A Cold Sun

Scribe Notes

Summary

GM: Bernard
Season: Autumn 821 WK
Night: Tuesday
Location: Massey
Level: Medium

Party

• Seraph – Human Namer played by Connor
• Uthgard – Hill Giant Mind played by Anne
• Eugene – Human Necromancer played by Sam
• Elderan – Elf Air played by Ian A
• Sno – Elf Ice/Fire played by Annuskha
• Vixen – Elf Fire played by Kita

Employer

Lord Martin Danlaw; Chamberlain of Castle Chilton

Mission

The Forest of Arlynn is beset by early cold weather and thick fogs, smothering the Ruby Waters outpost. From deep inside the forest pillars of smoke can be seen, and many of the larger animals seem to be leaving the forest with packs of starving wolves ranging into the plains near Hope and crossing the Sweet Riding into the Filgiso Forest causing trouble for travellers.
It is believed that there is some trouble afoot that may threaten the outpost, and a guild party is desired to investigate the problem and protect the outpost.

Pay

10,000sp each.
An ongoing invitation to the Dukes seasonal Balls.
Reasonable loot rights.

Scribe Notes

Session 1

Day 1 - The Adventure Begins

The group was confronted by a Duke runner who was late to the Guild meeting. He explained that there was some trouble happening at Ruby Waters. We then moved into a meeting room and signed the necessary documents. The party consists of: - Vixen the Elf Fire Mage - Uthgard the Hill Giant Mind Mage - Eugene the Human Necromancer - Sno the Elf Fire/Ice Mage - Seraph the Human Namer - Elderan the Elf Air Mage.

It was determined that Sno will be party leader, Vixen is the scribe, Eugene is the primary Mil/Si and Uthgard is our secondary Mil/Si.

We were told by party members not to mention the Demon named ___ as well as to not kill Cloud.

We moved on and walked to Seagate where there was a long line due to the Market day. We made our way through the noble manors to the Duke's Castle, to find out more details about our job. We were taken to the main keep by Lord Martin, where we entered a no-magic zone. We were then taken to a room with a large table full of sand, a man in multicolored robes cast a spell to animate the sand to show a map of the area. We are told that the forest of Arlynn has been covered in fog for the last two weeks which isn't normal for this time of the year. The scouts had sent an initial message but the second message is yet to be received. It has been noted that large predators have been leaving the forest (wolves, bear tracks also sighted). We were informed that there is a Circle of Death in the forest which was caused by the destruction of some death barrels 20-30 years ago during the Dark Circle Campaign. Our job is to find out more information and help out if possible. We will be paid 10,000 silver, and be given a medal from the Duke as well as invitations to future Balls.

On the way back from the Castle, we go through town where the Autumn festival is being celebrated. Vixen speaks the name Lord Amon (Marquis of Fire) and is engulfed by a Bonfire and transported to the Plane of Fire. She interacts with a small fire elemental, who led her to a Molton fire river and makes a Golden Rose for Vixen, and then leaves. Vixen is then met by the rest of the team. A dog comes and talks to the group about the animosity between the Demons - Amon and Aim. And how Murmur the Duke of Thrones (Necrotic demon they pissed off last season) is involved. Vixen and Sno both gain the ability to speak to fire creatures.

They all then leave and return to the plane they came from, against the wishes of Sno and Vixen.

Day 3 cont.

Elderan and Sno take the deer to the pool and notice that the hypothermic dear is getting better. Sno asked the deer what attacked it. It replied saying that it was attacked by a Horn Goat monster with claws. Elderan determined that the deer had Ghoul fever.

Vixen and Uthgard went and talked to the Sergeant. She informed us that there is undead in the forest and that a platoon is coming from Ragars Keep in about a week or so. We inform her about the deer. She then retrieves about half-a-dozen 4 foot long rods with solid brass balls on the end and gives them to her men. Seraph believes they have invested items. We are told they are fire-invested.

Day 4

We headed to an Elven village. Vixen notices clawed tracks, that look unusual. Whatever it is, walks on its claws and is heading west. We run into a Warden who instructs us to find its fur and do detect aura on it. The Warden told Vixen that he has noticed a lack of dead bodies of animals but hasn’t noticed any ghoul animals. He tried to shadow the claw monster and it had continued west. We are also told how to get to the circle of death.

About lunchtime, we find a piece of fur. We learn that it's Unicorn with odd subtext. Then about mid-afternoon, we return to camp to rest.

During the first watch, Two stags (One white and one black and fleshy) come out of the forest at a speed. More animals come out of the forest, as well as the unicorn. We determine the white stag is a Ghoul stag and the Unicorn’s greatest weaknesses were ice and appropriate holy. Both are undead.

We fight and kill all the animals. The animals that were white had frostbite and the animals that were black were burnt. Therefore, some spells worked on some animals and not others. We learned that the cause of unnatural bodily harm for the unicorn was that the goodness of the unicorn had been corrupted.

Sno, Vixen, Elderan, and Shadow were infected with Ghoul fever. Elderan heals Sno, and the rest had their temps rise. Elderan heals Vixen, himself, and Shadow. Shadow still has a broken pelvis. It’s about Dawn at this point. Seraph also takes the Unicorn's horn which has a magical property of poison.

Day 5

About midday Uthgard collapses. Seraph DA’s Uthgard and learns Very short-lived sentient and getting shorter by the second. She was infected by Ghoul fever with an unchanging temperature. We then drag her to the lake. We had no ways to heal her so we got two master healers to heal Uthgard. Which worked.

Sno astrology reads her knucklebones and got “Light in the dark, dark in the light” when asking why we couldn’t tell that Uthgard had Ghoul fever.

We worked out that because she was hit by the chicken and the bear, one was white and one was black, which meant that the temperature balanced and masked each other.

Day 6

Day six is spent wandering through the forest, with no problems.

Day 7

We continue to walk through the forest. About mid-day, Elderan then notices some smoke. As we walk towards the smoke, Elderan hears drumming coming from the North (Rhythmic and even). Sno sends out her recon rat which comes back after an hour. We are told that twenty people are dancing around a fire. They had chopped the trees down to make the space. Also that there was someone standing in the fire with a drum and three people also in the fire dancing around him.

It is dark when we reach about six hundred feet from the clearing. We can hear singing and chanting. Sno determines that the fire is a magical fire. When we reach the clearing, there is a thirty feet bonfire that has cleared the fog in this small area but is replaced with smoke due to the damp wood. The person in the middle of the fire as well as the drum aren't burning in the fire, but the tree stump the drum sits on is.

The person in the middle is a short-lived sentient orc from Alucia. He is associated with Aim (Duke of Fire). And the chanting is "Satan's dance" from the Bard College.

The people dancing in the fire are wearing red robes and are short-lived sentient humans with association with Aim and have no college or don't know enough to be considered a mage from a college. They have pyrogenesis as their main spell. The people not dancing in the fire are Humans with their best spell being Fire-proofing.

Vixen suggests killing the fire. So Sno casts extinguish flames and dissipate the fire. Humans can't see as there is no light. We then fight them all and kill them. During the fight, Vixen hears the name Ashuri being called out by a couple of the humans.

We learn that the group came from a town. Axes were used to cut the trees but did not find any when looting the bodies.

Suddenly four fire elementals appear. We fight them and during the fight both Uthgard and Eugene fall unconscious. They were healed by Elderan.

Eugene communicates with the dead. Learn that Asuri is a sentient being they were worshipping. To clear the forest they conjured weapon of flames axes. There are other groups like them and that this place is significant. They know who caused the fog but weren't able to get a name. They were also asked to be here.

To get more information about Asuri, we try to contact Amon by reigniting the fire while playing the drum caused the fire to be 50 feet. Sno then conjures magma in the middle of the fire. We then chant Amon's name. A messenger for Amon appears. Vixen casts speak with fire messenger and it works. The Messenger requires a sacrifice for the information. Seraph gives up 20,000 silver, a fur's of enhanced protection from Uthgard, and a Chest of the dead from Eugene.

What we learned: Ashuri was a fire giant from Asuria but no longer relevant. They have been turned into a Spectre (Undead). Servant of the duke of fire, however, they were solar aspected in life and aren't affected by sunlight. The fog is not caused by Asuri. She is a solar celestial and a fire mage. Has true giant weapons and whoever Asuri kills will return as a wight with solar celestial and fire and if they were a necromancer in life they will still be one and also be immune to sunlight. When they walk through a battlefield and/or graveyard corpses will rise and become burnt skeletons, magical effects related to fire and light, not sentient, some might be skeleton mages (Probably ones who were mages in life). Asuri is behind the nuring ghouls, the person they are working with has a structure that is in the void in between two planes, far Away and Alucia. Better to destroy the castle in the void between planes. One bridge comes to this forest. Asuri is a major agent of the Duke.

It is now midnight on the seventh night.

Day 7 Cont.

We head back to the last clearing we were in about 30 minutes away. The night passes uneventfully.

Day Eight

We talk about whether we wanted to investigate more cultist groups or the circle of death. We decide to investigate the cultist groups. We spend the day walking through knee-deep mud in the forest. At night, Elderan finds a small clearing for us to camp in and casts Ritual of air shell.

The Night passes uneventfully.

Day 9

We continue walking. The more we traveled the thicker the fog gets. We have about twenty feet of visibility. Elderan finds a river's edge. The river is iced over.

Vixen detects that underneath the ice, boiling water is passing through as if someone tipped a bucket of hot water upstream. The hot water affects the ice it passes through on its way, which could cause problems crossing the river.

We head to the fork in the river after an hour, still seeing signs of hot water. The hot water is periodic but no pattern.

Sno casts Ice Traversal on all of us. As we are crossing, we notice a lot of hot water coming underneath the ice and we sprint across. Everyone makes it to the bank.

Then we notice a Figure in dark garments with a sparkly cloak and a staff with glowing green fire is standing on top of the water. At this point, the water in the river is boiling and the fog is thinner. Vixen attempts to communicate and people come out of the trees behind us. We learn the figure is a projected image.

Eugene casts ESP, and hits a powerful mind, and gets stunned. Skeletons appeared under the ice. A fight ensues. Uthgard goes unconscious after taking 15 Diamond tipped Javelins.

At one point, Sno disappears, she is in a misty hedge maze. Eugene then disappears to the same place. They both then return.

Then Everything disappears. The water goes back to ice with the occasional warm flow. The team makes it across the river.

It is currently late morning.

We then camp for the night.

Day 10

As we continue to walk through the forest, Elderan smells old ash, as from an old large fire, a bit of a distance away. Uthgard and Sno hear sounds of armour carrying through the forest. Eugene then casts ESP and gets no minds. Uthgard puts on mind speech and we all put on weapon spells.

We keep walking and find the circle of death. It is cold with ice on the ground, and no fog. We had noticed it getting colder all morning. We are able to see the majority of the clearing. In the middle of the clearing is an octagon shape made of bone walls (determined by Eugene) with 5 red beams of light around it in a pentagram shape.

Seraph detects the aura of the circle and gets no effect on contact. Nothing can grow in this area, if a seed falls in the circle it will die, but if a tree root grows into the circle it continues to live.

Eugene casts detect undead and sees two to three undead at the top of each tower with half a done behind the walls. We cast smoke creation and move closer. We can see that there are crystals two to three inches out of the ground where the lights are.

We hear some noise from the tower. Seraph casts detect aura on the crystal and gets anchoring and the second magic in effect is ritual enhancement. The crystals are being used to keep the portal to the void here. If we break the crystals, depending on the order will determine what the effect is. They each have a distinct aura but they are linked.

Someone attempts to shoot us with a bow, and we hear more bows. We walk around the perimeter trying to find an entrance, but we find none. It is now an hour before dusk.

Elderan looks through a spyglass and sees four dressed in chain and can see there are skulls under their chain armour. They have longbows that aren't currently strung. One skeleton has glowing red eyes in a cloak. Some have blue eyes. Elderan starts frothing at the mouth and puts the spyglass away and gets out his sword and goes berserk. Uthgard holds him in place.

Seraph then attempts to run closer to the tower and DAs the wall. He learns that it is indeed a bone wall. As he runs back, gets attacked and is hit by both ice and fire. He now has ghoul fever which came from the arrow.

We leave and camp for the night. Seraph is healed from the ghoul fever.

Day Eleven

We return to the fortress. It is noted that the mages, every six to eight hours are periodically moving around, and each tower has two archers.

We decided to head back to the guild and get some weapons and invested. We ride back on Elderan's cloud.

Day Twelve - Forteen

We pick up silvered weapons that can hit the crystals. We receive enchant armour, long-duration elemental spells on two weapons from Arin. Each of us buys two strength of stones.

Day Fiften

As a group, we buy 12 guild potions, 12 rank 6 waters of healing, and 12 rank 6 restoratives.

At the black market, Seraph finds a fire invested with two charges left, he buys it. Uthgard finds an invested flail with one charge of bless crops, three charges of curse crops, and one charge of whirlwind vortex. She buys it and gives it to Vixen. The group buys a Chalice with one charge of summoning storm devil at rank 16.

We get the chalice divinated and learn that to activate it, it's a 2 handed pulse trigger. Put water in it, recite a phrase and then swing it around.

We then head back to the forest. We slide down a hill once off Cloud. This part of the forest has frost-tipped grass as its below 0 degrees.

To return back to the circle, we decide to take four hours to get there. Once we reach the circle we each take a restorative and a guild potion. Most are down two fatigue.

In an attempt to get closer to the fortress. Eugene makes a bone wall and then we dash and make another wall and repeat once more till we are 100 feet from the fortress. During this attempt, the second wall fails, Eugene takes one guild potion and a healing potion. Seraph attempts to block the arrows from hitting Eugene but only stops one arrow. Eugene falls unconscious. Elderan gives him a healing potion but Eugene is hit by a spell and dies.

Seraph casts elemental counters on the towers to stop the mages from casting. Elderan runs towards the fortress and casts a lightning bolt on the bone wall. Uthgard and Shadow follow Elderan, while Seraph, Sno, and Vixen cast. Elderan breaks open the wall with his lightning. We can see a few skeletal walls with a few skeletal goblins. Sno kills a skeleton. We also see a 50 foot tall and 50 foot wide portal with glowing red, orange, grey, and black swirls.

(At this point it's about 10am).

Day 15 Cont.

A big guy wearing white armour, wreathed in darkness with a white great axe shows up. A fight ensues. During the fight, Seraph and Elderan get feared.

Once everyone has been defeated, we have successfully secured the fortress. Seraph DAs the portal and learns it's a two-way portal. We know that breaking the crystals will close the portal as there are red lines on the ground coming from the crystals.

We decide to enter the portal. We are on a foggy floating island and can see other floating islands. The islands are barren. Sno asks her knuckle bones how long till the reinforcements arrive and comes back with "Salathiel will come at dusk to greet them, Fydr will come at the height of the moon".

We decide to leave and to break the crystals. We spread out and each take a crystal. Elderan destroys his first, then Uthgard and she gets hit by shrapnel. Sno then destroys hers and gets thrown into a tree. Vixen destroys hers and disappears in a poof of fire. Seraph attempts to break his crystal with his shield and starts to hear a hum, once he manages to break it he disappears, screaming in agony.

The circle implodes but the earth is still there but the portal is gone. The group forms and a tree catches fire and Vixen comes out holding the hand and a half lit up. Seraph then falls out and is currently fireproofed. Falls out of the top of the tree and hits every branch on the way down.

Seraph knows that something magical decided to save us. Seraph and Vixen were saved from soul death by a magical means. Sno DAs Seraph and learns that Seir, an Air mage, patron power of adventurers saved him to prove a point to him about Magic. Vixen was saved by the Marques of Fire (Amon).

We then learn that Elderan's cloud is in the void. We then head to the foothills out of the forest. As it's nightfall, we camp for the night.

During the first watch, a blue-robed human walks into camp carrying a small silver cage. He wants Elderan. We are all awoken. He gives Elderan the cage which has a small thunderstorm cloud in it. The guy is Elderan's cloud who is now an elf.

He saw a Fae lord with green fire, smelled a spectre in the void. Cloud then resurrects Eugene. He then asks a favour of the group: To go and rescue a trapped cloud. The goat tribes kidnapped it in Thonia. We agree and he leaves.

We release the cloud and dismiss it. The night passes with no problems.

Loot: Bunch of ranked longbows Unfranked chain Silvered skeletal claws Six enchanted quarter staffs Seven amulets of luck One amulet of diamond and one amulet of iron Improved plate made from bound ice Great white axe Magic polar bear cloak.

Day 16=

Elderan summons a cloud. A thunderstorm cloud turns up. As we travel the lightning hits some trees along the way.

We land in Seagate and disembark. We send a letter to Lord Martin about the portal. Eugene gives the amulet to the vault. We get the quarterstaffs divinated. The Armour goes to Uthgard.

We spend a week training at the guild. Finishing training on the night of Day 23.

Day 24 + 25

We head on a cloud to Thornia

Day 26

We land 8 miles out. After 5 minutes we notice a whirlwind coming across the desert and stops 50 feet from us and has a face. Elderan DAs it and gets Air elemental and nonsentient animate, and method of creation was birth.

Elderan dispels cloud. As we walk the eight miles we cast fireproofing on everyone.

Around mid-afternoon, we reach the edge of the tents. A lot of desert tribe people with couple people flying on shadow wings.

We reach a shield with small entities coming in and out who look quite strange. We all walk in. There are about 500 people with big semi-permanent tents.

We speak to some locals who directed us to the high Sharmans. We walk into the big tent and feel something magical happen. We see two people having a convo and one guy cleaning up a table. We speak to an elf named Shoja. We learn that we are at Lake Kyme. We tell him that we are there to rescue a cloud and he says that he will find out more information for us. He allows us to stay in his tent and to not enter the back room as that is where the spirits sleep.

We sleep for the night.

Mil-Sci

Primary - Eugene

Secondary - Uthgard

Daily pattern

‘’How much time does the party spend sleeping, eating, traveling, doing rituals, etc each day’’

Travel Magics

‘’What travel magic options does the party have, how far per cast/or per day if duration is longer than usual travel time.’’ ‘’Can the party eat/sleep/etc on the mode of transport.’’

Watch Order

Day Watch. ‘’Used when stationary, or on a larger transport such as a ship’’
First - ??
Second - ??
Third - ??

Night watch
First - Seraph,Sno
Second - Eugene,Uthgard
Third - Vixen,Elderan

Marching Order

Skirmish Formations (Front)
Double File	Single File

Buffs

General Buff Notes

Buffs listed in the table don't need to be detailed, other buffs not on the table must be mentioned at the time they are cast.
Y means always on, N/- means never on, 'Sit.' means when the party has time for buffs before a fight.
Weapon Spells which weapon/s it is going on normally should be noted also

Long duration buffs

Magic	Rank	Effects	Duration	Seraph	Uthgard	Eugene	Elderan	Sno	Vixen
Greater Enchantment (Guild)	13	+14% to all areas	3 months or till death	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Lesser Enchantment (Guild)	11	-1 on most percentile rolls	3 months or till death	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Ice Armour (Sno)	8	7 AP +/- based on temperature	4.5 Hours	N	N	?	?	Y	?
Fire Armour (??)	##	????	# Hours	?	?	?	?	?	?
Mind Shield (Uth)	3	+16MR vs Mental	7 Hours	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name (??)	##	????	# Hours	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name (??)	##	????	# Hours	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name (??)	##	????	? Hours	?	?	?	?	?	?

Short duration buffs

Magic	Rank	Effects	Duration	Seraph	Uthgard	Eugene	Elderan	Sno	Vixen
Name Arrowflight (Eld)	10	+11SC +3DM Ranged/Thrown weapons	15 Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Weapon of Cold (Sno)	6	+7% SC, +3 DM +9 DM vs Fire	11 Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Weapon of Flames (Vixen)	##	+#% SC, +# DM +# DM vs Cold/Undead	## Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Mind Speech (Uth)	6	7 targets + Principal Target	70 Mins	Sit	Sit	Sit	Sit	Sit	Sit
Name ???	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name ???	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name ???	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name ???	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name ???	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?

Personal Abilities & Detection magics

Magic	Rank	Effects	Duration	Seraph	Uthgard	Eugene	Elderan	Sno	Vixen
Detect Aura	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	R1	?	?
Detect Fumes	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	R16	?	?
Find Traps	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Detect Ambush	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	70%	?	?
Tracking	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	40%	?	?
Name	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?
Name	??	????	? Mins	?	?	?	?	?	?

Loot and Expenses

SP & other cash value loot

• 10,000sp each - Payment
• Mundane loot from Cultists of Aim, 10,000sp total value

Purchases

Information from the Herald of Amon

• 20,000sp - Seraph
• Chest of the Dead - Eugene
• Furs of Cold Protection - Uthgard

....

Calendar

Autumn
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Lugnasad
Fruit (4)
			1	Guild Meeting Meeting at the Castle. Visit to the Plane of Fire	2		3	Fly to Ruby Waters, Heal a deer.	4	Visit the Elves, attack on Ruby Waters.	5	Healing, Discovery of Ghoul plague.	6	Head into the Forest
	7	Attack on the Cultists	8	More travel in the Fog	9	Crossing of the River	10	Discovery of the Death Circle	11	Scouting of the Fortress	12	Preparation at the Guild	13
	14		15	Assault on the Death Circle	16		17		18		19		20
	21	Full Moon	22		23		24		25		26		27
	28		29		30
Harvest (5)
							1		2		3		4
	5		6		7		8		9		10		11
	12		13		14		15	Equinox	16		17	Seagate Autumn Fair	18	Seagate Autumn Fair
	19	Harvest Moon	20		21		22		23		24		25
	26		27		28		29	Michaelmas	30
Vintage(6)
											1		2
	3		4		5		6		7		8		9
	10		11		12		13		14		15		16
	17	Blood Moon	18		19		20		21		22		23
	24		25		26		27		28		29		30	Beerfest