Post by hubertbartels on Mar 6, 2022 14:57:47 GMT -5
NYR08 – The road to Rel Mord
In the last days of the year, 592, the Countess of Midmeadow made her plans to travel to Nyrond’s capital, Rel Mord, to attend the annual Winter Court. As heroes having defeated Scardos and sent his wizard, Jovian, running, we were encouraged to come along. The Countess offered to buy us fine clothes and other things if we dressed in her colors. Some of us took up her offer, Aerwyn decided that she’d be better off dressing herself and turned her down.
Wolfram, our halfling rogue, stayed behind in Midmeadow. Accompanying us instead was an man, about 5’10”, who was a friend of Gideon. We had met him in Midmeadow, dressed in baggy clothes and looking quite ordinary as he prepared to paint each of us as requested by the Countess. His name was Kerwin and there were rumors that he was an agent of the Grey Seer.
It was a cold and crisp morning as the Countess’ entourage rode out from Midmeadow. In addition to the Great Wagons carrying the Countess and her retainers, there were several wagons with her equipment and tents, a troop of mounted knights and her servants. Aerwyn was mounted on a cob while her party members were mounted on their horses. With the Great Wagons, the progress of the Countess was slow – but at least, we were well guarded.
The road south was poorly maintained but it was the primary road to the north. We arrived in the walled city of Borneven in a little over two weeks. Another ten days brought us to Hendrenn Halgood, a walled city of 14,000 people. And eight days of travel saw us in Mowbrenn. We rested a few days in the city, the County Seat of 20,000 people before undertaking the longest stage of our journey to Rel Mord. It was another twenty days on the road before we crossed the Dunstide River and rode into the capital. Aerwyn swore to herself that she would learn teleport magic before spending that much time on the road.
Skirting the poorer Westside of town, we rode up to the Royal Palace. Once inside, we were guided across several courtyards before arriving at the rooms set aside for the Countess of Midmeadow. We’ve arrived early – there were several days before the Winter Court opened. The others decided to go out into Rel Mord to gather information. Aerwyn spread her stuff across the small room assigned to her and Saphy and rested. Dunkin gave each of us, a coin, marked in a unique way, to locate us if we should happen to go missing.
That evening, when the evening feast is spread, she dressed and went down to the Great Hall. We were seated with the Countess above the salt cellar. After the king dined, he left. The after-dinner entertainers entered the Great Hall – and while they were trying to amuse the gathered nobles, a young man slipped in beside us and whispered that the Grey Seer would like to see us, the heroes of Midmeadow. He expects us at 10ish at the apartments of the Grey Seer.
The next morning, Aerwyn and the others were at the doors of the apartment. She was nervous because the Grey Seer was a powerful mage and an unknown power. The young man opened the doors and showed us to a spread of meats, eggs, fruits and wine. As we were enjoying the brunch, the Grey Seer entered the room. He introduced himself as Arnold and invited us to tell of our experiences with the Cult of Iuz in Midmeadow. The Grey Seer added that it was rumored that there was a temple to Iuz in Rel Mord. They had searched for a long time but have no luck in finding it.
“Which is why I’ve asked you to come to see me”, he added. The Grey Seer wanted us to use our reputation in defeating the Cult of Iuz in Midmeadow, our fighting skills and our investigations to force the Rel Mord cultists to act against us. Once they made their move and exposed themselves, the Grey Seer would be able to find their hiding places. We agreed to help him.
After brunch, Gideon, Dunkin and Sir Thabo go off to search Rel Mord for hidden vaults. They theorized that the Iuz worshipers were using some long abandoned underground vault to practice their foul rituals. They came up with four locations.
We started with an old abandoned temple of Pholtus. The original structure was long gone and the place where it once stood was covered by an open market, surrounded by an arcade of shops, the open riverfront and a large new hotel.
Gideon used his powers to talk to the local rats. They told of a large open area that feels cold. The rats avoid it. They also spoke of stronger, larger rats that talk to them and ask them of what they saw and smelled. We guess they are talking of were-rats.
In searching the empty market place, our eyes ran across a small building at the edge of the row of shops. The front of the building was decorated with a fading image of a frog or toad – or a man resembling a frog or toad. Gideon went inside and learned that the place was a small temple to Wastri, the Suel demi-god of Amphibians, Bigotry and Self-Deception. The young woman attending the temple asked Gideon if he had come for a divination. Gideon said yes. The young woman went upstairs and returned with an old man. The old man, the priest of Wastri, warned that the divination might not tell everything but Gideon asked him to proceed. The temple to Wastri had been in that location for a long time – long enough that Gideon learned of the temple’s true location before it was razed.
We returned to the palace to get ready for the evening feast. The next day, Gideon returned to the small temple of Wastri to receive the divination.
“Servants of the Old One lie hidden below,
through gates into shadow, they go to and fro.
Beyond warded walls, the sanctum lies hidden,
dwellers in darkness beyond the guarded midden.”
Back at the palace, we brought the divination and what we had learned to the Grey Seer. He was very interested in the divination and what the rats told Gideon. The Grey Seer warned us about the vaults below the market place, saying that what the rats were talking about was probably a powerful undead; the temple of Pholtus had been known to lay their dead in their underground vaults. As for the divination, the Cult of Iuz had probably warded their secrets again most of the clergy in Rel Mord. They had not worried about small temples like that of Wastri. Now that we had a clue to move ahead on, the old priest might be danger from the Iuz worshipers. Gideon decided to return to the market place and warn the old priest.
Later, pondering the words of the divination, someone decided that the guarded midden sounded like something that might be guarded by an otyugh. Duncan was going to scan the city of Rel Mord for otyughs.
In the last days of the year, 592, the Countess of Midmeadow made her plans to travel to Nyrond’s capital, Rel Mord, to attend the annual Winter Court. As heroes having defeated Scardos and sent his wizard, Jovian, running, we were encouraged to come along. The Countess offered to buy us fine clothes and other things if we dressed in her colors. Some of us took up her offer, Aerwyn decided that she’d be better off dressing herself and turned her down.
Wolfram, our halfling rogue, stayed behind in Midmeadow. Accompanying us instead was an man, about 5’10”, who was a friend of Gideon. We had met him in Midmeadow, dressed in baggy clothes and looking quite ordinary as he prepared to paint each of us as requested by the Countess. His name was Kerwin and there were rumors that he was an agent of the Grey Seer.
It was a cold and crisp morning as the Countess’ entourage rode out from Midmeadow. In addition to the Great Wagons carrying the Countess and her retainers, there were several wagons with her equipment and tents, a troop of mounted knights and her servants. Aerwyn was mounted on a cob while her party members were mounted on their horses. With the Great Wagons, the progress of the Countess was slow – but at least, we were well guarded.
The road south was poorly maintained but it was the primary road to the north. We arrived in the walled city of Borneven in a little over two weeks. Another ten days brought us to Hendrenn Halgood, a walled city of 14,000 people. And eight days of travel saw us in Mowbrenn. We rested a few days in the city, the County Seat of 20,000 people before undertaking the longest stage of our journey to Rel Mord. It was another twenty days on the road before we crossed the Dunstide River and rode into the capital. Aerwyn swore to herself that she would learn teleport magic before spending that much time on the road.
Skirting the poorer Westside of town, we rode up to the Royal Palace. Once inside, we were guided across several courtyards before arriving at the rooms set aside for the Countess of Midmeadow. We’ve arrived early – there were several days before the Winter Court opened. The others decided to go out into Rel Mord to gather information. Aerwyn spread her stuff across the small room assigned to her and Saphy and rested. Dunkin gave each of us, a coin, marked in a unique way, to locate us if we should happen to go missing.
That evening, when the evening feast is spread, she dressed and went down to the Great Hall. We were seated with the Countess above the salt cellar. After the king dined, he left. The after-dinner entertainers entered the Great Hall – and while they were trying to amuse the gathered nobles, a young man slipped in beside us and whispered that the Grey Seer would like to see us, the heroes of Midmeadow. He expects us at 10ish at the apartments of the Grey Seer.
The next morning, Aerwyn and the others were at the doors of the apartment. She was nervous because the Grey Seer was a powerful mage and an unknown power. The young man opened the doors and showed us to a spread of meats, eggs, fruits and wine. As we were enjoying the brunch, the Grey Seer entered the room. He introduced himself as Arnold and invited us to tell of our experiences with the Cult of Iuz in Midmeadow. The Grey Seer added that it was rumored that there was a temple to Iuz in Rel Mord. They had searched for a long time but have no luck in finding it.
“Which is why I’ve asked you to come to see me”, he added. The Grey Seer wanted us to use our reputation in defeating the Cult of Iuz in Midmeadow, our fighting skills and our investigations to force the Rel Mord cultists to act against us. Once they made their move and exposed themselves, the Grey Seer would be able to find their hiding places. We agreed to help him.
After brunch, Gideon, Dunkin and Sir Thabo go off to search Rel Mord for hidden vaults. They theorized that the Iuz worshipers were using some long abandoned underground vault to practice their foul rituals. They came up with four locations.
We started with an old abandoned temple of Pholtus. The original structure was long gone and the place where it once stood was covered by an open market, surrounded by an arcade of shops, the open riverfront and a large new hotel.
Gideon used his powers to talk to the local rats. They told of a large open area that feels cold. The rats avoid it. They also spoke of stronger, larger rats that talk to them and ask them of what they saw and smelled. We guess they are talking of were-rats.
In searching the empty market place, our eyes ran across a small building at the edge of the row of shops. The front of the building was decorated with a fading image of a frog or toad – or a man resembling a frog or toad. Gideon went inside and learned that the place was a small temple to Wastri, the Suel demi-god of Amphibians, Bigotry and Self-Deception. The young woman attending the temple asked Gideon if he had come for a divination. Gideon said yes. The young woman went upstairs and returned with an old man. The old man, the priest of Wastri, warned that the divination might not tell everything but Gideon asked him to proceed. The temple to Wastri had been in that location for a long time – long enough that Gideon learned of the temple’s true location before it was razed.
We returned to the palace to get ready for the evening feast. The next day, Gideon returned to the small temple of Wastri to receive the divination.
“Servants of the Old One lie hidden below,
through gates into shadow, they go to and fro.
Beyond warded walls, the sanctum lies hidden,
dwellers in darkness beyond the guarded midden.”
Back at the palace, we brought the divination and what we had learned to the Grey Seer. He was very interested in the divination and what the rats told Gideon. The Grey Seer warned us about the vaults below the market place, saying that what the rats were talking about was probably a powerful undead; the temple of Pholtus had been known to lay their dead in their underground vaults. As for the divination, the Cult of Iuz had probably warded their secrets again most of the clergy in Rel Mord. They had not worried about small temples like that of Wastri. Now that we had a clue to move ahead on, the old priest might be danger from the Iuz worshipers. Gideon decided to return to the market place and warn the old priest.
Later, pondering the words of the divination, someone decided that the guarded midden sounded like something that might be guarded by an otyugh. Duncan was going to scan the city of Rel Mord for otyughs.