. Gruff’s ear is twitching alarmingly while this happens.

Daisy tells them both that she cannot reach out to any more people and that she picked the two of them because they might understand a bit more. Xantheus speaks back to Daisy and Gruff mentally, recommending that if Daisy wishes the game to end quickly, to ask Bliss an innocent question, and this should end the game. Gruff appears perplexed. Daisy agrees and asks Bliss about what her favourite recipe is to cook – she tells them about her mother’s vanilla butter cake, which Daisy asks her to teach Rowan. Rowan has noticed a strange pause and odd behaviour from Daisy, Gruff, and Xantheus, almost as if their mind was elsewhere. Bliss then wants to ask a question of Xantheus to round out the game – Gruff feigns tiredness and suggests that it is time to go to bed, but the others allow it. Bliss says that she has never met a Dragonborn properly before and asks what family he is from: Xantheus tells her that he is from Host Auregan from Gildai, saying that Gold Dragonborn are not looked on too fairly in Caldra. Bliss says that she is from Ferros, and that what happened was a long time ago, so grudges hopefully would not be held too much, but as a Tyfling, she tries to be loving and more open to most people. She asks if he would be comfortable sharing more about his family, asking if they are traders or merchants. There is a short pause while Xantheus almost appears to try to remember before he tells them that in Gildai, while they are not too powerful a family, they are bankers (Bliss mentions that they would work for the Auric Bank, which Xantheus confirms). He tells Bliss that he has been travelling and has not been home for a while, however.

Daisy asks for assistance with her tarp and Rowan offers his tent, although the sky appears clear, and it is unlikely to rain overnight. It is suggested by Rowan that they will play the game of Trust every day, although Xantheus would prefer that they play once a month instead. As people start to break up to head to bed, Daisy speaks to Xantheus and Gruff to tell them that they are connected for a while – she tells Gruff that she can see him looking at her weirdly, he thinks a few thoughts at them, confirms that she cannot read his thoughts, and asks her to get out of his head. Daisy promises to explain the situation better when they are not surrounded by guards and then severs the connection.

Rowan sneaks through the camp and leaves the small gemstones that he had purchased for each of the party members with a little note saying, “Well done in battle – R”. He then cooks stew for dinner. Xantheus, knowing what he does about Ophelia’s state of mind, looks over to see how she is – she is sitting and staring, hyper fixated, at the blood red gemstone that Rowan has left for her. On finding her gemstone, Daisy goes over to Rowan, hugs him and thanks him before going to bed.

While the rest of them drift off to sleep, Ophelia, focused on her hunger, remains awake for the second full day running. She has been examining the small red gemstone that Rowan has given her and in it, she has seen flashes of memory – *she is back in the Baroness’ suite, in her workshop with all the glorious gemstones and tools, learning the secret craft from her. She remembers hollowing out the first gemstone, learning and watching… a crimson liquid dripping, drop by drop, until it fills the gem. She remembers the Baroness’ delicate, pristine, flawless, timeless hands weaving the runes and the rites, sealing the magic of the stone. On Ophelia’s first fumbled attempts to do the same, her hands are not perfect and ageless like the Baroness’, but she is always so patient, kind and eager to teach Ophelia. Ophelia watches as the Baroness drinks, the crystal decanter pouring the crimson liquid. She recalls the first time that this same liquid was offered to her – the taste was unparalleled, and no food or drink has ever been able to match it, her first drop of blood…* As she recalls this, her fangs sink deep into her lip, drawing her own blood, and she looks up from the gemstone to see everyone in the camp sleeping peacefully, helpless, with Bliss and Sergeant Yorrow far enough away on watch that they would not notice a quiet visit from within the camp…

While she has made a promise to her companions that she will not feed on them, she has not made the same promise to the soldiers or Authorator, and they are all currently defenceless and tantalising. Ophelia wrestles with her conscience for a short while before deciding to go hunting in the woods to see if she can find some small animal to nibble on, but the Gnolls’ demonic presence has chased away most of the game in the area, so although she spends a couple of hours stalking and hunting, she cannot find any appropriate game. While she managed to sneak away successfully, Ophelia is spotted returning to camp by Sergeant Yorrow – he recommends that she does not go off into the woods by herself. Ophelia returns to camp, frustrated and just as hungry as she was before she left it.

### **Part Two**

*Ophelia's continues in her hunt for blood and the team arrive in Ashen Rest!*

Ophelia returns to Percival, sits down like a perturbed teenager and begins to sulk while gnawing on her leather waterskin, being kept awake by the cravings for blood. Having eaten, she is not hungry, but she *needs* the blood to feel satiated.

They all awake on the third day, and it is clear for the first few hours, after which grey clouds drift in, soon giving way to a gentle but consistent drizzle. As they set up for the evening’s camp, Gruff makes a good shelter, Daisy (who now has Rowan’s tent) has no issue with her cover, but Rowan has the same problem that Daisy did, not knowing how to create an adequate shelter with a tarp. Xantheus simply stands around, watching the others erect their shelters for the evening and hoping that he will be invited to share cover. Both Rowan and Daisy offer him shelter for the evening, and he chooses to stay with Daisy this evening. Gruff recognises that Percival will not keep Ophelia dry during the evening, so invited her to share his tarp. Ophelia gets Percival to move all of her things to the tarp, including her little altar to the Grave Father with its pungent incense – she sings frequently in prayer. As they drift off to sleep, the clouds break, and they are given a dry evening’s sleep.

While the rest doze, Ophelia finishes her prayer to the Grave Father and asks quietly if Gruff is awake – with the noise coming from Ophelia, he has not been able to sleep. Telling him that he appears to be a very patient individual, Ophelia asks if she can confide something in him, and Gruff agrees after checking his list of the Knightly Virtues. She tells him about the difficulty that she has had with feeding and reveals that she needs fresh blood to satiate her hunger. This hunger has re-awakened since she drank Marrion’s blood in Blackrock Mine, and Gruff notices that Ophelia looks tired, as if she has not slept in days – her eyes are darker than normal, and her speech is slurred. He takes out his pipe and thinks before asking Ophelia what the consequences of her not feeding would be – she tells him about her failed attempt to find a woodland creature to drink and the resulting urge that she subsequently had to feed on the soldiers in their camp, given that she could see their heartbeats and their veins. Gruff asks what happens when Ophelia feeds on a creature and she tells him that if she drinks all of its blood, that a creature will perish, but given that she does not think that she drank all of Marrion’s blood, she does not know about her.

Ophelia tells Gruff that she has come from a life of privilege with the House of Blood on Osseus, and all of her needs were catered for – there would always be a carafe of blood that was never empty, and this is the first time that she has suffered in this way. Gruff asks her why she left her life of comfort to come to Ilmera – it was so that the House of Blood could open up future possibilities for trade and diplomacy with some of the Dragons and Dragonborn.

Gruff tells Ophelia that he has seen creatures in the water who, when they don’t feed often enough, go into a feeding frenzy when they scent food, and he assumes that this may be the case for Ophelia. She agrees that this is indeed the case, and her eye twitches. Gruff asks if she has the strength to hunt – she says that she does but that the guards are a bit wary about her going off into the woods on her own and she does not want them to think that she is up to anything nefarious. Gruff asks if Ophelia is feeling infirm and vulnerable, considering the virtues that he is trying to uphold – Ophelia says desperately that she is (but almost appears to be hamming it up to play the virtues against him), while Percival gently caresses her shoulders sympathetically. Gruff calls on Silvereye to forgive him before offering to take Ophelia hunting that night, and tells her that if they are unsuccessful, she can drink a drop of his blood – but only a drop, not enough to drain him, and she is not to turn him into one of her own kind. Ophelia promises that she won’t (because she is not powerful enough to do it yet) but that he might just be a bit sleepy.

Gruff casts *Pass Without Trace* so that they can travel without being noticed by any animals. They travel through a large, forested valley and working together, they come across a valley of boars, capturing the largest male. Ophelia drains it, leaving it a desiccated husk, and although the blood is gamier, of a lesser quality than she has been used to, she is satiated for the while. Ophelia now realises that what she has previously drunk must have been only from humanoids and definitely not from animals. Gruff watches Ophelia as she drains the boar, passively observing the process before using one of the waterskins to store the blood of some of the younger boars for her to drink later.

Gruff recommends not explaining Ophelia’s need to the others, given that they are younger and far more inexperienced at life, and possibly more squeamish about it. Ophelia thanks Gruff and offers him anything that she can do – he asks for a character reference before asking if there is any danger in what she does. Ophelia does not know how far her transformation will go and thinks that it is something that she needs to keep under control. Gruff says that he will do what he can to help her but warns her that if she becomes a threat to the innocent, that there will be consequences. Ophelia promises not to bite anyone unless instructed to do so. They shake hands and paws solemnly before making their way back to camp, finding that Percival has cleaned everything in the area of Gruff’s tarp, including airing out and cleaned his blanket.

On the morning of the fourth day, they wake to a thick fog that gives them limited visibility and lasts well into the late afternoon. They do not encounter anyone on the road, nor do they have any trouble on this day. They make camp and rest peacefully. Gruff asks Zarron Tekis if he would be prepared to be a referee for him, but Tekis does not believe that he will have much sway with the Duke or the Duke’s personnel, but he thinks that it is the least he can do. Tekis agrees that Gruff fought with bravery against the Vaultspawn, the Gnolls, but also wishes to know the reason for the request. Gruff tells him that he wishes to make his dream a reality, and to become a Knight of an Order, joining the Circle of the Loyal Hounds. Tekis is not familiar with all of the Orders of Knights, particularly the smaller Orders, so he recommends that Gruff asks the Duke who has his own Knights, and one of these may know of the Order of which Gruff speaks. Tekis reiterates that he does not believe that his word will have much weight but that he is happy to write a reference if Gruff wishes. Tekis does not believe that some of the Knightly Orders would consider Gruff regardless of how much evidence he gathers – some of them would not accept him “because of various matters”. Tekis does suggest, however, that if the Order of Loyal Hounds is one that shares beliefs with Gruff, and that Gruff has followed its tenets, then they may present him with a fair test that may allow him to join. It is this test that is likely to open to door to membership rather than any number of references that he may gather. Zarron Tekis gladly writes a reference for Gruff and provides it to him.

On the fifth morning, in the distance, they begin to see signs of civilisation – initially, it is outlying farms and farmhouses, along with fields of grain (especially wheat), some of which is being replanted preparing for the summer and autumn harvests. There are vineyards scattered around the hills, the grapes being picked, and vines being tended to, and there are orchards on the outskirts of a distant walled town that they expect to arrive at mid-afternoon. While it is close to a city in size, Ashen Rest is not quite that large yet – in the early morning light, they can see that much of the city rises up from behind the high, defensive walls. Most of the buildings of the town look to be 2-3 storeys tall, but there are also dozens of tall spires reaching up as if competing to be the highest point in the town. There is even a clock tower (which is something of a luxury), and another made of black glass that swirls around and glitters with magic. Each of the towers seem to compete with each other for colour, height, design, or ostentation – all of them try to outdo each other in some way. All of the other buildings have ashstone walls (creamy, pale brick stone) with red, glazed tiles – typical Caldran architecture. Each of the walls have towers, atop which are turrets with large magical braziers – while they are not lit now, it is clear that they would be visible for a miles around when lit.

As they travel towards the town, the weather stays calm, and the fog dies away as they finish their journey to Ashen Rest. Daisy and Gruff feel somewhat exhausted after their travel – Gruff has been on the road for months, and Daisy has had to endure fighting and socialising, things that she is just not used to – they both need a good rest. As they approach the northern gate, Cade informs them that the area outside is called Greyforge, and they see a smaller town or village is growing outside the walls and gate of the larger village. There are multiple smithies and tanneries in this area because the Duke and the wealthier merchants had them moved outside the town – the streets are narrow and the buildings are packed in, so to make it more tolerable for those who live there, the more odorous or noisy professions were moved out past the gate onto the main road. Xantheus asks Cade about the relative safety of those buildings outside the town walls: he is told that the tanneries and smithies outside Ashen Rest do not usually get attacked by Vaultspawn – being close to the town is usually enough to ensure that they are protected, but there has not been an attack on Ashen Rest since the Aurea Insurrection{{SP}}. The insurrection was pretty devastating and much of the town has been rebuilt since. Being so close to the border of Gildai, there were many skirmishes in this area. There are guards in each of the towers that act as protection for the buildings outside the walls, so the Vaultspawn don’t tend to come too close to the cities, they do, however, attack smaller villages and hamlets that are off the beaten path.

Ashen Rest is a wealthy town built on the banks of the Ruby River, a large river that flows through most of Caldra. The river flows through part of the city with the walls built on the outskirts of its banks. There are sail barges that come up and down the river and dock at Ashen Rest. From a distance, they can see that the southern part of the city is raised on a hill where they can see the Ducal Palace (known to the Dragons in Draconic as the Dominus Ignarum, or the Domain of the Ignarum) which is where the Dragon Host that rules over this place resides. The Ducal Palace is beautiful and ostentatious consisting of a large central building with a beautiful glass domed roof, surrounded by smaller buildings. It looks to them as though one of the buildings houses a massive Dragon while the surrounding buildings house the Dragon’s assistants. (The central core of the Palace is an enormous chamber (80ft in diameter) and the dome opens up so that the Dragon can fly straight out if he wishes. The doors in the walls are also massive.) This is the home of Duke Ignarious, the Duke of North Vale (the northern part of Caldra).

As they approach the town, Xantheus asks Cade where he intends to go once they get into town – Cade says that this will depend on the Sergeant’s orders. The Sergeant, recognising that Cade is coming home, will allow him, Bliss, and Daeron to go home and take a couple of days of leave while he reports to their superiors at the barracks with a message from Captain Vecaro. The Authorator says that he will also need to report to his superiors about Marrion, the relic, and the disappearance of Yurgo, whom he will have to pursue.

Xantheus thanks them for their company on the road, suggesting that the party will immediately be making their way to the Dominus Ignarum, but while the Sergeant agrees that they should definitely go there, they should not expect to see him immediately, and should speak to his Considerate first, presenting him with the Duke’s Favour in order to make an appointment. He recommends that they find somewhere to stay in town, giving them recommendations of the Grumpy Hog (more of a brawler’s tavern), the Clever Toad (somewhat calmer), or the Enticing Devil (which he mentions under his breath to them so that the Authorator does not hear, because the Church of the Scions is a bit funny about it, more because of the name than anything).

Rowan gives Sergeant Yorrow a huge hug, thanking him for keeping them safe on the road. The Sergeant tells them that he may see them in the Grumpy Hog over the next few days but may not remember them if he’s had too many to drink. It is the Sergeant’s belief that Captain Vecaro will return to Ashen Rest after a few days that he needs to clear up the issues in Burnell and tells them that his job of escorting them to the town is done – he shakes their hands.

Rowan tries to get the recipe from Bliss for her mother’s cake but she does not know it, so instead, she writes her mother’s bakery’s name and address in Ferros on a piece of paper and gives it to Rowan. Bliss’ mother works at a bakery called the Precious Chalice Bakery, and she tells him to ensure that he tells her mother that he is her friend.

This is once of the largest settlements that some of them have seen, especially Daisy and Rowan. Gruff has passed through Kelscariss but tried to avoid most of it, Xantheus has been to Kelscariss before, but he has also passed Ashen Rest a few times. For Ophelia, this is one of the largest places she has seen in Ilmera (although it is similar to the size of place she has lived in Osseus), and she is pleased to see that people are much better dressed, wear perfumes, and take much more pride in their appearance here than they did in Burnell. As they walk through the Greyforge District, they see signs, “Best smithy in Ashen Rest”, “Finest work”, “Cheapest deals”, and everyone is selling something about themselves, showing pride in their businesses.

Ophelia is keen to have a bath, so asks Cade for the best place to get one – he suggests a nice inn before Bliss pipes up and tells her to try the shrine of Tyfeen, the House of the Rose, telling her that this is a big part of what the shrines offer. At the shrines, you can get baths, hair done, make up, skin care, fashion, company for a night, services, and so forth. Bliss tells Ophelia quietly that because most of them are not from Caldra, they may not realise that Caldrans take pride in their appearance, and that the way that they present themselves will really matter. If they show up at the Duke’s Palace looking scruffy, it will leave a very bad impression – she recommends getting cleaned up and dressed up, which the shrine can help them with. Bliss knows the High Sister of the shrine and says that she is lovely and very helpful. Ophelia passes the recommendation on to the rest of the party, and while the rest are keen, Gruff is reluctant, telling them that he was rained on two days ago, and so does not need a bath. It is when Xantheus tells him that the Duke will look more favourably upon them if they make themselves more presentable that Gruff finally agrees.

As they walk towards the gate, Gruff now sees the Duke’s army – they wear padded gambesons with surmounting chainmail and polished armour, wearing beautiful tabards with the symbol of the Duke displayed on them - their helms and spearpoints gleam in the sunlight. Amongst them, however, standing behind the gates, observing what is happening, is what must be a true Knight of the Realm (one of the Duke’s Knights) – he is a Dwarf mounted on a war drake. What looks like a magnificent plated winged helm is actually his Earthskin carved into that shape. The Knight is outfitted in full plate armour and carries a beautifully made crossbow that holsters onto the side of the war drake. He also has a shield that looks like it allows the crossbow to be fitted onto it so that he can fire it from that. The Dwarf has a beautifully braided beard coming out from his “helm”, long flowing hair, and a large strong nose: the man is beautiful to behold, and he nods and smiles at people entering the town as they bow and nod back to him. Gruff, excited, grabs Xantheus’ arm and expresses his admiration and intention to be like him one day.

There is a crowd at the gate with wagons and traders making their slow way through – there are soldiers performing stop and search on them. When the soldiers see that the party is travelling with soldiers and an Authorator, they have a quick word with the Authorator who vouches for the party and waves the soldiers away. As they pass through the gates, the Knight calls down to them, recognising Guy Yorrow. Sergeant Yorrow calls a greeting back to the Knight, Sir Griold, explaining that he has been escorting travellers to Ashen Rest under the orders of Captain Vecaro. Sir Griold looks at the party, realising that they are new to the city and asking about them – Gruffudd immediately sinks to one knee with his paw on his chest, obeisance that the Knight thinks is proper. The party introduce themselves to the Knight, who introduces himself as Sir Griold Steeleye, Knight of the Duke Ignarious, before welcoming them to the town. He takes a cue from Xantheus when it is clear that Xantheus does not wish to answer any questions about himself. Ophelia is welcomed and offered protection by the Knights (although she mutters something under her breath about soldiers and the dead).

As they step through the gates, they immediately find themselves in narrow, cobblestone streets surrounded on both sides by creamy stoned buildings with red tiles that are two to three storeys high. Many of them are shops and are stacked on top of one another with narrow staircases leading to the shops on the upper floors. In one area, there is a small bookshop with a jeweller perched on top of it, and then a haberdashery on the upper floor, while nearby is a restaurant on the ground floor with a residential apartment above it. In another area of the city there are tenement buildings – a series of apartment buildings connected in a larger space.  They notice multiple flower boxes everywhere, recognising that the external appearance is very important to these people. All of the shops have beautiful stained-glass windows or doors painted with murals. A florist has a door that has been carved to resemble a tree spouting flowers and all of the leaves, flowers, and blooms have been painted in bright, bold colours. The streets are clean, with no signs of rubbish or garbage, and the people are well dressed.

The streets of Ashen Rest are narrow and labyrinthian, with alleyways tucked around everywhere. Spread throughout the town are lamp posts with magical lights, set and ready to be lit when the sun sets – they are rare but there are enough that the major streets are illuminated by them. Each lamp post is different – they are made of stone, wood, or metal, some have designs on them while others are carved. Some have gargoyles carved on them, others have beautiful designs, some are decorated with fresh flowers, and others with ribbons.

Gruff recommends that they make themselves presentable before they go to make an appointment to see the Duke with his Considerate. As they look around the city, they are astounded by the size of the Ducal Palace and one of the towers in the city draws Xantheus’ gaze – it is separated from the others, is black and twisted with ravens instead of gargoyles. It is very different from other towers and gives him the impression of a mage’s or enchanter’s tower but it does not carry any of the usual emblems of the Imperial Colleges or the Duke’s iconography.

Just as Sergeant Yarrow and the Authorator separate and take their leave, the Authorator casts a look back and smiles at Xantheus and Daisy. Before he leaves them, the Authorator mentions to them that he has heard from Captain Vecaro who sent a communication spell: one of the Sister Inquisitors of the Ecliptic Order who was coming to investigate the matters in Burnell has decided to continue on to Ashen Rest. She wishes to enquire more about what happened with the relic in the caverns and will arrive in a few days. Authorator Tekis tells them that he will ensure that the Sister Inquisitor can find them before he turns and leaves to deal with his own matters.

## **YouTube Timestamps**

0:00:00 - Intro and announcements

0:05:00 - Part 1

1:31:39 - Break & Fan Art

1:37:39 - Part 2

2:46:59 - Outro & donations

## **Characters**

#### **PCs**

* Daisy Thistleheart
* Gruffudd of Tremorrew
* Ophelia D'larosa
* Rowan
* Xantheus Auregan

#### **Returning NPCs**

* Authorator Zarron Tekis
* Sergeant Guy Yorrow
* Private Cade
* Private Bliss
* Private Daeron

#### **Mentioned NPCs**

* Sister Inquisitor of the Ecliptic Order

## **Featured Locations**

* Caldra
	+ Camp along the Imperial Highway (between Burnell and Ashen Rest)
	+ Ashen Rest

## **Trivia**

* Trott informed Mark that the last to act in the previous episode’s combat was Authorator Zarron Tekis, and he was positive about it. This was, however, incorrect, and the last to act was Ophelia, which completed the round. This should have meant that the Sergeant was first to go this week, but instead, Mark started with the Gnoll cackler. (To be fair, the wiki had not been completed by this episode’s start).
* Crucible of Fate dice rolls: Kim (2), Trott (6), Rhi (6), Katie (1), Tom (1), Mark (2).
* Tom discovered that the condition “bloodied” describes someone below half health and suggested that he was ‘one up from that one’ which he then described as “leaking”.
* Trott used his extender hand properly and managed to move his mini successfully!! *(Huzzah! ~Crispi)*
* Kim enquired about the “Overwhelmed” condition – Mark confirmed that only certain enemies will do this, such as the hive creatures, the Belamorphs. This is not a general ability, but a special ability of certain creatures. No creatures will use flanking.
* Daisy has resistance to necrotic damage. Mark made the comment, “Weird, Humans don’t get that…”. What a tease!
* Vaultspawn are present in Iceheart, although Gnolls are not common there. Other Vaultspawn such as Yetis would be more common. Mark indicated that the “classic, monstrous D&D monsters” are some type of Vaultspawn and has likely multiplied and spread around the world. This is what Knights are usually sent out to dispatch. There are Proto Magi vaults in Osseus, too, (they are all over Altheya) although the creatures would probably be given a different name to “Vaultspawn”. Proto Magi are known in Osseus as “the First Mages” or “the First Ones” and so the vaults are seen as “Vaults of Knowledge” or a “Necropolis” – Vaultspawn may be called “Necropoli” in Osseus.
* No one in the party is aware of any nearby Vaults. Any famous Vaults that they may have heard of have probably already been raided, however, the nature of Vaults is that they are bizarre and alien and can sometimes change, so that a Vault that has been cleared out and everyone thinks is empty, may after 200 years, rotate inside and be a completely new Vault that will open up new dangers, information, and items. (Kim mentioned that she was thinking of the movie “The Cube” and Mark indicated that this was an influence.) People have no control over Vaults, whether and when they change or not. There are places on Altheya (including in a place that is *as yet unknown* to the viewers) where people have built towns and villages next to Vaults as an opportunity to get new magic items, artifacts, scrolls, and knowledge. Unfortunately, on occasion, these Vaults have been known to explode or to shroud an area in darkness, and the surrounding towns have been lost forever. Vaults are dangerous because they are unpredictable – it is not known how to open them, the conditions inside are unknown (e.g., the Vault may only stay open for 24 hours, and will not re-open for 400 years).
* Gnolls have been around for hundreds (almost thousands) of years – when they escaped from the Vault, they bred in the surrounding areas. It is possible that the Gnolls that the party fought never came from a Vault but were descendants of Gnolls who did. There may be a warren or a nest nearby where they attacked the camp and there may be more of them there.
* **Lore drop:** Casting *Zone of Truth* and *Detect Thoughts* is an invasion of privacy without getting the consent of the person unless you are a person authorised to do it, and there are laws that protect people from having this magic used against them. If it can be proved that this magic was used against someone illegally, the resulting evidence would not be able to be used in an Authorator’s Court. An Authorator has the right to use this magic, but they must have probable cause and a warrant in order to use it. It is hard for people to accuse Dragons of crimes because Dragons can hire the best Authorators to protect them and to be their lawyers. There are universal laws that the Empress set down to try to protect non-Dragons from magical creatures as well as Dragons. If someone has good reason to use Zone of Truth, an Authorator may overlook it if they believe that it was done in the interests of the Empire.
* Mark asks Tom to roll a deception check for Xantheus and Kim to make an insight check for Gruff – Kim chooses not to roll, with Gruff knowing what he does about Xantheus. Tom rolls a 5, which Mark notes because he makes an insight roll for the Authorator (which beats Tom’s roll).
* Rowan’s lute is called Sostenuto, which is a musical term meaning “sustained”.
* Gruff has a piece of paper that he carries with him, on which is written the Knightly Virtues. He consults this when he needs to. The person who told him about this particular Knightly Order had the list of their virtues, so Gruff patiently wrote it down and now carries it with him as a good luck charm. Kim actually has a scroll that she has made that has the virtues written on it – it was used as part of her character reveal and teaser.

* Typical Caldran architecture, with ashstone walls and red glazed tiles, is said to have a classic renaissance Italy/Spanish villa look.
* Ashen Rest may have been “Ashens Rest” in the player information document.
* Spending a few days in a settlement will get rid of any levels of travel exhaustion (including multiple levels), it will reset the ability to take an heroic short rest, there may be other powers and boons that are triggered once the time has been spent in a town or settlement.
* **Lore drop:** The tanneries and smithies outside Ashen Rest do not usually get attacked by Vaultspawn – being close to the town is usually enough to ensure that they are protected, but there has not been an attack on Ashen Rest since the Aurea Insurrection{{SP}}. Much of the town has been rebuilt since. Being so close to the border of Gildai, there were a lot of skirmishes, and the insurrection was pretty devastating.
* **Lore drop:** Kelscariss is a metropolis with a population of approximately 20,000, whereas Ashen Rest is a large town with a population of approximately 2,000-3,000 people. It is like comparing London with the centre of Bath.
* **Lore drop:** Ashen Rest is the home of Duke Ignarious, the Duke of North Vale. Ferros is the capital of Caldra, and is the home of Her Draconic Majesty Infernia, the Princess of Caldra. Duke Ignarious is a well-respected and known Duke but is nowhere near as important as the Arch Dragon.
* **Lore drop:** It is typical in Caldran culture that you take pride in your appearance – you bathe regularly, take care of your skin and hair, make sure that your clothes are repaired and washed. They do not care about money but they care about pride in self.
* **Lore drop:** War drakes are not full dragons, they are more like animals, but they are wingless dragons (like battle lizards) with armour.
* Mark had the players make a wisdom saving throw at the end of the episode, although it is not known why this wisdom saving throw was made. It is unrelated to the matter of the Sister Inquisitor of the Ecliptic Order, however.

## **Quotes**

* Quote 1
* Quote 2