The Vanguard is dazed for a moment. Slowly everyone has takes stock of themselves and their friends. Once it is realized that everyone is alive and the major ichor is brushed off armor and plucked out of hair a plan is again formed.
First, the coffins are destroyed, shattered in to splinters and unrecognizable planks of wood. Todd is stashed in Barrett’s haversack and Jenyas body is gently laid to rest on Churchkey’s horse. Ice walls are breached and plans are made.
The group makes its way back downstairs to where the “spawn” and the church business chambers are. All creatures are spiked no matter what. From there the group begins a detailed search of the two remaining rooms in the Church of Wee Jas. It is quite evident that the first room is that of Ike Iverson. There are no special or out of place items. Although the flagrant misuse and abuse of Wee Jas religious relics is appalling, there are no documents other than church business. After some careful pouring over of church financial records (happens over the next 24 hours) the church is basically broke. Ike and Embril have used every copper. (see below)
The next room is obviously Embril’s. It looks perfectly preserved and unused for months. Clothes are missing and a very slight amount of dust covers everything in the room. After some careful research there is a false bottom found in a desk drawer where three potions and some letters are recovered. It takes some time to read through all the letters. They are all very cryptic and hard to follow (being all one sided).
From there it is decided that Jennya’s body should be placed on the balcony to be exposed to sunlight to remove the vampirism.
Because the group can’t just leave the temple and Churchkey is to be wed is three hours, it is decided that Barrett and Pepper will stay behind. In the meantime the rest of the Vanguard make their way to the Lathenmire’s. Here they send the Redshield’s back to help protect the temple and then get to wedding preparations. Bathing feels like a week of sleep not to mention the arrival of guests to keep one awake.
In a small wedding in the Lathenmire’s great room; Bolgrim gives a sermon to stir the soul and adds some much needed levity to a heavy and burdensome time. By 9:20 Anna Taskerhill and Paulus “Churchkey” Matrius are married. With happiness and glint in their eye, they kiss for all to see. From here a brunch with wild soups, meats poached in coconut milk, grilled vegetables and stuffed venison. A bounty of food for all appropriately ended with a table of sweet treats for every tooth and pallet.
As the guests are leaving and saying their goodbyes it come to the attention of the married couple, their friends and family that a large group (15 or so) ½ Orc mercenaries are taking careful notes across the street. It takes very little deliberation before the ravishing and silver tongued Anna Matrius walks to guards with a smile on her face. Cora and Zachary are standing close by and the rest of the group watch nervously from windows. Conversation waxes and wanes and there are moments of hands slipping to blade but in the end, the talents of Anna win out and the mercenaries make the leave.
The rest of the day is spent with family and lone time for the newly weds.
First, the coffins are destroyed, shattered in to splinters and unrecognizable planks of wood. Todd is stashed in Barrett’s haversack and Jenyas body is gently laid to rest on Churchkey’s horse. Ice walls are breached and plans are made.
The group makes its way back downstairs to where the “spawn” and the church business chambers are. All creatures are spiked no matter what. From there the group begins a detailed search of the two remaining rooms in the Church of Wee Jas. It is quite evident that the first room is that of Ike Iverson. There are no special or out of place items. Although the flagrant misuse and abuse of Wee Jas religious relics is appalling, there are no documents other than church business. After some careful pouring over of church financial records (happens over the next 24 hours) the church is basically broke. Ike and Embril have used every copper. (see below)
The next room is obviously Embril’s. It looks perfectly preserved and unused for months. Clothes are missing and a very slight amount of dust covers everything in the room. After some careful research there is a false bottom found in a desk drawer where three potions and some letters are recovered. It takes some time to read through all the letters. They are all very cryptic and hard to follow (being all one sided).
From there it is decided that Jennya’s body should be placed on the balcony to be exposed to sunlight to remove the vampirism.
Because the group can’t just leave the temple and Churchkey is to be wed is three hours, it is decided that Barrett and Pepper will stay behind. In the meantime the rest of the Vanguard make their way to the Lathenmire’s. Here they send the Redshield’s back to help protect the temple and then get to wedding preparations. Bathing feels like a week of sleep not to mention the arrival of guests to keep one awake.
In a small wedding in the Lathenmire’s great room; Bolgrim gives a sermon to stir the soul and adds some much needed levity to a heavy and burdensome time. By 9:20 Anna Taskerhill and Paulus “Churchkey” Matrius are married. With happiness and glint in their eye, they kiss for all to see. From here a brunch with wild soups, meats poached in coconut milk, grilled vegetables and stuffed venison. A bounty of food for all appropriately ended with a table of sweet treats for every tooth and pallet.
As the guests are leaving and saying their goodbyes it come to the attention of the married couple, their friends and family that a large group (15 or so) ½ Orc mercenaries are taking careful notes across the street. It takes very little deliberation before the ravishing and silver tongued Anna Matrius walks to guards with a smile on her face. Cora and Zachary are standing close by and the rest of the group watch nervously from windows. Conversation waxes and wanes and there are moments of hands slipping to blade but in the end, the talents of Anna win out and the mercenaries make the leave.
The rest of the day is spent with family and lone time for the newly weds.
•••
Meanwhile back at the Temple of Wee Jas. Pepper, Barrette and the Redshields have begun to take in their surroundings. They are looking at cleanup of bodies, research of materials and how to dispose of all the vampires. All of this and shortly there after a small stream of water begins to pour down the stairs from the hundreds of cubic feet of ice that are melting. After about 30 min of wandering and looking in the nooks and crannies of the church there is a heavy knocking on the door. Barrette and Pepper look out over the Balcony and see 8 Acolytes with buckets and other implement of cleaning. Additionally, stone masons are showing up as are the young priests giving out the daily prayers to the people on the steps of the new Cathedral.
The thrumming of the Acolytes pounding on the door puts Barrette and Pepper into a quick discussion as to what to do… Perhaps a minute later Barretts magical hat is throne on Peppers head and Pepper morphs into Ike Iverson. Moving onto the Balcony in his new disguise, Pepper gives a short prayer and says the Cathedral is almost ready to be opened. We are however in the midst of doing some rituals of blessing and so the church will remain closed for the day.
Jennya’s body is placed carefully on Ike’s bed and from here the party sits.
The Redshield’s spend most of their time making sure all the spiked Spawn stay spiked. Barrette is bored and Pepper is reading over church records and the letters recovered from Embril’s room. Of the cryptic letters found earlier that day there is not much information. However, there is one letter that is damning.
Pepper receives a message from Anna at Churchkey’s request asking how they are. Pepper responds, “All is well, sent workers home for the day, uncovered interesting information we should discuss. CONGRAGULATIONS!”
That evening Barrette slips out of the Church and makes his way to Churchkey. He grabs a bunch of food, chats and dumps Jenya’s body out for Bolgrim to raise dead.
That next morning, before the sun has had a chance to rise, the Vanguard and the Stormblades make their way to the Church of WeeJas. At dawn, all of the spawn, except for 1 are put on the balcony to be permanently destroyed by the sun.
Pepper, dresses like Ike and then dons Barrette’s hat of disguise. He gives another speech on the balcony telling them to take the rest of the week off, the ritual will take longer than expected. The Acolytes leave, seeming concerned and whispering anxiously amongst themselves.
At this, Donner, dressed as the merchant, goes and finds Skellerang. Skellerang follows Donner back to the church but is wary of an ambush. He has sergeants and magic wielding gnomes follow him to the church. Here there is a standoff. Skellerang calls out Churchkey and the group. It doesn’t take long for an agreement. Everyone is to vacate the Church except for Churchkey and then Skellerang will enter alone for a one-on-one meeting. This is agreed to. With the large show of force, not to mention the whole of the local heroes in front of the new cathedral a crowd begins to form.
Skellerang and Churchkey have a long discussion, lasting more than an hour. The crowd sees Skellerang walk onto the balcony. From here he gives a speech. Not a great speech but an honest speech. One that gives thanks to the Vanguard and Stormblades. One that says that the city has been duped by the current rulership of WeeJas and once things are sorted out, the law abiding true followers of the faith are welcome to return to their place of warship. That until the Lord Mayer and Vhelantru are found, Skellerang will run the city.
The next day (Day 5)
Bolgrim raises Alec Tercival and casts spells to shield him. Then, everyone prepares for the public wedding.
There is a new freshness in the air. People are baking and as if by magic people have placed laced flowers bridging the streets as acts of true altruism. Although the mercenaries are still abundant and the taxes are still abhorrent, people can see the change. There is a sense of cooperation again, Noble families that have problems with one another have taken their struggles from open fist-fights to back door political maneuvers. Some kind of veil has been lifted and is marked by the public wedding of Churchkey and Anna.
Baths for all then clothing and regalia are handed out. As an added bonus, Pepper has the spire on the top of the cathedral of WeeJas toppled. Again, the Church of Pelor sparkles in the sun again.
That afternoon there is a grand wedding. The church of Pelor is packed to the gills and the streets are lined with well-wishers. Carriage after carriage bring guests to the Chalice for a dinning and dancing experience. An exhausted, but much more rested Skellerage makes a short appearance but makes his leave to for duty calls. That evening in their private guest chamber is a gift basket with expensive oils, perfumes, fruits from Barrette.
The next morning, the happy guests are unexpectedly not brought home via the carriage, but to one of the now abandoned buildings in the city. There the Matrius’ and Taskerhill’s await. A small army of workmen are already at work converting this one-time Rug shop into the new home of Churchkey and Anna. Churchkey and Anna spend a good amount of time together that day and on the morrow, planning and work begins again.
The following day, the crew begins training new skills and honing their old. They learn new spells and research clues.
Anna begins research with Pepper on:
Vittris Bale and Karan-Kural
Pepper also casts a Hallow spell on the church of WeeJas. It at least cancels the UnHallow that was shadowing the Cathedral.
Skellerage has dropped taxes by 10% and fired 10% of the ½ Orc mercenary army that was infecting the town. He also reinstates the Caulderon Broadsides. Their first interview? Churchkey!
From here the Vanguard helps Churchkey unlock another attribute of Alakast. They make a five day trek into the mountains and down into a steam vent. At the appropriate spot they smash through the rocky crust and expose the magma below. It is here that Churchkey must submerge part of his body. Then, on his way back to Cauldron, they summon a devil and Churchkey slaughters the creature with but a few nicks and scratches.
When the group returns, Anna has a whole bunch information she found about Vittrisss Bale.
Vitriss Bale is a Green Dragon that lived a thousand or so years ago. Vittris was hired by the spell weavers to protect the their city Karran Kural. They promised Vittris eternal life for his task. The inhabitants of Karran Kural have left, or died out… no one really knows. However, Karran Kural is the neighboring community to where the Demon Scar currently is located. Unfortunatly no one knows how to enter except via the last time everyone entered which is a long treck
So the Vanguard packs up… they bring the Redshields with them and head to Redgorge.
Then get on boats and a day down river they beach next to the boat they left behind 5 months ago.
From here they trek into the Jungle for just over a day and find the giant mettle tube.
Maneuvering through the maze, the party emerges into the ear-shattering canyon of the demon scar
The group gives the password to the Ogres that are protecting the enterence and from there the group spends the rest of the day relaxing and chatting with Dugobras. Most importantly, people get their new equipment and the Redshields now know the “trade rout”.
It is in the safety of Dugobras’ chambers that we leave our adventurers.
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