08/28/2025 – General Adventuring Guild – Online

Summary

Last session, the General Adventuring Guild returned to the ruined city, racing the waning beam that kept chaos at bay. They detoured to a colossal bull‑man statue whose star shed a warm, radiant spotlight. Probing the plinth, Tuck and Ondar levered up a loose flagstone and uncovered a dry, hidden chamber: three huddled skeletons like a family clutching carved star stones, a bronze footlocker, and a weapon rack. They claimed silvered blades and a quiver of silver‑tipped arrows, plus flasks of argent warding oil, and left the dead undisturbed.

Pushing toward the palace, a black, ground‑hugging fog rolled in from the north. The crew scrambled to a crumbling second floor and watched ghostly citizens—soldiers, craftsmen, mothers—shuffle eastward against an unseen wind, keening in unison. Andy tested the fog; two spirits stared up at him, then shuddered and resumed their march. Near midnight, the fog peeled away like an orange, and the shades dissolved into wisps.

At the palace, they slipped in by the window and took a western door marked by recent boot scuffs. Inside a great domed hall, four crystal-studded pillars beamed light into the ceiling—clearly the source of the city’s sky lance—while a sprawling scarlet sigil pulsed malignantly on the floor. Valtor and Eldarin recognized the Diabolic rune: Pestilence. Andy scraped it apart with a silver dagger; the smoke lessened, the air eased, and the oppressive weight in the room lifted.

Finding ash near the southern door and chambers of abandoned vestments, the Guild gathered what lore they could and withdrew—rations running thin and the sky‑beam visibly weaker. Back in Skaal, they sold surplus silver and oil, kept the anathema stones and Vigil Stone, and hauled a trove of decrepit histories and hymns from the palace library. Studying them, Andy learned the palace was the Palace of Light, and that a holy weapon—the Nox Anathema—should rest upon its altar. It was gone, and rumors point to Khardruz. The texts also spoke of a greater sanctum westward: the ziggurat of Shamas at the river’s head. As the hand-compass swung north-northeast, the Guild celebrated a knife dance and weighed their next step: chase a stolen sun-relic to Khardruz, or climb the river toward the ziggurat before the last light failed.

OUTLINE:

Return to the Ruins and the Bull‑Man Statue

• Party approached the ruined city as the palace beam visibly weakened.
• Investigated a towering bull‑man statue whose star shed a warm pool of light.
• Found a chipped flagstone at the statue’s rear; lifted it to reveal a brass‑ladder descent.

The Hidden Cache Below the Plaza

• Discovered a dry, circular vault with three huddled skeletons (two adults, one small) clutching star‑etched marbles.
• Recovered silvered longswords, a silver short sword, a quiver of 20 silver‑tipped arrows, and three flasks of argent warding oil.
• Chose not to disturb the bodies beyond inspection; left the stones in their hands.

Black Fog and the Restless Dead

• A fast‑moving black ground fog swept in from the north near the market.
• The Guild climbed to a second story to avoid it and observed spectral citizens trudging east while wailing.
• Andy tested the fog; two ghosts noticed him, then shuddered and resumed their march.
• Around midnight, the fog peeled back into the earth and the spirits dissolved.

The Palace of Light and the Rune of Pestilence

• Entered the palace via the familiar window; chose a western door with recent boot scuffs.
• Found a vast domed hall with four crystal‑inlaid pillars beaming light into the ceiling—the source of the sky‑lance.
• Identified a scarlet Diabolic sigil reading “Pestilence.” Andy defaced it with a silver dagger, easing a tangible oppressive pall.
• Noted black ash near the southern door, an empty armor stand, and decayed vestments; confirmed other palace areas already explored.

Withdrawal, Sale, Study, and New Leads

• Rations nearly exhausted, the party withdrew to Skull by boat.
• Sold surplus silvered blades and two oil flasks; kept the Vigil Stone and two anathema stones; retained a hand‑compass that later pointed NNE.
• Retrieved and prioritized decrepit histories and hymnals from the palace library for study.
• Andy’s research revealed: the palace was the Palace of Light; the Nox Anathema is missing and rumored in Kardroos; a greater western shrine exists—the ziggurat of Shamas at the river’s head.
• Closed with a celebratory carouse that featured a hobbit’s knife‑dance challenge.

NPCs:

• Ajish the Honey Mage (rumor): A bewitching spellcaster with sticky schemes and a complicated history with Valtor. Mentioned in banter as a thorn in his side.
• Gazak the Were‑Orc (rumor): A brutal orc lycanthrope once leading raids in the south. Cited as a past enemy vulnerable to silvered weapons.
• Grishak the Black‑Scaled (rumor): A black dragon once tied to orc depredations near New Moon Bay. Referenced while discussing the value of silver against certain foes.
• Hobbit Knife‑Dancer: A wily reveler in Skull who challenged Ondar to a blindfolded Dance of Knives during carousing. Both lived to laugh about it.
• Shamas, Sun Deity of the West: The sun power venerated by the city’s priests; patron of the Palace of Light and the ziggurat at the river’s head. Said to have bestowed relics to hold chaos at bay.
• Spectral Spearman: An armored shade carrying a spear, trudging with the others through the black fog toward the east. A remnant of the city’s militia or guard, bound to an old summons.
• Spectral Woman with Braids: One of the ghostly citizens seen in the fog—an echo of the city’s fallen people. She halted when Andy touched the miasma, stared, then shuddered and resumed her march eastward.
• Unknown Kardroos Wizard (rumor): A reclusive arcanist in Kardroos rumored to possess the Nox Anathema, the sun‑blessed orb once kept in the Palace of Light.

ITEMS:

• Anathema Stone: A consecrated stone that explodes with banishing force against demons when hurled, destroying or weakening fiends nearby.
• Argent Warding Oil: Quicksilver‑like oil that temporarily silvers a weapon or ammunition when applied.
• Bless Scroll (Stone Slab): A blessing incised on stone, once usable by the faithful; ultimately sold in Skull for coin.
• Books: Histories and Hymnals: Decrepit but readable volumes on lineages, rites, and sun‑worship; studied for clues to the palace and its relics.
• Giant Platinum Amulet: An ostentatious ceremonial piece, heavy as a clock‑medallion, sold for a hefty sum in Skull.
• Hand Compass (Bronze Hand): A mysterious bronze hand that points toward a beckoning destiny; it pointed west near the city and NNE upon returning to Skull.
• Nox Anathema (missing): A bronze orb bound in concentric crystal rings, said to blast and disperse fiends. It should rest in the Palace of Light, but is rumored in Kardroos.
• Quiver of Silver‑Tipped Arrows: Twenty arrows with silver heads, brittle fletchings but still serviceable—claimed by Andy.
• Silver Short Sword: A nimble silver‑clad blade claimed by Ondar for close work in the ruins.
• Silvered Longsword: A steel blade clad in silver, effective against certain unnatural foes. Two were recovered and later sold for coin.
• Statue’s Star Lens: A crystal‑lensed star set in the bull‑man statue’s hands, beaming light downward like a holy spotlight.
• Vigil Stone: A palm stone that throbs when fiends are near, a useful early‑warning charm.

LOCATIONS:

• Bull‑Man Statue Plaza: A towering bull‑headed colossus holding a star that pours warm radiance in a ring at its feet. A loose flagstone behind it concealed a dry cache.
• Fortress to the South: An old fort on the island that showed smoke by day—a future lead to investigate.
• Hidden Vault under the Plaza: A dry, circular chamber accessed by a brass‑rung ladder. Held a family of skeletons, silvered arms, and a bronze footlocker with argent oil.
• Lighthouse: A coastal beacon on the island, noted during earlier approaches to the ruins.
• Market Quarter Roofline: Where the Guild took to a second story to avoid the black fog and witnessed the city’s shades trudging eastward.
• Palace Library: Dust‑choked shelves with brittle histories and sun‑hymnals. The party salvaged as many intact volumes as they could carry.
• Palace Pillar Hall: A vast, domed chamber with four crystal‑studded pillars that beam light into the ceiling. A blood‑red Diabolic sigil marked “Pestilence” was defaced here.
• Ruined City and Palace of Light: An abandoned white‑stoned metropolis whose palace projects a failing beam that holds chaos at bay. Its domed hall channels light through four crystal‑inlaid pillars.
• Skull (Skall): The rough‑and‑ready port serving as the Guild’s base and resupply. Source of carousing, knife‑dances, and rumors.
• Visran and Kardroos: Regional cities referenced in travel and rumor; Kardroos is said to hold the Nox Anathema in a wizard’s keeping.
• Ziggurat of Shamas (west): A great temple said to stand at the river’s headwaters in the mountains, the holiest site of the sun‑faith once practiced here.

FACTIONS:

• Kardroos Cabal (rumored): A circle of wizards in Kardroos, one of whom is said to possess the Nox Anathema.
• Spectral Dead of the City: Ghostly remnants of the fallen populace, drawn eastward through a nightly fog toward an unseen summons.
• Sun Cult of Shamas: The lost priesthood that maintained the Palace of Light and the western ziggurat, wielding relics that held back the Four Horsemen and chaos.
• Vile Forces of Chaos: Encroaching horrors beaten back by the palace beam; their influence now grows as the light wanes.

QUESTS:

• Cleanse the Black Fog: Unravel the nightly miasma and free the city’s shades, perhaps by restoring the rites or beam to full strength.
• Climb the River to the Ziggurat of Shamas: Follow the polluted river west to its mountain headwaters and seek the great sun‑temple for answers or aid.
• Follow the Hand Compass: Pursue whatever the bronze hand points to; it now indicates north‑northeast from Skull.
• Recover the Nox Anathema: Track the missing sun‑relic—rumored in Kardroos—and return it to the Palace of Light.
• Scout Island Sites: Investigate the smoky southern fort, the lighthouse, and other marked ruins for allies, supplies, or threats.
• Stabilize the Palace Beam: Investigate and strengthen the failing beam in the Palace of Light before chaos breaks loose.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Andy: A nimble climber and keen‑eyed scout, Andy is curious to a fault and happiest with a rope in hand and a mystery to pick apart. He is methodical under pressure—testing, probing, and acting decisively when the moment turns. When not on the wall, he’s elbows‑deep in books, piecing together lost rites and histories.
• Eldarin: A scholar‑mage whose light is as literal as it is figurative, Eldarin shines in problem‑solving moments and keeps the team moving when darkness gathers. He’s cautious, incisive, and quick with practical magic, but just as ready to debate hard choices. When lore appears, he’s often first to decipher it.
• Ondar: A learned wanderer with tribal roots and an emerging command of battlefield magic, Ondar blends curiosity with a steady moral compass. He’s quick to read a room and just as quick to dance in it, sharing songs and traditions as easily as silvered steel. In the ruins, he often notices the small details others miss.
• Tuck: A stalwart front‑liner with a practical streak, Tuck leads from the front and tests dangers with his own two hands. He favors steel, steps into the unknown without hesitation, and tends to set the tone with calm decisiveness. In tight spots, he balances caution with the urge to press the advantage.
• Valtor: A charmingly dangerous agent of chaos with a dark erudition, Valtor reads forbidden scripts as readily as a tavern’s mood. He pushes for the unusual path, yet keeps a wry eye on survival and spectacle both. When choices turn murky, his tongue is as sharp as his blade.