14/8: Leave Quodeth early, making excellent time Quodeth-Taarbo-Banutre-Pyriador-Morlun with aid of loyal pack ox.
21/8: Arrive at Morlun, find the Stone Spears massacred by the Golden Ones, rescue Blind Leena an old woman, avoid scavenging dire wolves & head east. Flee an abominable sloth that interrupts camp. It eats Aeridnis' tent and pillow.
22/8: Reach river and defeat 7 beastmen at a sacked merchant convoy; camp at remains of a Golden One camp.
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PCs
1. (Judith) Aeshma lvl 6 Rogue-3/Fighter-1/Warlock-2
2. (Daphne) Aeridnis Vorzin lvl 4 Wizard 1>2/Fighter-2
3. (Georgia) Helmi Seravell lvl 2 Dharay Barbarian 1>2
4. (Elias) Hadeem lvl 2 Mithraic Paladin 1>2
5. (Ioli) Narvin lvl 2 Mithraic elderly Wizard 1>2
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| The King in Yellow |
Night of the Yellow Moon - by Aeshma (Judith)
Kallesh Gan, Inquisitor of Mithra, summons Aeshma to give her a mission, introducing her to two other followers of Mithra: Hadim, the Holy Warrior and Narvin, the Wizard. We are tasked with investigating a cult known as the Golden Ones which Kallesh Gan believes may be affiliated with the Great Old Ones. In addition, the son of the panjandrum Jor Thodel, a youth named Khado Jodel, has apparently joined the cult and we are asked to retrieve him.
We are told that they are believed to be in the lands of the Ammur barbarians and that Lady Aeridnis (whom Aeshma has worked with previously) is planning an expedition to that area. Aeshma leads the way to the Tower of Black Flame where we meet with Lady Aeridnis and plan to travel together. She has hired a guide, the Dhari Hunter Helmi, who is from the Stone Spear tribe of the village of Morlun in that area. Aeridnis is following up a report brought to her by the spice merchant Ahreb Gluor that an ancient artefact known as the Tablet of Darieoth has been seen in the hands of Chief Gram One-Eye of the Stone Spears and has been given money with which to purchase it.
With a pack ox to carry tents and supplies, we leave Quodeth by the Mammoth Gate and over the next week travel to Morlun. Nearing the village the only sign of life we see is the crows circling overhead, then the wind changes and we are surrounded by unmistakable stench of decay. Hurrying forward we enter the village and find the site of a massacre. Dozens of corpses of the Stone Spear tribe lie between their ruined houses. Here and there are corpses dressed in yellow robes, some still wearing a thin golden torc.
Our experienced eyes conclude the slaughter occurred three days earlier and we split up to search the village. Helmi hears a low cry and enters a partially collapsed hut to find an old woman trapped and all but hidden under a fallen roof beam. Helmi recognises her as Blind Leena and it seems that she alone has survived the attack. She quickly relates that a group of yellow robed cultists led by their high priest Monyat came to Morlun in apparent friendship, drank and ate with the villagers and that night, when they were drunk, attacked them.
Several of the Stone Spears were seduced by Monyat’s words and decided to join the cult, amongst them Helmi’s mother. While Helmi finishes talking with Leena, Aeshma searches the yellow-robed corpses to see if one matches the picture we have of Khado Jodel, but he is not among the dead. What she does find is a pack of wolves taking advantage of the corpses to have an easy meal. Aeshma takes refuge on the roof of a mostly intact hut, ready to fight them, but Helmi suggests we just leave as the wolves are likely merely defending their kill.
Away from Morlun we easily find the cultists’ tracks – a group of a hundred or so cultists and a couple of ox sleds leave an obvious trail. That night as we camp we are awoken by the sound of something huge moving through the jungle and are forced to abandon our camp as a giant sloth ambles through the clearing, eating some of our supplies and crushing one of our tents.
Halfway through the next day we come to a river crossing partially blocked by the wreckage of three wagons. The corpses of the merchants and their oxen lie where they were killed. In the debris is a scrap of yellow cloth marked with one of the symbols of the King in Yellow. Before we can continue the search, Aeshma spots movement across the river, and climbs a rock to see a small band of Beastmen readying an ambush, so she decides to act first.
Their shaman falls first but her hunters do not survive much longer, the last of them falling beneath Helmi’s greatsword as it cowered on the ground. We go back to searching the wagons and find a cultist’s corpse wearing a magic amulet that tracks the movement of the stars – we give the amulet to Narvin. There is also some platinum and gems – easily portable wealth for a merchant – a gold ring and potions of healing and gaseous form.
The trail left by the cultists reveals that there are now about two hundred of them and they have a two day lead on us. Helmi tells us that their likely destination would be the small village of Red Rock, home to about fifty people. Given the disparity in numbers and the cultists’ tactics we decide that Red Rock has probably already been destroyed and try to work out where they will strike next. Between Helmi’s local knowledge and an Augury cast by Narvin we decide Rathenna is their likely destination, and so we bypass Red Rock and push forwards.
Aeridnis sends her owl familiar to scout Red Rock as we hurry to Rathenna. The owl reports what we expected: the village has been massacred, but it also got the sense of some terrible evil lurking in the dark caverns beneath the village. We decide that trying to stop Rathenna being destroyed is more important so continue on our way. Towards evening we reach Rathenna, only an hour behind the band of cultists who are setting up camp outside.
Being a member of the Stone Spear tribe, Helmi is familiar with several of the Storm Eagles who live in Rathenna, and we are directed to the house of Tariss, Chief of the Storm Eagles who is speaking with the cult priestess Zuria. We are told that Monyat, the cult’s leader, has gone ahead to Quodeth to make preparations for the upcoming Night of the Yellow Moon festival.
With Leena along with us we speak with Tariss and try to convince her of the threat posed by the cultists, warning her of their earlier actions destroying Morlun and Red Rock. Amidst conflicting arguments, Tariss orders both the party and the cultists to leave the village before nightfall.
Angered by a whispered taunt by Aeridnis as well as the frustration of her plans, Zuria orders the Cult attack. Aeridnis is surrounded by cultists but manages to dodge away from their blows. Aeshma strikes at Zuria with a mighty blow, leaving the priestess seriously injured. We notice that one of Zuria’s guards is Khado Jodel and knock him out rather than kill him. Within thirty seconds the cultists in Tariss’ house are killed so we go outside to support the Storm Eagles fighting the cult in the village.
After a messy, bloody fight we are victorious. In gratitude for our aid Tariss gives us the loot taken from the cultists’ corpses. We then interrogate Khado Jodel who tells us of a “messenger” left behind in Red Rock and of the upcoming Night of the Yellow Moon when the followers of the King in Yellow will be exalted and their enemies destroyed. Aeshma tells him that she once followed the King in Yellow, but has since turned away from his evil.
That evening we are the guests of the Storm Eagles. The following morning Aeshma returns to Quodeth with a somewhat cowed Khado Jodel. Aeridnis and the others will have to decide whether to return to Red Rock to fight the “messenger” or head immediately to Quodeth to confront Monyat. As Narvin’s amulet warns: the Night of the Yellow Moon is approaching…
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| Havoc in Rethenna as the Golden Ones attack; Chief Tariss rallies the defence |
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| Rethenna - Our Heroes Battling Dharay Cultists of the Golden Prophet |
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| Death to the Golden Ones! |
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