Post by hubertbartels on May 3, 2022 14:13:45 GMT -5
NYR08 – Cleaning up the Iuz Worshipers
It was with a feeling of accomplishment that we returned to our rooms in the Rel Mord palace; a good feeling with a few worrying after thoughts. So who summoned the demon that threatened us? Henri mentioned a wizard among the cultists of Iuz – who was it? Thanks to Herni’s description and a pencil sketch made by Kerwin, we know what the wizard looks like.
The next day, Gideon and Sir Thabo go to the Royal Library to research the summoning of the Canolith. They learn that the demonic masters of the mercenary Canolith require human souls to hire their services. Gideon – in the form of a blood hound – and Sir Thabo took a tour of the slaughterhouses and other places, looking for signs of recent human corpse remains.
Dunkin worked on the wizard’s familiar. Quasits are not common in large cities so doing a ‘Locate Creature’ on the demonic familiar should narrow the search. With Aerwyn’s assistance, Dunkin was able to narrow his search to an area along the riverfront with decaying grand houses and courts. As we proceeded into the district, we heard a child’s scream. We broke into a run to find an eight-year old child lying on her back. As Dunkin healed the child, Aerwyn noticed deep claw marks on the child’s back. When the child stood up, he told us that he was trying to retrieve his cat – something in the neighborhood had been killing all the cats.
When Gideon and the others came to our call, Gideon spoke to the local rats. The druid learned that someone had been leaving bodies in the sewers. The rat warned us about the weird kid that controlled rats and the place that the cats all watched. Then Gideon found one of the local cats and questioned her. The cat told Gideon that they watched the house for the Master’s Son. By the Master, she meant the Lord of the Cats. We could find the Master’s Son, busking in a nearby park.
Going to the park, we found a young half-elf playing a violin. He was surrounded by cats. When he stopped playing for a moment, we introduced ourselves and asked him about what the cat had told us. He replied that the cats were watching the house because there was a demon inside. His name was Valin, Valin the Busker, and with his friends, they had a band.
The cats had kept an careful eye on the house and who entered and left the house. Those that left, the cats had followed to their house or shop, making note of their location. Valin added that twice a week, all of the people gathered at the house. The next meeting would be tomorrow evening.
We asked Valin to continue keeping an eye on the house. We went around to a sewer entrance and descended into the tunnels and drains of Rel Mord. Gideon quickly found some fat rats that guided us to the place where the bodies could be found. Our journey ended at a makeshift grating wedged across the sewer tunnel. Bodies and the remains of bodies had washed up against the grating. Gideon asked the rats what was further up the sewer tunnel. They replied that there was another grating further along that blocked the hungry dead from entering the sewers. Sir Thabo examined the lower makeshift grating before wedging it tighter into the brickwork. Anyone fleeing the house would not be able to escape through the sewers.
The next evening, we met up with Valin. He had brought his band – Tombra, a half orc that played the drums, Goldara, a gnome and Cobalt, a tiefling that accompanied them on a silver flute. They reported that the regulars had entered the building.
The building was a free standing building of brick, three stories tall. We told Valin and his band to watch for anyone else entering or watching the place while we went in. Gideon sent a quick sending to the Grey Seer and we headed in. Aerwyn ‘knocked’ the front door, unlocking any lock. Behind the front door, we found a large lobby. There were the sounds of people coming from a room behind the lobby – perhaps a kitchen? Stepping on to the lobby’s carpet, we were attacked by the carpet suddenly animating while halberds ripped themselves from the wall. Dunkin cast a single spell, destroying most of the halberds and the people from the kitchen that had come out to take a look. Sir Thabo finished off the remaining halberd and the carpet.
Dunkin cast another spell, placing a Guardian Spirit at the foot of the stairs to watch for anyone coming from the upper floors while we went back to the kitchen. In the basement, we found seven more people including our missing wizard. One burly man, a warlock, looks like he might be the brother of the mage.
It’s a hard fight. We were hampered by the quasit’s continual counter spelling of our healing spells. The warlock was protected by a coating of ice. The other people down here had cantrips they used to attack us. But we finally dropped the wizard, cleared out the other people and killed the warlock. The quasit turned invisible and tried to leave by sneaking up the stairs. Saphy cast a ‘Shatter’ spell, killing the demonic familiar.
Searching the house afterwards, we find the wizard’s secret study. In the desk, we turn up the warlock’s book of names – people that had pledged themselves to Iuz. This book will be of interest to the Grey Seer. Aerwyn finds the wizard carried a Staff of Fire. Dunkin then used a ‘Speak with the Dead’ to try to learn where the high priest’s ‘Recall’ spell might have taken him. He learns of the secret shrine to Iuz at the Breton Farm. Next, he asks about other members of the cult of Iuz. Dunkin gets a list of names, including two knights of the realm that were not among the people we killed today. A further question turns up the name of their spy in the Rel Mord palace – Meriel, a maid on the second floor.
Meeting with the Grey Seer later that day, he warns us that Breton Farm might not be easy. Sir Breton has an influential uncle at court, a Lord Aisley. Lord Aisley would protect him from any accusations of Iuz worship. He can not move on the evidence we found so far – so we need to find proof of Sir Breton or Lord Aisley’s involvement.
It was with a feeling of accomplishment that we returned to our rooms in the Rel Mord palace; a good feeling with a few worrying after thoughts. So who summoned the demon that threatened us? Henri mentioned a wizard among the cultists of Iuz – who was it? Thanks to Herni’s description and a pencil sketch made by Kerwin, we know what the wizard looks like.
The next day, Gideon and Sir Thabo go to the Royal Library to research the summoning of the Canolith. They learn that the demonic masters of the mercenary Canolith require human souls to hire their services. Gideon – in the form of a blood hound – and Sir Thabo took a tour of the slaughterhouses and other places, looking for signs of recent human corpse remains.
Dunkin worked on the wizard’s familiar. Quasits are not common in large cities so doing a ‘Locate Creature’ on the demonic familiar should narrow the search. With Aerwyn’s assistance, Dunkin was able to narrow his search to an area along the riverfront with decaying grand houses and courts. As we proceeded into the district, we heard a child’s scream. We broke into a run to find an eight-year old child lying on her back. As Dunkin healed the child, Aerwyn noticed deep claw marks on the child’s back. When the child stood up, he told us that he was trying to retrieve his cat – something in the neighborhood had been killing all the cats.
When Gideon and the others came to our call, Gideon spoke to the local rats. The druid learned that someone had been leaving bodies in the sewers. The rat warned us about the weird kid that controlled rats and the place that the cats all watched. Then Gideon found one of the local cats and questioned her. The cat told Gideon that they watched the house for the Master’s Son. By the Master, she meant the Lord of the Cats. We could find the Master’s Son, busking in a nearby park.
Going to the park, we found a young half-elf playing a violin. He was surrounded by cats. When he stopped playing for a moment, we introduced ourselves and asked him about what the cat had told us. He replied that the cats were watching the house because there was a demon inside. His name was Valin, Valin the Busker, and with his friends, they had a band.
The cats had kept an careful eye on the house and who entered and left the house. Those that left, the cats had followed to their house or shop, making note of their location. Valin added that twice a week, all of the people gathered at the house. The next meeting would be tomorrow evening.
We asked Valin to continue keeping an eye on the house. We went around to a sewer entrance and descended into the tunnels and drains of Rel Mord. Gideon quickly found some fat rats that guided us to the place where the bodies could be found. Our journey ended at a makeshift grating wedged across the sewer tunnel. Bodies and the remains of bodies had washed up against the grating. Gideon asked the rats what was further up the sewer tunnel. They replied that there was another grating further along that blocked the hungry dead from entering the sewers. Sir Thabo examined the lower makeshift grating before wedging it tighter into the brickwork. Anyone fleeing the house would not be able to escape through the sewers.
The next evening, we met up with Valin. He had brought his band – Tombra, a half orc that played the drums, Goldara, a gnome and Cobalt, a tiefling that accompanied them on a silver flute. They reported that the regulars had entered the building.
The building was a free standing building of brick, three stories tall. We told Valin and his band to watch for anyone else entering or watching the place while we went in. Gideon sent a quick sending to the Grey Seer and we headed in. Aerwyn ‘knocked’ the front door, unlocking any lock. Behind the front door, we found a large lobby. There were the sounds of people coming from a room behind the lobby – perhaps a kitchen? Stepping on to the lobby’s carpet, we were attacked by the carpet suddenly animating while halberds ripped themselves from the wall. Dunkin cast a single spell, destroying most of the halberds and the people from the kitchen that had come out to take a look. Sir Thabo finished off the remaining halberd and the carpet.
Dunkin cast another spell, placing a Guardian Spirit at the foot of the stairs to watch for anyone coming from the upper floors while we went back to the kitchen. In the basement, we found seven more people including our missing wizard. One burly man, a warlock, looks like he might be the brother of the mage.
It’s a hard fight. We were hampered by the quasit’s continual counter spelling of our healing spells. The warlock was protected by a coating of ice. The other people down here had cantrips they used to attack us. But we finally dropped the wizard, cleared out the other people and killed the warlock. The quasit turned invisible and tried to leave by sneaking up the stairs. Saphy cast a ‘Shatter’ spell, killing the demonic familiar.
Searching the house afterwards, we find the wizard’s secret study. In the desk, we turn up the warlock’s book of names – people that had pledged themselves to Iuz. This book will be of interest to the Grey Seer. Aerwyn finds the wizard carried a Staff of Fire. Dunkin then used a ‘Speak with the Dead’ to try to learn where the high priest’s ‘Recall’ spell might have taken him. He learns of the secret shrine to Iuz at the Breton Farm. Next, he asks about other members of the cult of Iuz. Dunkin gets a list of names, including two knights of the realm that were not among the people we killed today. A further question turns up the name of their spy in the Rel Mord palace – Meriel, a maid on the second floor.
Meeting with the Grey Seer later that day, he warns us that Breton Farm might not be easy. Sir Breton has an influential uncle at court, a Lord Aisley. Lord Aisley would protect him from any accusations of Iuz worship. He can not move on the evidence we found so far – so we need to find proof of Sir Breton or Lord Aisley’s involvement.