Shademurk: Unfortunate plans

 Party: Sorval / Iskren / Taurio / Vultha

Griev 12th

As our heroes are getting their bearings back and trying to figure out their next move, making new friends and allies, branching out their Ravnican networks a little, the day floats by without too much happening.

Vultha manages to commune with Freyalise, who finds the idea of taking him on as champion amusing and provides him with a blessing. Beyond that, he caught Tim'aee and learned of the cost (which he is willing to pay) to have Berac (a legendary golgari assassin) to take out captain Ruddiger. 

Iskren discovers Thaya has been keeping track of most activities while they were out and now is eager to divulge whatever she found out.

Sorval and Taurio got started with their recruitment process, causing illustrious names such as Yvan (Blazeripper Hunter), Kelezegal the broad, Thihm the Thick, Lisanna (quartermaster sergeant), Sigalda (with new fingers) and precognitive mage Weydal to join their service.

The group then gets a calling from Sengir, who helps them plot their course, which may involve tracking down Feryja in Ulgrotha to learn the secret of immortality as it may well be linked to Brokkos in the realm of Serra... 

Shademurk: A day at the market

 Party: Iskren / Vultha / Sorval / Taurio

Griev 11th

The party wakes up to find Zantaroth gone. And Iskren, come to think of it.
Iskren left shortly after Zantaroth did, to prepare for her great day, instigating a ritual to bring forth a massive golden temple/marketplace near the basilica. 
Sorval wakes Taurio, noisily enough to wake Vultha too, and the three follow. They hail a cab and take it to their cleric. 
Taurio explains Zantaroth had to leave for clan business, the guys grab some oranges... and a pair of ghostfire peppers, one of them is eaten by Vultha.

Iskren pops a temple into existence and the crowd is wowed, while the rest of the group arrives. Written on the temple in golden lettering, there is the statement "Debt is Sin".
Iskren then proclaims that all are free to trade there, but his attendants will collect taxes. They also proclaims herself the Orzhovian pontiff for Shademurk.

Iskren and Sorval take center stage first, reaffirming the Legion's support for the Orzhovian cause and the Orzhovian trust in the Legion's protection. Sorval manages to say Shademurk seventeen times in one minute during this speech. The crowd is entertained.
A little further back, a lady in Orzhov colours hails Vultha to ask for her daughter, whose name escapes her but the lady's attendant reminds her of it, Taurio's ears perk up due to the conversation. The pair manages to listen to some of the barbs the lady throws out, and learns that she holds her daughter in low esteem. Before long, the lady loses interest in the "barbarian and the cow", and Taurio loses interest in the lady. The pair then wanders off towards Iskren.
As Taurio arrives, he donates the 2000 gold received from Zantaroth to Iskren, who clarifies the alliance between Gruul and Orzhov, where the Gruul are displayed as border guards.
A different representative sneaks in front of Vultha, who stares and points daggers at the Vedalken, Akaduza (from the Azorius), who would want to have the help of the Orzhov in studying the strange magical phenomena around the Guildpact and Guildpact related matters. Iskren also mentions that Vultha is a lethal assassin. To the lawkeepers. Who also donate 10000 gold to the new pontiff.

Vultha then has a remarkable moment with Iskren, asking about their goals and complimenting them on their temple... but also reminding them of the chain they are attached to.
The lizardfolk then tells Iskren their mother is there. They scheme together for a bit to slander lady Glotka. Vultha then buys a piece of "I cannot believe it's not Murkfish" to throw it at the lady.
And rolls it straight under the foot of Boros Third Legion Commander Wallincourt Maz, grandfather of Sorval. Wallincourt and lady Savine Glotka then engage in conversation.

Meanwhile, Sorval spies a pair of familiar angels that keep their eyes on the proceedings. He questions them about his origins, receiving confirmation that his family indeed was blessed by Serra. Sorval also asks about the name "Pierakor', but Feather and Athra exchange a knowing glance before Feather responds that she does not know that name.

Taurio and Thihm meet at the buffet. Thihm shows off his newest gear. An M-shirt and an endless flask of gin. He is then distracted by the pair of angels descending towards Iskren.
Iskren shows themself quite grateful to Athra for teaching them to use magic. Beyond that, Athra also delivers a missive from the Ghost Council, a promotion is given and the demand for patience is made. Athra also reminds Iskren that enemies can be assets, not obstacles.
Feather, up next, explains the bounties have been lifted, so the party can rest easier. She says that there is about a month's time left before the Nephilim breaks free. The nature of the beast's power is shattered throughout various realms. A Kraken in Ulgrotha, the Fragment of Eternity in Serra's Realm, ...
Taurio and Feather have a bit of a chinwag, with her noticing his weapon and explaining the Blackblade is a weapon worthy of a warrior of his stature. She explains awakening weapons to Taurio. 
She also explains the time lost between the Serran temple and the Ravnican graveyard, the guardian sphinx cast the group and its foe through time into their home plane to avoid damage to the temple.

Savine Glotka meets with her child and trades barbs and a mirror is donated. 

Sorval, arriving at the Fogger, is informed of his promotion by temporary guardsman Timms, who is suitably impressed by a bit of wing-popping. Smithing for a few hours, Sorval is found by his grandfather. Wallincourt is proud of the achievements Sorval informed him about in a letter.
A bit of family chatter follows, and Wallincourt also takes the time to explain all the angels on Ravnica were made so by Razia. If Sorval would be blessed in such a way, he sees it only as a boon granted for the family's services. 

Shademurk: End loose, loosly ended.

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

Griev 10th

The party, having started their day and put into motion the things they felt they ought to, departs for the Shrine of Arcades Sabboth. They enter the place, only to encounter a lone, dark-skinned female who sits near the pond where Taurio was once assaulted by carnivorous fish.
Zantaroth, feeling the pull of something beyond the lady, slaughters her where she stands, showing little care for the allies she summons, as the rest of the party summarily dispatches of those.
Moving beyond where she was, the group discovers an open passageway they had previously not found and proceed downward into an older, more primitively worked temple.

Contained in the older part, a multitude of traps awaits. The party manages to escape most harm and even befriends a group of six-legged spiderlike beings known as Sextants. They also encounter pockets of mutant lizardfolk, an Izzet biomancer, a terrible giant, a tentacled beast and fight off a Benighted Dragon that emerged as the head of a draconic corpse was chopped off. 
As Zantaroth lays into the benighted beast with his blade, his connection to the Destroyer deepens immensely, leading to a full sprouting of wings on his back as he absorbs the essence of this undead creature into his Mark during an epic brawl. Noting the skeleton that spawned the beast was tied up in rune-encrusted chains of binding, Sorval is quick to take these chains with a future project in mind.
A pair of magical books are taken from underneath the bones.

Pushing through after defeating the dragon, the party encounters a lone ex-boros warrior, who tells them his work here is done and leaves, while from the room beyond, a horrid sound emerges.
Rushing in, the party meets a demonic worm, rolling and rumbling through the room, arms and heads and feet emerging from it and disappearing again, face it head on, confident in their skill and with the push of Taurio's calming aura, destroying it utterly and smashing the altar that allowed it to be brought forth into the world. 

And thus, with the direct threat ended, the party returns to their watering hole. 

Along the way, they meet six badly wounded prisoners in two different rooms:
Humfrid (an Azorius cleric who is lacking a foot)
Beata (a guildless)
Sigalda (a Boros legionnaire with missing some fingers)  
Gustavic (an Izzet engineer whose leg-bones were removed)
Celegra (a Selesnyan druid, left arm missing)
and Gorgek the Axecollector (whose eyes and hands were mangled)
All of these made good their escape, thanks to the party.

At the end of the day, as all are permitting themselves a little bit of rest, Zantaroth catches Taurio alone, palms him a sack of gold for Iskren, the cape of the Mountebank and wishes him well, as the big lizard's duty now will pull him far from where the party's aim is. 
Come morning light, no trace of Zantaroth remains in the town, other than a number of marks on the floor, the colour of burned blood.

Shademurk: All that remains

 Party: Iskren / Sorval / Taurio / Zantaroth / Vultha

Griev 9th

As the party split up, we find certain things happening in unison, and certain following a logical progression.

After repairing some gear and contemplating the two Planeswalkers he served, Sorval finds himself ... beset by Wallflower, who manages to get the great hero to blush and take chances with being caught by bounty hunters rather than stay and explore her varied charms. Using his wings, he heads straight to the Wicker Goat, to find Taurio and Zantaroth.

Vultha scans the area where he was instructed to wait, keeping out of sight and doing his best to not alert suspicious guards.

Iskren, finding themselves surrounded by the debt-bound ghosts in a grey phantasmal realm. Chains are dangling from each of the spirits, a sign of their debt.. Worse though, Iskren finds a chain running from Little-T to them, but also from themselves to a point beyond his reach.
A gentle voice calls out to Iskren: "Sister, you here?", a child stands nearby, holding the chain that came from Iskren. Ten years, maybe. Elven features. A mask adorns its face. It is highly understanding of Iskren's plight and tells his sister that the Ghost Council itself visited him to explain his situation and pass a chain to him. He speaks of potentially inhabiting the soulless babe in Iskren's womb. Iskren is not opposed to this. As she says so, the boy says he will consider her motivations and tells her to move on, as another is waiting for her.
The other eventually is encountered, a lady elf, with four horns on her head, speaking in repetitions. The horned elf seems confused, as she was there to meet Ishtra, not Iskren. Her bodyguard stands by without saying a word. Iskren makes their stand and tells the lady that they will take control of the Shademurk's Orzhov chapter. The lady suggests that defiling a specific altar downtown would be a tradeable asset for the favours, one of which is turned down - slaying the remaining ghost of Ishtra.
Two small horns push through Iskren's skull, as they leave the lady and hurry to the Old Temple, where Vultha awaits. 
 

Zantaroth reminds Taurio of the mission set by Iskren before Sorval arrives, wings out. Sorval focusses on getting beer and then seeks out his friends. Sorval treats the bar to a round in order to get back in the good graces of the crowd, before the trio rouses a rabble through the offer of alcohol and takes it to the temple. The strength in numbers makes for an uneventful journey for the party, though various lizard invaders meet their end.

Iskren checks with Zantaroth for coordination, before speaking to the oldest guardian of the Temple. Being informed that a sacrifice is required to gain the power of this place, the guardian brings forth a weapon to slice off Iskren's hand. They lose their hand, thereby enabling them to take the Bright Hand from Wellgar. Taking a little time to recover, Iskren manifests in the Ravnican plane again.

The immediate reaction is one of shock and violence, as a massive dinosaur and rider appear in the middle of the Temple. Iskren shouts at Wellgar that he is relieved of his duties, and that the truth and justice will return to the Shademurk as power is granted to them.
Expressing his disappointment, Wellgar casts ray of sickness at Iskren, kicking off a battle that can only have one certain conclusion.
At the end, the party reunites, Zantaroth running through Wellgar with his blade, Vultha claiming the priest's soul while a heavily damaged Iskren takes control of the Bright Hand, allowing the oldest temple guardian to disappear. The Boros crew call off the aggression, though a single Orzhovian guard still casts a ball of fire at Iskren. As Sorval's death ward triggers and keeps Iskren safe, the guard seems satisfied and does not take further action, proclaiming himself to be Tehn.

An old acquaintance, Megaera, had joined the fray, and the reunion with Sorval is a happy one. 
The Irone Brotherhood become the de-facto guardians as the current Orzhov guards are somewhat damaged. Iskren takes a moment to declare an alliance between the forces of Boros and Orzhov in Shademurk, aligning their goals and ambitions for the time being.

A lady of undeterminable age steps up and talks a little with Iskren, asking to collaborate on certain matters, with her being a paladin of Serra. Sorval asks her to join him in liberating Shademurk, to which she replies there's the matter of the Fragment of Eternity running rampant still. She does point the party to a cultist hole, previously a shrine to Arcades Sabboth. Upon his request, she also tells Taurio the minotaurs seem to have arrived in Sunhome.
Iskren gives cleaning orders as Evril makes her way out.

Vultha asks if he can inspect the inventory of the Temple, for items the party can use. Taurio checks in with Zantaroth for his future plans. Zantaroth wants to reduce the followers of Arcades to cease to exist after giving him more information on a shard of the Destroyer on this plane. He seems distracted.
Megaera is offered a chance to join Iskren's side, but she prefers to go to her own dwelling for the evening. Iskren sends a message to Athra, mentioning their plans for tomorrow. After that, Iskren drinks a glass of wine and has Thaya draw a bath.

Taurio and Sorval head back to the Fogger and the Wicker Goat, with some drinking and plans to rendez-vous with Iskren at the Temple the next day. Taurio also organised a small patrol to keep an eye out for Iskren's safety. At the end of the evening, Sorval writes a letter to his grandfather.

Zantaroth goes on a scouting mission, steering clear of danger and scaring off non-danger. His mark flares up for a short while as he strays near the shrine of Sabboth.

Vultha heads for the Grove of Freyalise, finding the caretaker gone and a feral feel taken over the paths. Setting himself down, Vultha attempts to commune with the goddess, but cannot find the meditative trance to connect correctly, spending too much time noticing the damages done to the grove rather than feeling one with nature. He starts mending the damaged parts of the grove, slowly taking on the role of caretaker without noticing it, restoring paths and returning a sense of wholeness to the grove.
Zantaroth eventually joins up with his friend. He also tries to meditate, but finds himself distracted by the gardening efforts. Zantaroth gives up on trying to find his deity, rather joining into the restorative effort with Vultha. 
As they round off their evening's work, Vultha and Zantaroth summon forth, through ritual magic, a large black and white bear. It urges to dispatch of the Nephilim, as that corrupts the land around to an extend none of the human or planeswalker influences have.
Vultha puts down an idol of Autumn Willow in the Poppy Field, building a small shrine and begging her protection down on the area.  

And thus ends the evening of an excessively busy day.

 

Shademurk: Mile High Club

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

Griev 9th

Amyas seeks to head out and inform his men of what is happening, thus guiding the party to the Fogger (the current Boros HQ).

On board of the Fang, the group quickly returns to their old ways, friends chatting with friends, some of the crew, rescued from the fighting in Shademurk, being glad to see more familiar faces.
-Firebelly and Flaxen Braid see Zantaroth as a powerful warrior and requests his aid in keeping their tribe safe, swearing to guide the barbarian to their Queen, in order for an alliance to be forged between Clan Slitz and the Burrows they came from.
-Taruviel Primeground (daughter of Gellan) is sought out by Iskren before long and the two have a pleasant chat about the disappearance of Gellan proper. Iskren learns Wellgar still holds the temple. While she is aware of the betrayal by Iskren, but seems more intrigued than repulsed.
-Krovek, on board, hears that Iskren has gained new abilities and interjects, expounding on the virtues of traveling alongside the great Sorval, going so far as to offer for free his gospel of Sorval to Iskren, to help their quest of understanding order. Sorval, in turn, interrupts his prophet and drags him away to save Iskren blunt force facepalm trauma. Sorval learns that the stories are close to what happened, with a plot where he ripped open the fabric of reality to save his allies from a collapsing mine and did not desert at all, before defeating an ancient vampire bladelord who now has to dedicate his service to bettering the realms. Sorval mentions Jared Carthelion and Serra, even going so far as to make mention of his new magical blade. Beyond that, there's a bit where Captain Ruddiger Absindek (who is said to be the cause of the wanted posted that makes life bad for Sorval) is brought up and verbally put down.
-Meanwhile, Taurio refuels his stock of Kefir and Vultha crafts a medallion for Taurio.

Taking Iskren apart for a second, Amyas discusses plans for the party's inconspicuous arrival in town, as wanted folk are at risk of arrest at the best of times. Thihm speaks to Amyas as he leaves the vessel, mentioning that he smells Taurio on the Fang, and asking permission to go claim the bounty he placed on Taurio's head.
Amyas runs back onto the ship, telling the group the mercenaries of the Irone Brotherhood have arrived at the Wicker Goat. Taurio and Zantaroth are then informed by Iskren that a group of warriors outside of the old temple would be nice for ... reasons. Vultha is asked to infiltrate in the same temple in order to help negotiations.
Vultha and Sorval also have a small conversation, where Sorval asks Vultha if he knows any Golgari assassins, Vultha responding that he may be able to get rid of the target in exchange for a favour.
Vultha and Zantaroth then have a talk, where Z wants to know Vultha's mind and plans, which seem to be heading into naturalism. 

Before departing the airship, Iskren consecrates a room to Sengir, who then communicates with the cleric, telling her to be proud and hold her head up high, not to back down and to claim what is rightfully hers.
Afterwards, Iskren preps Vultha by casting a scrying spell to show him where Wellgar is. Sorval still walks up to the cleric, pats them and casts Death Ward, earning a measure of respect from the stoic cleric.

Taurio, Zantaroth and Amyas head to the Wicker Goat, getting in touch with the mercenary group, while Amyas pulls down the wanted posters. Finding Irone, the group gets introduced to the Brotherhood's translator Sharuu, as the mercenaries speak Ulgrothan and not Ravnican. 

Sorval works on some armour projects while staying on board.

Vultha and Iskren make their separate ways to the Temple. Vultha enters, pretending to be a petitioner, eventually finding a spot in a votive box-chapel, with sights on Wellgar.
Iskren, however, enters the ethereal plain, together with little T, finding themselves surrounded by the forlorn souls of the debtbound... 

 

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...