Session 16

The next week becomes a flurry of activity.  The Knot returns from the Horn to the town of Farholde with a plan on establishing an evil organization, named the Basileal Shroud, to aid them in their endeavors.  It's emblem being triangular in nature, to represent it's three leaders, Emmerick, Galen & Yvainne.   On the trip back to civilization, they carry what loot they can manage and have Galen lay down arcane marks along the route, to allow future minions & messengers an easy way to and from the Horn.

While in town, Galen gets busy with selling various goods acquired from the Horn, as well as collaborating with Emmerick & Yvainne on establishing their group of evil-doers.  Yvainne focuses on the Orphanage to gain able bodied young lads & children to help the cause.  And Emmerick helps Yvainne, but also searches the slums of Farholde for any desperate cut-throats that could be molded into future soldiers of Hell.  Galen helps out & also begins purchasing some gear they Knot will need in the Horn.

Quell spends some time relaxing & exploring around.

Mardus & Brother Summit check in with the 7th Knot.  There they find a relieved Elise.  It seems a visitor arrived recently & wishes to see the 9th Knot.  Going upstairs they find Tiadora waiting.  It seems Elise finally got ahold of Thorne.  Tiadora is quick to ask if Quell was alive.  Followed up by a general status report.  Her terse attitude rubs Mardus the wrong way, but not being Emmerick, is wise enough to keep his mouth shut.  She doesn't seem bothered by the apparent length of the ritual but is glad to hear from Brother Summit that the Knot is ready to start the ritual soon.  And it seems part of her anger is at an apparent failed attempt to assassinate the King by another of Thorn's Knots.  A failure caused by the son of the late Balentyne Watch Captain, Samual Havelyn.

After her magical departure via teleportation they catch up with Elise on the activities of the 7th Knot.  Again, with Elise, they get a terse report of what the knot has been up to.  Which mostly consists of general recon & the like.  Though she does verify that the acting commander of the local Watch Tower is blood kin to the Victor.   Despite her, at times, unkind words of the 9th Knots progress she gives a full report of her Knots activity.  And this time Brother Summit & Mardus have no problem freely exchanging their opinions before leaving on relatively good terms.  Though clearly a strain between them and Elise has formed.

Also for part of the week Mardus spends time reconnoitering the Abby.  Just to get a feel for the security of the place.

At one point the Knot organizes a quick trip across the river & into the Forests of the Savage North.  Their goal is to pick up their old friend Grumblejack & bring him back to the Horn.  Wielding fireballs & other arcane death, it is with relative ease that the Knot finds their large friend.  En route they question an orc prisoner for information & verify the location of an Ogre encampment and that the Ogres are of a different breed, "southron" as the Orc put it.  What the orc meant was unclear, but the information leads the Knot directly to their friend.  And after a near scuffle with some Ogre guards, Grumblejack comes lumbering forward, calling out "no smash, them little 'uns my friends!"

Reunited with their friend they head south again.  Faced with sneaking the Ogre south into Talengarde lands, Galen casts magical flight on the Ogre.  And after they stop him from simply flying straight up into the air & swooping around for fun, they get him safely across the border.  Together all 6 of the Knot with their Ogre cohort head to the Horn with one objective in mind.

Start the ritual to free Vetra-Kali Eats-the-Eyes.

Arriving back at the Horn, Yvainne schedules one last meeting with Halthus the Flayer.  With Emmerick standing guard outside, Yvainne explains to the Torturer that she wishes to speak more with him and that the new torture equipment was installed and could use testing.  Halthus looks worried, but Yvainne insists all is well & offers herself up first as a test subject.  Halthus, knowing the Anti-paladin is waiting outside agrees & though enjoys himself at first, when his turn comes, his attitude sours quickly.  But seeing no choice he participates.  Yvainne asks a few lingering questions of the torturer and spends her time insuring the cultists legs are left in poor shape.  So that running will not be an option later.  All the time insisting the cultist is critical to their plan to restore Vetra-Kali.

Then the Knot goes upstairs with Halthus in tow, leaving Grumblejack & the Boggards below to stand guard.  Pouring unholy water over the seal of Mitra & intoning the first Dirge, the Knot begins the ritual.  Then Brother Summit grabs the crippled Halthus while the Death Priestess quickly cuts out the heart from the last living Sons of the Pale Horseman & places it in a bowl on the Shrine of Vetra-Kali.  An alien voice fills the minds of all assembled.  "Kazara Vo” -- “I hear".

Like some kind of unholy beacon, a blast of green light shot up into the heavens, shredding through a stray cloud & trying to reach up to the moon high overhead.  All around the horn green balefire glows.  The undergrowth of the forest is blasted off the sides of the Horn, revealing the daemonic temple in all it's dark glory.  The ground quakes and wraiths play about the glowing flames of the Horn.  Far off in Farholde people out at taverns & walking the dark streets look up as from the south they see an eerie green light shine down on rooftop & church steeple, followed by a low rumble that shakes windows and rattles signs.

There is no doubt in the town.  Evil stirs in the Caer Bryr.

The Knot members stand shocked.  Any hope of secrecy has been blasted away by balefire.  After a while the magic subsides and is reduced to only an eerie green sheath of energy that encompasses the top of the Horn.  But still, their position has been exposed, the damage has been done.

Over the next week the Knot rushes to improve defenses.  Hauling around stone & then using magic to shape it into walls & other defensive structures.  They let the Boggards recruit more into their ranks as they begin focusing their other minions on learning the ritual & preparing for attacks on the Horn.  Along the way they learn many of the dark rituals of summoning extra-planer evil creatures that the Sons had learned & detailed in Murals.

The following week the Knot begin instructing the Boggards on how to do the ritual as well, so that all in the Horn know how to perform the ritual.  Aside from Grumblejack, who Emmerick doesn't bother showing the Sanctum to, or the ritual done within it's walls.  Instead he has the Ogre help him with training of the new recruits.

Half way through the week they get their first message from Elise.  It states a group of local adventurers is coming & it details them all.  Quell immediately recognizes the names of Hallock Amon, Yorgun the Smith & Bianca DeVallya.  And all in the Knot remembers the name of James O'Toole, the boxer who nearly downed Brother Summit in the pit fighting in Drownington Manor.  Also a Sister Marta Dian was with the group.  The knot resolved to stop the group, waiting for them to arrive & then ambush them.  With their goal to take Sister Marta alive as a captive and future sacrifice.

The Knot members waited, huddled at the lowest "Eye" of the Horn.  Quell hiding in the shadows looking out over the Caer Bryr from the opening.  Deep below, in the caverns waits Grumblejack, guarding the end of a slim covered bridge, flanked by a trio of Boggard warriors.  Quell, spotting the unlucky band of adventurers from his perch high above the forest signals to his companions and waits.  Just like Elise's note stated, the adventurers head straight for the cave entrance.  Once the last of the doomed adventurers disappears below, the Knot rushes forward.  Joining hands, Galen casts Feather Fall & they all leap out into open air.  The Conjurur's magic provides a swift & safe landing on the forest floor below.  The para-trooping Knot regroups at the cave entrance.  Knowing they have the stop-gap of Grumblejack & the boggards, the Knot takes the time to have Quell slowly scout ahead & ensure the adventurers move past the open cave entrance & are well inside the smaller caves before attacking.

Having ensured the trap will be closed when they attack, the Knot then springs into action & falls on the helpless mouse of an adventuring party.  Hallack's Crew barely has time to react.  O'Tool calls out from the rear of the party that they're under attack.  Hallack tries to rush up & form a wall with O'Tool and Yorgen attempts to flank.  But before their plan is fully realized Galen temporarily blinds most of the party with Glitterdust.  And then, Emmerick, wielding his anti-paladin magics, slams into Hallack, backed up by his arcane companions & Hallack falls under a flurry of blows.  O'Tool likewise gets out-flanked by Brother Summit & Mardus, who work as a team to end the Monk once & for all.  Sister Marta dispels some of the blinding effects but not in time to save Bianca, who goes down under Quell's sneak attack.  A wounded Yorgen, having his sight restored only to see his friend dead at his feet goes into a rage & continues to hammer into Emmerick, giving the Paladin of Hell pause.  But Quell pulls out a sap & quickly downs the mad dwarf.

During the fight Yvainne had quickly walked in amongst the dead & dying, their life's blood pooling at her feet.  All the while feeling the power of her god around her as she unleashes her negative energy blood mists.  Finally arriving at the scared & alone Sister Marta, she casts Blindness on the Mitrian priestess.

As the follower of the sun's vision fades to permanent darkness, the Death Priestess rests a hand on her shoulder.  "Hush.  Accept the mercy & blessing of Zon-Kuthon."