Murder Squad - North

The Myste-Hass Calender

18/04/24

Tom's Code - 10001.5

Drenched in blood, the group stand exhausted. Reinholt hands out Dragon's Milk to reduce some of the exhaustion levels for most of the group, Gartok drinks multiple doses.

Moalmhuire gets a message from Mehklan asking if he has left town or will be returning to the temple. He exits the temple, heading to the Temple of Garr. Harbinger makes to follow.

On emerging into the Market Square some white bulging creature make through the crowd and attack Sten whilst he is delivering a speech.

Harbinger is turned into a T-Rex by Dramos and crushes two civilians as she runs through the crowd to get in.

Elril is amongst the crowd and casts a spell on the dinosaur and Sten, something Moalmhuire catches. He goes to the paladin and tells him to stay as Elril attempts to sneak into the crowd.

Rasvyn arrives, seeing his comrades drenched in blood and locked in combat.

It becomes apparent during the fight that Sten is missing an arm. Once the creatures are killed, Corym disperses the crowd and tends to the Hall Master.

One of the flattened dead civilians has a necklace, only part of it can be read - 'til lar' - are the only text seen.

The group investigate the dead abomination, seeing that they had burst out of their normal bodies. The one in tattered pink armour has left a trail of scales. It had the symbology of Alaie on it.

Moalmhuire puts the loop from the noose around his neck. Then he runs off to the Temple of Garr with Gartok and Dramos.

Harbinger and Reinholt stay with the guards to deal with the flattened people.

Corym and Rasvyn head to the Sten's house.

At the Temple of Garr, Mehklan is there but no one else is there. Moalmhuire stands on the alter in the temple and calls to Garr. A presence comes to Moalmhuire, but he's not sure if its Garr. So, he pulls the noose around his neck tighter.

Fate answers back. "You are a small man, to think you can face me without your Harbinger's protection. You are nothing.

A hand appears, white with black veins. It reaches out and lifts Moalmhuire.

"Without Harbinger, you are nothing."

Dramos tries to cast thunderstep, but Fate counterspells.

Moalmhuire sees a huge crater, a vast casam of blackened crystaline form with light above. Gem stones are everywhere. Moalmhuire is there, his friends are there too, Fate is also there. His nails slips under Moalmhuire's rib cage, Garr cannot get to him (for the next 24 hours Moalmhuire will automatically roll a 1 on any death saving throw).

A mask is turned on Moalmhuire, but it shatters the altar beneath. A spear of energy piercing into Moalmhuire.

Dramos casts thunderstep, but Fate counters again. He calls for Mehklan to aid, then shadowsteps out of the temple.

"You think you know my Fate, but you do not. I am a saint of Garr."

Fate tells Moalmhuire that Garr cannot hear him.

Mehklan is terrified, pressed against the wall. Moalmhuire calls to defend his tower.

The others arrive, splintered altar, no Mehklan, no Fate.

Meanwhile, Gartok goes to the Temple of Fate. He shuts the doors, blocks them with rubble and uses plant growth to seal the entrance of the temple.

Rasvyn informs the group that Olive was thinking of Geoffrey, Yanif and another council member - Goraz. She thought about them when Harbinger asked who worshipped Fate on the council.

Moalmhuire suggests passing a message onto a reliable group of adventurers the cleric has recently worked with.

The group arrives at the large elaborate stone columned Temple of Peridot, with a huge domed roof and magnificent library inside. Harbinger and Rasvyn detect nothing unusual with their abilities.

The priest, Somro, provide prestidigitation and healing. They have thirty priests there. The head of their temple is not in, she has a family. Somro is the highest ranking priest present. The man knows about what has happened in town over the past few years with the gods.

Somro informs the group that there has been a number of sad occurrences today. He leads the group towards the back of the temple. He leads the adventurers into a large room with couches and an oval table with deeply stained wood.

He creates a depiction of the stone circle fein above Bern Hut. There is a group of individuals confronted by Fate. The paladin Moalmhuire saw in the market square, Elril, is there. Sylleth is also there. They kneel to Fate/ The individual wearing pink armour who became a creature. A group move in the side and directly attacks Fate - led by Engaro and Geoffrey Howell. Engaro is killed. Geoffrey Howell is torn in two. Yanif is revealed and killed.

The group decapitates Geoffrey and Engaro and then leaves.

The man says that because of the position the Temple of Peridot has had since Anglan was ripped from the world, a neutral temple, Fate will show leniency.

The group are free to roam the books freely, as is everyone. They do not believe anyone should be forbidden.

The Temple of Peridot put a scry on Engaro. The group followed the Fate worshippers and waited for them to reappear.

The group asks about the Star Arms, the Peace Maker General and Fate.

Dramos speaks with a priest who was reading dirty literature.

The Peacemaker General was crafted by Dariss to create peace. But, he decided that mortals were too war orientated, so he started killing all mortals and bringing them back as undead to complete the work. He was entombed, until he was freed. He then moved from body to body, until he was killed in the body of a priest called Father Jinir, in [[Brindle] by adventurers who used a Star Arm.

The Star Arm is depicted as a four-foot long tube or sphere with radiant light shooting through it. It has a Genai Stone in the side.

Rasvyn looks for information on Genai Stones and arcane. He sees the same place that Moalmhuire had earlier been shown by Fate, a darkened pit with gem stones littered throughout. The scholar, Gestin Moor, supposedly found out where the location was, but its not detailed.

Maolmhuire searches for information on the undead. He searches for information on the orb, and finds it is connected to an Avatar called Xelec. He was defeated years ago, the orb rested from the world and protected by Garr himself. It was believed to be too powerful to be taken. It thrives with Genai power. The orb absorbs vast amounts of power, until the users morality was completely twisted and used the power to wipe entire races from Tempress. When broken, the orb is unstable.

Reinholt looks for old spell books, but finds nothing.

Harbinger looks for the Book of Prophecy, but does not find it.

The head priestess, Nelicion, finally arrives, looking flustered. She is very neutral. She is given loads of research topics and is given one day to research them, then she will communicate with Dramos via mind magic.

Sten speaks up for the first time since his injuries. He is angered by the temples supposed neutrality.

Reinholt casts regenerate on Sten's arm.

The group heads to Rasvyn's home.

The information found from research was - Harbigners are a bunch of individuals who have had their destiny changed. Because, their destiny has been changed they have value to Fate. Gestin Moor resided in Bruidor. No records of Ravaran until he turned up with Morthel.

Corym begins casting legend lore. There were seven weapons forged in the Tower of Dariss from a special material that fell from the stars. There were three in the tower, including Cruel Justice. One was taken to Anglan.

To do -

Corym. More legend lore. Star Arm.

We need to scry the Tower of Garr.

Scry the Great Green to speak with Benadictor.

Head to the Tower of Dariss, ask Dariss where the Star Arms are.

27/06/24

Tom's Code - 21247

The group loads up on two carts.

Rasvyn scrys Benadictor. She is dead, recently burnt to death on the woodland floor. She is face down, one hand extended. She does not respond. There are fires burning nearby. Arrows litter the ground. The trees exhibit arcane based damage and necrotic effects mark other areas. There are other bodies - creatures of the forest.

The Great Green has been attacked.

The group talks with Sten. He's furious at being taken to the Tower of Dariss.

Dramos scrys the western tower. He uses his crystal ball. The room is vastly changed, a face immediately blocks. There is a white face with horns all around, a bone devil. It stalks through the room. Only one half of the tower stands, precariously leaning. Several other demons fly past the area. There is a split in the air, not far from the tower - a horizontal line.

Dramos gets a feeling, an overly familair feeling. The portal is about 12ft high. THere are three bones devils. Some don't have wings, heavily bedecked in chains. Others are smaller.

The final half of the tower falls.

Rasvyn begins scrying on the Tower of Dariss. Smoke pours from the shrine window.

Dariss and Lorey are fighting demons.

Rasvyn sees no sign of activity in the Tower of Garr. No view resolves of the tower throne room whatsoever.

Dramos scrys on Bruidor. Most of the city is ruined but the outer wall has been reconstructed. There are workers on it constantly. Helvettians in two forms of armour guard the walls.

Several hours later, we arrive at the Tower of Dariss. There are injured people being tended to in the barracks. On the main floor, there are the remains of a bone devil on the floor. One of the demons is on fire. Dariss is looking out of the window. Lorey is chatting about how amazing Dariss is.

Reinholt introduces Sten to Dariss. Dariss claims the demon attack was Fate.

Dariss asks, "Does your town need an army?"

"Yes," says Sten.

"Get one, inspire on, build one."

Avatars have been cut loose, they are vulnerable to influence.

There was a slither in the sky. Demons poured through.

Dariss wouldn't expect the Tower of Sardonyx to stand. He wouldn't be surprised if Sardonyx made a deal that gave Fate the tower.

If Fate can cow three deities, he will have the majority. Sardonyx says one thing then does another.

Peridot is most likely to join, he is not a fighter. He has gained much from Fate.

Alaie's tower is well guarded, it is in the north west of the Great Green. Few of them worship me. I canoot

The Tower of Imogen should be here, then he can't remember. As if the map has changed. His finger was going to point north of where Wolfspine was. Her influence was waning, she has less priests of significant weight.

The Tower of Peridot is north east to the tower of the Fallen Palace.

He tries to move the tower with his pwoers and fails.

All magic is of the Genai. The cradle, a velley where no mortal should go, our forms could not handle it. We would have to be celestial or some way to bend the magic itself. Dariss has never heard of such a device.

Peridot or Garr may know information on the Star Arm. Dariss lies about the weapon used to kill the Peacemaker General , saying it was destroyed. Harbinger calls him out straight away. He says he does not want those weapons in the hands of mortals ever.

Rasvyn casts detect thoughts on Dariss and sees something that looks like a canon. It was a board tube which fires out some form of magical energy. Craetoc is one of them. It was destoryed.

Rasvyn goes deep into Dariss's mind, seeing that he was looking for a traitor.

Crasetoc is in the Great Library of Khazara. It is held there as a trophy by a man called Mephis, who controls very powerful wards. He is scum. He follows no god, thanks no one and has many slaves. A coward, afraid, hising all the time and does all his work through others. Dariss says, "I would like to send an army of Helvettians in - again!"

We must promise to destroy the Star Arms after they are used.

Dariss says he can smell Fate all over Harbinger. He thought the connection would fade, but his influence remains.

Gartok presents Azurak, asking if Dariss could be contained inside. Dariss places some of his energy inside the mace. Call upon Dariss's name when the tie is right, and part of Dariss will be imbued.

Dramos invokes Lorey to help Sten to build an army. Dariss asks it as a service to him. They want Sten deafened and the army built up.

Harbinger tells them to get up into the shrine if the Tower of Dariss is attacked.

Rasvyn seeks out Sten, telling him that the Tower of Dariss might be a new base. Sten is worried that some of the clerics may have been infiltrated.

Reinholt checks the Genai Stone. It has black viens spreading far beyond the stone and into the brickwork. There is a thin residue of this energy all over the walls in the shrine.

Rasvyn uses a wall of force to around the stone to begin tampering.

Maolmhuire pays 25gp to send the two carts and his horses - Night Heart and Candy back to Myste-Hass.

Sten has a desk and is questioning the town employees. Lorey is stood nearby.

Maolmhuire steps aside to pray. He is very quiet, concentrating his thoughts. He tries to connect with his god. He very strongly feels Garr's presence.

Moalmhuire prays, "Our father, I wish you to know we are continuing in our journey. Very soon we will have achieved our objective, for your glory. Please take care, for we know that Fate has chosen the way of violence."

"Maolmhuire... Is your faith wavering? You know what has happened. How has he trapped us thus? I am confined to this room."

The priest promises that Fate will die.

Garr says give it to me, meaning Fate's soul. He cannot see his souls.

Dramos scrys on the Fallen Palace, seeing the Mirror Portal Mirror. It is where it was, two guards, black drapes and a better state of repair than before.

Dramos draws a circle in the courtyard then teleports the group to the cave near the Northern Pass,

they activate the mirror there and then go to the Fallen Palace mirror.

The group emerge in a huge pile. One of the guards goes to run. Rasvyn uses Bigby's hand and Gartok grapples them. They claim to be guards for King Warder - a firm but fair king. He has been in power for a short time, he is quick to exert his leadership on a troubled land. He is tall, bearded, with high cheeks. He has piecing blue eyes.

Dramos charms them. They tell them about thirty people who could stop them on their way out of the castle. The castle used to be ruled by an evil necromancer.

One of the guys is called bageler.

They lead us down several flights of stairs, pointing out the prison out one way. There are forty steps for each level, down four levels to the ground. Outrin takes us down to a very large chamber. It has been rebuilt. Someone shouts stop and Maolmhuire casts silence which briefly affects them.

Someone else stops them, calling out right as Harbinger and Reinholt reaches the guards. Reinholt commands him them to back flip, Harbinger then to run.

Dramos casts charm person on the stable hand, right as he starts to question the two different races. The group procure the horses. The stable hand said that the horses that are saddled belong to the Baron.

Dramos tries to cast charm on an angry guard who calls him a demon. He swings at Dramos, slashing him.

Rasvyn casts a warning fireball at the guards feet, using intimidating dressage to pass by.

The group race from the palace, through the narrow streets. Rasvyn asks someone which way out. The group are point out, through the market and then out the main gates of the city.

There is no insignia on the horses.

They have black and red chequed insignia.

The town bell rings, the group gallop at them and Rasvyn disintegrates the gates.

Half an hour later, riding passed tightly packed barren farmland, the group looked back at the stone-walled city. The palace is tall and proud, with a cathedral behind it. The bay is filled with ships. It's the mid of winter up here.

The group is being trailed. They discard the red and black insignia. Then, Gartok] casts pass without a trace.

In a big scoop in the land, a mound, the Tower of Peridot sits in a sea of canvas tents. No one stops the group as they ride through the crowd. There are dwarves, humans and elves, but no other races. A few people stand, touching the horses in greeting. A number are carrying symbols of Peridot.

A man is sitting on the steps. A woman emerges from a tent, hailing them to stop. The murder squad dismounts.

"Greetings, we've been waiting for you. Our lord said you would come."

Her name is Ariorl. The followers bar the way of the riders, some of the people are knocked down. But, they hold back by being stopped.

Reinholt gives the woman a potion of healing, then they push into tower. Harbinger feels trepidation, feeling Fate's influence. She whispers to Dramos, "He's here." Then, Reinholt casts guidance and Harbinger opens the door.

A whispered voice says - "at last."

02/06/24

Tom's code: 66696

A large circular chamber is revealed, white stone. Staircases rise in both direction. We close the door behind us.

Reinholt calls out and a voice resounds from around the room. "You have long been expected." It does not sound like Peridot.

The second floor is open again. It has book cases on every wall with locks. They are sealed with glass doors and locks. There are no more things.

Harbigner stands in the painted sun on the ground and is teleported to a wide open room. There is a large golden mask at the far side, a curtain hung there.

There are narrow slit windows revealing that we are near the top of the tower.

I applaud your immediate search for information. You always were the brightest and boldest of them.

The large mask is magical through Reinholt's view. Dramos blows away the near curtains revealing a drab room that is much larger than the footprint of the tower.

Harbinger claims that they are there to aid Peridot.

Rasvyn uses his sense to see an invisible figure, tall and contemplating on a pool at the back of the room. The voice appears to be coming from the figure, but changes as he speaks. The man is twenty foot tall.

The individual has a god-like muscular and a simple robe on him. He welcomes the group and their scepticism.

Rasvyn questions Peridot on his relationship with Fate. Dramos brings up the change of time. Fate is endlessly circling, each time finding himself in a worse and worse situation. Peridot claims that he learns, but not Fate.

At one point, a child was killed and set Fate in motion. But, for each time he tries to correct it, the destination is always the same, but the plan becomes more fragmented. The Genai Stones are always tampered with, Anglan is always removed.

The mortal fetishes war. Fears death. Seeks for love. Abandons knowledge.

Peridot claims he hasn't interfered when the other gods have been altered. Peridot knows everything about his brothers and sisters. Fate is a lesser being, not a god, and he can't destroy me.

Peridot savours the gift of discovering how he has been trapped.

The mortal child is insignificant. It is a boy who would create a device to return Anglan to the world.

In Anglan there was a mighty Genai Stone in their cathedral. They experiemented on it, removing the country from the world. He went back, two dozen times, changing it.

Fate was an elf in Kahzara experimenting on the stone, ripping it out of Anglan and sending a shock wave throw him which changed him.

The [[Genai Stone] was harvested by Anglan. There is a cradle in the great cathedral, but they don't know why. They fear magic, but they do not know why.

The gods can change nothing, but mortals can. He is insane. Fate wants to wipe mortals from existence.

The gods have no purpose without mortals.

Peridot calls Dariss a miserable, small-minded man.

You have lost Zuscan - Cruel Justice - that is in Anglan.

Xekus, a steel wand, is in the possession of Ravaran. He knows of its power. He took it from his master's horde.

"You have said enough, Small One." The voice calls from Fate. "By helping these fools, you have hastened your demise. But, you can still choose the right side.

There is a bright white portal appearing from the doorway. A huge, bloated and red demonic form emerges through crack.

Fate says, "Your allies will fall. Long have I wished it, now I will make it your destiny."

The balors attack.

Dramos tries to convince Peridot to get involved, informing him that he is now in a mortal body.

The creatures teleport around the battlefield, targeting the spell casters.

A bone devil appears, just as Corym is taken down. In a struggle to pick the healer up, the group spread out.

Reinholt banishes the three demons.

Fate appears.

Peridot approaches Fate head on - "Let us talk, I open myself to conversation."

Harbinger runs, standing before her forsaken god. "Fate, this is not your temple." He is turned by aura, making the floor with the symbol of Dariss.

Before he flashes from existence, the presence of a recognizable face flurries in Fate's skirt.

The world around us shifts and shudders, we see movements and then the moment is reversed.

Fate appears again, sending a bolt of fire into Harbinger.

Peridot gets on his knees and begs for our lives in return for the adventurers lives.

Rasvyn dimension doors Reinholt to Harbinger. Then Reinholt word of recalls the group out, leaving the others.

Fate steps towards Peridot, then turns a face towards Gartok. The ceiling of the tower collapses over Gartok.

Fate kneels before Gartok and whispers - "Tell her, she is losing."

The tower shifts, twenty degrees.

Dramos and Corym teleports Gartok and Moalmhuire, arms stuffed with books, out of the tower as it collapses.