Category: RPG

A Firebrand Sermon

Previously, the heroes managed to fight their way through the horde of skaven they found skulking about the ancient waterways underneath Kingsport. In doing so they managed to liberate the rebel lords from the carceratum, allowing lady Annabella and lady commander Miranda to make good on their promise to keep them safe while hostage to the crown.

James was unhappy about the way in which the situation in the carceratum was resolved, for many reasons. There were many casualties that could have been prevented, and he was looking for ways in which to karmically right the balance. In the meantime the group was invited to a special sermon being held by prior Benedict at the Cathedral of the Platinum Father, while the heroes only had a speedy departure from the city on their mind.

Tenth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is waning.)

While Quentin took Astrid to the Sacred Baths of Sedna in order to get Astrid patched up, James was going up and down the docks, speaking to captains and deckmasters in order to arrange for passage to Eastray.

Luca and Emrys went to the Temple of Light to find out whether they could purchase some more of father Devon’s healing ointment. When the good father refused to sell the heroes any more of the ointment, claiming it would take away from the ability of the clinic to care for those in need. It almost seemed as if if the old man had been forewarned of the doom that was coming to the city. The pair decided to go to Ecgbrith the Kaedwyni herbalist instead, but not before tithing to the temple.

A conversation with the Kaedwyni revealed that the magical healing potions were not only in short supply, they were also very expensive. A deal was struck whereby the heroes would purchase three healing potions for half the gold crowns it normally took, provided they would return with one of the fabled ghost orchids. Earlier the Kaedwyni had sold Luca a herbalist kit after all. If the heroes would not be able to secure themselves a ghost orchid to return to the herbalist, they would pay the other half of the coin instead.

All this while, James waited patiently for the Old Queen to come into port and cast its ropes to one of the piers. He noticed several familiar faces while he waited for several passengers to disembark; Neiman, the handsome blonde bosun, Ridley, the tomboy deckswab, and Lorne, the barrel chested captain with the ugly scar across his face. When James came aboard he spoke with Neiman who instructed the captain of James’ arrival. The captain invited James into his cabin, out of the pouring rain. James shared some of the plum brandy he had traded with the Szygani in Pinefall with the captain.

James came right out of the gate; what would it take to charter the Old Queen for a trip to Eastray as soon as possible. Captain Lorne said he had already come to an arrangement with another to head to Eastray on the morning of the next day. James correctly guessed that the other was captain Randall and revealed that he was to be on board the next day as part of Randall’s expedition. Still, he would like to move up the departure time as much as possible.

Captain Lorne was willing to depart earlier provided that Randall would agree and he had a chance to resupply the ship before departure. This would mean a late afternoon departure from Kingsport, with an early evening arrival in Eastray if all went well. The two agreed to head to the Careless Wanderer and speak to Randall and get his agreement.

When James departed the cabin he found that both Ridley and Neiman were eavesdropping at the door. Ridley was genuinely happy to see James and glad that they would likely be traveling together again. When James departed, he did so together with Roddy, the friendly, plain-faced bosun; he was disembarking together with his fishing equipment, looking to get hired onto one of the teams entering the competition like he had done every previous year. The Old Queen would come to pick him up at the end of the competition and he would rejoin the crew.

On the way back from the herbalists, Luca and Emrys decided to visit the Ravensbourne estate to visit the lady captain. Miranda received them in the hall of the manor. She seemed cagey about talking openly about the rebel lords and both the heroes picked up on the quick enough to hopefully avoid suspicion from any of the servants in the vicinity. Instead, Luca shared with Miranda a copy of the translation of the missive that he had found on the skaven shaman’s body, penned and signed by Epidemius. Miranda suggested the two report their findings to lady Annabella instead. They would be able to find her by presenting themselves to lieutenant William of Eastwarren at the palace crownsguard barracks.

When the two heroes arrived at the palace they were soaked through. Lieutenant WIlliam was dressed in full ceremonial armour and explained that he had been invited to the sermon which was being held at the cathedral. It was at this point that Luca explained to Emrys that the heroes had received an invitation to that event as guests of honour. Emrys was disappointed to hear about the event so late and expressed a strong desire to attend. Considering his special relationship to prior Benedict it made sense to Luca make good on the invitation.

After using some minor magics to clean and tidy themselves up the heroes were brought to the handmaid’s quarters, sited right next door to where the queen was laying in torpor, watched over by Dr. Arkenward. After a casual inspection of the handmaid’s antechamber and some more magic to obfuscate the conversation, the pair informed lady Annabella of the fate of the two rebel lords.

Lady Annabella appeared quite interested in the skaven and their goals, asking the heroes to speculate on why the skaven may have been down in the waterways underneath the city. The heroes hypothesised that it was likely in order to find more of the 144 Arms of the Senhadrim. Annabella confirmed the rewards for the heroes’ efforts; James got a letter of credentials, Luca had been registered as a Baronet of Evenshade Hall, Astrid was gifted a writ of credit with the Silver Bank worth 150 gold crowns. Emrys got a deep and passionate kiss from the lady for his effort in liberating the rebel lords.

When all had returned to the Careless Wanderer and it was decided that the Old Queen would set sail for Eastray later that day at the last tide. Some decisions would need to be made about the horses and Luca’s cart and about some of the things that the heroes might want to leave behind, but first the heroes decided to go and attend the sermon while Astrid remained in the room to rest.

Arriving in the miserable weather at the cathedral, it was a very busy affair. Many carriages of wealthy and influential people were pulling up to the marble steps leading up to the elaborately carved entrance door beneath the large, stained glass façade. Merchants, magistrates and nobility were all accompanied by guards, impatiently shuffling through the doors to get inside and out of the rain.

Inside, along the entire length of the nave, on either side of the aisle, from the entrance until the altar, stood wooden pews filled with people. On either side of the pews were pillared galleries where the escort of the guests were standing. The heroes were met by lord Lothar Grey, whom had been the one to invite them. He stood next to his older brother, lord Bishop Aldred Grey, who was dressed in opulent white robes, decorated with silver thread. On his head he wore a mitre adorned by rubies and sapphires. He held an equally ostentatious sceptre in his hand.

The heroes took a seat in one of the front pews on the right side of the aisle and took a moment to take in the splendour of the cathedral. The altar stood in the middle of the transept, separating the two minor chapels from one another, as well as the nave and the major chapel. The minor chapels were dedicated to Saint Catherine and Saint Aureus, while the major chapel was dedicated to Paladine himself. High above, the vaulted ceilings were richly painted with famous scenes from scripture. The vaults were connected with flying buttresses on the outside of the building, which could be made out through stained glass windows depicting angels and saints.

The lord steward could be seen on the other side of the aisle, sitting together with princess Mildred, surrounded by crownsguard. Lords and ladies, mages, merchants and magistrates; each was waiting with bated breath. When the ceremony first got underway, a choir started sitting while the lord bishop and several cardinals performed a ceremony of praise. Afterwards, prior Benedict was introduced and the tale of the crusaders was told, as well as the part that the Heroes of the White Eye played, pointing the heroes out to the crowd.

When prior Benedict came out he was dressed in full, ceremonial regalia. The blue lapis lazuli on his armour sparkled and shone. Adelard the young priest stood at his side and patiently translated each of the prior’s words, making sure to catch every inflection, every emphasis and every bit of passion.

When the Heroes of the White Eye liberated us from Hell and for the first time in countless cycles we dared to hope, we wondered how the world had changed since we became incarcerated. Some of us spoke amongst each other and fantasised how the divine might of Paladine had wrought the world and prepared it for the new cycle. How had Paladine’s followers explored the scriptures and had deepened their devotion?

I was shocked and horrified when I first looked upon the scriptures; copied and rewritten so many times that they are barely recognisable for what they once were. Instead of focusing on Paladine’s laws, it has introduced ambiguity, leaving His flock to interpret scripture according to what they consider convenient; picking and choosing what to care about and what is righteous. Religious relativism opened the door to entropy, to disorder… to chaos.

At this point, Luca started to notice a familiar, dark disturbance around the periphery of his vision. He felt more than he saw an inky black cloud descend down from one of the minor chapels.

Spreading the faith became more important than obedience. With obedience comes sacrifice; with faith comes a tithe. Those in positions of power have cloaked themselves in faith for personal reasons. Instead of sacrifice they seek profit. The Ecclesiastes are complicit to this piety for pay, as they reap monetary rewards that allow them to build splendour in this life and forego the splendour they could obtain in the next life. Tithing benefits the corrupt. Paladine does not want your coin. Only your obedience.

The horrors that lay beyond the veil are pure chaos. It will tempt you to stray from the path of lawfulness. It will tempt you to abandon Him as the object of your devotion. For the first crime death is merely a just retribution. The second is a heresy so terrible that no punishment can be sufficient.

And I see a lot of people who have strayed from the path, only seeking power and riches. They bicker, fight and wage war upon another, sowing chaos and discord, rather than unity and harmony. These people, these selfish goals are the chinks in the armour against the demonic onslaught that awaits you if you do not unite under the protections of Paladine’s divine law.

Luca saw the darkness grow and Aurion materialise from it, slowly descending down on prior Benedict. He managed to look inside his master’s hood and for the first time he saw six pairs of eyes burning hungrily in that dark void.

I quote:

“When people forget their duty they are no longer human; they are less than beasts. They have no place in the bosom of humanity, nor at the top of Celestia, nor in the heart of the Platinum Father. Let them be forgotten.” – Catechism of Aureus the Golden One, Book 1, Chapter 3, Verse 17

…before it was removed from scripture.

Quote:

”I tread the path of lawfulness. Though it paved with sharp stones, I will walk it barefoot; though it crosses rivers of fire, I will pass over them; though it wanders through the dark, the light of Paladine guides my steps,” from the Gathalamor’s sermon on the road to Blue Harbour before engaging Barazod the Fiery Dread.

…again, removed from scripture.

You are sheep being lead to the slaughter, kept blind by the greed and selfishness of people who have embraced entropy. Saint Catherine of Dunagore, whom you hold so dear, once told me that it takes but one to start a landslide with the casting of a single pebble…

It was at that point that the gleeful burning of Aurion’s six eyes reached a height. Luca saw as his master put one arm around the prior, while the other arm drew one of the wicked scythes and raised it high overhead.

Luca panicked and was afraid that his patron was going to do something terrible to the prior.

Everyone saw the prior raise his arm and slam a single pebble down on the marble alter. At that moment, Aurion sliced the air in front of him with his scythe. There was a moment of silence as people struggled to see what the prior had placed on the alter. Then a rumble and a sudden crack which echoed through the cathedral, as the alter sundered in two.

Prior Benedict jumped down from the dais and marched down the isle with Adelard in tow. Reaching the door the prior met James, who had tried to make a swift exit. The prior turned to the young elf and said “thank you” in broken Lyrian, before leaving out into the pouring rain.

The Heroes of the White Eye: A Character Study

Introduction

The Heroes of the White Eye is a remarkable group of individuals, brought together by fate, who have overcome incredible challenges together against all odds. Initially the disparate individuals were thrown together to resolve a simple matter of a disrupted water supply on the estate of an enigmatic noble family, they went on to discover signs and portents of a new time of high magic, and with it a new start of a Conjunction of Planes.

The last conjunction was so long ago that only the very oldest surviving members of the longest living races could recall it. It was a time in which the fabric between realms became thin and demonic creatures spilled over to wreak havoc on the lands of men, elves and dwarves. It was called the Age of Fear, and it brought humanity on the brink of extinction before they harnessed the power of magic, allowing them to mount a defence against the hordes of demons. The Silver Crusade, a collaboration of the knightly orders of the Lance, Shield and Gryphon, counselled by the mysterious Senhadrim, a loose knit group of wizards and priests, defended humanity long enough for the conjunction come to an end and the last of the demons be defeated.

The heroes discovered powerful, ancient artifacts from the Age of Fear, each of which contained the long dormant spirit of one of the Senhadrim. They encountered strange servitor creatures called the skaven, a fierce, rat-like people whose purpose was to find these artifacts and bring them to their as of yet unknown masters.

The heroes travelled the kingdom of Lyria, finding clues about the conjunction, the crusade and the Senhadrim. They met interesting people and dangerous adversaries; Vadoma, the treacherous gypsy, Falka, the helpful scholar, Ulrikke, the Daerlan noble, Ridley, the endearing deckswab, Syldarael, the tolerant healer, Martha, the jealous bigot, Strickland, the love-struck Magister, Cendelius, the vengeful terrorist, Liliana, the seductive instigator, and many, many more.

They travelled to a different realm and found a small army of crusaders, betrayed by a Senhadrim mage named Atilesceon, who had been corrupted by evil. Atilesceon’s cruelty lead him to curse the crusaders to replay a doomed battle scenario against a horde of demons over and over, leading to their eternal suffering. When the heroes found a way to break the curse, they ended up confronting and defeating Atilesceon and bringing the crusaders back from that realm, instantly gaining them the status of heroes.

In liberating these ancient crusaders and bringing them to the modern time, they managed to gain an understanding of the Age of Fear and learned that the conjunction occurred due to the waxing and waning of magic, which influenced the Seal of Divine Animus, which protected the realms of the ethereal mist from the realms of the elemental chaos and the astral sea. The seal was placed there by Tharizdun, a long lost god with a complicated mythology.

Throughout all of this, the heroes have remained unlikely companions. As they’ve learned more about what’s at stake, uncovering the legends, and separating fact from fiction, they’ve tried to discover possible ways of preventing another Age of Fear, or at least mobilising a defence against the coming conjunction before it is too late. Each has their own reasons for dedicating themselves, and their methods, motivations and styles differ wildly, but for now they continue to be bound to one another.

Astrid

It’s not easy to come to a clear understanding of Astrid’s personality, goals and motives. At the best of times she comes across as aloof or frivolous as her pendulum swings from long periods of silence, having few outspoken opinions or strong desires, and moments of extreme exuberance, often fuelled by alcohol. In the quiet moments she is as calm, quiet and reserved as she is loud, boisterous and borderline obnoxious in the moments where she’s not.

The two extremes of her mood seems to serve one thing particularly well; she is never requested or expected to talk about herself. As a result, it’s not clear why Astrid is in Lyria, why she has chosen to attach herself to the other heroes or why she eagerly sacrifices her own safety in order to step between the group and the danger which is heading their direction.

Even when she woke up one day to find that her eyes had turned bright golden, she never seemed to invite the other heroes to dare question or comment on that physical transformation; her aloof response making it seemingly difficult to bring up the subject. She is well-respected for her physical abilities, but is rarely asked for her opinion, which may reinforce a pre-existing notion she may have held that she would never be valued for her ideas, should she have any.

Her goals seem simple; she wants to be able to purchase a ship of her own. What she wants to do with that ship, or why she wants a ship, is not something her companions have ever asked her. She seems happy enough hiding behind the tired stereotype of a reaving Hellmarker in an attempt to convince any of her companions that there’s nothing more to her goals than that.

Emma

The priestess has defied expectations since she was a young girl and continued that tradition from the moment she went into the service of Lord Marcus together with the rest of the heroes. She chose a more thoughtful, less action-prone approach to problem solving which often clashed with others, especially James. That was not to say that she could not be forced into action, however, as she was quick to display against the Procyon when Cendelius lead them in his attack on the village of Allenham. She showed that she would not shy away from violence in order to stand up for what she believed in.

Thoughtful and observant, she was often very capable of quickly getting to the core of a person; sometimes so fast that the person under scrutiny had a hard time catching up, or even realise their façade had been breached. I believe that this lead to the frequent conflicts Emma had with James, who tried very hard to reinforce the cool exterior he had developed growing up on the Kingsport streets. Emma seemed frustrated and genuinely perplexed each time she was confronted with social subterfuge or obfuscation. It seemed to run counter to the truth she wanted to live by. Either that, or despite her keen insight into the people around her, she never truly understood people and found their idiosyncrasies foreign and alien.

She found comfort in the variety of ways in which Sedna touched life around her. The hopeful rebirth of spring, the growth it provided in summer, the way autumn brought the cycle to a close with a great cleansing and the way in which winter became harsh, cold and unforgiving. And it was this variability in the Goddess which made her naturally distrustful of Muirgheal when she started to explore her connection to the trident; it was extreme, unyielding and dogmatic and it ran completely counter to Emma’s own personality and who she understood Sedna to be.

There were other forces surrounding the trident which she found invasive and had difficulty understanding, again frustrating her ability to quickly get to the heart of a person or situation that she was so accustomed to. While evocative, the trident came with too many strings attached and she soon decided to disinvest her from the weapon and the spirit within.

As she divorced herself from the trident she also found that she struggled with many of the things that she and the other Heroes of the White Eye uncovered; about the nature of the world, the coming Age of Fear and her position therein. She decided to divorce herself from the group, focus herself on her faith and evaluate what her position within the grand order of things was going to be moving forward.

Emrys

Either Emrys is the most complex character in our group of heroes, or he is the simplest. At the risk of overthinking things, I will assume the former, rather than the latter. It is going to be difficult to start the analysis, either way.

Born into a tribe of aen adhar, or People of the Moon, who are notoriously religious, both his father, Fingir, an aen adhar, as well as his mother, Catriona, a human who had estranged from her family, had fallen in with a type of religious zealotry that could consume a person. They followed the teachings of Mohiam, a Sehanine Moonbow prophet and believed that their tribe had an important role to play in the future of the Verdant Kingdoms.

In fact, both parents believed that Emrys was to be a child of prophecy, which would explain his name. In the elder speech, Emrys means “immortal one”; a name not given frivolously, I imagine. When Catriona died right after giving birth, against all expectation, Fingir was struck with enormous grief leading him to defer the rearing of Emrys to the rest of the tribe.

Subjected to the tribe’s zealotry, Emrys proved to be a less than ideal student. He was subjected to hours of training which he described as arduous. The spiritual leader of the tribe, an elf named Voriel, disappeared without a trace during a training session and the tribe was thrown in disarray. It wasn’t the first time that strange things happened around Emrys and he was quickly asked to leave as the tribe had given up believing that he was going to be the promised child that they were awaiting.

I tell you that in order to conclude the following; considering Emrys’ background and upbringing, which I think was likely to be considerably harder than he has ever shared with anyone, it is surprising that he has maintained such a happy-go-lucky, laissez-faire attitude to most things. He has either leveraged what must undoubtedly have been a very traumatic upbringing into an amazing psychological bedrock, or he is possibly the most ruthless case of psychopathy that I’ve ever witnessed.

He has womanised his way through most of the Riverlands and has been keen to continue that habit while in Kingsport. He has developed a penchant for the young daughters of nobility and has left quite a bit of carnage in his wake. One wonders whether he doesn’t find some perverse pleasure in using the station of these women for his own ends only to compromise them to the point of reputational ruin. His involvement with these women has assured that they will never ascend to the position that was expected of them at birth.

Does that sound familiar?

He has now been able to infect the heart and mind of one of the most influential young noble women in the kingdom. Gods give her the strength to withstand him.

When confronted with some of the origins of his tribe by meeting Lauriel Skycaller, the Senhadrim priestess, Mohiam cultist and self-confessed mother of the zealotry that has ruled his tribe for millennia, he seemed detached and distant from her. Even as he inhabited the body of her lover and soon-to-be husband, Benedict McAllister, he did not hesitate to send Lauriel into the woods to slow down the onslaught of demons portalling onto the battlefield and ultimately sending her to her death.

Of course, I might be completely misreading him. One thing that suggests that I might be wrong is the relationship he has built up with Toruviel, the Senhadrim who is inhabiting the moonblade he carries. Legends say that moonblades only graces the hands of those who stand for noble elven virtues; love, life, creation and the arts. Perhaps he has been able to fool Toruviel as he has fooled lady Annabella, who knows?

James

To most people looking in from the outside it would seem that James wears his membership to one of the Heroes of the White Eye with the least amount of pride. I find myself wondering whether that’s because he thinks that what he did isn’t worthy of hero worship, or whether he is uncomfortable with the idea that he’s becoming one of them.

To most people looking in from the outside it would seem like James had a pretty tough childhood growing up on the streets of Kingsport. The frail, half-elf bastard to an immigrant who sold her body for silver stags, raised among whores and ruffians. But once you get to know him you’ll realise that despite his environment, his upbringing in no way held him back from having a happy childhood. He cares deeply for a mother who probably hasn’t always had the time to properly care for him; he’s developed relationships with several men in his life that could be described as father/son or teacher/student relationships; and despite his slight stature and elven heritage, he’s managed to carve out a place among his community.

And yet, he seems to be having trouble accepting the relationships that he’s forged with the rest of the heroes. I’d wager he thinks Luca is deranged, Quentin is misguided and Emrys is unfocused. Astrid seems to be the only one he genuinely cares for, but mostly as a drinking buddy who doesn’t ask too many questions. He purposefully keeps himself from investing in his relationships with the others, either because he doesn’t think they’re worth it, or he thinks they won’t last.

The proposition of him not thinking the relationships with the others aren’t worth it seems flawed considering all that they’ve accomplished together. It is clear that his continued involvement with the rest of the Heroes of the White Eye is benefiting him and that they have a lot to offer him. So it must be that he feels that the relationships won’t last. He’s unwilling to commit because he knows that all of them are regularly engaging in very dangerous work which will likely get one or all of them killed. Does he want to keep his relationships “professional” so that he won’t have to deal with the likelihood of losing them?

It would explain James’ caution at accepting the Arms of the Senhadrim. He has seen that the weapons have subtly changed their wielders and he doesn’t like the idea of giving up control, even if the potential power gain is significant. This, in turn, would explain his disdain for Emma and her dedication to a higher power; arbitrary rules of a divine kind which promise an undisclosed reward after death just mean you’re a pawn in a celestial army, controlled by a deity that sets the rules. Equally, Quentin is hostage to the trappings and expectations of nobility and chivalry, which might even be worse. And Luca is the pawn of… who knows what, but practically no different than Emma and her goddess, though likely much less benevolent.

James values his freedom. The Steady Hand gave him that freedom at the cost of the kickbacks he was paying to the day master. When his mother became an unwilling pawn of the Cult of the Dark Queen and was manipulated to turn against the Steady Hand, he found himself at odds with the guild. Despite finding a way out of the situation and saving his mother’s life in the process, he found that the Steady Hand was never again going to be the home for him it had been in years past. He also found that his mother required care, which had never happened before. She became a burden and perhaps even a liability, which eroded the freedom he valued so much. He quickly found another place that would take her off his hands, leaving him once again unburdened.

Perhaps that’s why he like Astrid as much as he does; there’s no burden there.

At the moment I think James is probably feeling a little unmoored. He has no clear goal, no clear direction. He can’t go back to burglary; he’s come too far and seen too much for that. But he also doesn’t necessarily want to make a habit out of going on quests and gathering more titles like the Hero of the White Eye. He’s stuck between longing for a simpler existence and a duty to act on those things that’s he’s learned.

Luca

Luca considers himself to be many things that he probably is not.

He grew up the son of pig farmers who was gifted with a great intellect, a strong personality but without the strength of willpower to persevere. I suspect he became profoundly lonely in the Elder Foothills, unable to connect to his family or his community and started admiring the scholars that would come through from civilised places, on their way to study the ancient ruins in the region. He probably had a conversation with one of them as an expedition passed through and realised he could connect with them on an intellectual level.

And so he started reading more books. He got obsessed with them. He started considering himself a scholar, and he could have become one if he had applied himself well, but he never did. As he read more he also became more frustrated with his modest origin. He changed the way he dressed, changed the way he spoke, changed the way he acted, all to be more in line with who he wanted to be.

Supposedly in order to get access to more books he was convinced to consume mushrooms which he claims to have given him visions. Those visions showed him a dreadful glimpse of the future, one that he could prevent from occurring. It lead him to the discovery of a book which taught him how to use magic. The circumstances are all a little vague, but afterwards he was no longer a scholar, instead he was a mage.

He finally worked up the nerve to leave the Elder Foothills and I think that cutting ties with that environment which reminded him of who he was allowed him the freedom to tell anyone that he was who he wanted to be. He has also started gathering and gaining more magical power, still maintaining this fantasy that he’s a studious mage. All the while, he’s been taking shortcuts and compromising himself (and possibly others) to gather that power, as is the tendency of those weak of will.

He’s been lying to others, but more importantly he’s been lying to himself; he’s convinced that he’s the only one who realises what is coming and the only one who can stop it. Another lie that he’s told himself is that the ends justify the means, and as such he has made some dangerous and questionable decisions lately. All for the greater good.

I’ve been surprised at the way that the rest of Luca’s companions have been willing to overlook the obvious problems and delusions he’s dealing with. Perhaps they realise but find that the power he wields useful, however ill-gained it may be, and are willing to put up with him.

Eventually, Luca will have to pay the price for what the choices he’s made, the things he’s done and the power he’s gained.

Quentin

The most junior member of the Heroes of the White Eye, the easiest observation to make about Quentin is that his noble birth has afforded him a life of relative luxury and privilege. It makes him a bit out of touch with the rest of the heroes at times, but it also allows him a different perspective and avenue that the others may have missed.

Hailing from a small noble family without much political or financial influence, it seems the precarious position that House Morvrayne finds itself in has placed an extraordinary burden on the shoulders of its heir. Initially setting out to find a legendary sword of incalculable historical and cultural value which would earn him the right to marry the daughter of an influential noble and positioning his house in a much better spot in the Beauclair peerage.

When, against all odds, that seemingly impossible quest turned out favourably and he didn’t just retrieve the legendary sword, but also became one of the Heroes of the White Eye, gaining popularity and renown in Lyria, the young knight seemed eager to leverage that success into something more. He is keen on following in the footsteps of the legendary knights and cavaliers who joined the crusade to protect humanity during the Age of Fear.

Whether Quentin’s new goal of restarting a new crusade is born from opportunism or idealism are unclear to me at the moment. But for now it seems he has thrown his lot in with the rest of the companions.

He respects James, though is having a hard time relating to him due to the wildly different environs they grew up in. He has big plans that James doesn’t recognise his roll in, and probably wouldn’t approve of that roll even if he did. James disapproves of much of what Quentin does and thinks, and I suspect it won’t be long before Quentin falls prey to the same exhaustion that overwhelmed Emma.

Up until the moment that Emrys introduced Quentin to Andrew Selkirk, the troubadour who came to investigate the rumours of Fleur’s resurfacing, I don’t think Quentin had any strong opinions of Emrys, positive or negative. The two have never held a conversation that wasn’t about pleasantries or frivolities. Quentin has confessed his ambition of a new crusade to Emrys, and found that Emrys was keen on being there to support him. This will likely remain the basis for their friendship; whether Emrys is able and willing to further Quentin’s goals.

As for Luca; it won’t be long before Quentin will come to understand the full weight of Luca’s choices and the possible price that will need to be paid for them. It will be at that point where we’ll see whether Quentin’s opportunism will win out over his idealism; he will have to make a choice about what kind of man he is, and whether he’s made of ruthless ambition, or romantic ideals of chivalry and nobility.

I wonder whether Quentin will ever seek out the crusaders he helped to rescue and have a true, honest and open discussion about what the crusade meant, and what it cost the crusaders and the people they protected. Was the crusade a benevolent organisation who protected the weak from the wickedness of the demonic hordes, or was the crusade enforced on those they protected, whether they asked for protection or not? What was the price the crusaders and those they protected had to pay in order to keep humanity safe, and will Quentin be willing to pay that price? Will he be able to make the hard choices which will pit his ambitions against his ideals? Is he simply the entitled noble who is playing hero until such a time that the hero’s role becomes too difficult a burden to shoulder?

Escape from the Carceratum

Previously, the heroes of the White Eye had made their way into the Kingsport carceratum to find that the rebel lords had continued their rebellion by leading the prisoners in an uprising against the crownsguard after one of the lords, the young and impulsive lord Szymon Radowan, had been the target of an assassination attempt by one of the assassins of the cult of the Dark Queen. Breaking from the carceratum into the ancient waterways the prisoners were confronted by countless skaven and a fight ensued.

Ninth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is waning.)

Astrid, Quentin, Yurina and lord Szymon fought on the front line against the skaven, having overextended themselves so as to be surrounded on all side by skaven and rat ogres. This proved to nearly become fatal to Astrid and Yurina, while Quentin and Szymon fell prey to the strange disease that the foul creatures seemed to spread wherever they went. Among the skaven was another one of their shaman, who spread an infection among the skaven; their eyes gained a fell green glow and their attacks became even more rabid.

Astrid was overwhelmed and went down, only to be pulled out of the fray to have the rare and costly healing potions administered to her. Many of the prisoners died when one of the rat ogres was felled and exploded in a cloud of noxious fumes. Luca sent angry volleys of eldritch energy into the midst of the skaven, while Emrys and James shot dangerous projectiles from a safe distance.

Once the heroes and the prisoners retreated back into the carceratum a proper defense was mounted, using the hole into the waterways as a chokepoint. The bodies of skaven and prisoners started to pile up among the rubble, making it harder and harder to traverse, eventually stemming the tide of vermin. Many prisoners were dead, and Yurina was close to expiring.

Exploring the waterways beyond the walls of the carceratum revealed a maze of tunnels and pipes, all flowing water and sewage along in narrow canals. Phosphorescent moss covered the slick stones of the paths, bridges, walls and ceilings, casting everything in a strange, ethereal glow. Two skaven could be seen down the tunnel standing over the body of the dead shaman, rummaging through its belongings. One of them went down to an arrow from James’ bow. James called Luca to search the shaman, and a leather scroll carrier was found.

Quentin and lord Szymon were given some of the ointment that James had received from father Devon, which had wonderous healing properties and could also cure most mundane diseases. Much to the delight of both men, the ointment worked wonders on their well-being as well, and they found that some of their wounds were healed and the symptoms of the disease they suffered were fully mitigated.

Garvan was eager to depart and decided to lead everyone along a dizzying array of tunnels and corridors. Occasionally daylight and cold raid came down from a sewage grate that lead to the surface, and it was through one of these grates that the prisoners rebel lords and heroes come up into an alleyway in Lewisham, around the corner from the legendary Hoxton tavern.

Any cohesion among the prisoners was lost as soon as they stepped out into the late afternoon light and each immediately went their own way, including Garvan. A suitable route to the street between the Magisterium and the House of the Raven Queen was plotted by James, making sure to avoid Steward Square and as much exposure as possible.

In the shadow of the House of the Raven Queen the two rebel lords changed out of their rags and into the commoners clothing that the heroes had purchased. Eventually they were approached by a group of six people who were dressed like fishermen, wearing water-treated capes underneath which they hid light armour, weapons and the heraldry of House Waxley; a turtle on a green field. The leader identified himself as ser Oliver Waxley, first cousin to lady Annabella. Hey explained that he would take the rebel lords into his custody and move them to an undisclosed location in Northshire. The rebel lords seemed satisfied and thanked the heroes for their efforts to release them from the carceratum.

It was just at that moment that James, ever vigilant, noticed that one of the crownsguard had spotted the group, turned around and had walked off. Ser Oliver commanded one of his troop, “Tiny Tasha”, a young elfling, to follow the guard while the rest departed. The heroes decided to take a round-about way back to the Careless Wanderer. They were tired, in need of food, sleep and some were in need of stitches and a stiff drink.

They never did learn what happened to the guard and Tiny Tasha.

At the Careless Wanderer, the heroes had baths drawn up in the basement and they spent a time soaking in the hot water and scrubbing the filth of the sewers off of them. A conversation was had about the next steps, about potentially leaving as soon as a ship could be arranged and not staying in Kingsport for longer than strictly necessary. During this time James was stern and quiet.

Once the water ran cold everyone got dressed. James went to talk to Astrid, who was uncharacteristically lethargic and tired. He instructed her to go to the docks and find passage to Eastmarsh the next morning. She said she would look into it.

Luca went to find Callum the Diviner in his room overlooking the House of the Raven Queen. The old man invited Luca in and they sat down to have a chat. Captain Randall had arranged for the travel to Eastray and beyond, deeper into Eastmarsh and the earliest they could depart was on the morning of the first day.

Quentin found Durham behind the bar and ordered a bottle of delicious Beauclair red. He took two cups and found James near the fire of the tavern. He sat down and poured both a cup and asked James what was bothering him. Reluctantly, James explained that he thought that Quentin had acted too hastily in tearing down the barricade the prisoners had erected to keep the skaven out. The blood of those prisoners was on Quentin’s hands as far as James was concerned, and could have been avoided if they had used the passage between the carceratum and the waterways as a choke point.

Quentin returned that James was present and could have weighed in at any time on the plans but didn’t. Quentin admitted he was not proud of the outcome, but said that the outcome was a shared responsibility and not just his own. James finished the last of his wine and got up without a word. Wrapped in his cloak, he went out into the cold, wet streets of Kingsport.

In the meantime, Luca had found captain Randall siting by himself in the tavern and he asked if he could join the man at his table. Luca suggested that the departure should be moved up to the earliest possible moment. Randall explained that with the start of the fishing competition at noon of the first day, all of the ships that were coming into port were standing by. It would take a fortune to get any one of them to leave early. A secondary problem was that due to the delta the harbour at Eastray was a treacherous approach which not every ship, nor every captain could negotiate. Randall had found a ship that was willing and able, but would depart on the morning of the first day, several hours before the start of the fishing competition.

During this conversation, a fresh faced cleric of Paladine entered the establishment, dressed in white robes, adorned with silver thread. He was wearing a white skull cap that barely contained his curly black hair. A silver necklace holding the silver triangle of the Platinum Father adorned his neck and chest. In his hands he held a formal scroll carrier. After a brief chat with Lauryn, the priest was directed to Quentin and he handed him a formal invitation as guests of honour at the Cathedral for the sermon that was going to be giving by saint Benedict the following day at noon.

Quentin and Luca spoke about the invitation but couldn’t decide whether it was worth attending, still having high hopes that they could persuade one of the captains to depart for Eastray early. Both ended up retiring to the room the heroes shared as the tavern was slowly being turned into another common room, with a lot of guests bedding down for the night.

Before turning in, Luca went to investigate the leather scroll carrier he took off the shaman in the waterways. Luca quickly discerned that the leather was supple but thick and like the armour they had seen on rare occasion, not of any animal in the Verdant Kingdoms. Inside he found two scrolls; one holding arcane symbols which would need more time to investigate, while the other seemed like a more formal document, affixed with a seal and ribbon. The seal was in dark wax and depicted the heraldry of an amorphous shape, holding different sized circles. The letter was written in the infernal language of the Nine Hells and read:

The plague maidens are congregating, drawn by the pestilent potential of a potent, ancient magic. I have read the signs and portents and require the skavens of clan [unclear] to investigate and reveal the truth. I have gathered enough [unclear] that I may open a gate through the seal for a short time through which they may travel. Once verified, they will report and be given further instruction.

– Epidemius the Cataloguer, Lord of Decay, One of the Seven Proctors of Pestilence. Devoted Underling of Baalzebul the Calabite, Ruler of the Seventh, Lord of Maladomini.

After his quiet departure from the Careless Wanderer, James made his way to an orphanage he was familiar with in Grimsdown. He knew it to be run by a kindly matron who treated the children firmly but warmly. He knocked on the door and patiently waited for the woman to open the door, carrying a lantern. She was surprised to see James; most of the time she would find young mothers at that time of night. Without saying much, James handed her a pouch filled to the brim with golden crowns. He turned around and departed as quickly as he arrived, leaving the matron shouting baffled words of thanks at him through the gale.

When James returned to the Careless Wanderer he found that only a handful of people were still awake, quietly whispering to one another as the rest slept. He decided he was not going to spend the night with the rest of his companions, finding rest in a chair in front of the fire instead. His back would pay for it in the morning, but it was preferable than the alternative.

Tenth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is waning.)

The following morning, during breakfast, it appeared that Astrid had not quite recovered from her wounds. She still had blood seeping through a couple of cuts and she was limping, having sprained her ankle quite badly on the barricades the previous day. James said that he would take over in finding passage at the harbour and declined the help that Quentin was offering.

While James was to look for passage, the rest of the heroes would go to the Sacred Baths and seek medical attention from Emma and inform her of the current situation.

The weather outside had turned hostile with high winds and thundering rain. The streets were empty, including the docks and squares. Under these conditions James spoke to a dozen captains and deck masters, all of which were unable or unwilling to depart the city before the start of the fishing competition. The best that James could find was someone willing to consider it for the right amount gold, which was suggested needed to be in excess of a thousand gold crowns.

Eventually, through the haze of the pouring rain, James noticed a familiar, two-master caravel, the Old Queen, sail into the harbour.

Rats!

Previously, the Heroes of the White Eye entered the carceratum in search of the rebel lords with the purpose of liberating them. The prisoners had overrun the prison and the heroes were unsure what they would find there. Once inside, the prisoners tried to repel the and a fight broke out in which Luca killed several prisoners and Astrid beat several of them into unconsciousness.

The prisoners retreated and a dialogue was opened. It turned out that the two rebel lords, one of which had been wounded in an attempt on his life, had allied themselves with two senior prisoners in order to break out into the ancient waterways, only to have stumbled upon a large host of skaven.

Ninth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is waning.)

James, after staying at the rear until it was clear how some of the prisoners who belonged to the Sunken Knuckles gang would respond to his presence, moved up to the area of the carceratum where the prisoners had made their stand. The prisoners unfortunate enough to get in Astrid’s way were slowly regaining consciousness behind him and moving to rejoin the rest of the prisoners.

After having engaged the prisoners as well as the rebel lords in a discussion, the heroes found that they had found a way out of the carceratum by breaking through a wall into the waterways. Garvan, a member of the Steady Hand who was a specialist in moving about the waterways, was confident that once they could get into the waterways and get past the skaven he could get everyone to the surface within ten minutes, emerging anywhere in or around Steward Square.

The different options were discussed. Taking the rebel lords out of the prison by way of Luca’s proposed portals was met with hesitation from lord Fabian, as the two lords had given their word to Yurina and Garvan that they would make sure they would be liberated as well. It was clear that a small group of the prisoners believed that surrendering to the crownsguard would lead to their immediate execution, while others believed they would be punished very harshly. James suggested that those who felt in danger could possibly be smuggled out of the prison by Emrys turning them invisible. Lastly, there was the option of going into the waterways and fighting the skaven opposition they would find there.

In a surprising turn of eloquence, Blackstar spoke to Luca and told him that it believed that evil men shouldn’t be executed for fear of “swelling the wrong ranks in the war to come.” It volunteered to reap them instead.

A decision was made to clear the hole in the wall which lead to the waterways and see what the skaven opposition was like. Using Blackstar’s uncanny ability to detect the souls in the vicinity, Luca noticed that there were in excess of three dozen souls in the area. In the meantime, James went to inspect the assassin, who had been chained up in one of the cells. When the assassin was about to exclaim praise for Melchior, his father, James had heard enough and shot an arrow into the man’s chest, killing him instantly.

Once Quentin and Astrid broke through the barrier and moved into the waterways, a foul smelling sewer tunnel whose bricks were slick with slime and phosphorescent moss, they were beset from all sides by the vicious skaven, quickly swarming forth in a bid to overwhelm them. There were over a dozen of them, ranging from the small and feeble to the larger, ogre-sized skaven, ridden by their whip-wielding taskmasters. Among them, was another shaman, which had caused them so much trouble in the catacombs underneath the Sheridan estate.

The Rebel Lords

Previously, the players concluded their investigations into the queen’s illness in Kingsport and decided to go on Callum the Diviner’s expedition to Eastmarsh to find out more about the cursed khazra head. Before their departure, they decided to help lady Annabella and lady commander Miranda in liberating the rebel lords from the Kingsport Carceratum.

Ninth Day, First Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon is waning.)

Just prior to entering the carceratum Luca and James bought two sets of commoner’s clothes and discovered that behind the Magisterium, overlooking the rear of the House of the Raven Queen there was an alleyway connecting two small squares that were perfect places where Luca could take the rebel lords using the translocation magic he had recently discovered.

When everyone was finally ready to enter the carceratum, they found the inside hallway as heavily barricade by the prisoners as the outside hallway had been barricaded by the crownsguard. The prisoners hurled garbage and furniture from the top of a barricaded staircase, making it very difficult to engage them. Much to James’ chagrin they also did not seem open to conversation or discussion. Astrid and Quentin scaled the barricades while Luca hurled angry bolts of eldritch energy at the prisoners, killing several of them. Once Astrid got her hands on some of them, pummelling them into unconsciousness, a retreat was called for from further in the dungeons and the prisoners began to fall back.

The heroes approached and again attempted a parley, which was reciprocated by an elderly man they soon found out to be lord Fabian Fetterling, a man Luca remembered to have been at the Seat of Friendship, debating brother Shakeslocke when he called for the persecution of warlocks and witches.

The rebel lord had taken command of a group of prisoners in the wake of an attack on lord Szymon, who was left injured. The assassin was carrying a wicked dagger but had been fought off just shy of killing lord Szymon and was now held in one of the cells, shackled to the wall.

Two prisoners had been instrumental in an escape plan; Garvan the Tunneler, a member of the Steady Hand who worked for the night master as an expert in the ancient waterways, and Yurina, a vicious member of the Sunken Knuckles who had filed down her teeth for a more gruesome appearance. They had found the perfect place to break through a wall and enter from the carceratum into the ancient waterways. Unfortunately the part of the waterways they had entered into was infested with skaven, and the prisoners were forced to retreat back into the carceratum for their safety.