Ep3 Session 1 Play Summary

CP awarded 3

Dave 4

Present

Dave - Tobias

Tom - Icarus

Tim - Cognor

Given 1000cp by church upfront. 

The party was sent north by the church on a mission to find a missing priest, Brother Gramdell Roque, who was tending a small church at a small manor named Tawley Court

The Church provided a wagon and supplies for the journey

The party travelling North west for 2 Weeks and 3 days

Followed road from west to east

River valley.  small walled manor to North of road and river.  village around manor and villages to north west

Forest to East foot hills to east and far to north

Fens and Bogs to South of river – smoke seen rising from that direction. 

Upon arrival, the party was confronted by an open drawbridge over a small dry moat and a dropped portcullis. 

The guards were suspicious but the party was invited in happily by the Bailiff, Gottfried.  Gottfried is flanked by 2 large carnivorous apes.   Gottfried is polite and cultured, likely from the East

Gottfried is the brother of the Lady Delwyn, who is the wife of Sir Bradley. 

Sir Bradley has recently been critically wounded by a rampaging demon.  He was rescued in time by Gottfreid's Apes, Horatio and Ignatius.

Brother Tobias offers his assistance to Sir Bradley.  Gottfried tells the party that Lady Delwyn is mad with grief and is refusing anyone but Gottfried access to her husband.  Brother Tobias beseeches Gottfried to convince Lady Delwyn to let him help.  Gottfried leaves and is gone for a long time. 

While waiting, the party discuss the death of Brother Grendell with Captain Crandle.  Brother Grendell had been Slain in a demon months ago.  Crandle commiserates that he has lost a lot of good men to those beasts. 

As they wait, a blood curdling screech echos across the landscape to the east.  The faces of Crandle and his guards blanch as they look to the east in fear.  The Manor is called to arms and the bells rings to call the villagers in from their crops. 

It is known that the demons appear from the cave system a couple of miles east.  The Party is asked to assist by riding out to meet the demon with Crandle and Mr Robertson.  They are given mounts and hastily ride out. 

The road bends to the north after a mile and the party find a small box canyon that runs back to the west for a 200 yards or so.  The walls are forested and made of limestone (similar to steep escarpment around) and ~30ft high.  A large cave mouth sits at the far end.  Icarus takes to the northern edge to get a good aim point on the cave mouth.

As the Party gets to within about 30 yards of the Cave mouth, a demonic horror appears.  Roughly humanoid, red skin with chitinous plates, batlike wings and carrying a wicked blood drenched blade.  The party defeat the demon, with Mr Robertson being cleaved in half through the torso and Crandle being critically wounded by the demon's poisoned tail.  Tobias revives Crandle.  Cognor is also badly wounded during the battle.

The party returns to the manor and are greeted as heroes.  They are invited to stay in the way house within the manor walls.  While drinking and eating they discuss their suspicion of Gottfried.  They resolve to investigate.

Icarus sneaks into the manor house with the help of Capt Crandle.  On the 1st floor he finds a door guarded by one of the apes.  He then sneaks down into the basement kitchens and hides in a storage room.  After lights out, he hears footsteps approaching accompanied by a light moving past his door.  He follow into he kitchen and through a secret trapdoor.  He follows down a tunnel and witnesses Gottfried ritually cutting himself in front of a tone portal and appealing to the powers of darkness.  He sneaks back out.  Crandle confirms that the guarded door is that of Sir Bradley and Lady Delwyn

The party plan to have Tobias draw Gottfried to the gravesite of Brother Gramdell under the pretext of having to witness proper death rites, while the others will attempt to reach Sir Bradley.  Capt Crandle will help them.  The plan starts well, Gottfried agrees to go along but as they near the gravesite he pauses for a moment, as if to listen to something, and then orders the carnivorous apes to "take care of him".  Meanwhile Icarus and Cognor get into the room of Sir Bradley, and a re greeted by a wild eyed and suspicious Lady Delwyn who is guarding her husband with a knife.  As they negotiate, a small winged demon with a scorpion like tail (an imp) appears from under a veil and dashes into the room to attempt to put Sir Bradley down for good.  They manage to kill the imp before any further damage is done.  Icarus notices the battle outside the walls and dashes for the battlements after Cognor casts Haste on him. 

Tobias battles the two apes and manages to defeat them with good use of defensive magic and well placed bowshots from Icarus on the wall.  Gottfried flees to the keep, beseeching the guards to kill the intruders.  Capt Crandle orders his guards to stand down.  Icarus takes aim and manages to drop him with a shot to the knee. 

The Aftermath

Gottfried is hung for treason.

Sir Bradley is brought back to full health after a week of care from Tobias.

Tobias is recruited to dismantle and sanctify the alter and portal in the secret dungeon. 

The party find that the secret dungeon is connected by a natural tunnel to the cave where they confronted the winged demon.

Sir Bradley reveals that he has recently been granted a lordship and is now to be styled Sir Bradley Tawsley, Baron of Carth.  He is Baron in name only though, apart from Tawley court it is a wild and untamed place. 

Sir Bradley proposes that the party stay and assist him in reconquering his new Barony.

An old Citadel lies to the East - guarding the old mines

Lizardmen have taken up residence in the Fens directly to south.  They have not made incursions over the river yet, but are preventing access to the Fens which are a rich source of bog iron.