Sapphire:Sessions:20141011

Rory scribbles a note -- "We got company up here. Don't stick your head up" -- weights it using a small bag of coins, and drops it down the hole. He sends Striker to circle around behind the unknown intruder.

Chalker picks up the note, reads it aloud, and climbs up to where he can peer over the edge of the hole. Shawna follows.

Rory nocks an arrow and points it straight at the intruder, who quickly moves behind cover. Shawna vanishes and heads for the woods. Rory notes movement in the trees from both right and left.

Shawna heads right and catches sight of a man dressed in camouflage, scrambling along branches and leaping from tree to tree. Invisibly, she follows him on the ground. When he jumps down from the trees, she tackles and pins him face-down. Chalker soon arrives (he had checked the movement to the left and found only a sleeping bag). Gradually the young man responds to their questions. He gives his name as Evan Bernard and admits he's an advance scout for a gang of thieves (20 in all). Their headquarters is near a village called Ben's Barrow. "The rest are hunkered down to wait out the Days of the Spirits," after which they would join the celebrations in Dethome and "pick up some coin." Not being as superstitious, Evan was headed to Dethome (across Count Bastress's property) when he happened upon this place.

Shawna lets Evan up. Chalker searches him while examining his aura. Evan's greedy and not very nice. Chalker asks about the iron ring he wears, and Evan admits it's engraved with his gang's symbol.

Chalker tells Evan to go back whence he came, and not to go to Dethome for at least the next couple of weeks. Without a glance backward, Evan walks away.

Trace plants some of the magic vine and accelerates its growth. He finds that it reduces his personal high-mana zone (generated by his wizard's staff, to which are attached the black pebble and the silver cone) from three yards to two. He waits for the Count's party some 200 yards away from his excavation (which is covered over by an earthen plug). As they pass before him, he examines every living thing, including the horses, for signs of possession, and finds none. He returns and unplugs the hole.

Rory gathers the mounts and wagons and takes them down a small gully near a stream. A couple of Bastress's servants have been diligently covering their tracks since they left the keep. Chalker leads the Count down to the gate, then installs the last crystal to open it. Once everyone has gone through, Trace casts the spell he created to pull the crystals through and shut down the gate. The night passes uneventfully.

Early in the morning, Chalker, Rory, Trace, and Shawna decide to go to the keep to see if any attempts were made during the night. Approaching the keep from the north, they see a spirit on the roof near the kitchen chimney; it's one of the ghost guards. All seems quiet. Rory leads them through a secret entrance. They learn from Jason Branvold that during the night Bart Maven (Count Bastress's steward) and Thane Nicely (the family's physicker) tried to steal some personal items from the master suite. Trace and Shawna remark that those items were likely to be used to magically Seek the Bastress family. Learning that Branvold is otherwise tethered to the keep, Rory offers to let the guard's spirit 'ride' him. Delightedly accepting Rory's offer, Branvold leaves another guard, Andrew, in charge of the keep.

In the town of Dethome, traffic and business are light. Chalker notes that at least one-third of the town guards are possessed. Rory and Shawna head for Temple Row. Shawna speaks to a priestess of Damarot concerning Gwee Balin.

Chalker enters a tavern and notices an alert young wizard with great potential at a corner table. At another table near the bar sit two male goblins and a male and a female human. Entering through another door, Trace, who had seen two of the Count's horses tethered outside, sees two of the possessed people from the keep, seated at separate tables; their eyes dart about like they want to flee. Trace quite deliberately blocks the door.

Chalker approaches the barkeep and orders some food for his group, including apples (Shawna had mentioned craving an apple). He sets down a silver piece to pay the six-copper bill, then lays another silver piece beside that one because "I might ask you a question."

Chalker consults with Trace, who points out the two people he'd spotted. Chalker walks over and seats himself in front of one of them. "So, are you going to take me to where the rest of y'all are?" The man claims he doesn't know where the others are; around sundown they are supposed to gather in a certain grove south of town. Abruptly the spirit flees upward from its host body, which slumps over the table. Trace apports his staff and intercepts the spirit, then sends the staff curving toward the other man, who bolts out through the kitchen door. The young wizard grips his staff and sets it upright, staring at the proceedings.

Chalker chases the man down, catching him just outside the back door. He pins the man face down as Trace regains his staff and uses the silver cone to draw the possessing spirit out of the man's body.

Chalker carries the man back to his table, then walks over to the young wizard, who is standing in a defensive posture. The wizard, whose name is Santos Hanson, refers to Trace as an archmage. Chalker replies, "He's an archmage-in-training," and explains that Trace drove evil spirits out of the other two men. Hanson: "I never thought much of the Days of the Spirits before." Chalker: "One day we will meet when you are more skilled, and I hope we can be friends."

Chalker questions the man, but he doesn't remember anything useful. He doesn't even know where the coppers in his coin purse came from, but he will be more than happy to spend them eating and drinking in the tavern for the rest of the day.

The priestess tells Shawna of a defiled gravesite south of town, a place abhorrent to Dar. The necromancer is near that place. Shawna receives a blessing from Dar. At the Temple of Yasseph, Shawna borrows a trained falcon named Alovon.

Trace puts down a coin and orders a refill for Hanson.

Chalker makes the acquaintance of a goblin who calls himself Merchant Sten; his human guards are Nicole and Van. Later, Chalker mentions to the bartender that Sten is not really a merchant.

Out in the streets, Shawna and Rory meet back up with Chalker and Trace. Both groups have learned about the grove to the south of town. They all go to another tavern where they see four possessed people: two of them are waitresses, one of the others is a man who recognizes them. Chalker plops down at the man's table. "I'm the guy who can see you." Man: "What do I gain by talking?" Trace: "Tell us what we want to know, and you can stay here the rest of the day and drink." Man: "I was supposed to meet Ty at Tyler's blacksmith shop."

The other possessed man tries to run, but Shawna casually trips him and Rory pounces upon him. Responding to Rory's questioning, the spirit, Jacob Mansfield, says the Count's physicker had given the two necklaces to the Countess. The guard that the spirit is possessing is his grand-nephew. Shawna prays for the spirit's "removal from this world into either Dara's gardens or... whatever, to learn or not."

One of the serving girls, or rather the spirit possessing her, tells Chalker she has permission to possess her granddaughter's body, which Chalker (checking auras) finds is true. The other serving girl quickly says she has permission also, but Chalker knows she's lying. Pointing to Trace, Chalker warns her, "What he does, there's no coming back from. Ever." Shooting an obscene gesture at Chalker, the spirit angrily departs. When the serving girl regains her senses, she is shocked to learn that she had been possessed, as she doesn't remember anything since the night of the 13th, then is horror-stricken to think what debauchery she may have been made to perform unaware.

As the group approaches Tyler's Blacksmith, they see a mercenary in leathers moving deliberately away. Chalker clamps down on the merc's sword, Rory goes around back, and Shawna sends Alovon airborne. Chalker: "Is that Ty you're talking to?" Ty: "They're going to rob me!" Chalker: "We were told you're looking for us." Ty: "Never seen you before." Ty's aura indicates he is not a good person; he is hard, tough, stubborn, and has been in the presence of demons."

Ty: "You're after the boss." Chalker: "Yes. Gwee Balin." From a belt pouch Ty draws a small black object. "With this and a few drops of my blood I can summon something that will take a message to Gwee." Chalker leads the group to the temple of Damarot. When Ty pricks his thumb and forefinger on the obsidian object, a priestess of Damarot uses a location spell and determines that the message went to a location 1,223 feet east of the grove.

Meanwhile, Rory tests a small sample of holy oil for flammability. A young acolyte warns him "It will send you to Dar!" Rory donates some coins and takes a quantity of oil to fill up his six thin-walled vials.

Even before the group reaches the place, the grove feels "wrong." Trace detects a Watchdog-type perimeter that feels like death. Shawna links her mind with Alovon's and sends the falcon up to scout. She asks Trace, "What is powering this place?" Trace replies, "This place is powered by death. Someone borrowed death from another dimension. This necromancer has been given a new source of power that will eventually be absorbed by Dar." Trace plants some of his magic vine and prays to Erathoe; the vine forms a swath across the death perimeter and a trellis that can be walked under.

In a clearing stands a cabin made of bones, with a door that looks like a face. The pebble hanging from Trace's staff begins to pulse with an eerie black glow. Trace warns that the necromancer and three others are inside, and that there is a spell on the cabin and it shouldn't be touched.

The four surround the cabin, Rory to the east, Trace to the south, Shawna to the north, and Chalker from the west. Chalker senses metal inside, mostly weapons, some scalpels. Trace casts Shape Earth and begins moving dirt toward the cabin.

Chalker peers inside the cabin; several ways he could die run through his mind, but he shakes off the disturbing thoughts. Inside he sees Bart Maven standing next to Gwee Balin who grips a staff in one hand and wields a sacrificial knife in the other. Chalker kicks in the front door. Shawna delivers a powerful kick to the north wall; her boots insulate her from the effects of 'painful energy.' Rory takes an archer's stance and nocks an arrow, leveling it at the east door. Trace shapes dirt into a 3' pillar that acts as a jack under the cabin wall, tilting the structure upward. A third man steps up beside Balin; in his hand is something that looks like a narrow metal cylinder attached to a wooden grip. With his thumb he pulls back a metal lever. Black light shoots out of Balin's staff at Chalker, but misses. In the back of the cabin, a window flap opens. Someone wielding two swords sprints across the cabin floor.

The gun discharges; Chalker dodges a bullet. Balin fires another black bolt at Chalker, who dodges that, too. Shawna yells, "Send it over, Trace!" and runs to Rory's side of the cabin. The man at the back window brings up a glowing stone. Chalker fast-draws his sword, then with his telekinetic power hooks onto the gun and pulls it into his own left hand. A man comes sliding out of the cabub under the raised wall; Trace knocks the pillar down and drops the cabin on the prone man. Rory shoots through the window, missing the man but shattering the glass vial attached to the arrow. The part of the wall weakened by Shawna's kick shatters when Trace brings the house down.

The gunman charges at Chalker, diving to tackle his legs; Chalker leaps as high as he can. Balin misses with yet another black bolt. Chalker steps toward the door, points the gun (at the man whose gun it used to be), and pulls the trigger, but the man sidesteps. The rear window flap is ripped away. Shawna runs into the cabin, sending Alovon to hit the window man in the head. Rory goes around to the north side.

Shawna brings her sword down hard at the juncture of Balin's shoulder and neck. Rory rushes through the hole in the north wall. Chalker strikes Balin in the chest with the flat of his sword; bones crack. The sliding man scrambles to his feet. Balin falls to one knee, planting his staff firmly in front of him; the staff starts to glow. Trace teleports to the center of the cabin. Alovon tears at window man's face.

Shawna chops deeply into Balin's arm. The gunman grabs at the gun but misses. Balin sways but catches himself by gripping the staff with his other hand. Chalker slices hard into that hand. Trace rips off the rag covering the black pebble, then tries to whack Balin with the pebble.

Rory draws another arrow with a vial attached and, expert darts player he is, hurls it at Balin; the vial shatters, and Balin's body immediately begins to shrivel and stink. Balin's staff turns an even deeper black. The window man (Thane Nicely, the Count's physicker) is affected by the gas from the first broken vial. Chalker snatches up Balin's staff (using his power on the staff's metal bands) and hurls it into the fleeing gunman's back. Shawna dives for cover as the staff explodes.

The black pebble on Trace's staff glows ever more brightly as it absorbs energy, but then it disintegrates and a blast wave shatters the cabin into shards. Shawna, Trace, Rory, Chalker, and Alovon each take damage from the flying shards. Rory, the worst injured, murmurs "Captain, take over" as he collapses.

Of their opponents, only the physicker survives. Chalker: "Is there any reason to keep the doctor alive?" Rory: "Yes, we need to know what was in those shards."

The oppressive feeling surrounding the cabin is gone. The vine trellis has collapsed. The grove remains to be cleansed. Shawna calls upon Cor, Damarot, and Yasseph. Trace feels Cor's presence. Rory does also, and is moved to fire one of the vials of holy oil into the center of the grove. In his mind Chalker hears Mensep's voice, "Thank you for delivering this message." Yasseph reclaims the grove, restoring it to nature. Dar, with palpable anger, throws the extradimensional death away.

By noon the group has returned to Dethome. Chalker asks for Thane Nicely to be healed, and a priestess of Damarot bears the physicker easily into the Temple.

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