Shademurk: Lizards and cows and masks, oh my

 Party: Amyas / Sorval / Iskren / Vultha / Zantaroth / Taurio

Griev 9th

The group stands around the corpse of the fallen Giant, Zantaroth using his eldritch power to snatch the head of the fallen foe from the group and impale it on his old sword, creating a singular trophy rack.

The shaman, trying to salvage things, asks help to push things along after questioning Vultha about the Boros presence. The entire group, apart from a confused Sorval, attempts to give the credit to big Z, but then a Boros patrol arrives.
The leader of the patrol, distrustful of the actions of two wanted figures amongst the Gruul, wants to take Sorval and Iskren in for questioning, but is interrupted by Vultha discovering a glowing Simic signet inside the regenerating corpse of Ubrogren, while Zantaroth asserts his dominance by claiming clan leadership.
As Vultha holds up the symbol, Zantaroth smacks it with his blade, causing it to shatter and bloom into a tentacled monstrosity, followed by the shaman announcing the sudden arrival of two more tentacled mutants.

The group fights off the attacking beings, while they recognise the captain of the Boros patrol to be Amyas, their old friend. They manage to fuck the mutants up, while sustaining wounds, but not fatalities.
Amyas gets the party on board of the Onyx Fang, preparing for a long and needed catching up on both sides, where some old acquaintances appear to have taken up posts. 
A lot of catching up is to be done, to be certain...

Ulgrotha: Finishing Up

 Party: Sorval / Zantaroth / Iskren / Taurio / Vultha

Xivaskir 29th through to Griev 5th

Having departed the Dark Barony, the party heads for the Great Wood, eventually getting in touch with a Daughter of Autumn Willow and being granted access to the Labyrinth of Fog, where they discover and overcome challenges set by Autumn Willow herself, earning them the right to summon one of her fine servants, Little T, into combat if need arises. Throughout their journey in the Wood, they had shown themselves to be forthright, honest and martially capable allies, so Autumn Willow spoke to both Vultha and Zantaroth, taking the time to answer their questions, granting them direction and purpose.

To Vultha, she recommended the lizard to seek out Freyalise, elven goddess and defender of the wilds. To Zantaroth, she told a tale of a mighty dragon whose very essence was shattered and spread across the multiverse to prevent his return. She hinted at a place where a magical blade could be found, to which Vultha produced a treasure map once acquired from an old rogue, and the party plotted and planned.

Sorval sought to head to Strongrock, to find the allies that he and Taurio had persuaded to join the Boros cause, capable warriors who would be able to help Shademurk if the dark visions of destruction were true. The rest of the party would travel to the location of the treasure, seeking more power to take on the forces that would undoubtably oppose them.

The group faced a steep climb, up on the very foundation of an ancient civilisation fallen to ruin they trod, defeating winged beasts, ancient elemental guardians, parlaying with an angelic guardian, walking through a wall of spinning blades and eventually even defeating the dangerous entity known as Dakkon Blackblade. The blade, torn from the grasp of their defeated foe, was given to Taurio, who reluctantly took it upon himself to wield it, while a shard of raw energy pulsed into Zantaroth's very being, engraving him with the Mark of the Destroyer, making him a Champion of Vae Victis Asmadi.

Meanwhile, Sorval speaks to the allies, provides them with a general lay-out of the Shademurk and meets a tiefling on the run from vile entities seeking her death. The horned lady introduces herself as Mafara, a spellcaster of some ability, and expresses her thanks to the Boros hero.

The vampire formerly known as Baron Sengir made an appearance and helped the party to a final stop, reuniting them with Sorval and sending them hurtling through the Blind Eternities, where they came face to faces with a celestial serpent, that tested their alliances and their willingness to sacrifice things they held dear in order to reach their destination... 

Griev 6th

Our friends, their loads lightened in various ways, from coin to drinks to the bones of a defeated dragon, manage to pass by the serpent, finding the lands of Serra stretching out before them. They set out, except for Vultha who indulges in some crafting and improving his rapier, to carve a trail of carnage through things that oppose them. 
They learn of a race of trolls that follows "The Shard of Eternity" Brokkos, a massive mountain of a beast that trundles along the peaceful meadows of Serra, destroying everything in its path. While the angels devoted to the Radiant Lady have successfully held it back and even slain it on occassion, the being keeps returning to wreck more havoc.
Considering it not their priority, the group moves ahead to find a shrine to the Lady, which exerts an unnatural pull on her paladin, Sorval. 

Entering the shrine, the group discovers more trolls trying to gain entrance, but also a wicked ploy of the Orzhovian emissary, causing a delegation of Ravnican angels to be trapped in the shrine. Athra, an old ally of the party, tells Iskren in vague terms of upcoming trouble, which is reiterated by the Orzhov leader of the ploy, an unusual man known as Mikhael, during his fight with the party.
As the group faces off with him (after receiving the blessing of the guardian of the temple), they are hurled through space and time and find themselves not across from a mere mortal, but a crowned specter, who proclaims his place as the rightful heir and king of Ravnica.
Not deterred by this, Taurio causes great havoc and ends the future reign of this being before it can commence. In the commotion, Sorval snaps the crown in half and shoves part of it in his pocket.
Iskren, worried, slowly takes in the situation, as Vultha notices the spires of the Ravnican society around the graveyard the party seems to be standing in.

Griev 9th

The party quickly tries to find their bearings, discovering themselves in the lands of the Gruul clan known as Smash Smash, though it appears to have been taken over (after some careful thinking) by the Clan Slitz. 
The party meets up with Eyjafjallajökull who brings them to Ubrogren. Zantaroth puts his own plans in motion and takes Taurio up to the giant while bellowing a challenge. A fierce battle later, Sorval lops the head off of the Giant.
Now standing over the corpse of the Clan leader, the group eyes their winged friend with a mixture of awe and worry, for according to clan traditions...
this would make Sorval, paragon of Serra and member of the Boros Legion, the new leader of clan Slitz, the sneakiest reptilian gits...   

Ulgrotha: Sengir's Castle

Party: Sorval / Taurio / Vultha / Iskren / Zantaroth

Xivaskir 29

After a fitful night full of visitations by allies, the group (minus Sorval, who has been sent out by Serra on a mission of his own, discovering a group of cyclopean lizards encroaching on a portal, a fight with a cambion and a limited time of return leading to a strategical retreat) gathers again, with various of the members of the party passing on the information they got. They proceed to figure out their next goal should be gaining more allies and forces, with Ravnica and Serra's Realm as main points.

Big Z speaks about Elder Dragons for a bit, as he has been marked by one (Vae Victis Asmadi), implying a potential future quest, while Vultha wants to seek out Freyalise. Iskren had little activity to mention.

Grandmother Sengir appears with foods and a general scary vibe. She shows the group to the Baron's throne room before leaving them. The Baron himself speaks with the group and Iskren specifically, striking a bargain for the return of his coin (in exchange for an heir, a corpse, aid and support). He provides some added intel, noting Dihada as a main problem, Freyalise as a powerful ally. 

As Iskren negotiates the terms in person, Taurio and Vultha look at a pair of feathers and seek how they can make items from them. After the deed is done and the Baron ascends to his planeswalkerhood, unleashing a wave of dark energy from the coin before returning it to Iskren.

The energy, as Taurio/Vultha/Zantaroth move towards the library, seems to enhance the castle, making it more of a macabre place, with semblances of human remains brought to the fore rather than blending in. 

The library itself is populated with hooded figures, servant spirits, which allow the party access to books upon demand. Information on the Elder Dragons seems rare, but Zantaroth is brought to some volumes (which mention Vae Victis having been broken down into shards), while Taurio studies mass battles and Vultha passes his book to a servant and retrieves is again, learning more of Lorwyn. 

Eventually Iskren rejoins the group, finding Zantaroth first and looking into the Elder Dragon War with him. Once Vultha joins up, a small spark of inspiration strikes the group, and he links the stories in the book to a small dragon they found in the Shademurk. At that time, Sorval rejoins the group. 

The discussion goes on towards the being known as Har-to Pro'nouns, with Serra and others being named as potential allies. While listening to Vultha, the group meets a trio of elves, two of them horned, the main conversation centers upon Oona, the violet queen, who might be an ally if the party gets to Lorwyn. They seek the book Vultha carries, but the party is unwilling to relinquish it, so both sides decide to remain neutral and a token is given by Elda Goldenmanes (captain of the guard) to Iskren to allow the party access to the Gilt-leaf Courts. 

In the end, the party decides the priority should be Serra's Realm.

The group eventually leaves the castle and retrieves the corpse of Ishan, travel towards the Great Forest and Autumn Willow. They rest at a bridge, ignoring the dangers the night may bring, Zantaroth meeting up with Sandruu and by the morning, the party seems to be aiming to pass the corpse on to Autumn Willow and maybe tracking down a shard of Vae Victis that was forged into a sword...

 

Ulgrotha: Into the Dark Barony

 Another two-for-one~ 

Party: Sorval / Iskren / Taurio / Zantaroth / Vultha

Xivaskir 27

The party decides not to arrive at the Baron's abode empty-handed and follow tracks to a manticore lair.

They, however, discover the lair is also home to a large dragon, much bigger than the one they fought in the pass. After a heavy battle, they do emerge victorious and add a lot of treasure and coin to their hoard.

They agree to retire outside and rest up, Taurio attunes to a magical ring, the group reconsider their resting spot, head back in and spend the night in a protective circle of Feryja's making, replenishing their vitality for the upcoming trials and tribulations.

Xivaskir 28

Fully rested, moving and feeling good about their chances, more so after some bonding over Zantaroth's delicious foods, the party encounters a fleeing group of villagers, heading towards the Baron's castle, as Leshrac's raiders are testing the defenses of the Barony. Bringing down the attackers, the group sets out to follow the fleeing villagers, before encountering a familiar figure all dressed in black robes and wreathed in flames. The Walker of Night, his remaining Balor, a Fear Smith and some goons have come for them! 

Using their wits and acquired knowledge, the party manages to turn a balor into their ally, who promptly strikes out at the Fear Smith. The pair fights in the background while the group batters Leshrac's force.

As the Walker is forced to spend a lot of attention on the party, he lowers his defenses for a convenient intervention by Jared Carthalion. As the Shadow Mage strikes out for the Walker of Night, Leshrac flees. The other foes mopped up, the Balor agrees to assist them in future endeavors after answering some questions. A praying Sorval gets a communication from Jared, telling him to go about his business and declaring Ulgrotha safe... for now.  

They head forth, arriving at Castle Sengir after passing by the Rows of Punished. They are greeted by a group of servants, and led to the salon. Vultha remains behind for a bit before being warned that Grandmother might take an interest in travelers that stay behind. The salon is occupied by a female dwarven vampire who introduces herself rudely as Irene Sengir. A brief back and forth later, the Baron arrives and sends Irene off. He shows himself a gracious host and allows the party to take a rest and refresh. The Boros decide they want to check out the library while the others will seek audience with the Baron. 

Before parting ways, Iskren also tells Sorval they might have to do unusual things, but that Iskren will NOT cause the party harm through deeds or words.  

Koshun Pass: Two for the price of one

 Xivaskir 26

Party: Sorval / Zantaroth / Taurio / Iskren / Vultha

The group converses with a Balor and moves on after securing its alliance in their fight against Leshrac. 

They head deeper into the dungeon, fighting off a manifestation of (what they previously encountered as) Zantaroth's Wild Side, bound by a magical circle. 

They discover a shaft at the back of the room, so they follow it to the library. Vultha spies a goblin laying prone. Shoots it. Shoots it again. And again. Before Zantaroth discovers the goblin has died. A while ago. And there is an acidic smell in the air, implying poison. The group then investigates the room, where books are strewn on the floor, torn from the shelves. Learning a little of the history of the Castle of the Dawn, the Rise of the Barony (written by Xolkur Thruda) and the dwarven authors that used to write them. Also erotic dwarven fiction (about a fiery redhead named Serra, not related to the planeswalker) with pictures. And Vultha finds a book on 'the Violet Queen', a fey being that can grant wishes.

They then walk through the corridor adjacent to the library, split up a little and discover a shrine and a spider-guarded prisoner respectively. 

The spider sinks its fangs into Taurio, but Vultha takes it out before it can do anything else. Sorval calls upon the powers of Serra and removes the poison from the prisoner's system before Big Z calls him to the shrine. The remaining members of the party examine her and find her to be a non-combatant by her gear, judging her to be more of a scholar. The damage done by her captivity involves her missing two fingers and having bite-marks all over her body due to the spider. Being healed by Iskren, she comes to and explains she is a researcher interested in the dwarven culture. The name she gives is Feryja, from the Hidden School. 

The shrine, guarded by a strange being that attempts to strangle Sorval as he examines the altar. However, the radiant frost attack from Sorval is more than a match for the creature's body. The pair then cleans out the shrine with Z grabbing a bunch of 'magma shrooms', which he thinks will be delicious when roasted over lava.

Afterwards, the party talks about the destruction of the Anvil, mentions chatting with the Balor (which upsets and intrigues the lady), being sent by Sandruu. She exchanges for this knowledge her own about Seraphim and Leshrac. Sorval then spends the rest of their time together chatting about himself and the Legion. The group eventually invites Feryja to join them to Sengir's place.

Walking for a longer period of time, the group comes across a camp led by someone who calls himself Ezauchton, a Sengir Autocrat, and two peasant servants, Wilhelm and Maurice. The group then makes dinner for everyone. The peasants seem happy enough with their life here, explaining leaving the barony could see their families killed, while Sorval speaks of dragonslaying.

As night falls, the group sets up watches. Zantaroth keeps first watch, while Vultha dreams of ghosts. The first ghost was a farmer, but it provides little intelligence. A second one is an Orzhovian, who divulges a lot of intel to Vultha on Iskren, such as the optional death being a benefit to the guild or their presence on Ulgrotha being a boon.

The second watch falls under Sorval's care. A purple-haired being approaches Sorval, a large being, clad in flowery chainmail, introducing herself as the Queen of the Evendusk, Who Brings The Aurora. She doesn't appear to have a weapon on her, asks about the party's dragon-friend and requests Sorval to find a book about the Purple Queen and cast dispel on it, for she is bound to it by magic.

The third watch belongs to Taurio, who scares off a group of shadow fey. 

Xivaskir 27

In the morning, the group chats about what happened, with Sorval querying Feryja for the Purple Queen. Vultha mentions the ghost council visit to Iskren, who is thankful for the info.

Koshun Pass - The Anvil

Party: Zantaroth / Vultha / Taurio / Sorval / Iskren

 Xivaskir 26

Our heroes make their way through the cavern, discovering a group of cultists disturbing some debris, before being ambushed by two demonic guard-apes. The cultists split and the party chase one of them straight into a group of Orog guardsmen. Defeating those, they discovered several rooms that made up the underground complex, with Zantaroth helming the infiltration, kicking open the door to an eagle or falcon related chapel, discovering a dark room where a mysterious being attacked the group (and was eventually dispatched) while giving chase to one of the Orogs that ran away and eventually clashing with a group of reanimated minotaur skeletons. 

Once the party caught up and all immediate threats were slain, they dove even deeper into the complex to discover the tiles that they had been traversing giving way to rough-hewn and natural curves and chasms. A group of goblins camping out point them in the direction of the Anvil, warning them a certain white-haired loon might be involved with it. Iskren makes a prayer to Sengir to ask for guidance. The party then sunders it and prepares to meet the bound entity it held... another Balor!

(Combat sessions are a lot of fun for recapping)

Ulgrotha: Strongrock and Beyond (at last)

 Party: Sorval / Zantaroth / Vultha / Iskren / Taurio

Xivaskir 25

Vultha heads to Ivar's Ballistics, attempting to find a ranged weapon that exceeds his own. Some bartering later, Vultha has emptied his pouch in exchange for a pretty looking metal crossbow, a super exclusive cleaning cloth and a pair of keychain whippersnappers (collectable numbered miniature crossbows that fire whips). 

After a quick and worrying detour to the multitalented goblin Giglund, big Z and Vultha head to Snarfblatt to procure a tattoo for Zantaroth. Sadly enough, Vultha spent all the funds the pair had available on ranged weapons and keychains. So they seek out the closest source of gold.... Iskren!

Taurio and Sorval head to the Irone Brotherhood's HQ where they meet Jaja, a man covered in dried blood and rusted armour. The pitch made by Sorval for recruitment goes something like "Return uncertain, leaders instable, foes unknown, death likely". Taurio offers board and gear to sweeten the deal, dropping the rates a moderate amount. The pair leaves a deposit with a reservation for two months. Sorval mentions whoever will pick up the mercenaries will have a Boros symbol.

Afterwards, Sorval seeks out Iskren and delivers a beautifully crafted gold-and-raven themed armour. Chuffed about it all, Iskren spreads the happy mood, spending a few moments on making compliments and even passing on a priceless gift from Vultha to Sorval. Zantaroth explains his need for the ink and dipping into the party fund, the group (minus Taurio) decides to fund it. Z, Taurio and Vultha head over to Snarfblatt again, where Zantaroth has a red field with a golden star with a black circle in the middle, from which an armoured angelic wing sprouts, on it and from the red field flow some branches over the jaws tattooed on his throat to face area. Depending on how the light catches the massive lizard, the tattoo glows blue.

Xivaskir 26

Finally moving past the administrative bits, the party breathes free mountain air beyond Strongrock. Taking a decently paced walk, the party eventually finds remains of the rumours Iskren had caught. Splitting off from the beaten track, they find a goblin who (Sorval and Vultha combine to deduce) stabbed himself after poisoning and eating his own innards. A little further off, they spy a clutch of winged lizards, whom they engage in combat. The fighting draws out a larger, more adult variant of winged being. Combined, the creatures cause some damage with their acid breath, but eventually fall to the combined might of the party. In the end, Sorval heroically slays the large beast with a single blow of his Frostbrand.

The group then rests and loots the corpses for meat, bones and coins before spotting a trapdoor which leads into a cave or cellar of sorts.