13th Age Campaign Session IV: Shadows Over Eldolan

13 Age Campaign Session IV -- Shadows Over Eldolan

Editor's Note: Many of you have noted the use of puns in the session titles. Even though it may not look like it, this one is a pun as well. Take ye heed!

Last session the group had defeated the Dream Master. This session began with the spoils of that victory. In other words, there was loot.

The group pored over what they presumed was the Dream Master’s workshop. They found a ledger  that went back just over two months. About a month ago, new line items for bodies both live and dead started to show up.

There were two names associated with it who were taking the supplies: Landon, with a notation about the Dead Vaults, and Aerto, a “broker” in the docks.

The group additionally found a large amount of coins (the Dream Master’s ill-gotten gains) and quite a bit of Dream Leaf. They quickly put everything together and left, planning a discussion on what to do next for tomorrow. The Dream Master had taxed them to their limits, and the only thing to do was get a night’s sleep.

As they left the building they were met by Kalia, the girl they had spoken with earlier in the day, and who had told them how to find the theater.

“Wicked! That was absolutely incredible, what did you do there?”

Kalia went on to tell them that the roof of the Truth of the World had exploded with light, and the light had a feeling for once of being right, for the lack of a better world.

“The Dream Master is out of business, kid.” Molechai told her.

She also told them that someone had left the theater immediately before them: it was humanoid in shape, but somehow wrong. The group thought that must be the follower of the Lich King who had told them as much as "I'll be back." The group looked at Molechai, who told them this wasn't in his expertise. They knew somehow that this wouldn't be the last they'd see of him.

“Wicked! So what’s next? I mean, I’m sort of part of the team now, right?”

And so Kalia was. The group told her that what was next was a night’s rest, and they would meet up with her in the morning.

At this point we did the first long rest of the game. 13th Age has a rule where you don’t restore powers on a daily basis, but rather after having a number of encounters, typically four. The group was badly beaten up, so they needed a rest.

The group made their way back to the Grounds and to the Halls of the Hidden Veil. The next morning, they gathered in Jarin’s office to discuss what had happened and what to do next.

Morning Breaks

Once again there was a breakfast that even a halfling would envy, and the group talked about what they had seen.

“What was the Dream Master, really … that was like nothing I have ever seen,” asked Molechai.

Auric told them it was a servant of the Underkraken, causing Jarin to cough awkwardly with surprise.

“These are dark tidings, indeed,” he said while taking up his pipe again.

The rest of the group needed some explanation, so Auric told them that the Underkraken was an immense creature, a Living Dungeon, from deep in the earth. The Underkraken slept, but had servants in the world, who stole things, but not common items like gold or even magic. The Underkraken’s minions stole memories; it stole the essence of who you are from you. 

And when it has acquired the right combination of memories, it will awaken and return to the surface, and that might herald the end of the 13th Age.

It was a dangerous conversation to have, said Jarin. But why was the Underkraken sending agents into the world now, after slumbering for so long.

Molechai and Auric looked at each other and wondered: had Molechai started the end of the Age by waking Auric up?

“No matter. These are dangerous times. Dragur, my boy, you had best have a proper wand if you’re going into the darkness to investigate these things.” With that, Jarin presented Dragur with a black-iron wand that he quickly put away.

Dragur used an Icon result to acquire an item, making him the last one in the party to do so.

The question was what to do next? The group had two primary leads at the moment: the name of Landen at the Dead Vaults, and Aerto down at the docks.

From Jarin’s perspective, the notion that the Order of Light would have something to do with undead in the city was beyond absurd, and Alarendel agreed. The group was somewhat incredulous at their attitude, but after a good breakfast, it was decided they would investigate Aerto. But how?

The Docks were not like some other parts of Eldolan: unusual creatures like Auric (who, if you remember, is an eight foot tall golem-like creature) would be noticed, and problems would likely occur. How could the group get the information they needed, when they weren't subtle?

“I think we should use the girl,” suggested Auric. “After all, if something happens to her, it’s not one of us, and we can put a tail on her so that we’ll know where she ended up.”

Despite Alarendel’s objections that this would be dangerous and of questionable morality, the group agreed. Kalia would find out about who Aerto was, and what he was up to.

You Gotta Have a Montage

The group headed back to the Warrens and picked up Kalia from the Last Hope Mission. They explained what they wanted her to do, and paid her some coin for her troubles. Alarendel was still concerned at the danger, but Kalia seemed not to mind. “I got this!” And she was off.

The group established a procedure for meeting with her, and was able to tail her effectively as she searched for Aerto and tried to set up a meeting with him for the group.

With that, the group headed off to the Docks.

Dragur knew that the Docks were one of the most dangerous parts of Eldolan: many dark stories come out of the district, and though sailors tend to exaggerate, some were doubtless true. The transient nature of the population in the Docks makes it hard to prove or disprove the stories, and the Silver Shields (the town’s somewhat ineffective watch) had pulled back all night patrols due to the recent events, though they were still patrolling the main thoroughfares in force during the day.

Here is some basic information I gave the group about the Docks:

As a port town, Eldolan has three main piers where large ships and trading vessels can dock. There are also many shorter piers for the smaller ships, and the protected bay allows the fishermen to simply leave their craft anchored offshore around the bay’s edges a short swim away. There are many open stalls selling fresh seafood near the harbor, interspersed with other small tent vendors and similar folk selling all manner of goods to those arriving via ship.

A number of taverns and inns line the harbor, serving sailors, travelers, and locals alike. These establishments tend to be rowdy, though a few of the larger ones keep things civil enough to draw recently arrived travelers to them (at least on the first night).

Kalia set about her work, and quickly found she had a problem. The Silver Shields were out and about looking for troublemakers who didn't fit the surroundings, and that was Kalia to a ‘T’. She soon found herself taken into custody for asking questions and being a general nuisance.

Kalia was held in the Shield’s dock headquarters, which was right on the main pier: it was actually on the water.

The group considered what to do and decided to try and scare them out. Molechai and Dragur used their magic to create a sense of overwhelming dread, combined with a smell of … filth coming from the jail. The Shield guards almost immediately fled from the stench, allowing the group to quickly free Kalia and send her back along her way, with the stern admonition to not attract attention from the Shields.

Kalia continued her work trying to find Aerto and soon discovered who the real players on the Docks were: the Sharks.

The Sharks were Eldolan’s chief Dock gang, and had their hands in everything that went on there. In short order, they told her that they knew perfectly well who Aerto was, and would be happy to send her to meet him. And that’s what they did, kicking and screaming all the way.

And that was the scene when the group found itself heading to the Screaming Mermaid tavern.

So this entire scene was played out using the Montage rules that I saw used in conjunction with another 13th Age adventure. What are the Montage rules? Well, stick with me and I’ll write an article and tell you about them.

At the Sign of The Squirming Mermaid

The group saw Kalia being carried into the Squirming Mermaid and waited. They wanted to make sure this wasn't just another stop along the line. And, according to Auric, if Kalia was disposed of, they wouldn't have to pay her anything. Alarendel fumed.

Ten minutes passed. Alarendel was thoroughly fuming by this point, and decided to storm into the tavern. The Mermaid was on the dock area, with much of it physically over the water, and there were a number of boats docked along the back. Alarendel noted this.

Entering the tavern, he saw that it was a large main room, along with many smaller, private areas for covert meetings. Alarendel immediately got the sense that a lot of business was conducted here, and the multiple entrances and exits, including the water, made it obvious that the people who were here did not want to be caught. 

Alarendel’s entrance was noted by the barkeep: an elven woman with striking red hair. She had the look of someone who expected trouble, and was prepared to do it. “Careful,” she said, spying the murder in Alarendel’s eyes, “or you’ll end up feeding the fish.” She said it not in a boastful manner, but so matter-of-factly that it gave him pause.

Looking around the room, Alarendel saw that everyone there was ready for some kind of violence, but the room was calm. It was the calm before a storm. He could sense that a little bit of aggression would be met with deadly response.

In looking around the room, Alarendel saw that one of the men (a “Shark”) that he had seen enter the tavern. He was talking with a smarmy little man who was odd looking, but not in any specific way. He was just odd. 

Yes, Aerto was played by Steve Buscemi from Fargo

Aerto, don't-cha know

While Alarendel tried to be as non-descript as possible, batwings thoroughly in the hidden position, Dragur headed to the door and kept watch. The rest of the group was nearby.

The two men were laughing and having a good time, but when he saw Alarendel, the Shark bolted for the back of the tavern!

This was a failed observe what’s going on undetected check. Alarendel is not subtle, and so was the absolute wrong character for this. But … he was the one who cared enough to go in. Go team paladin!

Alarendel jumped up from the bar, bat wings flowing and ran after the Shark. The bar was about to enter into chaos and death. There were a lot of scores that were about to be settled.

That was when Auric entered the bar. The huge golem creature immediately put a stop to any violence that was about to go down.

Interestingly, Auric is not that intimidating, but his player can roll really well sometimes. There was a hefty bonus for his size and strangeness as well.

While Alarendel was off Shark chasing, the rest of the group descended on Aerto, who was looking cool as a cucumber at his table.

Dragur approached him. “You’re Aerto?”

“That’s what it says on my shorts” The group disliked him immediately.

“We know you’re dealing is bodies of the recently dead. We need to know what’s behind it and who you’re selling them to.”

“Whoa, hold on there now. I deal in many kinds of products, and all of my clients appreciate how discrete I can be. So there’ll be no discussion of who’s and what’s and where’s. It’s not professional.”

“That’s the wrong answer, little man.” Auric had entered the conversation.

“Wait a moment, let’s be reasonable and discuss things like the friends I’m sure we’re destined to be.”

It looked like this was going to be a tough sell.

In the back of the bar, Alarendel caught the fleeing Shark as he was trying to make a getaway on the docks. He grabbed the much smaller man and spun him around.

“The girl you came in with. Where is she?!” The Shark was trying to find something to say to stem the dark paladin’s hand. Nothing immediately came to mind.

“We gave her up to Aerto … it was his friends who took her. Honest!”

Alarendel grabbed the man and started back to the main room.

“...so you can see that there are a lot of factors at work here, and I’m just the middleman. Doesn't that all make sense?” Aerto was spinning quite  a tale in the main room.

“You. Quiet. Where is the girl!” Alarendel is nothing, if not direct.

Alarendel’s player wasn't having any of it, and pulled off a nice check/

Aerto’s face became still. He was quiet.

“Look, I can see that you’re not going to take no for an answer. There are some people I work for. They have a warehouse on the docks where they take a lot of my … products. If she’s what I think she is, you’ll find her there. I’d go quickly if I were you.”

And so they left the Squirming Mermaid and headed over to the eastern side of the docks, near where the cliffs rose up to the Grounds above. Would they get there in time to save Kalia from whatever these ‘clients’ had in store for her? Alarendel at least was doing everything in his power to make sure of it.

The group had some fun roleplay here, with the players who have characters of … questionable morals contrasting with the blunt ones like Auric and Alarendel. This was a fun scene to pull off. Of course the timing was such that they reached the next scene, the warehouse, at night. Why is it always night, they asked me? Because it’s scarier that way.

Would you Like to Hear the Good News of Dagon?

The warehouse was two story and brick. It had a main entrance where carts could come and go (oooh, carts again!) and a door by the side of the building that was intended for workers to come and go. There were lanterns lit in the upper floor that flickered with light.

When Auric looked at the building (recall, he can see both what something looks like and what it used to look like) he saw the entrance to a large temple, with the symbol of an eye on the entrance. 

The Shadow Over Eldolan?

When he described it, Alarendel recalled it as being a sign of the church of Dagon, one of the Diablolist’s favorite sects. This evil would sacrifice the innocent for the promise of gold and wealth from the sea. Long term worshippers of Dagon tended to take on a fishlike appearance and were reputed to be more at home at sea than on the land. Not good.

Alarendel decided that there was no time for discussion and started to barge in, only to find the doors barred from within. With a smash, Auric solved this problem,

Auric says "oh yeah!"

Inside. the warehouse seemed normal, except for the stairs descending into darkness on the far wall. Auric confirmed that these should go into the temple he had seen earlier.

Alarendel attempted to make quick work of searching the first floor: there was no time to waste. He ran around the floor until a huge form rose up next to him. It was a hideous crab demon, with razor sharp pincers that constantly went snap-snap. Yeah, I kept that up for the combat, which annoyed/amused everyone. Combat was joined.

Here were the highlights:

• Alarendel took the brunt of the damage, as he was right on top of the creature. It was a beast!
• When the creature was staggered (bloodied) it became invisible and teleported right next to Molechai and Dragur who were doing their best to stay away from it.
• When the creature died, it showered the group with infernal bits of crab meat. No one had any to eat.

When the combat had finished, the group knew they were in the right place. They were discussing what to do next, when Alarendel just ran down the stairs. This was different from previous creepy staircases where he had to be persuaded to do that.

The Shadow Over Eldolan

Alarendel headed downstairs without much heed for possible danger. At the base of the stairs was an open entrance into what must at one time have been the temple. A powerful wave of magical energy swept over him, filling him with dread and causing him to kneel down. A dark voice boomed out.

Bow before the Truth! Kneel before the terrible Might of Dagon.

Alarendel saw flickering light ahead of him, accompanied by chanting and the smell of something foul from the sea. The passage ended in a long room, whose outer edges turned upward slightly meeting the walls a few feet above the height of the central floor. Hanging from hooks on chains throughout the chamber were humanoid limbs, heads, and chunks of torsos; the body parts seemed to be rotting away but were also coated with fresh blood. Designs drawn in blood and gore cover the floor in intricate patterns, and candles in polished blackened skulls burned from niches in the walls. At the far end of the cavern, a pair of iron double doors connects the chamber to another room. 

More importantly, there were ten robed and hooded figures spread about the cavern chanting, and three more wait in the second cavern around a stone table upon which a slim form ... Kalia ... struggled to free herself. 

Alarendel instinctively knew that the ritual seemed to be nearing completion as the cultists’ voices grew louder.

The iron door slammed shut. It was about to be on.

And this is where things turned really interesting. Alarendel had rolled a relationship result with the Diabolist (did I mention he has an interesting background?) and called on it here.

He got up and flared his bat wings, charged through the chamber and bust through the iron doors.

"Stop! This child is wanted by the Diabolist and under my protection. You can not have her!"

There was a moment of hesitation: the evil priest with his wicked looking sacrificial knife hesitated. Was this a servant of his dark mistress? Was he about to be punished for taking the wrong sacrifice?

With that hesitation, the rest of the group descended on the cult and combat was joined.

Here are the highlights:

• Alarendel played up being on the bad guy's side for quite a while and was able to free Kalia from being sacrificed and actually get her out of there. Go team Paladin!
• The chains and hooks in the temple area were animated and could strike at and grab people. The entire area had an aura of dark magic around it.
• Fortunately, Dragur saw the aura of magic and was able to counter it with his own magic. His first natural 20 of the game put the chains and the building demonic power out of commission for three whole rounds.
• The cultists themselves were actually not very impressive: they were sluggish and slow to move on land, but were surprisingly tough. Their sheer numbers however, threatened to overwhelm the group.
• The cultist leaders, however, were tough. They could grant powerful attacks to their minions and also seemed to be able to control the dark magic that was in the room. Fortunately for the group, Dragur was able to largely keep it in check.
• When Kalia was safely out of danger, Alarendel turned and started to battle the cult leader directly. He smote him down quickly... the dice were hot.

Just as the cult leader was about to fall, he turned to Alarendel and with crazed fervor in his eyes screamed:

You fools! Dagon will not be denied this night! She will not be denied!

And with that, he plunged his ensorcelled blade into his chest, becoming the sacrifice. Something was coming!

This was an absolutely insane battle. As you might imagine, the way things are supposed to work, the group has two battles here: first with the fish cultists and a couple leaders, and then with the cult leader himself. Nope, Alarendel wasn't having it, wanting to get Kalia to safety. Things actually worked out really well for the group due to his successful bluff (backed up by the Diabolist herself for some perverse purpose) and then Dragur's largely holding the dark forces at bay. It was a great battle, but things aren't over yet!