This is what happened in last night's game. We didn't quite finish Wrath of the River King but there's only the denouement to go next session. It'll be good to move the action back to Parsantium but I'd better get writing the next adventure!

Each PC gets 900 xp.

The PCs arrive at a millpond very similar to (but not the same as) the one in Riverbend, where they are reunited with Margarita. Arrows fly from the millhouse striking the ground in front of the party! “That’s a warning shot. Trouble us no further” cries Lord Flax from the opposite side of the dam. “We have waited long years! Now, we burn the humans out of their huts, and take their land! Spill their blood for the River King.”

The half-eladrin charges across the dam to attack the party, unleashing his Storm of Swords which dazes them as Flax’s ettercap axe guards and Black Fey raiders close in. Bolval protects the party with spirit of healing and consecrated ground while Krivinn and Ella attack Lord Flax, and Margarita and Sharden defend themselves against the shadow-jumping Black Fey. As the archers fire from the millhouse, the ettercaps throw their nets, trapping Bolval and Rita before closing in with their polearms. Flax strikes back with his howling strike but falls to Sharden’s purging flame and Bolval’s consecrated ground. His Golden Fey warhorse, Lionheart, fights on for a while before fleeing across the dam as the PCs take down the Black Fey and the ettercaps. The archers inside the mill flee, leaving the PCs the victors. Krivinn takes Lord Flax’s +2 frost greatsword, Iceriver; Ella takes his +2 sunleaf hide armour.

The party have time for a short rest before the second wave attacks the mill – this time from the river and led by Ambertan of the Black Fey. Bolval and Sharden are both some distance from the millhouse, Ella is nearby and Margarita and Krivinn are inside. Unluckily for Bolval, the dwarf is lured into the river by a merrow and is knocked unconscious by several bites from eel hounds. He fails two death saves before recovering (by rolling 20). Meanwhile, the others defend the mill but are taken by surprise when a merrow teleports inside. Ambertan blasts Ella but the ranger uses her disruptive strike to force a miss. Sharden summons his onyx dog as the second merrow teleports inside and a couple of eel hounds slither in through the windows. Margarita stands firm in the doorway, holding back an ogre while Brave Ella continues to exchange ranged attacks with Ambertan. Eventually, the tide turns – the PCs take down the two merrow inside and the ogre at the doors while the recovered Bolval is able to get rid of most of the surviving eel hounds and eladrin warriors. Ambertan is bloodied and flees, taking the second ogre with him. The PCs have won the day!

Here's what happened in this afternoon's session. Each PC gets 430 xp.

21st Maius

The PCs head to the Mercantile Quarter to do some shopping (Ulthar’s favourite pastime!). While wandering around a crowded market, they hear a cry of “There they are! Get them!” as a group of Golden Scimitars, complete with spitting drake, move in to attack. Their leader, Yorgi, is able to inspire his lackeys to fight on after death so when Sora kills one of the ruffians, he is able to strike back at the paladin before dying. Hrothgar finds himself surrounded by four enemies but uses great cleave to hit them all and push them away from him. Juma attacks Mehmed (flashy swashbuckler) with flaming blades and then teleports over to kill Yorgi with dual lightning strike. Ulthar uses inspired belligerence to give the others combat advantage over Mehmed as Hrothgar is knocked unconscious by Ziper who retaliates after being knocked into a fountain by the gnoll. Gil kills Mehmed with two magic missiles as the tide of battle turns in the PCs’ favour. Juma kills the fleeing drake and Sora takes down Ziper with her javelin as Ulthar knocks the only surviving attacker – a woman – unconscious. After quickly looting the bodies – finding a +1 great axe and +1 leather armour of sudden recovery – they drag their captive off before the City Watch arrive.

In the dark of an alley, the PCs interrogate the woman who knows little but confirms that Yorgi was acting on the orders of Zeno. Hrothgar bites her finger off as part of the interrogation as Juma says (in his camp fashion) “Tell him the Juma Gang will persevere and are going to get him! Tell him we killed Orloch too!” The PCs let her go and head back to their houseboat.

Hrothgar and Ulthar head out into the Dolphin’s Strait with Orloch’s head to visit Jagadamba who performs the speak with dead ritual for 250 gold bezants. Unfortuately, Orloch knows nothing about Hrothgar’s tribe and it seems the barbarian has wasted his money. In frustration, he rips a tooth from Orloch’s mouth as a tiny trophy.

Meanwhile, Sora polishes her new magic greatsword until it gleams as Juma and Gil head to Fahil’s Floating Palace for a night of very low stakes gambling and cheap drinks. Here they run into Glyn Merryfield, landlord of the Fat Grouper, who begs them not to tell his wife they saw him there. He offers to let the party off a week’s rent in exchange.


22nd Maius

The PCs visit Jagadamba again and buy potions of acid resistance. Returning to Orloch’s auction house via the sewers, they emerge on to the dock in the cave where they fought the black dragon. Despite planning to split up, the PCs head into the water – Sora is in a rowboat – grouped quite close together so when Munwithurix the dragon appears she is able to catch Gil, Sora and Juma in her acid breath weapon. The PCs move in to attack: Hrothgar leaps into the fray, literally, but is struck twice by the dragon as he does so. Fortunately, the PCs’ new potions work really well and the party are able to ignore the acid dripping from her jaws. As the beast conjures its cloud of darkness, the PCs surround her and Gil sends in his flaming sphere. The dragon slips away under the water to hide but is rediscovered as Sora rows her boat into her! Again the PCs attack from all sides and again Munwithurix conjures her cloud, breathing on the party when she is bloodied by their attacks. Eventually, she is driven off for a second time – she takes to the air and lands on the dry cavern floor to the west. Here the dragon makes a final stand – Sora criticals with holy strike and Gil finishes her off with magic missile. Juma cuts off the dragon’s head and the PCs plunder her hoard.

Our first session was a year ago on Monday - Brave Ella (lucybrant ) featured in that first session, along with Gong Sun (ninthcouncil ), El'em Terazz (evilmonkey8472 ) and now deceased halfling rogue Sorgrim "the Stiff" (jzaltman ). Krivinn the dragonborn paladin of Bahamut (rmfein ) did not turn up until the second session.

Here's what happened in Monday's game. Each PC gets 737 xp.

The PCs return to the river road and emerge in front of the Sluice Gate to the River King’s Court. Strangely, Margarita has vanished, but Brave Ella has appeared – the elf ranger fell through a hole in a marshy part of the forest to find herself travelling down the river road at high speed. As Krivinn and Ella get their bearings, they are called upon to rescue the two dwarves who are floundering around hopelessly in the water. Throwing them ropes, the paladin and ranger are able to stop Bolval and Sharden drifting off towards the nasty-looking merrow lurking beneath the river’s surface.

Back together again, the party heads inside the magical castle where they persuade Rumpkin the porter (a talking bear) to let them into the Outer Courtyard, despite the protestations of Redcloak who they first met in the Golden Knight tavern in Riverbend. Inside the courtyard, Krivinn and the others talk to His Excellency Silverwing (Margrave of Ravens) and Caias Gruffkin (satyr and Royal Vintner), learning some useful information about the River King and the bad advice he’s been given by Jenny Greenteeth and Ambertan the Black Fey warlock. Knurlnap the Water Bearer tries to get the PCs to carry his tea urn but they brush him aside and head towards the drawbridge to the Inner Courtyard. Here, Sharden impresses Gumphollow the frog major domo, convincing him to let the party across.

In the inner courtyard, the PCs run into Lady Sorreminx and Sir Yngress the Red. The beautiful eladrin lady grills Brave Ella on her reasons for setting aside her badge in exchange for the Birch Queen’s. Ella explains her mistake in entering the contest to become the Birch Queen’s consort and is forgiven by Lady Sorreminx who allows the PCs to head down the stairs to the Great Rippling Hall.

In the Hall, the PCs state their case to the River King Ulorian. Redcloak speaks out against them but Lady Sorreminx backs them up, talking of their bravery in battle with Tatzel and the Nain Rouge. The River King is impressed and officially withdraws his support from Lord Flax. This angers Jenny Greenteeth (disguised as a beautfiul eladrin) who challenges Sharden to a duel. The dwarf is pulled towards the hag by her beckoning call but is able to take her down with his prayers although he is unable to use his signature power, Trumpet the Star’s Fall, in the crowded throne room. With Jenny defeated, the PCs head through one of the River King’s whirlpool portals to stop Lord Flax

Here's what happened in last night's game. Each PC gets 350 xp.

Reunited with Krivinn, Sharden and Margarita arrive at a river gorge with a huge tree trunk acting as a bridge across. As they approach, they realise that death butterflies are swarming on the fallen tree, some of which gather into a humanoid shape, and that a treant stands between the party and the crossing. The PCs talk to Ashbark the wildfire treant who asks them first for healing potions, then for meat for his friend, Lord Peppick, the butterfly lord.

The party trudge off back into the forest where Sharden manages to bring down a deer with his avenging flame helped by the others. The PCs take the deer back to Ashbark who gives it to Lord Peppick. However, when the PCs try to cross the bridge the butterfly lord tells them they must swear fealty to him first. Only Sharden agrees and this isn’t good enough, although the dwarf is allowed to pass over to the other side of the gorge. Fed up with the situation, the PCs head upstream where Krivinn and Margarita cross the river using ropes.

From here, the party arrive at the fey door where they encountered the quicklings a few days ago. In the clearing they meet Bolval, a dwarven cleric of Ninkash, who says he went to sleep inside a colourful painted wagon in the forest and found himself in the Feywild when he woke up.

Krivinn steps inside the hollow tree but nothing happens but when Sharden performs the Fey Roads ritual, the dwarf is able to open the fey door leading to the Fey River Road. The PCs jump into the fairy ring and find themselves travelling at speed downriver.

After travelling some distance, the PCs feel themselves slowing down, appearing in marshy water next to the riverbank. Here they are attacked by nixies led by Lady Syllessi. Sharden kills one of the fey, then Bolval finishes off a second before Krivinn slays Lady Syllessi. The fourth nixie flees into deep water and escapes. The PCs loot the bodies, taking the fey’s aquamarine pendants and the lady’s circlet of authority. Take an extended rest.

The World of Parsantium updated to feature Zobeck, the Ironcrag Mountains & Siwal (all from Open Design) and other locations

Here's what happened in last night's game in which we saw the tragic end of Koh-Bar. Margarita and Sharden get 575 xp each.

Feywild Day 5, contd.
After the battle with Tatzel, the PCs head to a safe distance down the Straight Road and then camp. While Koh-Bar is on watch, hundreds of moths gather around the campfire, forming into alluring female shapes. Koh-Bar is suspicious, blasting the moths with burning spray, but they soon return and reform. He wakes the others and in the end gives in and dances with one of the “moth women”. After a while, they disperse and the PCs go back to sleep.

Day 6
The next morning the Straight Road fizzles out as the woods around the PCs grow darker and more foreboding. Sharden harvests some sickly green mushrooms before the party follow Koh-Bar into the trees. The forest starts to look familiar – reminiscent of the lands of the Black Fey the adventurers were in before going to the fair. Bits of chainmail fall from the trees above – looking up the PCs see severed limbs and mummified heads hanging from the branches. Then, having lost track of the others in the dingy woods, Sharden, Koh-Bar and Margarita enter a clearing draped in spider webs – they can hear raspy voices speaking in Elvish.

As the PCs move forward, Sharden summons Rover, his onyx dog. The trees are inhabited by a pair of ettercaps led by Ariabelina the Lady Clatterspin; the ground is crawling with spiders. Margarita advances to the tree which the ettercap guards are standing in – Lady Clatterspin throws a web at the genasi trapping her. To make things worse, she’s poisoned by one of the guards which stuns her and then bitten by a spider and knocked prone. Sharden blasts the webs with taste the star’s fall but this does 9 hp to Margarita and also fills the area with smoke (again!) As the dwarf goes to help Margarita, Koh-Bar is killing spiders with thunder leap and burning spray and Rover manages to kill one of the ettercap guards. However, the tiefling is surrounded by more arachnids – he goes unconscious and fails two death saves. Margarita and Sharden get out of the smoke and webs and fight the last guard, the spiders and Lady Clatterspin. Sharden tries to parlay as poor Koh-Bar breathes his last, failing his final death save. The ettercap lady agrees to let the PCs withdraw if they leave Koh-Bar’s body behind as suggested by the dwarf.

The two PCs back away, heading along a gorge. As they leave the area, they spot bright blue, green and orange “death butterflies” feeding on a dead owlbear.

Here's what happened in this afternoon's game - lots of death saves but fortunately no actual PC deaths! Each PC gets 684 xp, bringing you all to 4th level.

Hrothgar opens the door to the east which leads into a cell block guarded by four Mangy Cur gnolls. Gil casts hypnotic pattern to lure two the gnolls towards it but Sora then uses call to arms to pull one of them back towards her! The other two guards attack Juma and Ulthar in the corridor from the second door, and on the next round, two more gnolls attack Gil from behind. After a fairly easy battle, the PCs are victorious and free the five slaves held in the cells – three men and two women, captured at sea by Captain Gnash or in Parsantium by the Dockside Crew.

Heading through the door at the end and then east, Hrothgar and Juma blunder into Orloch Scragmane’s slave auction. Juma teleports to attack the necromancer and his zombies watching from the stands – he kills one zombie but it reanimates and soon finds himself immobilized by the dark mage’s grave bolt. The shadar-kai also attacks the genasi, before dancing past Hrothgar to fight Sora and Gil in the corridor. Ulthar is attacked by the spectral jaws spell of a goggle-eyed kuo-toa priest while Hrothgar manages to knock Orloch prone  before finding himself surrounded by gnolls. Hrothgar is also attacked by the kuo-toa priest and ends up unconscious – he fails a death save but is healed by Ulthar. Although the PCs have killed two gnolls, both zombies and both kuo-toa guards, things are looking bleak and Gil makes a run for it. From the corridor, he magic missiles Orloch who has chased after Ulthar and Hrothgar; then Juma finishes off the gnoll slaver. The kuo-toa priest and necromancer both make final attacks on the PCs before fleeing. Sora kills the shadar-kai and the battle is over. Ulthar chops off Orloch’s head and puts it in his sack.

 

Talk to Sreedhar, the scholar they’ve rescued from the auction block – this fellow is keen to get the PCs to accompany him on an expedition to the Feyshore Forest where there is an ancient Sahasran temple to plunder. He tries to get the PCs to agree to split the profits with him 50/50 but soon settles on 15/85 when they threaten to leave him behind when they leave. Take an extended rest.

The PCs lead the rescued slaves through the sewers on their way back to the surface. En route they are attacked by a flock of kenku. Gil casts hypnotic pattern again, luring the bird-men into the poo but Sora is viciously attacked by their bloodseeker drake and goes unconscious. She fails two death saves and is knocked unconscious twice more by the drake after being revived three times by Ulthar. Hrothgar takes a lot of damage from the kenku sneak – once he’s unable to hide among his minion allies, the gnoll chases after him and cuts him down. Juma is knocked into the sewage by the kenku ringleader’s spiked chain but is able to get out by teleporting next to the drake and finishing it off. With their enemies defeated, the PCs are able to get their charges back to the Dock Ward and return to their houseboat for a wash and well-earned rest.

Here's what happened in Monday night's game. Each PC gets 335 xp.

In the second round of the contest to become the Birch Queen’s contest, Ella is up against Oiglas the centaur’s nature stories, Sir Arnovar’s poetry, Harrowdin the Black Fey’s grim anecdotes and Sir Yngress the Red’s hunting stories. She makes it through to the third and final round with a virtuoso display of acrobatics.

Round three is an audience with the Birch Queen at her table on the Lords and Ladies Mount. The other PCs are invited too and do their best to support Ella in her conversation with the Queen but in the end the ranger balks at the one year term as consort and the Queen, perhaps fortunately, favours the charming Eagle Knight, Sir Arnovar, who has the added advantage of being male. Ella is offered and accepts the Queen’s badge.

As the PCs make their way off to bed – well, bedroll under the stars – they run into Ellessandra. More time has passed than they thought as the eladrin talks as if she and the PCs met a long time ago rather than yesterday. She warns the PCs that the River King is likely to raid Riverbend for not making the agreed offerings

Day 5

Ella trades her woodcraft skills to the lone wolf, Rhorlief for the Fey Roads ritual (-1 to attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws and ability checks). The PCs then decide to leave the fair. As they head towards the exit and the ettin, they witness the arrival of Lord Flax – recognised by Margarita as the grown-up version of the young lad they met inside the mill in Riverbend. Lord Flax is recruiting fey for a raid on Riverbend and won’t be persuaded otherwise by Krivinn. Ambertan the Warlock and the Black Fey are the first to join up. As Lord Flax makes ready to petition the River King for permission to attack the village, the PCs head past Garag-Nagan and out of the fair.

Heading east along the Straight Road, the PCs turn off to visit the clearing of Tatzel the wyrm. The area is full of mist, making it hard to see. Krivinn, Sharden and Ella are attacked by the dragon’s dragonborn protectors as Koh-Bar and Margarita face off alone against Tatzel who attacks with bite, claws and dragon breath. Koh-bar is stunned by the dragon's frightful presence and then slid towards a large pit by the dragon's luring gaze. Margarita uses lead the attack and steel monsoon to wound Tatzel but both genasi and tiefling god-king are poisoned by its bite. Koh-bar who gave up a "future moment of success" at the Fair fails his saving throw to shake off the dragon’s poison.



As the battle goes on, the PCs realise that fire can clear the mist, making things easier. Once Brave Ella has killed the dragonborn attacking her, she shoots Tatzel which bloodies the dragon – a dozen kobolds spring up from his blood but luckily Sharden is able to take most of them out with taste the star’s fall. Unluckily, this fills the area up with smoke, making it hard to see again!

Eventually, the PCs force Tatzel to yield and he gives up the secret of returning to the natural world – the PCs must travel to the False Mill, following the river towards the Cedar Mountains. By swimming down to touch the millstone at the bottom of the pond, they can return to Riverbend. Koh-bar also asks how he can learn more about his godly origins – Tatzel says the Oak King might be able to answer this question.

Here's what happened in last night's game, featuring the return of ninthcouncil playing his new PC, Rami the shifter shaman. Each PC gets 262 xp.

With Margarita conscious again, she and Koh-Bar head over to a market stall manned by a trio of leprechauns chanting annoying rhymes. The fey introduce themselves as Seamus, Patrick and Michael and offer for sale some of the gear the PCs lost in the river. To win their stuff back, the pair have to answer riddles – Koh-Bar recovers his crown and Margarita wins Sharden’s boot before the tiefling gives a wrong answer and loses both items again! To get his crown back again, the sorcerer gives up two points of intelligence (Gift of the Mind) for a day.


As they leave the stall, the two PCs are approached by a shifter named Rami, a shaman, who explains he has a score to settle with Mudflick – the gnome has stolen a spear from his tribe. While they chat to Rami, a goblin approaches with a tray of sugared plums. All three PCs eat one (Rami has two) and end up tripping, imagining themselves as mice and the fey stallholders as feral cats! The party head for a tree away from the market and wait for the plums to wear off.

Next, the PCs visit the tent of Ambertan the Black Fey Warlock – here Koh-Bar gives up a Memory of Great Prowess (100 xp) in exchange for directions to someone who can help them get home – Tatzel the Green whose lair lies to the east. Margarita trades her history skill (Gift of Learning) for two days for an amphora of feywine. Then, the PCs leave the tent before giving up anything else!

They buy a loaf of bread at a baker’s stall and talk to the wolfen Rhorlief who has rituals for sale including the Fey Road ritual. Deciding that they don’t want to pay his price of their memories of their masters, the PCs say they’ll come back later. Margarita takes up the challenge of an ogre boxer after Koh-Bar declines. Unfortunately her biggest blows aren’t enough to hurt her opponent and she ends up yielding after the ogre hits her very hard indeed. The PCs study the next bout but can’t figure out what’s going on. As they stand there, a robed eladrin calls out to them, offering moments in time for sale. This mage, Orelliar, trades one of Koh-Bar’s future moments of success for the memory of Lady Wickerbell’s wedding to Lord Apicus in the Great Rippling Hall of the River Court.



Under a giant mushroom, the PCs run into two goblins, Splug and Nobby who are selling more of the party’s missing equipment. Brave Ella turns up while the others talk to the goblins and buys back her boot. After this, Ella heads to Mudflick’s shop and threatens the gnome which kicks off a second battle with the party. Rami uses his shielding fire to damage anyone who attacks Margarita – this kills Moppsy. Koh-Bar kills Maggle and then Mudflick with thunderleap; Ella slays Modred. Rami recovers his tribe’s longspear but the Birch Queen’s arrival stops wholesale looting by the others in the party. The PCs drag Mayhem, the one surviving gnome, to see Voyland as evidence they’ve driven off the spriggans. The eladrin smith exchanges Margarita’s +1 magic longsword for a +1 lightning bastard sword.

The gnomes dealt with, the PCs head to the Herald’s Field where Brave Ella shoots in the archery contest and manages to get through to the next round of the competition to become the Birch Queen’s Consort. She wins a honeycomb.

Here's what happened in this afternoon's game. Each PC gets 315 xp


19th Maius (contd)

After some further discussion about the mysterious portal painted on the wall, Juma starts scraping the black paint off, exposing lead-filled sigils. These start to melt, so the PCs back out of the room but Hrothgar is too slow and is grabbed by a shadowy tentacle and pulled through the now-open portal. The others rush to help, going into battle with a horror from the Shadowfell. Sora’s radiant powers destroy the tentacled monstrosity but a vestige of it remains. Hrothgar unwisely touches this, only for the shadow to wrap itself around his finger – this has the effect of weakening him when he stands in bright light and increasing his endurance when in the shadows. Despite Juma’s assertion that “everyone knows there’s treasure down wells”, the party decides not to climb into the hole the shadowy monster emerged from.
Instead, they head back upstairs and finish off the otyugh. Gil searches its stinking trash-pit lair, finds no treasure and gets bitten a few times by creatures lurking below the surface of the garbage. The others search the thieves’ storeroom finding a +2 cloak of resistance (made from white wolfskin), a +1 magic wand and a mud-covered gorilla idol amongst other things. Hrothgar licks the pixie corpse he finds inside a silver filigree lantern, revolting the other party members. Next the PCs go next door to St Caspieran’s Salvation to ask for help in curing Sora and Gil’s filth fever and removing the shadow from Hrothgar’s finger. Brother Jerome is unable to help which annoys Ulthar. The PCs make their way to the temple of Niu Dahan where the old priest they rescued, Wang Jin We, is willing to cast the necessary rituals at cost. Although these cause some pain, Gil, Sora and Hrothgar are cured of their ailments.


20th Maius

After a good night’s rest on their houseboat, the PCs return to the dungeons beneath the slum tenement and get into the rowboats: Ulthar and Gil are in one, with Sora, Hrothgar and Juma in the other. They have little trouble steering their vessels through the underground tunnels but are attacked by a flock of stirges who appear from a side passage. These annoying blood-suckers grab hold of Hrothgar and Gil and start draining blood. Sora attempts to help the gnoll by throwing a javelin at the stirge, but fumbles and hits Hrothgar instead. When he yelps in protest, she says “You hit me once before!”. Ulthar then manages to hit Gil in error with a handaxe before Sora fumbles again and also hits the poor eladrin. The stirges are all killed just in time as the boats go over a waterfall. Juma leaps out and manages to swim against the current, Gil and Ulthar fall out of their boat but the other two manage to land safely. Ahead the PCs can see two gnolls in a boat near a wooden dock.

The PCs row closer and attack the gnolls, managing to bloody them as a black dragon appears from beneath the water and breathes acid over the party and its allies. Gil conjures a flaming sphere as the dragon uses its cloud of darkness to blind the other PCs. Sora and Juma exit the cloud and attack as Hrothgar and Ulthar make for the docks, followed by Gil who fey steps. Sora, Hrothgar and Juma are all bloodied by the dragon’s bite, claws and tail slaps. The dragon lands on the dock, stopping Hrothgar and Sora from reaching the stairs leading out of the cave so the PCs are forced to stand and fight. Sora bloodies the wyrm with radiant delerium, triggering its breath weapon again but Ulthar is able to keep everyone on their feet with bastion of defence. After a couple more rounds of fighting the dragon withdraws under cover of darkness, allowing the grateful PCs to escape up the stairs and take a short rest.

Here's what happened in last night's game. Each PC gets 466 xp.

Day 3 (contd.)
The PCs leave the eladrin, following their directions to the Birch Queen’s Fair. Margarita and Koh-Bar manage to lose Brave Ella who is scouting ahead in the forest. Koh-Bar realises Margarita is standing inside a giant footprint – more head into the trees. Not sure what else to do, the pair follow the colossal tracks, ending up in a clearing with a standing stone and a trussed-up Sharden hanging upside-down in a tree. They rescue the dwarf who is pleased to see them but can’t remember how he got there.

Venturing on, the trio come towards an enormous fallen tree as storm clouds gather overhead and it begins to rain. Standing on the tree trunk is a red-cap wearing dwarf – the Nain Rouge, lightning crackling from his fingertips. He blasts the PCs with strong winds, knocking them over and shooting them with electric ray attacks. As the PCs move to escape the zone of empathic weather, the Nain Rouge attacks Koh-Bar with his sharp claws, knocking the tiefling unconscious. Meanwhile, Sharden has found the unconscious Ellessandra behind the trunk and manages to wake her up. Margarita chases the bloodied Nain Rouge along the top of the log but the fey retaliates with a fog cloud which blinds the party as Sharden summons his onyx dog. By the time the PCs get out of the cloud, the redcap is nowhere to be seen.



The PCs talk to Ellessandra who explains she came to the Feywild to bring up her son, Flax. When the party tell her about Hamid being arrested for murder, the eladrin gives the PCs her wedding ring and a note saying she is alive and well. She also gives them the correct directions to the Birch Queen’s Fair. Rest.

Day 4
The PCs talk their way into the Fair past the ettin, Garag-Naran. In return, the party must bring him an amphora of feywine from Ambertan the Warlock and a loaf of bread with honey.

The party wander the stalls. Koh-Bar is put off by the price of a “house goblin” and Margarita asks Voyland the Smith about trading in his longsword for a bastard sword. The eladrin smith is willing to do a deal – he’ll swap the sword if the PCs drive the horrible little gnome weapons dealer, Mudflick, from the Fair. At Mudflick’s tent, Margarita provokes an attack from the spriggan and his four friends but the gnomes defeat the party pretty handily – Margarita is knocked unconscious and Sharden has to drag the genasi’s body out of harm’s way. The PCs beat a hasty retreat from the tent, nursing their wounds.

 

Here's what happened in last night's game. We were a bit thin on the ground butlucybrant,
waynefurmidge andevilmonkey8472 did really well. Each PC gets 647 xp.


Day 2, contd

Sharden and Krivinn don’t return from their pursuit of the two fleeing Black Fey runners. Unsure of what to do, Brave Ella, Margarita and Koh-Bar the God King head back down the creek. After a while, Ella spots a colourfully-painted wagon through the trees. She creeps up to investigate only to be attacked and mocked by a speeding fey (a quickling). Near the wagon is a large bare tree, full of roosting dire crows; another quickling whizzes round. Ella calls on the others to help as the quicklings and crows attack. Since the fey are trying to goad the PCs into speaking, Koh-Bar tries (and fails) to impress them with a tiefling poem but Margarita manages to show off her knowledge of fey history, Ella demonstrates her affinity for nature and the sorcerer does manage to spin an entertaining yarn about his favourite topic – himself. The quicklings reveal some important information* but ultimately, the PCs’ words fail to win them over and all out battle ensues. Koh-Bar gets rid of all but one crow with thunder leap and Margarita manages to bull rush one fey into the ravine. The tiefling is soon unconscious, falling to a quickling's strike, but both fey run for it shortly afterwards once bloodied. They dash inside the tree and don’t reappear. Inside, there is no sign of them – just a ring of toadstools growing amongst dead leaves. Wounded after the fight, the PCs decide to sleep in the wagon for the night.


Day 3

The PCs wake up and go outside to find their surroundings have changed – they are clearly somewhere else entirely! Hearing running water, they head towards it to find themselves on the bank of a slow-moving river. Standing on lily pads are two giant frogs and their goblin riders. The PCs try to negotiate but this doesn’t get them very far as the frogs charge across the lily pads to engage the party. Koh-Bar uses his thunder leap to get amongst them and the PCs win the day. In one of the saddlebags they find a scroll containing an invite to the Birch Queen’s Fair.

Crossing the river, the PCs head along a trail, finding a folded up piece of parchment ahead of them on the ground. Koh-Bar’s “reversed earthquake surge” doesn’t manage to lift it up so he bends down and picks it up. “Leave!” is all it says (in Elvish).

Carrying on along the road, the party come out of the forest and into hilly countryside where they spot a gaily coloured tent. Here, they join three eladrin at a picnic: Lady Sorreminx, Sir Yngress the Red and Lord Chelessfield, Master of the Alpine Marches. The PCs try to amuse the fey with their witty repartee and interesting anecdotes while deflecting some of Lord Chelessfield’s more tricky questions (such as where Margarita got her shield). They do pretty well but then Margarita talks of a challenge. Sir Yngress seizes on her words and challenges the genasi to a duel, giving the warlord no choice but to accept. The fey don’t play fair though – Margarita gets ready to face the eladrin but is surprised when he leaps onto his riding boar. Sir Yngress’ charge bloodies the genasi with his first strike, winning the challenge. This means that each PC has to give Lady Sorreminx a gift and swear fealty to her. Koh-Bar tries to resist but his refusal comes out as an oath of loyalty to the lady. Each PCs is given a badge with her symbol – a grasshopper - to wear.



Info Learned from the Quicklings
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Here's what happened in last night's game. Each PC gets 374 xp each.

27th Maius (contd)

Confronted by the baying pack of eel hounds, Brave Ella climbs up the grassy bank where she can take potshots at them, but Krivinn, Koh-Bar and Margarita soon find themselves surrounded by frenzied eels and slipping all over the place on the muddy shore. Koh-Bar goes unconscious from multiple slithering bites. To rescue the tiefling, Krivinn lays hands on him, then throws him up the bank. Meanwhile, the pack leader has eel-spat at Ella twice and then closes to attack her at close quarters. Koh-Bar uses his thunder leap to jump back into the action, misses three out of four eel hounds, ends up unconscious again and then fails two death saves before being healed by Krivinn. Margarita revives Ella who is being attacked by the leader and then slays the beast after it’s bloodied by Krivinn. Weary from their travails, the PCs head up the creek to find somewhere to rest for the night as it’s getting dark.



The party set up camp – Ella talks about building a fire but using this word seems to freak out Koh-Bar who runs off into the woods, ranting and raving. While he’s gone, Ella makes her small fire. Koh-Bar spots a man of leaves in the trees and returns to the others but Krivinn says the word “fire” again, causing the sorcerer to run off again. When he comes back for a second time, Krivinn sets him off for a third time, then Sharden does. Eventually the PCs stop tormenting the tiefling as twigs in their campfire start screaming and writhing around as if in agony! Krivinn grabs several twigs out of the flames, burning himself in the process,  and then lays hands on the sticks in an effort to heal them. The party don’t light another fire and Sharden uses a scroll to cast magic mouth to guard the campsite.

The PCs settle down to rest but Ella’s watch is disturbed by a flock of owls swooping and diving through the camp. Fortunately the others get back to sleep and the party manages to take an extended rest.


Feywild, Day 2

The PCs continue to follow the creek upstream, running into a group of fey and their two hunting boars. They refuse to bow down and swear fealty to the eladrin so battle ensues. The Black Fey runners turn invisible and blind the PCs with their feyshot wands while the boars charge Krivinn and Margarita and the witch surrounds herself in a shadowy aura. After a tough battle where the PCs don’t know where to target with their powers, the PCs are victorious but two of the Black Fey runners manage to escape.

Here's what happened in this afternoon's game. Best quote:

kb98, pointing at a mini on the battlemat : "Kill the gnoll!"

g0gmag0g : "That's me!"


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Here's what happened in last night's (very funny) session in which Koh-Bar the "God-King" made his debut appearance and everyone nearly drowned in the Feywild river. As most of the evening was spent in conversation with each other as well as NPCs, it's a lower xp total this week - 150 xp each.

26th Maius (contd)

With the bear and satyrs dealt with the PCs demand that the tavern-keeper, Nikola, takes them to the barn where the miller is being held prisoner. Pellham the guard won’t let them inside so the party go to see Kemal, the village muhtar (headman) who is convinced of Hamid’s guilt despite a lack of any real evidence. Margarita, Ella and Sharden go to the mill pond to see if they can find a body while Krivinn goes to talk to Hamid.

At the mill pond, the PCs run into a strangely-dressed tiefling who introduces himself as “the god-king Koh-Bar”; he claims to be searching for clues leading to a sect with a twisted draconic symbol – Sharden recognises this as the mark of the Twisted Rune. The dwarf goes off to tell Krivinn of the new arrival while Margarita dives into the pond. The genasi can’t find the missing miller’s wife but she does spot a millstone marked with elven runes on the bottom. Krivinn, meanwhile, has been speaking to the confused Hamid who begs for help from the party in finding his missing wife whom he believes has been dragged back to the Feywild by goblins after the two of them argued.

The dragonborn goes to the mill with Sharden where Ella and Koh-Bar are continuing to argue. Koh-Bar heads into the village and goes to the Golden Knight where he frightens one of the villagers. The others go inside the mill and meet a young boy with blond hair who calls himself Flax and says he’s the miller’s son. His story is confusing and the PCs don’t think he’s telling them the (whole) truth. Krivinn goes back to see Kemal again and gets the muhtar to agree to let the PCs investigate Ellessandra’s disappearance thoroughly over the next couple of days before trying Hamid. The PCs also talk to Dargo the smith who saw Hamid and Ellessandra argue.

By this time it’s starting to get dark so all the PCs go back to the mill. Koh-Bar stays outside, lights a bonfire and declares that the mill and the surrounding area are safe from monsters and evil. Then he goes to sleep. Inside, Sharden fails to pick the lock to the counting room and triggers the magic mouth so Ella kicks the door in. Rest for the night –Margarita falls asleep while she’s meant to be on watch. When she wakes up, Flax is nowhere to be seen.


27th Maius

First Margarita, then Ella and Krivinn swim down into the millpond and pass into the Feywild. After some dithering, Sharden and Koh-Bar tie themselves together and jump in afterwards.

The PCs find themselves under the waters of a rushing river in the Feywild. All five manage to get their heads above water but struggle to get out of the current and lose various bits of their gear. Ella loses a boot and Margarita loses her waterskin in the churning waters but Sharden suffers the most, losing his ritual scroll of eye of alarm, his quarterstaff, his boot (with concealed thieves tools) and his hat. Koh-Bar loses his backpack but more importantly, his “gold” crown. Krivinn and Ella grab hold of a log and Margarita who has made it to the bank helps them out by throwing a rope. However, Sharden and Koh-Bar, both poor swimmers, are still floundering in the water and look to be heading over a waterfall. Desperate situations sometimes call for desperate solutions. Brave Ella uses split the tree to fire arrows with ropes tied to the ends into both PCs – Koh-Bar makes a salmon leap out of the water to make sure she hits him. The two hapless PCs take 19 hp damage each (which drops Koh-Bar to 2 hp!) but they are able to grab hold of the ropes and are dragged to safety just in time to avoid going over the falls.

The damp and gravely injured PCs are tended to by Margarita’s inspiring words of healing but as they rest briefly, the waters start to churn – over a dozen large eel-like creatures are slithering towards the river bank!

Here's what happened in this afternoon's game. The first few encounters were clearly too easy but the last one more than made up for this!


18th Maius (contd)

Sora and Gil search the papers on Arturo’s desk, finding some cryptic notes, while Hrothgar heads up the stairs and triggers the alarm put in place by the “Dog Brothers”. The brigands attack as the party enters the room – Hrothgar makes a flying leap up to the loft to attack the War Captain, Irocar, followed by Juma. The gnoll knocks Irocar into a brazier. Bloodied, the captain tries to run for it but is killed by attacks of opportunity from both PCs. Meanwhile, downstairs the others have killed four of the Dog Brothers – the fifth and final one (named Cosmas) surrenders to Ulthar.

The warlord interrogates his hapless captive who reveals some facts about the layout of the tenement – Juma threatens to feed him to the otyugh but this isn’t necessary to get him to spill his guts. Satisfied he has nothing else useful to impart, Ulthar lets him go. Juma shouts camply after him “We’re the Juma Gang, don’t forget!” Meanwhile, Hrothgar is searching the two rooms for a second time. Noticing some loose bricks in the chimney, he pulls them out, bringing a load of rubble down on his head but revealing some treasure including a +1 lightning javelin. He also finds a secret door in the SE corner. Ignoring Juma’s warning, the gnoll opens the door, triggering a double spear trap. In the room beyond are dozens of rats among the gang’s food supplies – the PCs are able to deal with these pretty easily and the group heads into the sleeping quarters beyond. They search both rooms but find nothing of interest.

Next, the PCs enter Madame Zeb’oltha’s laboratory/study where they are attacked by the tiefling warlock and her two Tiangaon eunuch bodyguards. Gil casts flaming sphere and orbmaster’s incendiary detonation, Juma charges in to attack Zeb’oltha and Sora criticals with radiant delirium, allowing the PCs to finish off all three opponents in a single round!

Searching the lab, Sora finds a crystal orb containing a dragon’s eye, Ulthar finds three vials of a strange powder and Gil discovers a test tube filled with phoenix feathers. Hrothgar tries to lift the floating head out of the blue liquid it sits in but is scalded by acid and drops it in shock when its eyes open! Tipping out the liquid kills the head.

Heading downstairs, the PCs fight ten beggars in the warehouse – one of them surrenders but doesn’t seem to know much useful information so Ulthar lets him go. Hrothgar heads up the ladder into Orloch’s “court” chamber. Gil uses fey step to teleport in and attacks with incendiary detonation, killing the 11 year old girl disguised as Orloch lying on the sofa. Hrothgar charges one of the “guards”, but realises they are just dummies as Sora enters the room and triggers the pit trap, falling down into the cage below. Deadly rogue Black Shet appears, shooting at the PCs from the rafters. Jihad jumps down after Sora, followed by Gil, then Hrothgar and finally Ulthar as Black Shet heads down through the trapdoor.

In the cavern below, the trapped dragonborn is winched towards the slave pens by a giant ape as the other PCs ride on top of the cage. She struggles to get out as battle is joined with three hobgoblin slavers, the ape and Black Shet. Hrothgar leaps off the cage on to the ledge to the attack the hobgoblins as the ape uses its bounding smash to jump on top of the slave pens and knock Gilgarran into the water where he spends most of the battle floundering about. Jihad also falls in but is able to get out fairly easily. However, every time he climbs up the ladder to the ledge, he is shot at by Black Shet and forced back down again. Meanwhile Sora is still trapped in the cage despite help from Ulthar to get her out. The ape is killed but this leaves Hrothgar to hold off the three hobgoblins who are slowly wearing him down. Eventually, Gil gets out of the water and Jihad uses dimensional warp to swap the eladrin wizard and the dragonborn paladin. Sora climbs up the ladder and finishes off Black Shet with a commander’s strike granted by Ulthar. Hrothgar goes unconscious and fails his first death save but is rescued by Ulthar who pours a healing potion down his throat. Gil magic missiles the last surviving hobgoblin and the battle is over.

After a short rest, the PCs release Gil from the cage and get the three captives out of the slave pens. These are an elderly priest of Niu Dihan named Wang Jin We and an aristocratic woman named Lady Patricia and her handmaiden. Lady Patricia had apparently been abducted while on her way to visit Jagadamba. On Black Shet's body, the PCs find a +1 duelist's dagger ("Felis"). After deciding Lady P won’t be keen on waiting while the PCs take an extended rest and then clear out the rest of the dungeons, they take her home, getting their friend Sethos from Flotsam to row them across the Dolphin Strait to the Royal Docks and then on to her home in the Grand Ward. Her husband, Didymus seems a bit taken aback to see her but the PCs are nevertheless given a reward of 200 gold bezants. Afterwards, the PCs take Wang Jin We back to temple of Niu Dahan, and then head home to rest.

This book looks like it will help me flesh out the Caliphate of Akhran quite nicely....

GENIE MYSTICS AND DESERT GLORY

A hot-blooded realm of riches, slavery, and blood feuds, the desert nation of Qadira looks down upon foreigners, for all other lands are glass when compared with Qadira’s diamonds. Ogre mercenaries and soldiers on flying carpets keep caravans safe from bandits and strange beasts. Bound genies build majestic palaces or guard pompous wizards, while tribes of jann roam the deserts hoping to free all geniekind. Militant factions of Sarenrae’s faith rattle their sabers and train dervishes, while mages and scholars from across the world line up to attend Qadira’s prestigious academies. And through it all, the war-mongering satrap turns his ambitious eye toward Taldor and the lands to the west, ready to break the centuries-long peace if only the padishah emperor would give him permission.

This Pathfinder Companion describes the country of Qadira and its capital of Katheer, the city of a million caravans. Study the secrets of the daivrat, humans honored with the trust of wise and deadly genies! Learn how to tell a half-genie from a thin-blooded suli-jann! Unlock Qadiran secrets with new feats and traits! Everything you need to know to play a Qadiran character—or defend yourself against one—is right here!

Here's a (by no means complete) list of the more important deities of the Sahasran pantheon:

Agni – god of fire. He has seven hands, two heads and three legs. He has seven fiery tongues with which he licks sacrificial butter. He rides a ram or in a chariot harnessed by fiery horses.

Bauhei the black leopard

Brihaspati – teacher of the gods, has seven mouths, horns and 100 wings

Durga – the wife of Siva and is a less-dark aspect of Kali; she is a radiant goddess who embodies divine feminine force. She has ten arms and rides a tiger.

Hanuman the Monkey God – helped Siva defeat Ravana

Kali, the Black Mother

Kiga – almost forgotten goddess of hunting, worshipped in the jungles of Sahasra

Mitra, Light of Blessings – sun god and guardian of the cosmic order

Puchan – god of travellers, appears as a normal man carrying a golden lance

Ravana, lord of the rakshasas

Rudra, the Archer – god of the storm, the wind & the hunt

Sapta Sindhu – the seven river gods (including Varuna, god of oceans & rivers)

Savitri – god of the day long sun, who causes all things to move and work, the tides to ebb and flow. Unlike Surya, he is not always gentle and has a bad temper.

Siva – god of destruction and change, defeated Ravana in battle. His mount is a bull called Nandi.

Surya – god of the rising and setting sun. Appears as a man with dark red skin and long golden hair. He has a third eye and four arms.

Ushas, goddess of dawn, the bright and ever-young daughter of the heavens. She appears as a beautiful woman, driving away the evil spirits that have gathered during the night, awakening the gods and living creatures, and then opening the gates of the sky to allow Surya into the world.

Vishnu, the Preserver

Pictures depict, from left to right: Ravana, Agni, Kali

    

Here's what happened in this afternoon's game. Each PC gets 460 xp.


18th Maius

In the early hours of the morning, the PCs get up, ready to return to the Old Fishery. Before they leave, Hrothgar spots a bird (a nail stealer) pull a shiny nail from Mangesh’s houseboat.

Go to the Old Fishery and fail spectacularly to stage a surprise raid. First, Juma joins Hrothgar on the boardwalk around the side of the building, causing it to collapse and tipping them both into the water to be attacked by a jigsaw shark. Then, they head underneath the fishery on the lower boardwalk, through the rotting ship and back round – Juma slips twice, falling in the second time. Finally, it takes three attempts to bash down the front door. Inside, the PCs are attacked from all sides by Mr Wang and the Dockside Crew: Hookshanks the dwarf fires at Juma from the right, Bloo the guard drake bites Hrothgar from straight ahead while Elias Wang launches an Avernian eruption into the PCs from the left. A big (and lengthy) battle follows in which Gilgarran’s flaming sphere and orbmaster’s incendiary detonation spells are used to great effect to deal with the Crew rabble. Mr Wang is backed up by more Crew mooks and Giggles the half-orc, but eventually the PCs manage to finish off their opponents. Wang is killed by opportunity attacks from Sora and Ulthar and Giggles is killed by Hrothgar after being surrounded by the party. Hookshanks surrenders, volunteering to tell the PCs all he knows after Jihad threatens to cut his thumb off (“no branding, but cutting off thumbs is fine”). He tells the PCs that Mr Wang used to meet Zeno at a gambling hall on a boat and confirms that Orloch is a slaver and a gnoll. The PCs let him go. After Sora dissuades the others from carving “Juma Gang” into Mr Wang’s naked body and hanging it up outside, they undertake a full search of the Fishery before torching it and returning home to bed.

When they wake up, Hrothgar climbs the mast of the Fat Grouper and grabs the nail stealer’s nest. He takes it to Mangesh and explains the bird has been stealing the fisherman’s nails. Mangesh is grateful after becoming convinced that the gnoll is telling the truth and promises the PCs curry and beers that evening as a reward.

Head to the slums. Juma sticks his hand in the devil’s mouth lock on the gate to Orloch’s tenement but luckily pulls it out in time as the jaws snap shut. Sora goes next door to St Caspieran’ Salvation and talks to Brother Jerome who confirms that Orloch’s base is adjacent to his mission. Ulthar, suspicious, goes to see the priest as well but doesn’t learn anything new – he makes a donation to the mission but declines the invitation to help serve cabbage soup to the homeless.

Jihad leaps over the gate followed by Hrothgar and Ulthar but Sora and Gil have problems and both take a tumble. In the alley, they fight five sentries armed with a net and longspears up on a ledge, reinforced by two archers and two toughs. Sora and Ulthar dodge back round the corner to avoid being shot at and finish off the sentries while Juma-Jihad heads inside to fight the toughs and ends up getting knocked unconscious by aging fence Arturo. Gil casts flaming sphere into the room which burns Hrothgar when he’s pulled through it by the otyugh on the other side of the curtain in one corner. Fortunately the gnoll manages to escape and is able to charge Arturo, bloodying him. The otyugh retreats back under the garbage in its pit to stay out of the way of the flaming sphere. Jihad is healed by Ulthar and uses dimensional warp to swap places with Sora. Ulthar kills the last sentry and Sora finishes off Arturo. All the PCs move inside, taking care to keep well away from the otyugh’s reach.

Quote of the session: "I do not care you have rolled 26, I am still talking" Hrothgar to Ulthar

This is the first part of what looks like being an epic tale from g0gmag0g concerning the origins of his gnoll barbarian Hrothgar:

For generations, the Ghen’khaz tribe had stalked the Great Grass Sea, carving a blood-stained orbit that it followed year after year. They moved between the settlements of other humanoid races, burning, killing and eating on each visitation then taking valuables and slaves before moving out onto the steppe once more, allowing each township to recover enough wealth before their peregrination brought them back and they fed from it once more.

Complex networks of interbreeding, alliances, truces of convenience and demonstrations of strength with other gnoll tribes prevented a state of permanent internecine war, but alliances were betrayed and truces broken on a regular basis and vicious conflicts would erupt between the Ghen’khaz and their brethren.

The only things that united the tribes of the Butcher’s Brood were their worship of Yeenoghu and the presence of the striped centaurs with whom they shared the Great Grass Sea. Away from the eyes of the civilised world terrible battles were fought between these ancient enemies. Fortunes would ebb and flow from one side to the other over the ages but neither ever gained a final victory.

Then, 70 years ago, something happened that would seal the fate of the Ghen’khaz forever. K’hidyr, the son of the tribal chieftain, was leading a raiding party against what he thought was a small band of foraging centaurs. Seeing the centaurs in a shallow valley he led the pack down for what should have been a swift and easy victory. But as they made their descent a line of centaurs appeared at the far end of the valley and the innocent-looking foraging party picked up weapons that had been concealed at their hooves. Realising he had been led into a trap the chieftain’s son barked the retreat to his pack, but more centaurs rose up from the long grass on the hillside, blocking their retreat.

That day the Ghen’khaz suffered the worst defeat in tribal memory. Only a handful of survivors managed to escape the battle and it was their task to tell the chieftain that his son had not died a warrior’s death and gone to join Yeenoghu’s fiendish pack in the Abyss, but had been caught in a centaur’s net and had been carried off as a captive.

Shamed by this, Dho’ghu, the chieftain, announced that he had no son and that K’hidyr’s name was never to be spoken again. On his death, he said, the succession of tribal chief would be decided by combat between the fiercest warriors. Then he ordered the tribe to strike camp and they moved off across the Great Grass Sea without looking back.

K’hidyr himself was taken to the centaur camp. The centaurs used slaves as well, and made good money from selling captives to traders from the cities of Tiangao in the East and Parsantium in the West. But gnolls did not make good slaves – even armies wouldn’t always take them as soldiers because other units refused to fight with them because of their tendency to feast on the flesh of the defeated enemy. So K’hidyr’s fate was not in the bazaars of the towns he had preyed on with his tribe; he was to be a sacrificial offering to Metîn – an aspect of Mormekar, the god of death and rebirth.

The khan of the centaur clan presented K’hidyr to the high priestess of the Metîn cult, for him to be prepared for sacrifice on the following day. Because the victim would be going to meet Metîn in the underworld, the centaur rites required that he underwent a ritual cleansing the night before the ceremony, culminating in the offering’s eyes being plucked out at midnight – done because no unbeliever could be permitted to look on Metîn’s glory. The victim was then left to spend the rest of the night alone, contemplating his fate.

But as K’hidyr sat there in the dark, weeping blood into his matted fur, he heard the voice of the centaur god speak to him. Metîn told him that he was going to use K’hidyr as his instrument and that he would be blessed with four deaths.

Before dawn the centaur high priestess, Ariya, came to K’hidyr, anointed him and led him to the place of sacrifice. The centaurs dismembered their offerings before cremating the remains, and K’hidyr had his arms and legs tied to four centaur priests who each faced one of the cardinal compass points. The high priestess cried out in prayer to Metîn, raised her arms to the heavens and called to the priests who lunged forward. As his limbs dislocated, his tendons ripped and his skin tore open K’hidyr howled out to Yeenoghu to help him. But his body burst asunder and great cry of joy went up from the assembled centaur clan.

With care the centaur priests gathered up the various pieces of K’hidyr’s body and brought them to the waiting pyre. Ariya, the high priestess, lit the bonfire and K’hidyr’s broken form was finally obscured by smoke and flame. The clan knelt around the pyre to complete the ritual, the scattering of the ashes to the winds of the steppes.

But as the fire died down the clan were struck by disbelief, shock and, finally, horror. Lying amongst the embers was K’hidyr, whole once again, and apparently peacefully sleeping. The high priestess approached the bier with trepidation, and as she did so the gnoll’s eyelids flickered, opened and he looked directly at her. Remembering how he had called out to Yeenoghu in his final moments Ariya feared it was a demonic trick to desecrate the ritual. Calling for the priests, she had K’hidyr seized and she swore that the ritual would be completed, even though it meant starting the entire process of purification again. K’hidyr was forced down before her where he was once more blinded and taken away to be prepared.