Siluriel Campaign

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Monthly Astronomical Calendar

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Game Session: 7 August, 2017

Items of Interest: --

The ride to House Lynariel took half the morning. Although the weather was agreeable -- the planting season is nigh -- the group was disturbed by the dearth of folk. No farmers plowed their soil, no shepherds tended their flocks, no activity of any kind was visible in the pastures and fields along the route. It was as if the entire population had vanished.

Finally, the heroes arrived at the estate, a large manor house and accompanying buildings surrounded by a palisade, all resting upon a prominent hill with a steep facade on three sides. The gates stood open, and as everyone rode into the common area, the place appeared abandoned. Theren knocked forcefully upon the front doors, but no one stirred within -- at first. Finally, a guard answered and gazed out at the group with a thoroughly disinterested expression upon his face. Something was definitely not right.

All light within the chamber beyond was dimmed, all color washed out. It was as if the world was seen through dark, smoky lenses. Furthermore, the sharp-eyed Jhessail noticed how the guard's inky black irises gave off the faintest hint of iridescent blue. She warned Theren, who quickly called everyone back, away from the entrance. The guard invited the group to enter, but caution was in order. If there was danger, it seemed wise to have some of the group remain outside. In the end, Theren, Fergus, and Ragesh entered while Jhessail, Ice, and Jyn took the horses to the barn.

The guard led the way inside and was insistent that the visitors follow him. When Theren tried to go a different direction, the guard was joined by three more of his kind -- and all of them looked identical. The three guests were led into a parlor and bade wait. Then the guard vanished.

In the meantime, outside, the other three companions scouted the estate to try to discern if it was truly abandoned and if there were other ways inside the manor house. They found no signs of anyone at all.

Back inside, Theren grew impatient and motioned for Fergus and Ragesh to follow him. The three attempted to stroll deeper into the house but were accosted by guards once more, and when they refused to give way, the fight was on. The sounds of the battle reached the other three companions outside, and they rushed to aid their friends. The combat was a close thing; six companions against six guards. It soon became apparent that these guards were no ordinary elves, but instead some kind of strange, alien humanoids who could read a person's thoughts. However, everyone's magic felt exceedingly powerful, and the day was won at last.

With the sounds of more guards approaching, the group wisely exited the manor house and fled to the barn, where they have chosen to rest and keep watch until they are at full strength once more.

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Game Sessions: 10 & 24 July, 2017

Items of Interest: jar of black goo

Travel down the High Road proves more eventful than you expect. In addition to meeting numerous fleeing refugees coming east, you also notice three mounted strangers who appear to be following you. As you get closer to the location of the reported circular "fence" of razor-sharp black stone, you spy some dead bodies in the fields. You investigate further and discover they have been slain by some sort of deep puncture wound, but they are also desiccated and turned to what appears to be ash. You notice sets of tracks that reveal the farmers and their dogs fled something further west, although there is no sign of what pursued them -- no other tracks.

You follow the tracks back toward their source and come to a barn within sight of the blackthorns, as locals have taken to calling the bizarre structure that has erupted from the ground. Garath climbs to the roof of the barn in an attempt to get a better look at the interior, while the rest of you move a bit closer. You detect a mysterious tune emanating from the place, a haunting, wind chime sort of sound, but it is more than just music -- some among you become ensnared in its charming magic and desire only to move closer. After successfully resisting the effects of the eldritch music, you can see that others were not so lucky. You also notice the formation is growing at a rate of about a foot an hour, pushing the soil outward as it does so.

Circling around the perimeter, you come upon the bodies of a handful of slain Kaldorian soldiers who died trying to enter the blackthorns. At that point, you once more come face to face with Elisiel Kaldor, heir to the throne and captain of a company of mounted troops. She has attempted to investigate the structure but pulled back when some of her soldiers succumbed to its magic. After conferring with her, you agree to work together to construct a ballista to fling large boulders at the growths. Work begins, but night falls before the construction is complete.

In the evening, a strange cry rises up from the direction of the blackthorns, a piercing, horrible scream. Whatever it is continues to shriek as it moves away, and some among your group try to learn and mimic the cry for future reference. Later still, someone attempts to use magic to put Ice, who is on watch, to sleep. She, being of eleven heritage, fights off the ensorcellment, but the source of the attack escapes. You suspect the three strangers, who had joined with Elisiel's troops and volunteered to help.

The next day, the ballista is completed and you begin an assault on the blackthorns. After the first strike, though, dozens of small, razor-sharp black humanoids rush forth from the interior of the shards and attack the defensive formation. Following a fierce fight, the creatures are destroyed -- shattering in a shower of deadly shards in the proces -- though several Kaldorian cavalrymen fall to them. After spending an hour to recover and prepare, you make a second attempt. This time, no creatures emerge, and you manage to create a path to the center. There, you discover a huge sinkhole. Black ooze pours slowly UP the sides of the hole, becoming the new blades of the blackthorns, pushing the mature ones outward like shark's teeth.

You investigate the sinkhole and discover it is quite deep. After dropping and handful of objects into its depths, you disturb something, which begins to emerge, emitting the same horrible shriek you heard the night before. The urge to back away and flee is strong, but you hold your ground and watch as a large, pitch-black dragon-like creature rushes skyward. The beast has a large stinger on its tail and soars over the field, looking for prey. The group spreads out, each finding his or her own way to do battle with the beast. The combat is arduous, and the malevolent creature is cunning, but in the end, you prevail once more. After destroying the flying menace, you watch as its corpse dissolves in a puff of black smoke, leaving only an oversized lump of the same blue-black crystal you have grown familiar with.

Lady Elisiel, knowing the blackthorns cannot be stopped by brute force, urges you to continue your search for answers to the strange occurrences sweeping across the land. She intends to send for reinforcements to set up a perimeter around the blackthorns to keep the good people of Kaldor away. Indeed, even as she discusses these plans with you, she receives word that something is amiss at House Lynariel, your next intended stop. The members of the House have not been seen or heard from by their vassals in several days.

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Game Session: 26 June, 2017

Items of Interest: 5000 sp, a letter of marque, four mounts w/ tack

Dinner with the queen is a delight. After arriving at the gate and relinquishing your weapons, pages escort you to the palace and into a large hall where several large fireplaces blaze with warmth, servants provide you with food and drink, and you meet Queen Merilia, as well as her youngest son, Beravel Kaldor (who seems rather cool to your presence), and a number of the queen's advisors. The meal itself is divine, and afterward, Red Fergus regales the audience with a performance for the ages, sharing your exploits and discoveries. During the show, the Queen's daughter and heir, Elisiel Kaldor, lets herself into the room and finds a seat. When the show is finished, the queen and her court are quite pleased. They have a few additional questions, and then the queen informs you that you shall meet with her royal librarian, Lorin Eriavar, in the morning to discuss how best to go about researching for more information on the titans and their writing.

You are given rooms for the night, your possessions and mounts are fetched from the inn, and you bathe, sleep, and otherwise pass the time in luxury. Garath takes the opportunity to walk the grounds, receiving a tour from pages, while Fergus ventures out into the city to try to pay a visit to the theater troupe. You want for nothing.

The next morning, after receiving breakfast in your rooms, you are summoned to the queen's study, where you meet with Lorin and the queen agrees to have him research your requests. Knowing it will take the librarian quite some time to pore through the archives, Merilia calls on you to serve as investigators on her behalf, traveling the land in search of strange magical occurrences and reporting back to her. Toward this end, she grants you a coffer with 5000 silver coins and enough horses and tack so that no one must walk. Finally, she provides you with a letter of marque detailing your rights as her agents.

After conducting a bit of business in preparation for travel, you are on your way. First stop, the strange, crystalline barrier that has erupted from the earth to the west of Loriavael.

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(Older entries can be found in the Campaign Journal.)