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A new tribe rises in the Hold of Belzken. Its dark matriarch is not yet prepared to confront the crusaders of Vigil, but the infernal powers she called upon for her strength force her hand by demanding a prize she let slip years ago. There are devils in Lastwall, and the nightmare of an organized orc tribe looms with Hell's puppet strings attached. A mysterious half-orc woman is at the center of these troubles, but can the player characters discern why before more of Vigil's crusaders and citizens fall to the Daughters of Fury?
The Daughters of Fury is an urban adventure designed for a party of four 3rd-level adventurers. By its end, the PCs are expected to reach 5th level.
Kelseph never proved herself in her father's eyes. Wrogog the Red Fury, chieftain of the fledgling Fury tribe, hated her as his only progeny, and doubly for being a daughter. Kelseph's vengeful desires might have been heard by the Queen of the Erinyes regardless, but Kelseph's own child truly drew the attention of Eiseth and her servants.
She'd borne a daughter by one of her father's slaves, a golden-eyed knight named Adam Adil. An unwilling participant, he never told the child, Vegazi, he was her father. As she grew, he saw she inherited none of her mother's savagery and taught her somewhat of Iomedae and Vigil. Neither Wrogog nor Kelseph recognized an aasimar, else they might have paid more attention to his offspring. The diluted divinity in Vegazi's blood coupled with her resistance to her savage ancestry made too delicious a prize for an erinyes to pass up.
Shayle, patient and crafty for her kind, schemed for two prizes: the soul of Kelseph's daughter and a foothold for Eiseth in the demon-influenced, violently patriarchal Hold of Belzken. Subtly, she allowed Kelseph's path to cross with Chelaxian refugee, Gallus Crevac. Gallus bargained for his life with the offer of infernal power. He summoned a devil for Kelseph, and Shayle appeared. Afterwards, Gallus fled to Vigil, realizing he'd been an unwitting pawn in Hell's plot, and threw himself to the Vigilants' mercy.
The bargain granted Kelseph the might of a half-fiend and a magical weapon inspired by the erinyes: an angelfall bow. In exchange, Shayle would return in fifteen years' time to collect one of Kelseph's children. Secretly, Shayle left behind a phiam with Vegazi to protect her interests.
Known as a curse devil, the phiam is small and vaguely female with tattered wings and wrinkled jet-black skin. Its eyes are pinpricks of green light within vacant sockets, visible even when the rest of it isn't. The phiam is a construct of Hell, outside the normal hierarchy. They exist as carriers of generational curses and artificers of willing sacrifices, attached to individual mortals and families to bend them toward specific purposes. Skilled at remaining undetected, it uses illusions, curses, and subtle telepathic communication to accomplish its purpose.
Kelseph overthrew her father's tribe and renamed it the Daughters of Fury. Adil died in captivity, spurring Vegazi to take her own freedom and escape with as many slaves as she could. Kelseph hardly noticed, and continued to grow her power. She had six tiefling daughters, a growing horde, and a gradual trend towards order. She began organizing. On the cusp of the Daughters of Fury becoming a true threat, Shayle returned for Vegazi.
With little choice, Kelseph bargained with her soul for time to retrieve Vegazi and keep her power, including the limited aid of Hell in the form of lesser devils. Kelseph fears her tribe seeing her so compromised, and took only her four eldest daughters with her.
Vegazi has survived on the borders, never belonging anywhere, but feels her mother's infernal past has returned to haunt her. She remembers Adil's old prayers and talk of the Sancta Iomedaea, and believes it the only place she'll be safe, but the phiam dogs every step...
The adventure takes place in and around Vigil. The PCs start in the city and may be there for several reasons.
- They want to join the crusade, requiring approval of the Martials and Tribunes, as well as the return of Aylunna Varvatos from clergy business in Vellumis.
- An old associate, Acolyte Ovir, asked the PCs to come during Aylunna's absence. He's anxious something will happen and intimidated by running the cathedral for several days.
- An old friend, Lora the cartographer, writes to the PCs complaining her father won't leave his border home and works on his book all day, and she wants them to talk sense into him.
- Venture-Captain Evni Zongnoss has heard about not just demons, but devils in the Hold, and the Harrow confirms trouble brewing. She puts out a call for any available agents to come investigate.
Note that until PCs swear their oaths, they can't go armed or armored on Vigil's streets. Their equipment is held at the gates.
The party witnesses a Vigilant scouting party, headed by Precentor Martial Keyron Saiville (CG male human ranger 2/fighter 4/low templar 3), thunder home through Southgate with a half-orc woman thrown over a horse and a flock of lesser host devils (gaav) on their heels. The hallow effect on the gates repels most, others are fended off at the walls, but one slips inside and falls near the PCs, requiring the use of improvised weapons to slay it.
The scouting party heads to the Sancta Iomedaea, where investigation or enlistment by Gallus Crevac (LN male human ex-cleric of Asmodeus 5/expert 2) should lead the party. Gallus goes to the half-orc to apply his infernal lore in questioning and determining threat, and wants extra bodies in the room. Acolyte Ovir (LG human male cleric of Iomedae 3) attends as well; if the PCs are here for him, he sighs that he knew something would happen.
The half-orc, Vegazi, (CG female half-orc ranger 2), is under the phiam's bestow curse and can't easily answer questions, but she relates what she can of her mother and the Daughters of Fury, but doesn't know why she's targeted. Gallus elucidates on various devils and the vagaries of infernal contracts, but fails to mention curse devils or the Eiseth symbology in Vegazi's described nightmares, though a Knowledge (religion) check may catch it.
Gallus and Vegazi don't recognize each other, but the phiam recalls him; it telepathically communicates the misfortune to befall him if he interferes with Shayle's plan, and from that point forward, he surreptitiously feeds the phiam information to complete its goal up to the very limits of his Shield-Mark. It wants a location where Vegazi could be fetched. He suggests the party escort her to the Pathfinder Lodge. Ovir agrees, as Evni Zongnoss is a potent cleric and harrower, and may be of more help and information. More importantly, to the phiam, the lodge is under the southeastern wall between towers, leaving it out of range of the constant hallow protection and becomes the point of attack for the first of Kelseph's daughters.
Evni Zongnoss (NG female gnome cleric of Desna 5/harrower 2) receives the party at the lodge gladly; if they are agents responding to her call, she tells them it seems the investigation came to them. Evni cures Vegazi, then turns to the Harrow to divine what the devils want with her. She gleans a grim reading that ends with an assault on the lodge.
Ogash (CE female tiefling barbarian 4) has several potions of fly to keep up with the gaav flock she commands. She sweeps over the southeastern wall while the gaav distract the guards on top. Crashing into the lodge with two of the devils, the party must make use of the magical armaments decorating the room to defeat Ogash while Evni protects Vegazi from the host devils. Vegazi goes back to the Sancta Iomedaea for her protection.
That night, the phiam targets a PC for a nightmare. Knowledge (religion) rolls may reveal symbols linked to Eiseth within the dreams.
Unrest rises in Vigil over Vegazi's presence. The people are divided over what Vegazi is and what to do with her. She has defenders, but the phiam is raising agitation and superstition. Citizens fear for kin beyond the walls, leading to Lora (LG female human expert 1) approaching the party, or, if they responded to her letter, imploring them to hurry, about going out to convince her father to come into Vigil.
Lora's father, Grev (NG male human fighter 4), refuses to go at first, but showing interest in his book persuades him. He's a retired Vigilant that once served under Captain Adil, and he's writing of his experiences. He regales the party and shows excerpts all the way to Vigil; while a terrible writer, he's a good illustrator and PCs seeing Grev's portrait of Adil can make Perception checks to see resemblance to Vegazi.
Another of Kelseph's daughters, Ilka (NE female tiefling druid 5), attacks them on the return trip. She tracked the party and decided if Grev was worthy of escort, he might be valuable. She drops ash storm to conceal the abduction attempt and attacks the party with her boar companion and summoned dire bats. If Ilka gets Grev, the party can attempt to get him back; finding Ilka's camp leads to a battle with shapeshifting imps and reveals the Daughters are keeping separated.
In Vigil, a gaav drops a head with a bloody note. Kelseph threatens to send more unless Vegazi comes out by dawn, starting with Grev if he's taken.
The PCs can accept their reward from Lora, if they brought Grev in, and decide with whom to share what they learned. Arguments and debates spring up all over Vigil over what should be done about Kelseph's threat.
Watcher-Lord Ulthun II closes the city and it's intended for Vigil to endure a day of Kelseph's ghastly actions. PCs might take their protests to Ulthun's ears, however, and, though difficult, might persuade him to let them take custody of Vegazi in the morning and draw Kelseph out. This route accelerates the adventure timeline; skip the mob encounter and Keyron's concern about Gallus and the phiam. If the party hasn't dealt with them, later encounters will be a little harder. Pick up with the Yvogga encounter that night, but without any need for Keyron to choose disobedience and risk punishment.
Gallus extends an invitation to the PCs to use his library, suggesting research might help. He secretly hopes they'll discover information on the phiam on their own and get it off his back.
The nickname of the squat, round tower where Gallus Crevac resides and scribes, collects, and trades numerous books and scrolls. He is accepted in Vigil, if not well-liked, yet when a crusader needs planar lore or an understanding of darker deities, Gallus is an admittedly better source than most alternatives. The archive provides bonuses to skill checks made to understand a question about Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (planes), especially pertaining to evil deities or outsiders.
Vegazi tries to leave the city later that evening, but is caught and dragged to the Market Square by what passes for a mob in Vigil: a loud, shouting philosophical debate. The PCs hear about the ruckus from anywhere in the city, and arrive in time to hear or join in some of the arguments before the Watchknights break it up.
In the morning, Keyron summons the party to the Watcher's Tor. They overhear a tense conversation between him and the Watcher-Lord over what to do with Vegazi; Ulthun refuses to negotiate, but Keyron wants to bait Kelseph and draw her out. When they notice the party, they are commended for their accomplishments and Keyron takes them aside to talk. They may share notes on connections and new information, but Keyron called them to discuss investigating Gallus and the phiam, if one or the other is still a threat.
The PCs can do this at any time. Investigations reveal he is a former Asmodean cleric that renounced his faith for sanctuary in Vigil. He's been distracted and busy since the devils attacked, and following him reveals he avoids going home. Gallus arrived in Vigil fifteen years ago – around the same time Vegazi says her mother made her bargain. If confronted and/or threatened, he confesses everything, begs to be protected, and tries to warn them about the phiam before it curses him. If the PCs catch the phiam or rid Gallus of its afflictions, he gives them exact details of Kelseph's bargain and some about Shayle.
This can be done at any time. Tough to pinpoint, the phiam may be found by Perception checks to catch glimpses of its eyes. It's difficult to track, but possible. An easier way is found through research or Gallus: the phiam is linked to Vegazi's life force, and injury to her, even self-inflicted, will summon it. Vegazi assists any plan to draw out her tormentor. Once cornered and negated of its invisibility, the phiam is easy to dispatch or question – though it only knows what it has done, and what its creator, Shayle, wanted it to know.
Not long after the meeting, the head Kelseph promised lands in Vigil, followed by another every few hours in a test of Vigil's resolve. The PCs won't get another chance to prepare for the final run of encounters at the adventure's end.
Keyron sends for the PCs in the early hours of the morning before the sun rises and has them come to the northern gatehouse. He meets them outside with their equipment and has them arm themselves; his men captured a daughter but she refuses to talk. He wants to see if the presence of those who dispatched two of her sisters makes a difference. Pressing Keyron gets him to admit events are wearing on him and his frustration is mounting.
When they go inside, they find Yvogga (LE female tiefling sorcerer 4) slipped her bonds and put her guardsmen to sleep, slaying them with Keyron outside. She summons host devils from a scroll to find Vegazi, and Keyron goes after them, leaving the PCs to handle the sorceress. Summoned lemures and Yvogga's imp familiar keep the party busy, but she surrenders quickly.
If questioned, she reveals the details of her mother's bargain, but the indirect communication methods they've used prevent her from knowing exactly where Kelseph is. If magically compelled, she admits she was a diversion, as were the gaav; her sister, Bax, abducted Vegazi.
Keyron returns angry, the gaav slain but Vegazi gone. To stop Kelseph, he asks the PCs to do what he can't; he'll reward them, vouch for their oaths if they want, but it's the Oathless he needs.
Bax (NE female tiefling rogue 5) sneaked in under the cover of Yvogga's capture and used her cape of the mountebank to take Vegazi to Eiseth's Roost. Vegazi goes willingly, unless the PCs have made an effort to help her and be kind. If they have, Vegazi refuses to go with Bax and her cape won't work; she has to knock Vegazi out and go on foot.
If the party agrees, Keyron smuggles them out through the harbor. If Bax couldn't use her cape, they see a barbazu taking Vegazi from her on the Strand and heading southwest. Bax confronts the party at Sophronia's Steeple, but vanishes once the devil is clear.
Resourceful PCs might stop Vegazi's abduction and shouldn't be deprived of that. If Vegazi is plucked from her, Kelseph, at the end of her deadline, makes bloody demands of the PCs and will abduct NPC friends to get them to face her. The final battle at Eiseth's Roost occurs, but without Shayle involved.
The party can track the devil or use locate creature to pinpoint Vegazi. It leads them to rocky hills southwest of Vigil where they must climb up a rock face, battling Bax, if she's alive, and gaav as they go. They meet a barbazu at the top, then find Eiseth's Roost, a place smelling of brimstone and devoid of life. Shayle hovers above a large flat rock where Kelseph (LE female half-fiend orc fighter 7) restrains Vegazi.
The final confrontation pits the PCs against first Kelseph in battle, then Shayle in wits. Unless they attack outright, the erinyes tries to convince the party to sacrifice Vegazi themselves. If that fails, she appeals to Vegazi's sense of worthlessness to convince her to come willingly. If the PCs have not worked much with Vegazi, she might consider accepting, leading to opposed Diplomacy rolls with the erinyes to convince Vegazi otherwise. If the party has been kind to Vegazi and helped restore her confidence, then there's no chance Shayle convinces her. Shayle attacks in a difficult battle, but Vegazi joins the fight with her mother's bow.
This ebony long bow is lined with obsidian touches and black feathers. Constructed to fight outsiders, it also grounds flying creatures and dispels [light] effects.
With Kelseph dead and another threat dashed on the walls of Vigil, it seems cause for celebration, yet the tone is somber. Memorials are held for those lost and regret conveyed if Vegazi ultimately chose Hell.
Nonetheless, the PCs have earned the right to join the crusade if they wish, and a door into the Pathfinder Society could be opened as well. Keyron rewards the party as promised and accepts punishment for his recklessness.
If Vegazi survives, she contemplates staying in Vigil. She gives the party the angelfall bow and rids herself of the memory.
Gallus, if exposed, has a date with the prison, but the PCs could be granted custody of him. There is a bounty on him in Cheliax, but the PCs could just as easily keep him as a lackey, or, perhaps, show mercy.
Still, there's one more thing: Kelseph had six daughters...