Conquering the Barbarian Altanis: Key events sessions 50 thru 120
This was written for the players since there are many players and many things happening, sometimes simultaneously. The focus is on the big picture, in order to understand the current political situation in Hara so players can make informed decisions about their future moves.
Hydra Company Before Hara
- High Priest of Shang Ta labels Hydra Company members as heretics. Half of the company vanishes at the temple, sentenced to trial by The Pit. Gomm, whom remained outside of the temple to guard horses, flees and warns adventurers in the headquarters about impending doom. Warcrown, their enemy, uses the chaos to assault the company, killing several characters in the process. Survivors flee Antil hastily, thanks to Gomm negotiating immediate departure by bribing captain of merchant vessel. Some of the characters disembark in Hara in Fall. Gomm is one of those.
Balozkinar’s Corrected Commoners’ Calendar Year 4433
Summer (Warmshade, Sunstrong, Thistleburn, Harvestime)
- Dontrap and Elder Temple: Brent Goose, Edimus Gorgon, Eon, Fra Nevjest, Haleth, Harker, Hellmuth Mithaft, Orda, Orion, Rashomon, and Tamren spend three months in a dying thorp to cleanse local temple. They succeed at great cost—-a third of them dies. Harker recovers Oathkeeper.
- First Time in Hara: Ad'wi the Round, Boots Febalem, Norwell, Ripos Wildcheeks, and Salvatore Glowworm arrive at Hara, The Stronghold City of Alyrian Merchants. They stir shit up and some die. Read beginning of session report 50 to learn Hara's names.
- First Time in Hara, Now for Real: Edimus Gorgon, Eon, Harker, Hellmuth Mithaft, and Rashomon travel from Dontrap to Hara, primarily to look for supplies. Party agrees to help Haermond II break up a suspected spyring. They succeed, but end up with a powerful enemy: Klekless Racoba, former Headmaster of the Wizards' Guild. Read session report 51 from Thistleburn 11th, and session report 54 for details.
- Brent's Cult: Brent Goose starts a cult in Hara. He quickly gains following, including a daughter of Pitler, thirds most influential merchant family in Hara.
- Ruined Tower, Discovered: at the end of summer party discovers ruined tower south-west of Hara. One character dies. Read session report 55 for details on the tower.
Fall (Goodgrove, Blackmoon, Willowind, Redleaves, Maggotfeast)
- Hydra Sheds: survivors disembark in Hara. Gomm joins the local Thieves' Guild.
- Ruined Tower, Repeatedly Revisited: many die, some get captured and liberated, much treasure is recovered. Adventures find there their first big hit: nine 30 inch balls made of pure silver.
- Silver Balls: party liquidates silver balls through Zarifa Pilter, eldest daughter of Pilter Senior. She takes a liking to Barad the Bald.
- New Home: party acquires a townhouse from former adventurer. He introduces them to several influential people but they do not develop the relationship further. Read more in session report 63.
- Namelin Hires: they hire most of the available capable fighters. The rumour has it they also financed nearly 70% of all assassination contracts in the last eight months.
- Ahyf and Desecrated Idol: party travels to Ahyf where they agree to help Camus, local priest, to cleanse fallen Windgod temple atop Ghinarian Hills. Many die, some go insane, but the party ultimately succeeds in Winter.
- The Drug Den: while majority of characters work on cleansing the idol, several decide to help Myrna Blaxter, Hara's alchemist who is supposedly very good with the Queen. Their delves go tits up, Barad dies, which enrages Zarifa who retaliates by ordering assassinations for all involved. Zarifa secretly raises Barad and they eventually leave for City State of Invincible Overlord. Read session reports 69 and 70 and 72 for more details.
Winter (Coldrain, Shadowrath, Gloomfrost, Year's End)
- The Drug Den, Revisited: adventurers keep returning. They are eventually vanquished and captured. Nolmbork convinces the giant ruling the den to let them go so he can make him a crown. Cowardly Brent Goose, whom had fallen out with his god Kadrim, is unable to leave because beastmen retain him as security.
- The Long Hand of Invincible Overlord: hawkers and emissaries of the Invincible Overlord himself aggressively recruit in Hara. Read more in session report 79.
- Imrael First Contact: Derennan succeeds in gaining the audience with Amulias Imrael, head of the most influential merchant family in the region. They get a chance from his son, but refuse to help him. Read more in session report 79.
- Klekless Racoba Avoided: party avoids or rejects all assignments that have to do with the fugitive wizard, despite being offered large sums of money and influence.
Balozkinar’s Corrected Commoners’ Calendar Year 4434
Winter (Thawmist, Dewsnap)
- Ruined Tower, Final Visit: Derennan, Nolmbork, Llyfed, Tarkus, and Oberon disappear in the tower after stepping on platform holding hands. Their porter flees the dungeon and sells silver ball to Namelins. Tarkus is tested by Bachontoi and reappears near Hara. Read session reports 80, 81, 83, and 84 for details.
- Midway and Broken Promises: party led by Hagar and Ambros meets with Lord Kyle who asks them to help him retake Cedarwade keep. Party nominally agrees, but is too scared of the keep and doesn't go through with it. They focus on the cave under Lonesome Drake Inn (which they collapse) as well as raiding local ancient tomb. Read session reports 85 to 88 for details.
Spring (Flowerbloom, Sweetrain, Meadowlark, Longrass)
- Namelin Never Sleeps: people of Hara speak how the town has fallen into Namelin's hands. Without the castellan and soldiers, Namelin family hired all the goons, mercenaries, and sellswords in the region. They wonder when will the Red Queen act. Locals fear civil war.
- Mithril for Hagar, Hagar for Geases: Ambros, Bob, Hagar, and Pandora recover three mithril ingots from the dungeon, but Hagar dies in the process. He is raised from the dead by Mavis, the High Priestess of Poseidon, in return for all four accepting three geases. Read session report 89 Flowerbloom 10th, Spiritday for details on geases. Many in Hara are angry at Hagar being raised, as attested by seven new assassination contracts. For details read session report 93. As before, party pays off contracts so they live.
- Helping Imrael: party clears spider farm for Amulias Imrael. He then asks them to chase the monsters to their lair and exterminate them. The party doesn't do that until later.
- Party Prospers, Midway Suffers: adventurers use Midway as a base whilst delving into the tomb. Their success and riches motivate locals to delve as well, but all suffer horrible fates. Party avoids meeting Lord Kyle, but they hear he has been disappointed in their lack of courage and results. Regardless, party reaches bottom of the tomb, where they liberated cursed king and resolve one of geases.
- Namelin? No Thank You: Namelin family repeatedly attempts to reach out to adventurers, but they are always turned down. Offers of goods, gold, and magical items do not move the party.
- Death Cult: Ambros, Beorg, Hagar, and Tarkus break up a death cult in Hara at the behest of Zenon Coke, Headmaster of the Assassins' Guild. Hagar almost dies but is nursed back to health by the Assassins' Guild.
- Fight For Hara: Imrael decides to nominate Tagoler as the new castellan. Party decides to back him. They travel to Castle of the Wode, where Tagoler asks for help with Pirate Queen, and patrol that went missing on the Midnight Goddess Hills. Party opts to help with the latter, they find bunch of spider-folk, kill few, find few corpses, and then give up on the affair. Read session reports 97, 98, 99, and 100 for details.
- Ruined Tower, Almost Final Visit: Ambros, Darius, Foxglove, Hagar, Riker, and Rorik decide to adventure in the tower where one whole party went missing. They fall down and get stuck in the lower level. They manage to eventually get out but several adventurers dies in the process.
- The Dinner that Changes it All: Hagar accepts dinner with Aseti Namelin. There he meets “The Council,” a group of allied merchants led by Namelin, who are vying for control of Hara. They believe Hara has degraded in the hands of Imrael and his cronies. They ask Hagar—-whom they perceive as most capable and reputable fighter in the region—-to be their candidate for new castellan, but the dwarf repeatedly says no. He changes his mind after they present him with shocking evidence. Adventurers align with Namelin family, and get blacklisted by businesses aligned with Imrael family.
Summer (Warmshade, Sunstrong, Thistleburn, Harvestime)
- The Drug Den, Revisited: party goes on a few delves in the good old drug den. Hagar, the future castellan of Hara dies. Read session reports 107, 108, 109, and 110 for details.
- Total Loss of Face: after Hagar dies adventurers don't know what to do. They cannot agree on further course of action and remain indecisive. Namelin is pissed off, especially since they invested so much into Hagar becoming new castellan. They consider other adventurers as incompetent, and sort it all out themselves. They turn Hagar's death into a spectacle, giving him a hero burial. Adventurers remain blacklisted by Imrael, but now also lose Namelin's patronage.
- Hara in Turmoil: Tagoler refuses to be Imrael's candidate for the new castellan, while Namelin fails to propose anyone new, given their prime candidate, Hagar, had just died. Thirteen merchant families can't agree on any future course of action, so Red Queen ordains they must present three prospects by end of summer or she will pick a new castellan herself.
- Ambros Takes the Burden, Twice: the cleric is the only surviving character who took on the geases for bringing Hagar back to life. Statue had been commissioned in Ahyf, so only helping cleric in Ketche remains. Gomm arranges transport to Ketche, they help local cleric, Ambros asks if she needs help with anything else so he gets a new geas: kill Greylock, a gnoll assassin.
- Win Some, Lose Some: Gomm plays a daring game with Beklomda Mor, the chieftain of Ketche, and loses. He is dominated by her and commanded to bring her the cloak and wand of Ah'sas the Terrible, a witch residing deep in the Eyestone Jungle. He convinces everyone to focus on that instead of helping Ambros track down Greylock.
- Ah'sas & Jungle Adventures: the party sets out of Ketche hoping to forage along the way. They fail miserably, almost starve to death, are caught by Ah'sas, she turns out to be yearning for company so she houses and feeds them. Adventurers discover sunken fort full of treasure and keep returning to it, while safely resting and recovering at Ah'sas. Few die.
Fall (Goodgrove, Blackmoon, Willowind, Redleaves, Maggotfeast)
- Everything Comes to An End: Ah'sas dies from fever. Party recovers a portion of great treasure but is now in the jungle without protection and supplies.
- Today: Session 120 concluded on Blackmoon 9th, Fireday.
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