Into The Void on We Are The Red Guardians

Session The Forty-Fifth

Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Session The Forty-Fifth

11 March 2023

Lycovyne	45/47
Menka	54/54
Kyril	60/61
Gonchar	88/88
Flint	55/55
Tim	32/32
Seamus	60/64
Cathal	67/67

The party more or less began to follow Menka’s insect path in reverse. We reached the wall we had previously taken down with Gonchar’s hammer and, passing through, headed north. The tunnel was supported in makeshift fashion with hastily erected wooden beams. Ahead, in the distance we heard a loud, barking scream. A cross between a human and an animal.

Sidebar - Markheim

Sun, 14 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Sidebar - Markheim

14 May 2023

An annotated map of Markheim is saved here.

We entered Markheim from the southeast, following a road that crossed through a village of huts (1). The village seemed of recent construction. Fields and groves lie just south of the village. Men and women of the same racial stock as the worshippers of the ice god worked the fields and populated the village though the overt, undead evil was not apparent. An ancient-looking elven woman worked the groves among the people. Kyril recognized her as Auntie T and acknowledged her all-seeing glance. He dismounted, handed off his horse and walked out into the fields to speak with the elven druid. We would not see him again for a week or so.

Session The Forty-Sixth

Sat, 20 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Session The Forty-Sixth

20 May 2023

Menka spoke with Aesil about gaining access to the mirror she kept somewhere in the tower. She was far less than interested in providing access and was neither concerned with events far to the the south nor with the visions provided to the priest by the messenger of Thoth.

Session The Forty-Seventh

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Session The Forty-Seventh

8 July 2023

Lycovyne	35/49
Menka	53/54
Kyril	55/61
Gonchar	95/100
Flint	43/61
Tim	34/36
Seamus	59/64
Cathal	61/67

Seamus wanted to skin two of the huge wolves and take their pelts. Given our haste he decided to wait for the return trip. The cavern continued west then turned sharply north. It was misty due to the increasing cold and the hallways seemed to be well and recently traveled.

Session The Forty-Eighth

Sat, 26 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Session The Forty-Eighth

26 August 2023

Lycovyne	33/49
Menka	45/54
Kyril	59/61
Gonchar	76/100
Flint	48/61
Tim	32/36
Seamus	57/64
Cathal	49/67

The party stood in a room with doors in the north and south walls and another on the northern end of the east wall, the same door we entered through. Charred ice ogre corpses lay strewn about, reeking of burnt hair and flesh. Kyril’s control temperature was still in effect, fending off the cold for those within its 10’ compass. Outside of that 10’ range it was bitterly cold. Seamus didn’t seem to mind the chill. Antifreeze and all that.

Session The Forty-Ninth

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Session The Forty-Ninth

4 November 2023

Menka	54/54
Lycovyne	48/49
Kyril	68/69
Flint	61/64
Tim	36/36
Seamus	64/65
Cathal	53/67
Gonchar	100/100

Lagartha was at full health. We verified that a knock cast on the door caused it to open for 1 minute, after which it closed again, requiring another knock. We also verified that it was locked from the inside, as well. This door lead into a small circular room that seemed to be a study of some sort. Kyril detected magic somewhere along the northern wall. Shelves on the southern wall held gruesome statuettes of horrifying creatures, none magical, all horrifying. One held down a note with Nalfeshnee scribbled on it.

Session The Fiftieth

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Session The Fiftieth

28 December 2023

Menka	45/54
Lycovyne	45/49
Kyril	47/69
Flint	56/64
Tim	36/36
Seamus	57/65
Cathal	53/67
Gonchar	90/100

Seamus and Menka applied some healing magic and prayers to Cathal and Lycovyne. Warm and bound in wrinkly skin, one book we found was certainly Cultes des Gules. The second book remained unidentified. Lycovyne was definitely not a definite. Menka began to pray for 3 hours to receive the spells cure blindness, remove curse and procure hooker.

Session the Fifty-First

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-First

10 February 2024

Menka	37/54
Lycovyne	38/49
Kyril	33/69
Flint	41/64
Tim	36/36
Seamus	46/65
Cathal	15/67
Gonchar	59/100

The session began with the party traveling, with Harald Markgaard, Agnar, Arndt, Ninax, Scarlett and the wayward rangeress Largatha, daughter of Harald, as well as a host of mounted men-at-arms from Markheim, traveling through the thawing, ice, snow, mud and debris-strewn melting mountain passes. Winter-like weather still clung to the area, though a hint of Spring was in the air.

Session the Fifty-Second

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Second

8 June 2024

We sold some extraneous gear and cleaned house a bit. Gonchar and Cathal visited the keep armorer and got their plate mail repaired.

Anticipating 10 days on the road (5 to the Tomb under the cliff and 5 back) we purchased horses, feed and iron rations for around 278 pieces of gold.

Session the Fifty-Third

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Third

8 August 2024

Menka	54/54
Lycovyne	54/49
Kyril	69/69
Flint	72/64
Tim	36/36
Seamus	71/65
Cathal	67/67
Gonchar	100/100

Red dust and foul air puffed through the portal opened by Menka’s passwall. Before the party entered the underground we heard a familiar shriek off in the far distance, in the hills. A shriek we had heard on our way out of the Temple of Diancecht under the apiary.

Session the Fifty-Fourth

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Fourth

19 October 2024

Note: this session opens up in room F in the map on pg. 330.

Having dispatched the vrock and their succubus hussy, we remained in the 30x30 room that wasn’t as blisteringly hot as the larger chamber. The party could feel oppressive heat emanating from the open door into the fire-room to the south. The current room was fetid with the reek of dead and dispatched succubus and dead vrock, along with now-dead sylphs and nymphs scattered around the room, where they had fallen from the dissipated energy cases which had melted away after opening.

Session the Fifty-Fifth

Sat, 18 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Fifth

18 January 2025

Gonchar climbed out of the pit trap.

Double stone doors stood in the wall to the south past the pit. The stench emanating from the pit was stomache churning. Roasted ghast. There was a 1’ wide shelf on either side and the party was able to get around the pit without incident.

Session the Fifty-Sixth

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Sixth

1 March 2025

Having made it past the disintegration ray^[1], we paused for a bit by the bars in the wall to catch our breath. The psychic and physical darkness weighed heavily upon us. Seamus was the only one not bitten by the chill air.

Session the Fifty-Seventh

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Seventh

19 April 2025

Menka	36/54
Kyril	46/69
Lycovyne	39/54
Gonchar	80/100
Flint	54/72
Cathal	43/67
Tim	36/36
Seamus	38/78

The party emerged from the tomb of the Twice-Crowned into a bowl-shaped, wooded area which clears near the entry to the tomb - the party is stinking, tired, bloodied and bandaged. Two of the party are carrying bags of holding which are overflowing with coinage - luckily, the coins dropping into the dirt all seem to be coppers.

Session the Fifty-Eighth

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Eighth

21 June 2025

Menka	54/54
Kyril	69/69
Lycovyne	54/54
Gonchar	100/100
Flint	72/72
Cathal	67/67
Tim	36/36
Seamus	78/78

We spoke at length with Teos at the bar. He was loquacious in his gratitude and willingly answered our questions.

Creel’s tower was less than a day’s ride from the Horne’d Lamb. The good barkeep told the party that to simply touch the walls of Creel’s tower was … dangerous. Creel himself is a good man and had long held commerce and communication with the Inn as well as the surrounding area. Creel’s wife had died of some unspecified malady - perhaps plague, all sudden-like, and while Creel was out - and the man had not been the same since. Creel had turned to the dark arts of necromancy in an effort to bring his beautiful wife back to life. Teos had nothing but praise for Illyssa.

Session the Fifty-Ninth

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Fifty-Ninth

19 July 2025

Menka	54/54
Kyril	69/69
Lycovyne	54/54
Gonchar	96/100
Flint	72/72
Cathal	54/67
Tim	36/36
Seamus	65/78

The room at (A) was well-maintained and well used. Creel had kept it clean, well swept. Some carpeting covered the floor. It contained bookshelves on the west wall, upon which many books sat. Shelves also hung on the northern wall, glass jars filled with clear liquids and various implements lining them. A sitting area containing a small desk with quill and ink sat in the southeastern corner. A reading chair lay on its side with a spilled bottle of wine on the floor next to it, the red wine staining a throw rug in this area. Crumpled paper was strewn about around the knocked-over chair.

Session the Sixtieth

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Sixtieth

20 September 2025

Menka	37/54
Kyril	65/69
Lycovyne	36/54
Gonchar	72/100
Flint	37/72
Cathal	43/67
Tim	21/36
Seamus	49/78

{\itshape “When I get my hands on Kyril’s evil sword shit’s gonna get real around here very quickly…”

– Lahtac the Anti-Paladin }

The One Room Session (Almost)#

When the chiming ended, the carvings on the walls cease their infernal undulations. The footsteps we heard outside the room became louder and suddenly 4 subhumans dressed in archaic scale mail broke through the door - three carrying odd, curved battleaxes, one wielding a glistening, dripping dagger. The subhumans launched into the room among us while a creature, human-sized but like a large octopi, ambulating with a sickening undulating gait on its tentacles, glaring eyes in its large head, stayed in the doorway. The creature began to wave its tentacles and the familiar reality distortion field filled the room. The cleric failed his save vs. spell and was incapacitated and disoriented. The rest of the party made their save.

Session the Sixty-First

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Session the Sixty-First

15 November 2025

Menka	54/54
Kyril	69/69
Lycovyne	54/54
Gonchar	72/100
Flint	72/72
Cathal	58/67
Tim	36/36
Seamus	65/78

We found ourselves in possession of Abigail’s hand, and the claw-like gauntlet that contained it. As we gazed upon it while pondering the significance of slicing off a vampire’s hand, the hand itself began to dissipate in a sulfurous mist. Presently, the hand completely disappeared, though it left behind the gauntlet, intact and seeming to smoke as the hand dissolved.

Interlude I: Creel's Tower

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Interlude I: Creel's Tower

14 December 2025

With the portal below the tower closed and danger at least temporarily averted, Creel advised the party that he had sent messages out to his fellow 8 wizards (of ‘The Nine’) asking for assistance. While the party bivouacked at the tower, some of this aid arrived.