SourceMaterial-Avlis Campaign 7, Part 2
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This is Avlis Source Material
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Chapter 5After jumping back into Lorewarden Torvald's wagon, the group carried onward to the south. They decided to cut a path southward and straight through the middle of the Architect's Laboratory region. The land turned arid but the trek was extremely comfortable within the wagon. Soon, on the horizon, they spotted a curious site: a giant winged dog flying around. The dog looked a bit like a Doberman breed with angel-like wings, and it lazily barked as it played at aerial maneuvers. Upon closer investigation, the group made contact with the dog and fed it a few treats, but soon after that, another person appeared on the horizon with a leash. This person looked a bit dog-like as well, with a doberman-like head and a humanoid body. He thanked the group for feeding his dog and walked off into the desert with it. After no more than a day and half of travel, they came upon a partially ruined building. It was a building of stone with several floors but no roof. Naturally, they decided to investigate further. Within the building, they found many friendly or neutral inhabitants. One of them was the doberman-like person who introduced them to several other inhabitants and told them the building was actually a library once, and that it still contained many books. The group asked if it could make itself at home searching through the books for maps and other useful information, and they were welcomed to do so. At that point, another curious inhabitant came into the room. He was a tall lion-humanoid with a deep growling voice who showed little interest in the group until they began asking him questions. He told them a story of "The Golden", one of the Nine Lords of The Wastelands. The Golden was a celestial who became trapped in The Wastelands when the explosion happened during the story of Durethar, which created the area everyone knows today. After the explosion event, The Golden was trapped there and could no longer plane shift. As a follower of Dru'El, he sought help from his god but was apparently answered by Senath, a different god, without knowing that it was Senath. It was not clear why the Lion-humanoid wanted to contact The Golden, except that he wanted to make The Golden aware that Senath was really the one answering his prayers. He believed that this revelation would somehow help The Golden. The group suggested something even trickier behind it than the god of strategy. During this conversation, Katar, the warlock/paladin of Gorethar walked around the library and went up some stairs. There he found some rooms and one of the rooms held a scorpion-dog, which instantly attacked him. Katar ran and told the group, and then realized he neglected to close the door to the room that contained the creature which was now running loose. One of the inhabitants of the library was a cleric of O'Ma with an addled brain who told them that was probably not a good thing, so the group decided to take care of it. A melee ensued when the scorpion-dog came downstairs, and they vanquished it. The conversations around this incident shed light on the fact that the lion-humanoid, who appeared to be the leader of the other group, was not actually a resident of the library. He was just stopping by with his group. Only the cleric of O'Ma lived there, and apparently the doberman-man and the flying dog did too. The group decided to explore the rest of the building. They found some cleric robes of O'Ma with the red and sliver colors reversed, and eventually they found the flying dog too, along with the Journal of Thomas Laszerewski. The journal proved interesting. It shed a lot of light on what was happening in the area. Thomas Laserewski was Tzeenzch, the current Lord of The Architect's Laboratory. Tzeenzch was searching for a way to become a lich to prolong his life in The Wastelands, but he botched the first attempt. For his second attempt, he tried to use a living creature as a phylactery and reportedly succeeded. The journal also revealed that all the mutated creatures encountered by the group, including their very own Avenger, the shark-orc Drac, were all mutated as part of Tzeench's experiments. Next, the group turned its attention to the dog. The cleric of O'Ma downstairs mentioned that this dog was once the Abbott of the monastery/library, which was once holy to O'Ma. The group found out that the dog still had all of the Abbott's intelligence, so they worked on a way to free him. Senjay and the paladin/warlock, Katar, used a mage hand each to undo the beast's collar. (Touching it directly gave a nasty shock.) The beast then quickly transformed into a rhino-orc, one of Tzeenzch's creations. However, he was not hostile and very thankful for being freed. He promised to create a magic item for the party in his forge room where they now all stood. As part of the information he revealed, he confirmed that all animal-hybrid creatures in the Architect's Laboratory were Tzeenzch's creations. "Normal" wastelands corruption does not do this to people. "Normal" wastelands corruption usually turns people feral and crazy from the influences of the area. The animal hybrid mutations were all from Tzeenzch, who would also wipe the memories of his subjects so they do not remember turning. The Abbott also confirmed the suspicion of the group that Tzeenzch's fascination with Senath seemed out of character, but possible, especially if some other unknown entity (possibly Angadar?) was messing with the whole thing. After going downstairs to show everyone that they freed the dog who was in fact the Abbott, the cleric of O'Ma went strangely delirious and attacked him. This caused a grand melee to break out between the two groups who were not sure why they were fighting or whom they were fighting. As the cleric died, the groups decided to call off the fight and talk it over.
Chapter 6Being weary from their battles, the group retired to the wagon to recover. They emerged a day later to find that their oxen dead. With no visible means to pull their wagon anymore, and worried about what killed their animals, the group sallied forth from the wagon and re-entered the library. Immediately at the entrance, they were confronted by a loud ruckus and a stream of undead minions pouring forth to attack them. They had to battle their way back into the library through zombies, dolgaunts, and bone knights. Inside, they saw carnage everywhere. Most of the library's original inhabitants were dead, and there were several dead dinosaurs laying on the floor, presumably mounts of the bone knights that did not fare too well in the battle. The adventurers fought bravely and at times the tide seemed to turn against them, but eventually all the enemies were purged from the library, except for a single bone knight who declared that "The Lady" was on her way there to annihilate everyone. After dispatching that bone knight, the party became worried about this Lady and speculated that she might be one of the Lords of the Wastelands, which would be a bad thing. Most members of the group agreed that they were not strong enough to take a Lord head-on. The consensus shifted to fleeing the library as soon as possible. However, on their way out, the group encountered another party of adventurers, most of whom had been altered as cat hybrids by Tzeench. The cats were on their way south to something called "The Hunt", and wanted a place to stay for the night. The adventurers told them about the imminent arrival of The Lady and warned them against staying at the library, and then proceeded to ask the cats about this "Hunt". What follows is the cats' description of The Hunt: Every year, a certain major group of tribes in Jechran hosts an event they call "The Hunt". Each year, the hunt is held in a different place, and always outside of Jechran, because such events are outlawed almost everywhere within the nation by consent of nearly all the tribes. Originally, the hunt served the purpose of dispatching older slaves and older male concubines who were no longer useful to the tribes. They would be hunted by various entrants from the tribes of southern Jechran. Southern Jechranian tribes, referred to as "akhvates" form a common cultural and linguistic superfamily that started this practice approximately 1,500 years after The Great War. Over the millennium, The Hunt evolved into a more elaborate event. In modern times, it became multidimensional. Women native to Jechran and foreign-born women alike began to see the hunt as a way to gain favor and even position within an akhvate, with some eventually rising to the position of "Jakhva Que’Turess", head of the akhvate after petitioning for citizenship and winning it in a Hunt. The demands of The Hunt also began to increase, and the need for more challenging prey gave rise to the idea of allowing adventurers to participate voluntarily as prey in addition to the slaves, discarded males, and prisoners. Allowing adventurers to participate made more opportunity for hunters to gain prestige and position within their akhvates, and so the cycle repeated itself and became more demanding. Presently, the slaves, prisoners, and discarded males are killed in the hunt and their tokens are taken as signs of prestige. Adventurers are also given tokens which are more prestigious to the hunters. In turn, the hunters also have tokens which may be taken by the adventurers and turned in for a boon from the akhvates. This could consist of a favor or a physical item. The catch is that adventurers may not purposely kill hunters. They can only disable them. Adventurers are also given an opportunity to "tap out" and turn in their tokens before death or dismemberment occurs. The cats mentioned that this year The Hunt was taking place in a town called Clearsepeak, directly south of The Architect's Laboratory, and they were on their way to it to participate as adventurers. Most of the group was intrigued and wanted to participate as well. Torvald and Senjae were not convinced, because they felt this was off-mission for them. Their original goal was to map the territory and they urged the group to stick to that. The fact remained, however, that the region south of the Architect's Laboratory was even more poorly mapped, so the group was able to persuade Torvald and Senjay to head down that way to begin mapping. The ride in the wagon only took about a day, and the group arrived in Clearsepeak. Before them stood a settlement that was the closest thing to a "town" they had ever seen so far in The Wastelands. There were walls, but the walls were from the Dobrekan era and were halfway crumbled and barely functional. Inside the walls was a decent-sized town with a building at its center that served as an arena. For this event, the arena was retrofitted as a giant maze. Senjae found out that there was a library in town and headed off that way with Torvald to continue researching a spell he needed. The rest of the group walked around the large central building, which was surrounded at the time by tents and operations concerning The Hunt. The group managed to meet several other adventuring parties, as well as the Arbitor of The Hunt, a Jechranian woman named Naheera of Dre’Ana. Wandering around, Katar, who revealed that in addition to his pact as a Warlock was an Avenger of Dru'El, decided the group needed allies, especially if Senjae was refusing to participate. He ran into a small barfight and then wound up getting into a friendship with an old childhood hero, a dwarf named Berkthgar who was walking around as a prisoner, but not restrained due to the respect he commanded even from his captors. Berkthgar told Katar that he had been sent to southern Jechran as a diplomat by his liege, a figurehead in Deglos known affectionately as the "Earl of The Rift" whose holdings in The Hammerfist Rift made him influential with the guilds governing that country. For unknown reasons, the Jechrani took him into custody instead and are now discarding him in The Hunt, but giving him a chance to earn his freedom. Katar wondered if they could team up, and Berkthgar liked the idea. He pointed to "The 13", which were the 13 dwarves that made up his entourage into Jechran that was captured along with him. Katar was confident in their partnership and helped Berktgar deliver a message to another Jechranian woman who also pledged to team up. Meanwhile, Senjae encountered a breakthrough in the library... Chapter 7Back at the library of Clearsepeak, Senjae and Torvald encountered a librarian administrator who was convinced by his Blue Order credentials to let him into the locked portion of the building. There, Senjae was able to create what he hoped would be a magical scroll that operated much like a Healing Word spell, but an arcane version. He decided he needed to test it, and the best place to do that would be in the wretched maze which he resented as an unnecessary danger. So, he went back to his party and told them he would join them in The Hunt. Meanwhile, during another day of exploration, the other members of the group found out that this year's Hunt was not going so well, even before it started. Traditionally, the Hunt is run each year and sponsored by the akhvates (tribes of Southern Jechran), but this year a large contingent of northern houses from Jechran decided to enter. A little digging revealed that the northern houses thought The Hunt was a barbaric practice and vowed to end it. Their entrance into the games represented an effort to do so. Already, minor fights were breaking out between members of northern houses and southern akhvates. Rumors were spreading that hunters from the northern houses were going to go into the maze to kill akhvate contestants, rather than play the game correctly. Several akvates and houses had entered groups into The Hunt this year:
The group also spent some time going over the rules for The Hunt:
Some prey are freemen that are looking to make a reputation. They are to be incapicitated if at all possible. They will be marked with a red bandana. Some prey are slaves that have outgrown their usefulness. They are to be slain. They will be marked with a black bandana. Some prey are prisoners. They are attempting to free themselves. If they survive the great manhunt, they will be free men, but exiled from Jechran. They will be marked with a white bandana.
2) If a Hunter captures a slave or prisoner alive, that person is theirs to do with as they will. If they capture a freeman, they can require a boon from that free man. The free man MUST do their best to perform the quest. If they resist, the request may be brought before the arbiter.
3) Anyone that captures one of the banners, tomes, or favors from inside the area of the hunt, may bring these before any of the matrons to ask a boon of them. This boon can be a writ, a title, or a single wondrous item.
4) The doors to the hunting grounds will be opened as soon as night falls. There will be people at the exit at the same time.
5) The Hunt area will be clearly marked and all items of favor will be placed into the hunting grounds beforehand. Leaving the hunt area by any means other than through the exit portal is against the rules and any who perform this action will be slain by the riders placed around the perimeter of the hunting grounds.
6) If the Prey capture a Hunter they have the following options, plus they will take her favor and she will signal that she is out of the competition. They can ask a boon of the hunter regarding the hunting ground. They may take one weapon from the hunter. They may request a personal token that all the hunters must carry. It allows you to request a favor at a later date. Any survivors that do not make it out of the western gate by sunrise may leave on their own, but no boons will be given and no favors accepted. Chapter 8Eventually it was time to enter the maze, and the group came up with a strategy: Meet up with Berkthgar and his band of 13. Find a spot where they could fortify their position and remain there until nearly dawn. Then, break out of there and race for the exit when it opens. Clean up any garbage of wounded people along the way and grab tokens. Things immediately did not go as planned. Berkthgar was found quickly but all of his 13 were killed by the time the group was admitted to the maze. So, they adapted and fortified a position anyway, and after fending off a group very successfully, they decided to take one of the towers at the southeast corner of the maze. This was no trouble, and eventually they settled into long hours of watching and waiting. Right when they decided to break out, near dawn, they were assaulted by an akhvate group. The fight did not go well. The warriors of the akhvate managed to scatter the group and prevent them from implementing any strategy. Eventually, after multiple near death experiences, the members of the group, beginning with Senjae, decided this was not worth it and they surrendered. After they had time to go back to the wagon and decompress, and they found Lorewarden Torvald to be very ill. He told them he had a plague that only affected sorcerers, and that he would be dying within days. This upset the crew and they asked if they should cancel the mapping mission. Torvald revealed that House Tru'vere and the southern guilds of Deglos were actually his sponsors for this mapping mission. They were paying him 5,000 gp for the task, and he wanted the group to continue the task and accept the money. The wagon would also belong to them too. This made the group extremely sad. They then came out to the festivities and realized that the mood was somber. The mistress of the hunt told them that the northern houses had booby trapped the exit, and when people tried to rush the exit at the last hour, many were killed. Only a single adventuring group other than theirs made it out, and many akhvas died too. The northerners were smug about the whole thing, so the mistress of the hunt had Lady Tru'vere arrested and charged with murder. This gave Senjae an idea: he proposed to the Mistress of The Hunt that his group take Lady Tru'vere off their hands, to the south, never to return to her lands. Effectively, it would be exile and it would save them a trial and it would prevent any anger from the northern houses for ultimately killing her for her crimes. The mistress accepted, and La'naya Tru'vere became part of the group, which speedily loaded up the wagon and left. She was actually enthusiastic about participating in the mapping project her house had commissioned from Torvald. Chapter 9The group, under Torvald's guidance, decided to press southward to continue to find a passage to Drotid. They figured Clearsepeak would make a decent stopover in a future trade route. Quite soon after departing, they left the area of The Wastelands known as The Architect's Laboratory. In this new area, the group had no sense of which of the Nine Lords of The Wastelands ruled there. After about a day's travel, they arrived at another town with much higher walls that were still intact, and seemingly much newer than the dilapidated walls from Dobrekan times. Cautiously, they approached the town and noted two guards standing outside the main gate. They were humanoid, but quite tall, at least seven and a half feet. It was difficult to place their features in any particular race. The group hailed the guards from the wagon and mentioned that they had trade goods to display. This got the guards quite excited, as if they had not seen any such thing in a long time. Soon, a commotion rang throughout the town, for which it soon became apparent was populated by beings at least seven feet tall and as much as eleven feet tall. The group was ushered to a central square in the town, and they got to work bringing out some meats and extra bits of loot they gathered on their adventures that they did not need. They requested the giant humanoids bring them maps in return, if they had them. Sure enough, they did. A ten-foot tall being brought out a chest full of them and dropped it happily on the ground at his feet. 40 lbs of potatoes and some meat got them the whole contents of the chest. The grizzled old priest of the bunch explained that they were half-giants, and had lived there for some time. He believed there were other giant-like beings throughout the wastelands but most others were not like them. One particular kind he encountered were made of metal and crystal, and he pointed to Torvald's metal companion, Stepus to indicate that they looked just like him, but bigger. A slightly autistic half-giant also befriended the group and began to divulge everything he knew of the area's layout, including dangerous features and what to avoid. Nearby was a crater that had filled in with water to form a lake. The inhabitants of the town were positive that the lake housed an extremely powerful being, whom the towns around the lake liked to worship. He didn't know much else about the lake being except that it sometimes required sacrifices and it controlled many dangerous creatures that lived in the lake with it. Pointedly, he said that if the group wanted to map the lake, they would need to ford a river and then cross past a bandit tower. The next day, the group bid their new half-giant friends farewell and promised more trade traffic in the future. Soon, their wagon came to the river mentioned by the half-giant kid, and the group devised a plan to use Stephus to fetch an abandoned ferry barge from the opposite bank and then bring it over so they could begin moving themselves and the wagon to the other side. The plan went well until the second crossing. Bearclaw, Senjae, and Katar were riding across in the barge when they were suddenly pelted with arrows from bandits on the other side. Luckily, they were quickly dispatched with a brand new fireball from Senjae. The rest of the crossing went well, and soon after that, as it began to get dark, the group spotted the bandit tower in the distance. |
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