10/01/2025 – Gongaii Games – Silverhex Chronicles, Pt. 1

Summary

Today, Yohei’s past came calling. In the border town of Aresia on Varisia’s southern edge, the charming kitsune discovered that Ulycia—the half‑orc performer who had been warming his arm and borrowing his coin—had fled, leaving a journal and a list of “tour stops” he was to visit to gather valuables and pay off those hunting her. The first mark: the Tullivore Mausoleum for a “family heirloom.”

Under cover of night, the party climbed to the graveyard hill, lantern hooded and the gate oiled to silence. They found a young noble slumped over a pedestal—Northus Tullivore, hands bound, stabbed and raked by talons. The Tullivore crypt, crowned by a badger crest, hid a thunderous ward that blasted Tethro off his feet before Ashla dragged him back to life. Then a rider in green velvet appeared: Rhiannon Sarvio, rival to the Tullivores. She named them tomb robbers, wheeled her horse Triumph, and thundered toward town to fetch the guard.

The company slipped away. Tethro limped into a stable for rough sleep while the others pushed north to the Restless Bear Inn, where a kindly, candle‑bearing dwarf kept their presence quiet when two guards arrived to ask questions. In the morning, over eggs and ale, the innkeep traded directions to “Cannibal’s Grove” on one condition: bring Ulycia back for another show and don’t drag him into trouble.

The grove lay amid fog and crimson thistle, a ring of standing stones encircling a slab crowned with a red‑daubed deer skull. Stepping within struck Yohei—and then Ashla—with a sick hunger for flesh. Adder, mouth packed with thick tea‑oats, pushed through the compulsion and saw the stones inscribed with famine rites. Meanwhile, Tacho tracked an elk with ribbons tangled in its antlers, goaded by an unseen fey voice to charge. Yohei calmed the beast in Sylvan; the hidden fey hurled a macabre prize at Tacho—an eerie skull‑lantern—and fled cursing.

With the deer skull crushed and the famine circle noted as a longer task than they could solve that day, the party turned back to Ulycia’s list, eyes on the next leads: the Priests of Alenset and the cave petroglyphs said to hide “weird metal.”

OUTLINE:

A Journal, a Promise, and a First Lead

• In Aresia, Yohei revealed Ulycia’s journal, noting pursuers and six marked locations to raid for valuables.
• The party agreed to chase the trail for coin and answers; the first stop was the Tullivore Mausoleum for a “family heirloom.”
• They set out at night toward the hilltop graveyard.

Night at the Tullivore Mausoleum

• Found Northus Tullivore bound, stabbed, and raked by talons at a pedestal; Adder took a lavender Tullivore cloak.
• A trapped crypt door exploded with a thunderous blast, dropping the Eternal Warrior until Ashla stabilized him.
• Rhiannon Sarvio arrived on Triumph, named them tomb robbers, and rode to raise the guard; the group withdrew.

Refuge at the Restless Bear

• Tethro survived a rough night in a stable and overheard Rhiannon’s accusations; guards rode to investigate.
• The others reached the Restless Bear Inn; a kindly dwarf innkeep hid their presence when two guards came for a drink.
• In the morning he gave directions to Cannibal’s Grove in exchange for discretion and a promise to bring Ulycia back to perform.

Cannibal’s Grove and the Grim Lantern

• The grove’s standing stones and red‑daubed deer skull exuded a cannibal compulsion; Yohei and Ashla felt it keenly.
• Adder resisted by stuffing his mouth with thick tea‑oats and observed famine‑etched runes around the ring.
• Tacho tracked a ribbon‑antlered elk driven by a hidden fey; Yohei calmed it in Sylvan.
• The unseen sprite hurled a grim skull‑lantern to Tacho and fled; Eternal Warrior crushed the deer skull; Yohei recognized diabolic prayers to the Famished One.

New Leads and Lingering Trouble

• The famine circle would take days to dismantle, so they moved on.
• Ulycia’s next leads surfaced: the Priests of Alenset’s scepter and cave petroglyphs hiding “weird metal.”
• Rhiannon’s accusations and the Tullivore heir’s death hung over the trail, promising future complications.

NPCs:

• Hidden Fey Voice: A tiny Sylvan speaker—likely a sprite or brownie—who sicced the elk on Tacho, then flung the grim lantern and fled cursing.
• Northus Tullivore: Youngest heir of the Tullivore family, found bound, stabbed, and clawed near the family mausoleum. His death lit the fuse on a local feud.
• Restless Bear Innkeep: A white‑bearded dwarf with a candle, a cold shoulder, and a soft spot for travelers in need. He offered directions for discretion and a promised performance.
• Rhiannon Sarvio: Velvet‑clad rival of the Tullivores with a razor ego and a duelist’s poise. She rode in on Triumph, accused the party of tomb robbing, and rallied the guard.
• Ribbon‑Antlered Elk: A wary forest stag with yarn and ribbons tangled in its antlers, goaded by unseen fey to attack before being calmed in Sylvan.
• Stable Boy: Barefoot and practical, he keeps the inn’s animals and doesn’t ask questions, save the necessary ones.
• Triumph: Rhiannon Sarvio’s well‑kept, swift mount that carried accusations to town and back again.
• Ulycia: A captivating half‑orc performer whose tour and debts left a breadcrumb trail for Yohei. She vanished, leaving behind a journal of shows, fears, and marks.

ITEMS:

• Badger Crest: The snarling heraldic animal carved above the Tullivore mausoleum door, watching all who enter.
• Grim Lantern: A skull on a short chain that burns like a lantern and, when commanded, belches a sheet of fire at the cost of its light.
• Tullivore Cloak: A lavender cloak embroidered with the Tullivore crest—fine, warm, and conspicuous on the wrong shoulders.
• Tullivore Tapestry: A gleaming crest and family motto—“Never in shadow”—hanging above the far sarcophagus in the crypt.
• Ulycia’s Journal: A road‑worn book of performances, paranoid scrawls, and a list of six places to “collect” valuables and pay off pursuers.

LOCATIONS:

• Aresia (border town): A Varisian border town on the edge of the River Kingdoms where fugitives and fortunes cross paths.
• Aresia Graveyard: Crumbling, moss‑slick stones and weeping statuary overlooking town; the stage for a murder and an accusation.
• Cannibal’s Grove: A foggy ring of standing stones and a blood‑daubed slab beside a murmuring stream, haunted by famine rites and fey mischief.
• Restless Bear Inn: A moss‑choked crossroads inn with a kindly dwarf innkeep, a thin purse, and thicker discretion.
• River Kingdoms: Fog‑laced, faction‑ridden territories stitched together by waterways, grudges, and opportunity.
• Tullivore Mausoleum: A badger‑crested family crypt atop Aresia’s hill graveyard, its door warded with thunder and its steps stained with scandal.

FACTIONS:

• Aresia Town Guard: Underpaid riders who keep the peace, share rumors over ale, and take noble complaints seriously.
• Cult of the Famished One: Whispered devotees of famine whose runes and rites twist hunger and sanity at Cannibal’s Grove.
• Sarvio Family: Ambitious rivals to the Tullivores; wealth, wit, and reputation make their accusations stick.
• Tullivore Family: A proud Aresian house with a badger on its crest, now grieving a slain heir and guarding old secrets.

QUESTS:

• Break the famine circle: Dismantle the standing stones and lingering rites to end the cannibal compulsion at the grove.
• Bring Ulycia back to the Restless Bear: Honor the dwarf innkeep’s bargain by convincing Ulycia to return for a performance.
• Cannibal’s Grove—Lantern: Reach the haunted grove and recover the lantern noted in Ulycia’s journal.
• Cave Petroglyphs—Weird Metal: Find the caves marked with ancient petroglyphs and uncover the ‘weird metal’ Ulycia noted.
• Clear your names in Northus’s murder: Avoid Rhiannon’s accusations, uncover the truth of Northus Tullivore’s death, and keep the guard off your backs.
• Find Ulycia and settle her debts: Follow Ulycia’s journal of locations to collect valuables and pay off those pursuing her, then catch up to her.
• Priests of Alenset—Scepter: Seek the priests of Alenset and the scepter named in Ulycia’s list; secure it before her enemies do.
• Tullivore Mausoleum Heirloom: Investigate the Tullivore crypt to recover the promised heirloom and any clues about Ulycia’s dealings.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Adder: A shabti wanderer devoted to Iroh the Teammaker, Adder channels the cold geometry of law into crackling blasts. Practical and unflappable, he carries sustenance the way others carry weapons: casks of thick tea‑oats he’ll weaponize if needed. He’s the one who stared down a famine curse with a full mouth and iron will.
• Ashla: An Aasimar with a soldier’s discipline and a lantern’s steady light. Ashla trusts steel and grit, swinging a sturdy mace and stepping into danger when others hesitate. He yanked comrades back from the edge—sometimes literally—and keeps the worst impulses in check.
• Eternal Warrior: A Tengu blade‑devotee forged from a past he hates—a man twisted into a crow‑headed hunter who despises sorcery and those who wield it. He answers magic with steel and will, crushing blasphemies when he finds them. At the grove, he made sure the deer skull’s rites wouldn’t tempt anyone else.
• Tacho: A solitary poacher more at home in thicket and fen than tavern and court. Tacho tracks like a bloodhound, thinks three steps ahead of the law, and has little patience for noble drama. He kept the group on the elk’s trail and walked away with a grim lantern for his troubles.
• Tethro: An android fighter etched in geometric tattoos, hard to read and harder to put down. Tethro’s instincts are direct and decisive; if there’s a door, he’ll test it, consequences be damned. He took the thunderous brunt at the mausoleum and still made it back on his feet.
• Yohei: A red‑haired kitsune gunslinger wrapped in charm, rumor, and trouble. His silver tongue opens doors his past insists on closing, and he’s no stranger to romantic entanglements that curdle into debts. He recognized Northus Tullivore, calmed a charging elk in Sylvan, and kept the hunt for Ulycia on course.