"A servant of evil! Mitra's light will send you back to Hell where you belong!" The knight rises and raises his sword.
Infused with holy fervor, he swings at you immediately.
Surprised by the vicious intensity of the Mitran dog, Lyr'aan lets out a sharp hiss of pain as the blade cuts into her, retaliating with a strike from her concealed dagger, plunged at a gap within the bastard's armor. Realizing the danger, despite her own fervor to punish her enemy, she calls upon the darkness, conjuring up an illusory double that perfectly mimics her every movement.
The knight winces in pain as your blade wounds him but is quick to respond with a titanic swing - that destroys your shadow clone. "What sorcery is this?!?"
"Power beyond anything fools like you can comprehend." she replies ascerbically, launching herself into a skilled tumbling pass that takes her across the room. Drawing a vial from her belt, she quickly downs the contents, dropping the vial.
"Now are you going to do something, or just stand there and bleed?"
Enraged by your taunts, Sir Balin charges.
Staggering back from an even more vicious hit, Lyr'aan chides herself for her foolish overconfidence. Facing the Mitran knight in a stand-up fight was a mistake, she would need every advantage at her disposal to win this fight.
Quickly taking in the lantern lighting the room, Lyr'aan calls upon her Dark Lord, snuffing the flame to plunge the room into darkness. With incredible skill she silently moves away, giving herself room to prepare her next attack.
"Mitra's holy light shines through even the blackest darkness!" the Sir Balin shouts confidently as you extinguish the lantern and quietly move away. A few seconds later, you hear a *whoosh* followed by the sound of a blade striking stone.
Able to see perfectly fine in the darkness, Lyr'aan studies the knight as her swings at the darkness, remaining silent as she draws the potion stored on the veil and consumes it.
Sir Balin swings again, but he's on the other side of the room, so you're in no danger. A hint of frustration appears in his voice. "Come out and fight, you craven cur! Face your death with honor!"
Studying the blustering knight as he swings at nothing, she grasps her unholy symbol, sending a wave of negative energy washing across the room.
"Honor is for fools, you will die alone in the darkness." Lyr'aan whispers, before moving 10 feet from her previous location.
You see the knight shiver as the dark energy washes over him. He charges toward the source of the pain, but by the time he arrives, you've already moved.
Sir Balin: 15pts damage
Smiling to herself, Lyr'aan utters a dark incantation, focusing the dire energy of her spell on the paladin before again moving away from where she stood.
Sir Balin shudders as a dark pall falls over him.
"Do you feel that? Your god has abandoned you to die, cold and alone in the darkness!" she taunts, sending another wave of negative energy washing forth and moving 15ft away from where she stands.
The knight gasps in pain as your energy once again burns him. "Mitra's light will always prevail!" he shouts defiantly, but you can see that his strength is quickly fading.
Smiling wickedly to herself, Lyr'aan channels again, preparing herself to engage physically again.
Sir Balin seems to be growing accustomed to the waves of dark energy. Unfortunately for him, he skill can't see you.
Seeing the knight weakening, but knowing that her ability to channel her Dark Lord's power was almost exhausted, Lyr'aan tries a different tactic, throwing a dagger at the blinded paladin, cursing silently to herself as it clatters off his armor, and moving 20 ft to the side.
Sir Balin charges in the direction that your dagger came from, but since you've moved, his attempt to smite you is doomed to failure.
Seeing the perfect opening, Lyr'aan dashes across the distance leaping at the off-balance knight to plunge her cold iron dagger into his neck.
His jugular severed, Sir Balin falls to the ground in a bloody heap. His silver-and-sapphire holy symbol is yours for the taking!
Laughing triumphantly as the bastard who branded her dies gurgling at her feet, she kneels close to whisper in his ear. "I told you that you would pay for leaving a mark on me."
Savoring the moment, she utters a brief prayer to Asmodeus, before claiming the bejeweled holy symbol and searching the body for anything else of use or value.
Once done she stands, looking for the best possible exit.
You retrace your steps back to the exit. Adrastus sits in his study, seeming almost as if he has moved not an inch from where he gave you your orders. "You've returned."
The high priest holds the trinket and pauses as if in deep contemplation. He watches the holy symbol glitter in the light. "A pretty enough thing, eh?" he muses. "This is the mark of those who destroyed our faith and sought to banish all trace of the worship of our Father from these shores. Keep it. It may aid you in disguising yourself." He tosses it back to you. "You have done well. Escaping from Branderscar, slaughtering Sir Balin...yes, you have potential. Now, let us complete your training...."
The next three months are spent honing you into a perfect weapon. The mistakes made during the "Nine Lessons" are analyzed and expounded upon at length. New skills are taught that complement your existing abilities. The lessons are focused and never wasteful. You are being forged into a knot.
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During the three months of training, you're partnered with a half-elf named Sameen. Her appearance is so ordinary that it's difficult to describe her in a way to make her stand out from a crowd, and it's extremely rare for her to speak. In other words, she's completely forgettable - but that's what makes her so dangerous. "Sameen does not share our faith, I'm afraid, but our interests are nonetheless aligned. She's a devout follower of Shax, and as long as she's allowed to indulge the resultant 'appetites,' you'll find her a valuable ally."
"I'm sure we'll get along quite well, I'm all for people enjoying their work." Lyr'aan says to Shameen with a smile.
When your training is finally finished, Thorne pronounces you ready and holds a great banquet in your honor. He summons a barbed devil and offers it a slave of your choosing. Once the devil has finished dining on its flesh, Thorne draws forth some of its blood with a silver athame and traces the symbol of Asmodeus on your foreheads. "Behold," he proclaims, "The Nessian Knot is forged."
“Training is at an end. You have proven yourself worthy. Now, it is time for you to use that training and take on your first mission – to bring war to Talingarde.
“You have two objectives. First, you will see a shipment of munitions delivered to a bugbear chieftain named Sakkarot Fire-Axe. He makes his camp on the northern coast of Lake Tarik beyond the Watch Wall. With this shipment, the Fire-Axe will have resources enough to unite the barbarous humanoid tribes of the north and light the fire of war.
“Sitting on the dock as we speak is the longship Frosthamar captained by Kargeld Odenkirk. Tomorrow when the ship is resupplied, it will be your transport. The captain is a ruthless mercenary and not to be trusted. He knows nothing of the specifics of our mission – only that he is smuggling cargo to the north beyond the Watch Wall – , and you should keep it that way.
“Once the cargo is safely delivered, he will take you south across the lake under cover of darkness and land you near the town of Aldencross. There our contract with Captain Odenkirk will be concluded. It is a shame how greedy he has proven. I had hoped to let the captain serve me again, but it seems he is too much of a liability. Kill him. Kill his crew. Burn his ship, and leave no survivors. It is crucial that no one suspects our involvement and that loose ends are taken care of. Be sure to reclaim the coin I gave him. Best not to be wasteful.
“That done, you will begin your second task. We will do more still to aid our ally the Fire-axe. The bugbears are mighty warriors but poor siege engineers. You will infiltrate the tower Balentyne, keystone of the Watch Wall, kill its commander, and open the gate for Sakkarot’s horde. Once the shaggy monstrosities pierce the Watch Wall, the bugbears will pillage and lay waste to the townships of the north, and the local garrisons will have no choice but to meet the Fire-Axe in the open field. Sakkarot is the most brilliant, gifted, and murderous bugbear of his generation. I expect these battles will go poorly for the knights and yeoman of fair Talingarde.
“Do all of this, and when your task is done, break this clay seal.” He hands them a delicately carved clay seal adorned with a tangled knot of thorns surrounding the holy symbol of Asmodeus. “I will have more instructions then. Succeed and I will see you rewarded handsomely. Fail or betray me, and you will pray for the comfort of Hell before I am done with you.
“The mission you start upon today is a holy mission. The people of Talingarde think they have seen the last of the mighty Asmodeus. Soon enough we will remind them that there is no escaping the grasp of Hell. Let us toast our success.” He pours glasses of wine for you and himself before offering a toast. “To war.”
Picking up her glass, Lyr'aan smiles, sharing a glance with Shameen. "To War!" she says taking a sip.
The Frosthamar is a single-masted knarr with a square sail. Sitting heavy in the water, she holds twenty four tons of weaponry, arrows, and shields emblazoned with a flaming axe. The captain is a grizzled northman with a wiry beard, pale blonde hair and countless scars. This is Kargeld Odenkirk and he is, as promised, a ruthless mercenary with little thought of anyone but himself. His crew consists of a half dozen grim sailors who speak little of the common tongue. “You will guard our boat all the way north, yes?” Kargeld asks of you. Upon hearing your assent, he grunts, “Then I will take you to the cursed north past hope and life.” That is about the extent of grim Kargeld’s small talk. For all Kargeld’s grimness, the Frosthamar is a fine ship, seaworthy and strong hulled. It is smartly rigged and lovingly maintained. Kargeld, it seems, loves nothing save for this ship.
Satisfied with the condition of the ship and crew, and eager to be underway, Lyr'aan makes her way on-board with Shameen, picking a spot on deck that would be out of the way of the sailors when they cast off.
The first leg of the journey is placid and peaceful. You have plenty of time to gain your sea-legs and get acclimated to shipboard life. The Frosthamar is not a ship that caters to delicate sensibilities. It has no cabins, and you must sleep under the stars with the rest of the crew. There are no privies or chamber pots. The rations are hardtack and small beer. It takes a week for the ship to pass along the settled coast of Talingarde past the great city of Daveryn, the largest center of civilization along the western coast.
The next landmark is the Watch Wall. As you get close, a single small patrol ship sails toward you. Captain Kargeld grimly explains the situation. "She's seen us, sure as damnation. And there's no way the Frosthamar will outrun her loaded like this. One look at our cargo and they'll know us for exactly what we are - weapon smugglers." It seems your options are limited, but you have a few minutes before the patrol ship reaches you. Time enough to make a plan....
Given her recent brief time in Branderscar, the ship's rugged sparseness wasn't overly difficult to deal with, though it does make her look forward to the next time she has access to a decent bed. Making sure to watch each other's backs while sleeping, she takes shifts on alert with Shameen, keeping an eye out for trouble.
As the captain explains the likely situation, she considers their options."So it sounds like our options are either bribe them, otherwise convince them to let us by, or kill them."
Kargeld grunts. "I vote we send the lot to the bottom of the sea."
"I'm fine with that option if it means we can continue on and the cargo doesn't get damaged. I can offer to go below to show the cargo, to whoever they have come aboard to inspect, then kill them. After that, we take whoever else is on the boat by force." Lyr'aan suggests.
Once the patrol ship closes within earshot, they hail you. "Heave to in the name of the king!" Kargeld does so, and shortly thereafter, the Talirean captain and four spear-wielding sailors come aboard. They demand to speak to whoever's in charge, and then to search your cargo for contraband.
"The Frosthamar is Captain Kargeld's ship, but you can consider me to be the one in charge of this voyage. I am Dagmarr Kilraven, at your service Captian. Lyr'aan says politely.
"Captain Edward Sambryl," he replies tersely. "What cargo are you carrying, and what's your destination."
"My father is head of a whaling colony up the coast. I was sent south to return with supplies, tools to replace broken ones, provisions not available in the colder climes, furs, and such, abundant and heavy gear, but not of much use to anyone else." she explains, openly forthcoming in her guise.
"Things took a bit longer than anticipated, so we're trying to make up for lost time, every day puts the survival of our people to the test, with dwindling supplies." she says with a great deal of concern
"Show me the cargo. We need to search it for contraband. If there's none to be found, you can be on your way."
"Right this way." she says leading the way down into the hold. As previously agreed upon, Shameen waits until the Captain follows, before falling in behind him, ensuring that he would be between the two of them on the stairs down.
As soon as he enters the hold, Captain Sambryl sees the crates of weapons. "Smugglers, eh? By the power invested in me, I hereby place you under arrest!" Strangely, he doesn't appear to notice Sameen's presence directly behind him....
Knowing that this was coming, Lyr'aan spins around in a blur of movement, striking swiftly, in an attempt to slide her dagger up in between the man's ribs.
You stab deeply, supported a moment later by Sameen's blade. The Mitran falls quickly. Abovedecks, you hear combat begin as Kargeld and his men charge the rest of the patrol.
Grinning as she tosses the corpse to the ground, Lyr'aan gives Sameen a quick nod as they race up onto the deck to take out the other patrol members.
The rest of Sambryl's men are easily defeated with the help of Kargeld and his sailors. Kargeld appears to be some sort of berserker - that's good to know for later.
Noting the captain's deadly fighting style, Lyr'aan considers the man's talents should she need to face them later, going back down to search Sambryl's corpse before they dispose of it overboard.
Captain's Gear
MW Longsword
Dagger
Breastplate
Heavy Steel Shield
22gp
Other Gear
Spear x12
Shortsword x12
Shortbow x12
Arrow x240
Dagger x12
Leather Armor x12
42gp
Ship
Gold Mitran Sunburst
Spyglass
holy water x2
Healer's Kit
Mapmaker's Kit
Sewing Kit
Antidote Kit
Sextant
Chirurgan's Kit
Signal Kite Kit
Appropriating a few items for herself, and letting Sameen have her pick, she leaves the rest to Kargeld, buying a bit more of his favor, the better to lower his guard later.