Showing posts with label Tarrin Dars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tarrin Dars. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Troglodytes and their God Box - NOT DONE

Arodus 20, 4711

In the last month,  Darelle worked with Dr. Mordel. She has realized that the good doctor has not left his house in the 35 years he's lived in Fort Inevitable. She first suspects he might be a vampire, but he's up and about his house during the day. She finally decides to ask him why, but he's very evasive about it. Meanwhile, she acquires more healing skills. Strangely, four people came through Dr. Mordel's clinic with slash and gash wounds, and one of them even had to remain hidden in the basement.

Roscoe was occupied with several patrols that took him all the way to Mosswater. Over the last few months, tax monies have disappeared from the Hellknights' Chancellery, and several empty chests were discovered in the ruins of the abandoned town, and they believe that more have been buried in the swamp.

Daryle has been busy hunting goblins and training her wolf to hunt with her.


Arodus 21, 4711

Business has kept the Coopers away from the Emerald Spire for the last month, but now that all siblings are back in Fort Inevitable with some downtime, they decide to head back and finally deal with Tarrin Dars. After an uneventful trip through the underground tunnels, the Coopers carefully enter the Splinterden. They make their way towards the temple, and Thorne takes a peak inside. Tarrin is gone. Inside, all that remains is her dessicated corpse lying atop a pile of finely grained black sand. The large fake book Words Behind the Mask by the god Norgurber, god of thieves and murder still lays open on the table. Daryle takes a quick look and determines that it is opened to a summoning ritual.

Darelle decides they must destroy the book, even if it is fake. They burn it on the altar along with the candles and the remaining tools, then they decide to proceed down to the next level.


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

What happens when your water gets poisoned?

Erastus 12, 4711

Having poisoned the Splinter Cutthroat gang well the previous day, the Coopers head out to the Emerald Spire early in the morning, and arrive through the tunnel into the 3rd level of the Spire. The stench that floats throughout the level is foul, and there are piles of feces everywhere.

Thorne peaks in the temple room, and notices that Tarrin Dars is still at the altar, poring through
Words Behind the Mask by the god Norgurber. However, there are now three silver chalices on each corner of the altar. A strange dark liquid fills each chalice. Thorne carefully closes the door, and the Coopers move on.

In the first room they discover five sepulchers. Four of the tombs have portraits sculpted on their lids, while the fifth is bound by large iron chains. After opening each tomb, Gerald brags the skull of the skeleton laying in it. In the fourth tomb, that of an Azlant lady, Gerald discovers a small rosewood box which smells very nice. Inside he discovers one intact bottle of perfume, with another bottle that shattered a long time ago. On both the box and bottles is a crest of a dog sitting with a muffin on its nose. Gerald vaguely remembers reading somewhere that this crest was that of the Tyral family, a rebellious family who was part of a plot to assassinate the Azlant king 10,000 years ago. The Coopers decide at this time not to open the fifth tomb, especially since they can hear nails scratching the inside of the lid. Daryle discovers something intriguing, however.  On both 2nd and 3rd levels, the Coopers have found ancient Azlant tombs from eons ago, in a place so removed from Azlant it might as well have been at the end of the world. Why would there be so many Azlant nobles buried here?

The Coopers move through the various room, killing the disabled thieves they find along the way. Darelle's poison was very effective and debilitated the entire gang. In the main corridor they come upon the thieves' stash of stolen goods. All in all, there are about 900 crowns' worth of textiles, spirits, fine tools, crafting woods, and iron ore. They plan on selling this cargo to the merchants when they return to Fort Inevitable at the end of the season.

In the thieves' dining room the Coopers fight and slay Dars' lieutenant. Darelle discovers 11 pieces of dishes belonging to eight prominent families in Fort Inevitable. The Coopers take the dishes and carefully pack them away. Gerald, continuing his creepy trend of collecting heads, also remove the lieutenant's head.

In a large cell block they attack and kill a human who was busy whipping a small hafling before being rudely interrupted. That hafling turns out to be Shim Longbranch, a ranger from Dimsdale the Coopers encountered a few months ago. Shim had been out on a hunt when he was captured by the thieves and brought back to the Spire, where he had been experimented upon by Dars' alchemist. But now that evil man laid dead on the floor. The Coopers invite Shim to follow them, which he does after freeing all of the animals inside the other cells.

In the lieutenant's room they discover two journals he had been keeping about his evil deeds around Fort Inevitable. They also discover the armory, so armed with blunt weapon they return to the tomb with the iron chains and, after opening it, they kill the wight that was prisoner. Only Tarrin Dars remains...

Upon returning to Fort Inevitable the Coopers return the stolen plates and the head of Dars' lieutenant to Maralictor Wirt, who thanks them for their dedication and award them 75 crowns for the lieutenant's head.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Fooling the Splinters

Erastus 7, 4711

Returned from the Spire following their recent trip where Gerald was lost, Roscoe, Darelle and Daryle gather in Roscoe’s dwelling above the Juliver Arms. They have left messages for Thorne in all of his haunts, urging him to find them there so they can share the bad news about Gerald.

In the wee hours of the night, Thorne finally arrives. He reveals he is aware that Gerald has been taken prisoner by the brigands and will be turned over to Klarkosh in the morning. 

Gerald is currently the captive of the Splinters Cutthroat Gang, a group that dwells on the 3rdlevel of the Emerald Spire. They are led by Tarrin Dars, and she is always looking for old books. Thorne happens to know that she would most likely trade Gerald for a grimoire called Words Behind the Mask by the god Norgurber, god of thieves and murder. Thorne also happens to know that Abernard Royst, one of Gerald’s mentors and the local sage, owns a copy of this book.

 
Erastus 8, 4711 

The Coopers thus head to Abernards house and rouse the old sage from his bed. After a short exchange, he lets them in his house. A small cottage on the outside, Abernards home is larger on the inside. In the discussions that ensue, Abernard denies owning a copy of this heretical book, and he stirs the Cooperstowards creating an illusory copy instead. Identical to the actual item, the book will furthermore be implanted with a suggestion and be guarded with various spells that will provide evocation, abjuration and evil. For all intents and purposes, this book will look exactly like the original.

Armed with the book, the Coopers head out back to the Spire and enter through a little-used tunnel leading about 1.5 miles through the underground into the 3rdlevel of the Spire. Led by Thorne, they arrive at the Splinters’ headquarters. Thorne connects with Tarrin, and strikes a bargain with her to exchange the book for Gerald. The trade is performed, and the party leaves with Gerald, but not before Thorne suggests to Tarrin that “he is important to Norgurber and he must be listened to.” Tarrin seems to fall for the suggestion. She immediately begins perusing through the book. Thorne departs the temple where Tarrin was worshiping and informs Maskus, her lieutenant that she is not to be disturbed for the next three days, even if Klarkosh comes to collect the prisoner.

During the trek back home the Coopers discuss the possibility of returning to the Spire with another person looking like Gerald and passing it as him.

The Coopers return to Fort Inevitable and deliver Gerald to the tender care of Dr. Mordel. Thorne goes to visit Karlyle the Butcher and manages to secure a captive. It turns out that Karlyle has recently come into possession of a priest of the Living God, and he matches Gerald’s description fairly well. 

Karlyle delivers the priest to an abandoned shed outside the walls of Fort Inevitable, and the Coopers take the man in a wheelbarrow back to the Splinters. Maskus is confused at first, but when Thorne recounts how he conned Gerald’s friends and captured him again, he is pleased. He informs Thorne that Klarkosh has not yet come by, but it is not uncommon for him to be days or weeks late. Guards come and take the priest away. 

Thorne returns inside the temple to talk to Tarrin, and he realizes that she has gone the deep end. The suggestion spell combined with the illusory ritual book, has worked too well, and now Tarrin is busy studying the book to discover the ritual she needs to bring Norgurber back by opening a portal. Thorne decides to leave her, but as he exits he pretends to have been sent on an errand from the Splinters' leader. 

He informs members of the gang that he must go and count the treasure of gold to see if Tarrin has enough to cast the ritual. The guards laugh and point at the door next to the Temple. Thorne opens the door, then enters. The guards begin placing bets. Suddenly the bed rises and a Gold Golem attacks. The Coopers join in the battle, but after an unequal battle they are forced to escape. Fortunately, in the battle and the gambling that ensued they were able to grab eight precious books off Tarrin's shelves: 
  1. The Dreams of the Gods
  2. Twilight's Burning Ceremonies
  3. The Vacant Prophecies
  4. The Mind's Voyages
  5. The Discord of Night Swords
  6. The Sons of Darkness
  7. The Spiritual Flames
  8. Grod's Erotic Orcish Poetry 
Armed with a wheel barrel filled with these books, the Coopers headed back to Fort Inevitable.