Legendary Campaign - Trouble before Masha and the Bear

Wednesday, April 6, 1066 SE

Following a hearty breakfast, the crew returns to the Legendary to prepare for the final dress rehearsal the next day. The thrill of excitement is palpable as everyone assembles on Stage 2. Yurchik presents all of the notes to each department head, highlighting the issues that require fixing before opening night on Friday. He also takes the opportunity to reveal the final series of posters for Masha and the Bear, and to Luba's relief, she and Vadim are both front and center in the last round of publicity for the play. Yurchik mentions that tomorrow's performance is the last chance to finalize the production, and that Sir Gregory Tsaplin will be in attendance. Yurchik also reveals that the next production for the First Crew will be Liza the Fox and Catafay the Cat, and they begin building the sets tomorrow.

With the final notes distributed, everyone returns to their workshops to complete their tasks. Dusana asks Marigold to design a bubble machine that will release bubbles when the basket in which Masha is hidden is opened. Marigold mentions that the bubble machine will make the floor slippery, so the crew  will need rubber shoes and stage hands will need to wipe down the floors after the first set changes.  

Dusana, prop master

Oskana asks Branna to make seven matching hats for the extras. The missing hats have been overlooked, and now they need to be created in a hurry. Branna picks up a nice green fleece, and designs simple yet elegant hats. When they are completed, Branna has all of the extras try them on. The elf makes the final modifications, then labels each hat with their wearer's name so they can be easily identified. 

During this time, the Marquess of Sidorov visit the theater. A rich widow known for her extravagant entertaining parties and her propensity for monopolizing the conversation, the Marquess is always on the lookout for new and exciting elements she can add to her repertoire. Every department head is eager to escape her presence, so when she catches Oskana unawares, the costume designer is only too happy to introduce Branna to her before disappearing. The Marquess gushes over the costumes Branna designed, and she asks the elf whether she would be willing to create a similar dress for an upcoming party. Branna agrees.

Mon overheard the conversation between Marigold and Dusana about the bubble machine, and he decides to practice casting silent image to recreate the bubble fall during the first act. Mon requests a bit of fleece from Branna as he will need a small square per performance.

Mon deGreen

In a conversation with Lena, the halfling from the marketing department reveals to Marigold that Yurchik was behind removing Luba and Vadim. The theater director evidently seemed interested in exploring whether it was time for new stars, but something made him back down. 

 Meanwhile, Branna vists The Needle and Thread. Paula, a human middle-aged woman, runs the sewing shop, and she's thrilled to have one of the Legendary seamstresses visiting. After some small talk, Branna explains the type of costume she wants to make for the Marquess. Following some haggling, Paula agrees to a cost of 4 silvers, and the transaction is made. 

After dinner at the Palace, Branna, Mon and Marigold return to the Legendary. Branna notices that one of the hats she created earlier that day is missing. She makes two hats and keeps one aside. After doing so, she rejoins her friends. Mon inquires which hat was missing. Not sure, Branna returns to her workshop and takes a look. The missing hat was Mon's. 

To celebrate their last evening free before the opening of Masha and the Bear, they decide to meander through Katarina. Marigold soon notices that the Cardinal's men are not on the street.

Sergeant Dima, whom they previously encountered, leads a patrol of two soldiers. Mon stops to chat with the soldier, and he remarks that the streets are eerily quiet. Dima replies that a rumor is circulating that the Cardinal is upset over Masha and the Bear, and finds the fact that a young girl would be living with a bear to be sinful and disgraceful. Mon wonders whether the Cardinal is plotting with his men to disrupt tomorrow's opening night. Dima does not know, but would not be surprised, as the Cardinal has been looking for a blow to deliver against what he considers loose morals on the island. 

Taking a look around the Cathedral, the three friends notice that no guards are standing outside, but that many lights are on inside the church, suggesting a large gathering. They wisely decide to move away.

The friends soon find their way to the Anchor's Luck, where they find Captain Popov spending quality time gambling away with his friends in his usual spot by the roaring fireplace. Popov is thrilled to see them, and is beyond himself when Mon offers him a ticket for the opening night of Masha and the Bear. Based on the old man's reaction, Mon surmises that the Captain would not be able to afford his own ticket. Popov thanks them profusely, but refuses to take the ticket. He can't see very well, and it would be a waste. He can just as well listen to the performance from outside the theater. Mon will not hear of it, and he casts lesser restoration to improve Popov's eyesight. The Captain is brought to tears, and he hugs Mon.

 During their evening conversations, Popov mentions that an excellent source has informed him that the Cardinal's armor was polished. This, mixed with the absence of his men on the streets, leads  Popov to suspect that the Cardinal himself will be leading some sort of public action very soon. As they ready to leave, Popov whispers to them that friends of the oak should make themselves scarce tomorrow night. 

Now worried, they return to the Legendary, and Branna soon notices there has been a break-in in the prop room. Someone took out the guards, and items, including the bubble machine Marigold created, have been sabotaged. Marigold decides she will sleep here tonight, and she casts the alarm cantrip on the window. Branna examines the costume room, but find that nothing is amiss. Mon notifies the stage manager on duty, who sends messages out to the heads of departments and to Yurchik. Mon himself tracks Dima and the patrol down. Soon the theater is filled with staffers and the entire building is searched. Nothing else seems amiss, so after adding some guards, folks return home. Mon, Branna, and Marigold remain uneasy at the situation, however.

 

Thursday, April 7, 1066 SE

With Marigold already sleeping at the Legendary in the props room, Mon decides he will guard Stage 2. Branna returns home to the Legendary, but as she comes up the stairs she sees a person dressed in black emerging from Mon's room. Branna casts ray of frost , r hitting the person, but they manage to escape down the hall and around a corner. In the struggle, however, a jar of ointment was dropped. Branna rings the alarm bell located on every floor in case of fire, and wakes up everyone in the Palace. The building is soon searched, but no trace of the person is found. Unfortunately, Branna does not have a good description of the person, so it could be anyone under the disguise.

Alerted, Mon and Marigold return to the Palace, where Branna tells them what transpired. Mon identifies the ointment dropped from the intruder as a cream of disguise, with a few applications remaining. The friends suddenly fear the worse. Could someone be ready to disguise themselves as Mon and lead an assassination attempt during opening night? After all, both the Archduke and the Cardinal are likely to attend ...

Legendary Campaign - Meeting Captain Popov at the Anchor's Luck

Tuesday, March 29th, 1066 SE

As a golem Mon does not need to sleep, but he still lays in his bed, pretending to sleep. Around five in the morning, he hears loud footsteps climbing the stairs, then making their way down to his room. The door barges open, and Mon pretends to be awakened by Herald who loudly enters the room in. The man looks very disheveled, and his cheeks and shirt collar are covered with lipstick prints. He crashes on top of his bed and instantly falls asleep. Mon waits a few minutes, then begins to whisper in Herald's ears. Soon, the actor begins talking in his sleep, dropping the name Lady Astral. Mon lays down again, and at six he gets up and heads down to the cafeteria.

Marigold wakes up to find Lena already readying herself for her job at the marketing department. Cheerful, she waves Marigold goodbye and heads out. The halfling gets up and starts her morning routine. In her room, Branna finds that Ola has already left, since she works in the kitchen. The elf gets dressed, then heads downstairs. Mon, Marigold and Branna meet on the third floor, and they make their way a few flights of stairs to the ground floor. Mon is the first to notice that the cafeteria sounds eerily quiet, as three residents quickly climb the stairs. Marigold then spots three of the Cardinal's men in the lobby, talking in whispers with the clerk at the front desk. Marigold and Branna make their way to the food line and get food. Mon takes a slower approach and swerves closer to the guards, so that he can overheard the conversation taking place between the guards and the clerk. Evidently, the Cardinal's men are looking for a dandy with blond hair and lipstick all over his face. That popinjay is wanted for shaming Lady Natalia Astral, the wife of Nikita Astral, a wealthy merchant and personal friend of Cardinal Feodore. The clerk does not know if such a person is in the building, but Mon sure does, as he's upstairs in his bedroom. Mon grabs a little food and joins his friends at the table in the corner. Branna greets Joseph, who is still working on clothes design in his notebook. He exchanges quiet pleasantries, but soon departs.

The hushed discussions taking place throughout the cafeteria are soon interrupted when Pavel enters the room. Cheers erupt as the master carpenter makes his way to the food line, dropping a kind word or shaking the hand of every person he meets. He soon finds himself sitting at the table in the corner. Pavel shovels food in his mouth as he talks, making conversation with the three friends. The Cardinal's men loudly threaten the clerk that they will return with reinforcements and they will search the building from top to bottom. Pavel soon mentions that Herald obviously might have had too much to drink, and he jokingly questions Mon on whether anyone should warn the actor that the morality policy is coming for him. With his food finished, Pavel departs for the theater, but not before "accidentally" knocking into one of the guards left at the door. Branna takes this occasion to visit the kitchen and greets Ola, her roommate.

Returning to his room, Mon finds Herald still sleeping. As he softly snores, Mon hears Herald talking about Captain Lafoy, a famous pirate rumored to have plied his trade around the island of Katarina. Evidently, Herald believes that Lady Astral knows the pirate captain. Aware that the Palace will be searched, Mon hides his dagger and rapier behind Herald's wardrobe, counting on the fact that the room is so messy no one will bother diligently searching it. He then leaves the room, Herald still sleeping soundly.

As members of the Second Crew, Marigold, Branna and Mon assemble with the rest of the workers on the second stage. Yurchik, the theater manager, begins reviewing the arc of Masha and the Bear, the play scheduled to start in five weeks. In Act 1, the fair maiden Masha, played by Luba, finds herself in the forest with her friends collecting mushrooms when she was ambushed by a bear, played by Vadim, and brought back to its lair. In Act 2, Masha learns how to live with the bear and plots her escape. In Act 3, Masha convinces the bear to take pies she just baked to her parents, and hides herself in the basket instead. Once at the village, dogs scare the bear, and Masha is reunited with her parents and her friends, the final song closes the show. Yurchik then asks each department head to meet with their staff and come up with all necessary items and directions to make this production a success.

Luba, female star of the Second Crew

As an extra, Mon is handed a script. He is assigned the part of Extra #7, and he is instructed to begin reading the script and return tomorrow for the first rough blocking session. Luba asks him if he would be interested in reading the script with her at her favorite coffee shop, the Warm Whistle, where the food is delicious and the drinks are refreshing. Mon soon realizes that Luba is a serious actress, as she spends the whole morning reading through her script and learning her lines. They eventually begin sharing lines with each other, and Mon's prodigious memory allows him to memorize the entire script after two readings.

Masha's Forest Outfit

Oskana and her team of seamstresses discuss the clothing choices for all of the characters. Oskana offers Branna the opportunity to design Masha's outfits for Act 1 and Act 2. Branna soon produces two beautiful drawings of outfits, and begins to work on turning her vision into a reality.

Masha's Act 2 Outfit

As prop master, Dusana solicits his team's ideas for the props that Masha will be using throughout the play. Marigold suggests a set of collapsible mushrooms that look like umbrella. She also proposes a collapsible pie with a smoke generator inside of it to generate the appearence of a warm pie just pulled out of the oven. Dusana is suitably impressed. 

Working on the construction crew assembling the set for Masha and the Bear, Pavel takes frequent breaks, encourages everyone, and lends a hand where needed.

During dinner, Mon questions Marigold and Branna about Captain Lafoy. Marigold remembers hearing that Captain Lafoy once conducted a daring raid on a cathedral on the mainland, and stole a gold cross. She recalls that Cardinal Feodore was the man of faith in charge of that church at the time. Mon tells them what he overheard Herald say in his sleep, and that Lady Astral and Lafoy may have been an item once. Marigold speculates that this is why the Cardinal is now in Lady Astral's business.

During dinner that night, they are approached by Pavel, who sits at their table to chat before getting his own food and returning to his room. After some banter, Pavel asks them to meet an old friend of his, Captain Popov, down at the Anchor's Luck, on the waterfront, and deliver an envelope. First they are to play three hands of cards with him, and bet three coppers each time. They must lose all three hands on purpose, then give him the envelope. This is how Popov will know Pavel sent them, but it keeps this connection secret, in case anyone is watching.

On their way there, Mon, Marigold and Branna witness four of the Cardinal's men berating two youths leaning against windows of a shop. The men quickly stop when one of the Archduke's patrols emerge from a side street, and move along, but not before exchanging a glance with the youth. Mon commits the faces of the youths and of the Cardinal's men to memory.

Captain Popov

Arriving at the Anchor's Luck, they are greeted by Ivan, the owner. Inquiries reveal that Captain Illich Popov sits at the table in the corner, closest to the fireplace. They find the old man there, playing cards with three other individuals who look just as old. They sit at the table, and join in the card game. Mon misunderstood Pavel's directions, and he manages not to communicate the secret message. Marigold reminds him of Pavel's specific instructions, and Mon plays another three rounds of cards, this time following the instructions to the letter. 

Captain Popov is pleased to meet the young folks sent by his friend Pavel, and he shares several stories of his sea voyages and his fishing adventures, all more unbelievable than the last one. When Ivan announces that it is time to close up. Captain Popov hands each of his new friends a neatly pressed and dried oak leaf from a small booklet retrieved from his pocket. All three of them are aware that there are no oak trees on the island of Katarina. He thanks them, and they walk him back to his hovel apartment on the second floor of a building a block away from the tavern. The three of them then return to the Palace after a night well spent...

Legendary Campaign - Welcome to the Island of Katarina

Welcome to the Island of Katarina

Settled over five hundred years ago,  the Island of Katarina is renowned for the quality and quantity of its iron ore, which is extensively mined in the mountains that surround the town. The resulting iron is then pressed into a type of steel referred as Katarina steel, and also shortened to Kat steel. Stronger and lighter than regular steel, Kat steel provides the wealth of the island.

Ruled by the Svetozar family over the last three centuries,  the Archduchy of Katarina is titularly part of the Kingdom of  Sezja. Its location on the northeastern corner, far removed from the capital of Konstantina, means that for generations, as long as generous tributes were sent to the royal coffers, the Svetozar family have ruled unimpeded by outside forces. The wealth created by the mines have led to a comparatively higher standard standard of living, attracting people from all over the Sezja and beyond.

The current ruler of the island is Archduke Maksimillian III. He has a beautiful wife, Yeva, and two daughters, Verushka, 17, and Yula, 10. Over the last one hundred years, the Svetozars have managed the island expertly, extracting resources, generating wealth, and ensuring that this wealth was shared equitably with most of the island's inhabitants. This has created a surprisingly open society with a vibrant cultural scene. Over 45,000 people now live on Katarina, with two thirds of them residing in the capital city of the same name.  

Archduke Maxsimillian has inherited his family's talent for business and management, and he has continued to increase the island's wealth and spread its culture beyond its border. An active shipping industry has grown to export Kat steel and its derived products, and ship building soon followed, diversifying the island's economy further. Commercial banks have established branches in Katarina, and a stable and well-managed economy relatively free of corruption bolstered by effective law enforcement means that over half of Sezja's wealth now transits through the Archduchy.

In the last decade, a revival religious movement has devolved into a strict fundamentalist interpretation of the Goddess, and the Synod of Cardinals has gained tremendous power throughout Sezja. Three years ago, Cardinal Feodore arrived on Katarina armed with a royal writ. Cardinal Feodore has established religious law over the island, much to the Archduke’s dismay. A small group of monks and clerics support the spreading of their more fundamentalist version of the faith, and the Cardinal’s soldiers often patrol the streets, enforcing morality and religious edicts. The Archduke bids his time, aware that for know the Cardinal has the blessing of the Sezian court in Konstantina, but with rumors that the Cardinal plans to seize the island and its wealth means that a reckoning is coming....

The Legendary

The wealth of Katarina and of its inhabitants means that many of them have disposable income available. As a result, a service industry of theaters, art houses, publishers and crafters has grown and offers a vigorous scene. Four theaters are located in Katarina. The Opera features modern productions, while the Fantastic leans more towards popular and bawdy comedies. The Starlight is known more for its sensual pieces than the quality of its acting. But of all the theaters on the island, the Legendary is the most famous. It is the premier facility for entertainment, where people go for excellent plays, music, and to see and be seen. Owned by Sir Gregory Tsaplin, and patronized by Archduke Maksimilian III, the Legendary features a large scene, an equally large rehearsal space, and a creative space large enough to accommodate the planning of a third production. The theater is situated at the south end of White Avenue opposite the Archduke's Palace at the north end. Many businesses connected to the theater surround the building.

Brannamarth Gwend, an elven sorcerer, comes from a famous family of clothes maker. The Gwends weave magic in their fabric, creating explosions of colors and subtle illusions that seems to make the clothes shimmer like starlight. Branna's father was approached by Oskana, the head designer for the Legendary, and he graciously allowed one of his daughters to travel to Katarina and further develop her skills with the trade.

Mon deGreen, a human bard, seeks to gain a better understanding of who he is and of his past through legends and tales told through the theater. He appears to have amnesia, and he doesn't remember anything before he awoke one dark morning a few years back. He traveled to Katarina, hoping to learn more about his previous life. Despite his amnesia, he can memorize lines easily, and he found employment at the Fantastic, where he was noticed by Luba, the Legendary's second actress for his unforgettable performance as Brother Gerald in the production of The Goblin and the Turtle Soup. She asked him to join the crew of extras who work for the Legendary, and Mon jumped at the chance.

Marigold Handthorn a lightfoot halfling artificer, has family on the island, and she fell in love with the theater. Tinkering from a young age, she has recently secured an apprenticeship with the famous props designer Dusana, who oversees the props department at the Legendary.

The Legendary operates on a tightly planned schedule. A show runs for five weeks, six nights a week, as well as matinees on Fridays and Saturdays. If the production is a smashing success, its run might be extended, but as soon as less than three quarters of the seats sell, the show closes out that weekend. While the show is running, a second production begins rehearsals. Finishing touches are made on the sets, last minute costumes are crafted, and props are added. Lights, sounds, and stagecraft are planned and executed, and this production waits in the wings so that it can start two days after the closing of the first show. Meanwhile, a third show is in pre-production in the creative area, with sets being roughly built, music being produced, and songs written. 

An army of laborers, cleaners, ticket sellers, ushers, and food service employees follow the orders of a cadre of middle managers, who take their own instructions from department heads, who report to Yurchik, the theater director, who in turns takes general guidelines and suggestions from Sir Tsaplin. Turnover is high among the lower levels of employees, so the Legendary is always hiring replacements at the beginning of every new production. Marigold, Mon, and Branna thus find themselves in the grand foyer of the Legendary on the morning of Monday, May 2nd, with over forty new workers. 

 

Monday, March 28th, 1066 SE

Upon arriving at the theater, Branna, Marigold and Mon are introduced to their respective department head. Branna already knows Oskana, who shakes her hand vigorously and thanks her for joining her team of costumiers. Marigold meets Dusana for the first time, and the short man is barely taller than she is. He welcomes her to the theater, and informs her that he has seen some of her designs and they show promise. Mon meets Dmitri, the stage manager, who supervises the extras. Each new employee is shown their work area, and employment rules are described. 

As members of the Legendary, employees may reside for free in the Palace, a five-story building next door to the theater. The accommodations are sparse, but three meals are provided free of charge every day in the Palace's cafeteria. When not performing, employees are allowed to attend the nightly production for free, filling the seats that haven't sold and giving the impression that the theater is always sold out. Mon is warned to figuratively watch his back, as extras will do anything to climb the ladder and become stars. He's also warned not to be caught by the morality police in the gambling dens by the harbor. Marigold is warned to keep an eye for inappropriate behavior from male employees towards female employees, and to report any incident immediately, as this is not tolerated by Sir Tsaplin. Branna is told to behave properly at all times, especially when outside the theater, as the Cardinal's morality police has been causing issues with the theater in recent months.

Near noon, all new employees report back to the grand foyer. Most of the actors for the upcoming production are here as well, and Luba warmly greets Mon, telling him she's thrilled to have the opportunity to work with him. Yurchik, the theater manager, introduces Sir Gregory Tsaplin, a rather unremarkable man who is sharply dressed in reds with a top hat on his balding head, and his faithful but long-suffering manservant, Ony.  

Sir Gregory Tsaplin, owner of the Legendary

Sir Tsaplin theatrically comes down the grand stairs, and he introduces the new production, Masha and the Bear. He expresses his hopes that it will be as successful as the show opening tonight, Baba Yaga and the Crimson Flower. He then reveals the official poster for Masha and the Bear, which is currently slated to start on May 2nd, but to Luba's consternation none of the actors are depicted, which goes against past practice of featuring the lead stars and divas. Rumors begin to circulate that perhaps Luba's position atop the actor's ladder is not as secure at it was.

Following a delicious luncheon, the new employees are paid their weekly wages. Mon, Marigold and Branna return to work in their respective areas. At the fifth hour, the evening employees and the crew for the production of Baba Yaga and the Crimson Flower begin arriving, signaling the end of the work day for the crew of Masha and the Bear. Marigold, Branna and Mon walk to the Palace and secure lodgings.  Marigold is assigned to a room on the third floor, and she meets her roommate, Lena, another halfling. Lena works in the marketing department, and she questions Marigold on her thoughts on the poster. She reveals that she was not in favor of leaving the actors off, as they drive a lot of the business, but Raissa, the chief marketer, insisted on this new approach. Lena suspects that Luba's days as the second female star of the Legendary may be numbered.

Branna is paired with Ola, a quiet human. Ola works in the kitchen, and hopes to become a chef someday. Meanwhile, she spends all of her nonworking time in the Palace's kitchen, helping out and working on her culinary skills. She's rarely in the bedroom they share on the fifth floor, and her area is tidy and clean. 

Mon is assigned to a bedroom on the fourth floor. As he begins to open the door, the doorknob is wrenched from his hand, and his new roommate grabs him and hugs him. He introduces himself as Herald, and begins to talk at Mon about all of his own wonderful qualities. Herald is a mid-tier actor, and he hopes to break it big. Mon quickly forms the opinion that Herald is either a dimwit who is wholly focused on himself, or he is a deviously clever individual who hides behind a veneer of silliness. A quick look at the clothes spread all over the furniture and floor, the empty bottles of wine piled in a corner, and the general messiness of the place convinces Mon that it is probably the former.

Mon, Branna and Marigold soon find themselves in the food line in the Palace's cafeteria. They introduce themselves, and share pleasantries. The cafeteria is loud, and most of the seats are taken. A whirlwind of a man, over six feet tall and wearing blue overalls with a tool belt strapped around his waist, barges in the cafeteria, and everyone yells his name, holding a tankard or a glass. Pavel, one of the theater's master carpenter, salutes people as he walks through on his way to the line, and it is clear he knows everyone by name. He stops by the new hires, and introduces himself before asking them for their names. Pavel is jovial, has a flair for the dramatic, and is quick with the bad joke. He fills his plate, then fills three more, before putting some food on Mon's plate. He welcomes the new hires aboard, then heads upstairs with his food.

The three of them find the only open seats left near a corner table. Two actors from the second crew are busy kissing, and completely ignore them. The other person at the table keeps one drawing in a large pad, his food barely touched. Branna notices that he's designing clothes, and they are rather good. When he seems her looking, he gets up and leaves, abandoning his food behind. They learn that his name is Joseph, and he works in accounting. Branna remembers that he was one of the people paying them earlier that afternoon.

Following dinner, Branna and Mon return to the Legendary to watch the opening night of Baba Yaga and the Crimson Flower, in the seats reserved for employees at the back of the theater. Marigold, for her part, watches the production from the wings, so she can watch the props' process. She soon realizes that backstage is a well-oiled machine, with the props clearly labeled and organized by appearance. When one of the props helper makes a mistake, he is quickly berated by the prop supervisor.

The performances was amazing, the music uplifting, and the audience adored it. The buzz as the audience leaves the show indicates that this is probably one of the best performances of the last three years. Throughout the performance, Mon worried that the Cardinal would attend, but the man never showed up. The Archduke and his family were in attendance, however, in their private balcony, and the crowd gave them a round of applause before the curtain lifted at the beginning of the performance. Mon tells Branna he was raised up as a flesh golem, and his master triggered something in him, and he took his life in a fit of rage when he discovered what had been done to him. Branna volunteers to make him a piece of clothing that might have enough magic in it to distract the Cardinal if he ever came close, so that he would not detect Mon's true nature. The actor profusely thanks her.

Returning to their rooms after the show, Marigold finds Lena sleeping soundly, Branna finds Ola sitting in her bed reading through a cookbook, while Mon finds Herald, who works with the first crew getting ready to go out to celebrate opening night. The mess is even worse. After Herald departs, Mon cleans a path to his bed, folding Herald's clothes as he goes, a remnant of his mindless beginning as a golem for his previous master ...

The Prophet of Water

Pharast 22, 4713, part 2

With combat already engaged and with the wall of force blocking their escape from the throne room, the Coopers have no choice but to pursue their attack against Thurl Merosska and cultists of the Howling Hatred. Ruddy fires an arrow from his crossbow, and Thurl is blinded. Earl strikes one of the Feathergale Knights down to the ground, while Thorne lands several blows on the other Knight. Struck by a cold ice strike, Naga uses his vampiric touch ability to heal himself.

Now blinded, Thurl teleports away from the battle. As the knights fight back and the priests casts spells, Earl crushes one of the knights' skull in. Naga casts fireball, blasting all of the enemies along with Thorne. Whalerider and Daryle attack the other wall of force that blocks the staircase and manage to break through. At the same time, Thurl's delayed blast fireballs explode, killing the remaining Howling Hatred members and severely injuring Thorne. 

With the battle now over, Earl picks up the great horn hung on the wall behind the marble throne. He blows in it, which calls forth the djinni Daryle and her sister Darelle had previously encountered. The djinni is clearly unimpressed with a new master summoning him, and he inquires as to which favor his master would like to see accomplished. Earl looks at the djinni, and immediately wishes that the djinni would grant him the ability to free him. The djinni tells him what words should be said to free him, and Earl utters them. The djinni, visibly relieved, bows low to the monk, then departs the Material Plane in a puff of blue smoke.

The party takes a breath before discussing what to do next. Should they return to Red Larch to check on the threat of releasing an orb of destruction Aerisi's minions had made? Should they pursue their exploration of the tunnels leading either towards the Black Earth or the Crushing Wave? Should they continue investigating how Thorne and Dhukhean were transported away from Tyar-Besil?
 Coopers decide to head towards the section of Tyar-Besil controlled by the Crushing Wave, the only of the four cults they have yet to overtly confront.

Once again they pass through the heavy iron door, and enter a residential section of Tyar-Besil.After about two miles of travel through endless ruins of houses that have been thoroughly looted over the ages, the party finds itself in front of a similar iron door. This one is covered in graffiti left by Howling Hatred cultists. Thorne takes a quick look at the heavy lock, grabs his tools, and picks the lock opened. Carefully pushing the door, they come into a short tunnel leading to another commercial area of Tyar-Besil.

This area is well traveled here, and Daryle easily finds footsteps on the floor leading away from this room. Thorne enters one of the rooms, and is ambushed by bugbears wearing uniforms of the Crushing Wave. He attempts to convince them he's from the Crushing Wave, but he accidentally insults them, and they slash at the rogue. He runs away back to his party, closely followed by two of the bugbears. Seeing the large group, the lead bugbear yells to the others behind him to get reinforcements.

As the battle rages, a large bearded man with lightning shooting out of a missing eye joins the fray with six other cultists. Earl yells that it's all a misunderstanding, that he and the party are agents of the Crushing Wave who have infiltrated the Black Earth and were reporting back. The fighting subsides, and Thorne is eventually able to convince Morbeoth to take them to the Crushing Wave leadership.

Accompanied by heavily armed guards, the Coopers cross two bridges and enter a large room currently converted into the Temple of Elemental Water, where a religious service is taking place. Darelle, Naga, Ruddy and Daryle recognize one of the men at the front of the room as Joliver Grimsaw, the man in charge of Rivergard Keep.

When the service concludes, the party is escorted to the altar, where they are confronted by Gar Shatterkeel, prophet of the Crushing Wave. Grimsaw recognizes them as agents he sent to attack the Eternal Flame earlier in the year. They report their exploits and how they destroyed the tower, only to find themselves underground in an epic struggle with the Howling Hatred. Thorne mentions that the cultists of the Howling Hatred have captured a dwarf and are bleeding him in their ultimate redoubt.

After a lengthy conversation, Gar Shatterkeel agrees to outfit the Coopers and provide them with shock troops and directions to infiltrate the Howling Hatred once again, free the dwarf, and bring him to the Crushing Wave. The Coopers begin their preparations...

Fighting the Howling Hatred

Pharast 22, 4713, part 1

After a restful night spent in the Great Hall, the Coopers wake up and prepare a hearty breakfast. Now healed and ready for more adventure, they take the barricade apart and pursue their exploration of Tyar-Besil. They return to the marketplace, looking inside every doorway to make sure enemies are not waiting for them. Ruddy returns to one of the doors they haven't yet opened. He carefully listens, but hears nothing. Slowly, the gnome pushes the door open, revealing the forge. Rubble covers most of the floor, and all that remains are an anvil weighing over 800 pounds, and a set of large bellows broken beyond repair. In one of the corners, he spots Thorne covered in chains and gagged.

Having disappeared a few hours earlier, the rogue is bloodied and exhausted. After his long trip to the sacrificial stone where he last saw Dhukhean tied and left bleeding to death, Thorne was transported back to this room by several cultists who discussed among themselves Aerisi Kalinoth's plans to release an orb of destruction in Red Larch. Though the thugs were whispering among themselves, Thorne was fairly certain that this was all a performance directed at him.

Ruddy ungags the rogue. Thorne tells him about Aerisi Kalinoth's plans with the orb of destruction. The gnome is concerned, but, with Thorne's assessment, assumes the threat was made to get them to leave Tyar-Besil. Nevertheless, Ruddy shares this information with the rest of the Coopers. After a short conversation, the party decides to continue their exploration.

Entering a large room, they find that an enormous purple worm once chewed its way through the floor, but was felled by dwarves. The dead worm's skeleton remains lodged in the ground, providing access to a tunnel heading further underground. Earl and Naga climb down the tunnel, and walk for over six miles, slowly dropping deeper into the earth, until they make the decision to return back to Tyar-Besil.

Continuing their exploration, Daryle and Darelle come upon a djinni carving a stone pillar. He looks mightily displeased to be here, but appears to be performing an assigned task. He tells the sisters that finding the horn will grant him his freedom.

At the same time and pursuing by now a patented Cooper policy of exploring multiple areas with significant distances between them at once, Whalerider  heads towards a tunnel heading north, only to stumble upon a patrol of bugbears wearing the livery of the Black Earth. He makes an expeditious retreat, meets up with Ruddy, and the two of them quickly dispatch the bugbears. Returning from their exploration, Daryle suggests building a barricade in the tunnel to prevent access to Black Earth patrols. The Coopers quickly do so, and proceed to return near their original entry point into Tyar-Besil.

Carefully walking into a hallway heading east, they arrive near another door. Ruddy listens to the door, hears nothing. Whalerider listens and hears stone on stone grinding. The catfolk opens the door quietly, and takes a look. Inside are two large wheels being spun by eight Howling Hatred initiates, who in turn are being whipped by two Howling Hatred priests. A quick conference among the Coopers, and they determine not to enter. Daryle spikes the spinning door shut, and the party moves on.

Returning from their escapade in the tunnel, Naga and Earl come across the body of Whalerider's dead cat. It has been slain by several arrows, and Naga recognizes the fletching as being Daryle's. They track the Coopers down, and encounter them as they stand by a heavy iron door barred on their side. Whalerider listens to the door, but he hears nothing. He attempts to pick the locks, but fails miserably. Thorne steps up and uses his great tools, but he too fails and breaks his favorite lockpick. Ruddy smashes the locks, but notices that there are traps placed on the door. Earl goes through the door and doesn't trigger the trap. On the other side are several signs displaying warnings that this is Howling Hatred territories, but they have been angrily defaced. Earl returns to his side and reports what he saw. Naga angrily returns the arrows to Daryle. The ranger is confused as to how her arrows could have killed the cat.

Returning to the Great Hall, they are confronted by none other than Thurl Merosska and his Howling Hatred accomplices. The battle begins in earnest, with a similar strategy once encountered by the Coopers on the previous day when the Howling Hatred priests used walls of forces to effectively split the party apart. Can the Coopers survive such a concentrated assault?

Of shops and cultists

Pharast 21, 4713, part 3

The Coopers enter the great hall and find no trace of the enemy they sought to surprise. Instead, they find carbon scoring on the ground and the outline of a toasted dwarf, but no trace of their dwarf friend Dhukhean or of the rogue Thorne can be found. Ruddy scoops up some of the ashes on the ground and bottles them with the hope that he can eventually return them to Dhukhean's dwarven clan. He then urinates on what' left of the ashes. Regrouping, the Coopers say a short prayer for the fallen dwarf, and after an appropriate moment of silence, they exit the great hall and continue their exploration of the Howling Hatred's underground lair.

Returning to the statue of Moradin where Ruddy and Darelle were attacked, the party take the opportunity to explore the area. They find themselves in what were previously shops, but now stand only as ruined spaces that have been thoroughly looted. The party splits up, and search various of the shops. Naga enters what once was a jewelry store and finds a large dwarven golden brooch the size of a fist with an inlaid sapphire the size of a large egg. Daryle enters the bakery and discovers a cast iron bread pan among the rubble. The pan is surprising light and appears to be in excellent condition despite the years since the collapse of Tyar-Besil. Ruddy opens the door to what was the tailor's shop. He is immediately surprised to see a cloaker rising from a fresh cadaver. The cloaker launches itself at the gnome and attempts to affect him with stupor, but Ruddy runs out of the room and takes position by the door, ready to ambush the creature as it comes out. More interested in feeding, however, the cloaker returns to his victim and continues to feed.

Heading west, Naga enters a large cavern with numerous above-ground stone graves, all of them inscribed with elaborate dwarven relief carvings showing scenes of daily life and heroic deeds. His arrival attracts the attention of seven very hungry ghouls and rush the tiefling. To defend himself, he casts fireball and incinerates all of them, leaving only ashes behind. Quickly searching the area, he finds the mostly devoured corpse of a Howling Hatred cultist.

Exiting the cemetery, Naga retraces his steps and finds Ruddy in a fighting stance. Ruddy explains what he found inside the tailor's shop, and it takes very little convincing for Naga to follow the gnome back inside, making quick work of the cloaker. Ruddy then examines the dead corpse, which is dressed like a pirate and not like any of the cultists they have encountered so far. He finds a finely crafted purple wood tobacco box, with very fine smelling tobacco inside of it. He pockets it. Then both he and Naga notice heavy purring coming from above.

Watching through a large hole in the upper wall, Surmont Whalerider and his cat observe the scene carefully. Whalerider and his acquaintance Paul, both of them sailors, found themselves in Red Larch when they ran into the Coopers at the Swinging Sword Inn. Recognizing the Cooper sisters from a previous trip they had taken aboard his ship, the Last Song a few years back in the River Kingdom, he decided to follow them around and see what they were up to. Tracking them to the Shrine of the Tender Oath, they sneaked inside the monastery a few minutes behind the Coopers, located the secret access point to the staircase descending to Tyar-Besil, managed to follow the Coopers through it before it closed and without any of them noticing, then down the stairs and through through the first battle with the featherbeaks, only splitting away when the wyvern and its rider came out to battle. Paul and Whalerider ran in the opposite direction, managed to avoid all of the cultists guarding the dungeon and the other members of the Coopers, and sneaked into the tailor's shop, only to be ambushed by a hungry cloaker. Paul was immediately stunned, but Whalerider and his cat managed to escape and climb up to the second floor of the leather goods shop next door. He'd been pondering what to do when Naga and Ruddy showed up. Now his cat has betrayed him by purring loudly.

In the hallway next to the leather goods shop, Daryle also hears the purring. The entire facade of this store has collapsed in a pile of rubble, revealing the interior. The ranger pulls out some jerky from her backpack and calls the cat to her. The kitty jumps from the second floor and comes to the ranger. It bats at the jerky once, before taking it in his mouth. Realizing that he is in a precarious position as Naga climbs the wall in the tailor's shop, Whalerider hides in a corner. Naga walks right by him and reaches the edge of the shop's second floor. Spotting Daryle, Naga comes down and pets the kitty. Ruddy also climbs the wall, but he is more perceptive than the tiefling and he spots a humanoid cloaked in darkness in the corner. He throws three daggers in the stranger's direction. Hiding his face behind a cloak, and with his eyes glowing, Whalerider performs a panache by blocking Ruddy's attack, and lands in the hallway a floor below. The Coopers pull their weapons out and assume a fighting stance.

Whalerider removes his cloak and reveals he's a catfolk, triggering Ruddy's cat allergy. Whalerider explains that he acquired his name because his family were fresh water fishermen. When he was old enough he joined a fishing crew, but he wanted to explore more than the region around their home. He joined a seawater fishing crew and headed out to sea. On one of those voyages, he spotted a whale, swam to it, and rode it by grabbing on to it with his catfolk claws, thus acquiring his name. The pirate explains that he and his friend Paul were following the party because they wanted to join them.

Reluctantly, the Coopers agree to let the swashbuckler join them in their exploration of the Howling Hatred's base. Looking into the remaining shops, Whalerider finds a magical loom which has clearly not been affected by the passage of time. Large piles of broken weapons and debris indicate that many have attempted to break it apart but have all failed.

Entering the Hall of Feasts, Naga is surprised to find five cultists and two priests, all wearing the distinctive clothes of the Howling Hatred. The priests had heard the commotion in the hallway, and had prepared an ambush. Naga is attacked, but he manages to alert the other Coopers. All of them enter the room from the many doors and engage the cultists. Darelle is paralyzed by a priest who manages to escape, but the remaining cultists are killed by the party. With the threat eliminated, the Coopers regroup and return to the Great Hall. They barricade the doors, and ready themselves to spend the rest of the night so they can recuperate..

The Coopers encounter their first Prophet

Pharast 21, 4713, part 2

As the distant chorus resumes its dreadful hymn, the Coopers continue their exploration of the Howling Hatred Temple. Turning a corner, they see the swiftly flowing river on their left a water fall dropping beyond view, with a roar almost covering the hymn. The path continues and meets two stone doors on the east side.

Dhukhean checks the stone doors for any dwarven markings, and he finds an antique dwarven script that indicates this room to be the great hall. Thorne steps to one of the door, oils the central pole, and quietly pushes it open. The great hall's ceiling is over twenty feet tall, and is supported by large stone pillars on both side. In the middle is a central pit from which blows a hurricane-force wind, moving upwards and disappearing in a similarly-sized opening in the ceiling. On the other side of the pit stand seven humans wearing Howling Hatred vestments. Four of them are cloaked in a light blue cape and wear feather masks covering most of their faces.

Howling Hatred Hurricanes

Two more individuals wear armor and stand behind the central figure, clearly a Howling Hatred priest. He faces the wind blowing from the pit, and thought the roars of the wind are so loud nothing else can be heard, he is clearly conducting some sort of religious service. Behind them are two stately stair cases, which climb past the great hall's ceiling.

Howling Hatred Priest

Thorne enters the room and stealthily hides behind a pillar. Daryle follows him and takes point on the other side, followed by Ruddy. Dhukhean assumes the rear but remains outside. Naga, Earl and Darelle, for their part, noticed the double stone doors behind the cultists on the other side of the great hall and decide to circle back on the path and take the enemy by surprise.

Ruddy shoots an arrow, hitting one of the initiates, quickly followed by Daryle. Thorne maneuvers himself and stabs another one of the initiates. Alerted to their presence, the cultists assume a combat position. Two of the initiates charge Thorne, while one of the Hurricanes casts a spell and creates a wall of force separating the room in two. The priest moves towards Thorne and casts hold person, paralyzing the rogue. The remaining cultists assume a fighting position next to the wall of force, ready to strike when the wall collapses.

Seeing this turn of events, Dhukhean opens the door with a flourish, hoping to attract the cult's attention, and walks to the wall of force, hitting it as hard as he can. It doesn't make a dent. Concentrating, the dwarf swings again, and this time he notices some of the magical energy is dissipated and the wall wobbles a bit. Encouraged, the dwarf continues to hit it, while the initiates on the other side make rude gestures at him strongly implying that his mother was nothing more than a lilly-livered slate-carving dung-eating pebble. In the back, both Hurricanes have been performing arcane motions, but Dhukhean is not able to decipher their meaning.

Sensing the futility of attempting to penetrate the wall, Daryle and Ruddy decide to follow the other group and round the great hall, use the back entrance and surprise the priest and his acolytes. They exit the great hall and turn right, heading north.

In the great hall, Thorne is roughly grabbed by two initiates, and he is carried up the stairs, followed by the priest. The two Hurricanes move back, then as Dhukhean strikes the wall of force one more time, it shatters on impact. The dwarf barely has time to enjoy his success, however, before he is engulfed in two delayed blast fireballs and one fireball, all cast at the center of the room. A well-toasted Dhukhean, his beard singed, falls to the floor, unconscious.

Meanwhile, even before the confrontation in the great hall begun, Naga, Earl and Darelle traversed the bridge and headed east, rounding the corner and seeing the east doors of the great hall. Unfortunately, sitting on top of a pillar bridge stood a large purple wyvern and its rider, clad in metal garb. Darelle sends a tree token to inform her sister Daryle they are being attacked by a wyvern and therefore will be delayed.  

Naga is the first to react, and he casts phantasmal killer at the rider and the wyvern. The fear is too much for the rider, who falls to his death in the lake. The wyvern, however is unaffected and immediately swoops down from the pillar, striking the tiefling. Earl the monk, almost as if he was someone completely different during this encounter, suddenly lose his monk abilities and acquires sorcerous powers. He casts black tentacles on the wyvern, which gets entangled, while Darelle summons a griffon that attacks the wyvern, and launches her own strikes against it. The lizard manages to free itself, and the combat continues. Naga is thrown in the fast-moving waters, but flies out and lands on the path again, only to be struck by the wyvern. Earl becomes invisible, casts form of the dragon II on himself, and attacks the wyvern. Turning away from the tiefling, the wyvern strikes at Earl's dragon form, and the two become entangled. A few good hits finally finish the wyvern off, and it falls on the bridge. Naga emerges from his rage and drops to the floor, too winded to do much of anything else.

Emerging from the great hall, Daryle receives her sister's message. Turning the corner, she and Ruddy run into a patrol of two initiates, a Howling Hatred priest, and one of the bird men. They were already on the move, attracted by the sounds of battle on the other bridge. They instead divert their attention to the ranger and the gnome.

Howling Hatred Featherbeaks

Ruddy and Daryle fire their weapons and manage to knock the two acolytes into the river, and they are soon swallowed by the water fall. The Howling Hatred priest and the featherbeak, however, are not so easily dealt with. The priest casts plague storm but it has no effect on the gnome and the ranger, while the featherbeak charges the two of them. Violent combat continues for a few minutes, but eventually the Coopers are triumphant. Daryle loots the priest's body, while Ruddy searches the dead featherbeak. This accomplished, they pursue the path around the outside of the great hall. Daryle turns the corner and proudly holds up the priest's feather mask, only to see the dead wyren draped over the bridge, and her friends taking a well-deserved rest.

While most of the Coopers recover by the great hall, Thorne is carried to a large room. The floor of this room features an extensive map of the Sumber Hills, showing the location of Tyar-Besil as well as several other cities within the dwarven kingdom of Belsimer. Sitting on a marble throne at the end of the chamber is a beautiful winged elf maiden, holding a elegantly crafted spear in her right hand. The initiates slap heavy magical irons on the rogue's hands and legs, binding them. Releasing the hold person spell, she welcomes Thorne by name, and thanks him for bringing her the dwarf. She informs the rogue she sees great potential in a profitable relationship between him and her. Thorne thanks her, and inquires what that might be. She tells she she will show him. First, she asks her Howling Hatred Priest to secure Dhukhean. The priest walks over, and drops a small blue fluorite of slumber on the dwarf's chest. The initiates pick up the dwarf with difficulty, while the Hurricane guides the rogue down the stairs, into the pit where the wind has inexplicably changed directions, and through a system of caves.

Aerisi Kalinoth, Prophet of Elemental Air

Thus, a chained Thorne and an unconscious Dhukhean are brought to the altar of the Howling Hatred caves. While still in his bindings Thorne is chained to the floor about 30 feet away from the altar, while Dhukhean is laid on top of the altar. As Aerisi walks away, she whispers to the rogue that his contribution to the success of the Howling Hatred will be to assist her in opening the portal to release Yan-C-Bin from his elemental prison ...