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While most of the Harrowed Heroes brave the gloomy depths of Castle Scarwall, a fourth member of the group continues on an equally important mission: cementing an alliance of Varisian city-states to repel a Runelord-led giant army. In Ilsurian, Sheriff Feldane gives Goldcape an update on the situation. It seems the delegates to the summit refuse to sign the alliance agreement until they’re sure one of their own isn’t responsible for placing the demon-summoning pentagram under the bargaining table. Feldane explains that the true culprit needs to be found, immediately. She introduces Goldcape to two private “troubleshooters” she’s hired to assist with the investigation—a pale half-elf named Seltyiel and a professional investigator named Quinn. Quinn reports that he’s already made some progress: the pentagram could only have been placed by an experienced specialist in things arcane, not merely copied by an amateur or a dupe. Seltyiel adds that the summit delegates and their security staff check out—it probably wasn’t an inside job.

Before releasing the trio to continue the investigation, Feldane adds one last, startling thing: a masked man calling himself Blackjack apparently claimed responsibility for the pentagram last night at the Two Waters Tavern! She hands over a dagger recovered from the tavern that has a crude “B” etched in the pommel. Quinn smells a hint of brimstone on the dagger, which might indeed tie it to whomever placed the pentagram in the meeting room. Goldcape, herself having taken over the mantle of Blackjack from Vencarlo Orisini, knows immediately that the dagger is a fake—but she can’t share how she knows with the others!

Leaving Sheriff Feldane to continue overseeing security for the delegates, the three investigators start with the only real lead they have: the Two Waters Tavern. There, the owner of the establishment, Noria Arephion, excitedly relates the dramatic tale of what happened the previous night. It was late in the evening, she says, and the call for last orders had just gone round, when suddenly a man clad in all black crashed through a window and landed on a table! He hurled a dagger into the bar and proclaimed something about how he sabotaged the summit to keep the secret cabalists there from suppressing everyone’s freedom. He then, she says, jumped back out the window and disappeared into the night. The investigators express sympathy for the destruction of the window, but Nora waves their concerns away, saying it’s sure to result in a surge of business for weeks as customers recount the tale and hope for more excitement in the future. Before leaving, Quinn examines the window frame and finds some long, golden hairs. He looks at Goldcape with some suspicion before the vanara sniffs them and pronounces them to be lion hairs. Quinn and Seltyiel know immediately that lion hairs could only come from one place in Ilsurian: the circus that arrived a few days ago!

On the outskirts of Ilsurian, the investigators enter the Umbra Carnival, a travelling circus and festival that has been visiting towns across Varisia for the last few years. Goldcape (who brought Rocky along for the visit) can’t help but be lured into the archery range. She confidently proclaims her skill, but the carnie running the game (in which silver is paid out for landing a bullseye) only nods knowingly and hands her a bow and three arrows. Goldcape realizes that with a deformed bow and intentionally un-aerodynamic arrows, the game is rigged for failure. She berates the carnie, who summons the circus strongman to intervene. Quinn and Seltyiel manage to pull Goldcape away just before violence breaks out.

The trio decide to split up, with Goldcape investigating the circus’ travelling menagerie of exotic animals and Quinn and Seltyiel looking around the Bigtop. Goldcape walks past a “baby dragon” (a monitor lizard), a small elephant, an empty cage labelled “The Lair of the Sphinx”, and then reaches a cage where there are indeed a pair of lions. Just as she starts looking around for clues, a blast of burning hair nearly singes her fur. Turning around, she realises that, somehow, a massive hellhound has appeared right in the middle of the zoo and is attacking her! It seems that while she’s been hunting the summoner, the summoner may have noticed her. Goldcape backpedals as Rocky flies in to attack with beak and claws. Soon, Seltyiel and Quinn hear the disturbance and come running as well, though the battle is nearly over by the time they arrive: with a final lunge, Rocky bites down hard on the hellhound’s neck and it disappears in a pungent cloud of sulphur.

But although Quinn wasn’t able to contribute much to the fight, his keen eyes do spot something important: almost everyone attending this area of the zoo fled when the hellhound appeared, but one man stayed and watched with interest. Quinn points out this fact to Goldcape, and when she looks at the man, she knows instantly who it is: Rolth Lamm, a notorious necromancer and serial killer from Korvosa! Lamm grins evilly at his old foe and, with a few uttered arcane words, seems to transform into Blackjack before racing away. The three investigators give chase as Lamm, obviously enhanced by magic, dashes and leaps around the carnival.

Finally, Goldcape manages to cut him off and Seltyiel and Quinn close quickly from behind. Rolth dispenses with his Blackjack disguise and cackles “Ileosa gives her regards, and a reminder that no one besides her speaks for Korvosa!” He promptly conjures undead guardians to defend him as Goldcape attacks, but the ever-wily Rolth has another trick up his sleeve. Seltyiel suddenly turns, draws his bow, and shoots Quinn in the back! “Nothing personal,” says the half-elf with a shrug. “He pays better than Feldane.” But even with an ally, Rolth knows there’s no way he can stand up to Goldcape and Rocky for long. He uses a scroll to teleport away, escaping justice once again. Frustrated, Goldcape takes out her aggression on Seltyiel and, with Quinn’s help, they dispatch the mercenary.

Later that night, the real Blackjack makes another appearance in Ilsurian, announces that the culprit for the attack on the summit has fled the city, and that the people of Korvosa support the military alliance. After a difficult few days, it seems like there may be hope for a united Varisia after all.

This was a fun "meanwhile" session to provide the players with a break from the endless dungeon crawling of Scarwall and for the Chapter Five Assistant GM to get to run Goldcape again. The other players were given PFS Iconics to run. I again made use of Ilsurian (the home city of my long-running "Magic Mirror/Roots of Golarion" campaign), and also integrated the Umbra Carnival from the Murder's Mark module.

I thought it only natural that Ileosa would learn of the summit and send someone to remind the delegates that *she's* the leader of Korvosa. The chance to bring back Rolth Lamm was enticing, and I also wanted to give Goldcape a chance to use her new persona as Blackjack, so I went with the classic comics plot of a villain pretending to be the hero while doing nefarious things!

The scenes at the carnival were fun, and (if I remember right) I had a custom Chase set up to use all the various attractions and booths there. The big twist of Seltyiel being a double-agent worked well and was fitting if you know his character (he's Chaotic Neutral, after all!). In sum, a fun session and a nice break before getting back to the main story thread in the next session.

With a second spirit anchor destroyed, the intrepid explorers of Castle Scarwall are just on the stairs to the second floor of the donjon when the prophetic words of the demilich Zev Ravenka come to pass: a curse falls on the group! Anorak finds his feet stuck to the stone steps, and as he watches in horror, his very skin turns to stone, starting from his toes all the way up to the hair on his head! In a flash of instants, he’s no longer flesh and blood but an immobile stone statue! As Eldritch squawks about betrayal, Yraelzin and Lorien work to reverse the effects but are forced to admit the problem is beyond their ability to solve at the moment. The others reluctantly leave Anorak and Eldritch behind, with a promise to return.

The survivors decide to follow a clue from the Sun Shaman’s song:

A second foe, infernal soul

Waits high in tower cold.

Speculating that the foe must be a devil and could be at the top of the castle’s War Tower, the group return to the northeast part of the castle where they encountered hellhounds in what was only days ago but seems like months. The Reckoner and Lorien lead the way up the stairs, only to hear Yraelzin shouting at someone behind them to go away. The unearthly floating apparition of an ancient Azlanti aristocrat has returned! Encouraged by the others to interact with it, Yraelzin has a brief conversation. He sighs as he explains to his allies that the apparition continues to berate him for “failing his destiny” and “rejecting his birthright”. He adds that the apparition has proclaimed the group’s doom, for a dragon has its lair on the first floor and has already slain one intruder, while the devil at the top of the stairs is cunning and spiteful. The apparition soon melts into wet snow, leaving Yraelzin again angry and frustrated about his perception that everyone sees him as a failure.

With seeming confirmation that one of the spirit anchors is at the top of the War Tower, the Harrowed Heroes gird themselves for battle and advance. Their progress is halted by an assault of spectres which, though quickly destroyed, manage to sap some of Lorien’s strength. With The Reckoner still vulnerable from the battle against the demilich, the trio decide they need to rest and regain their strength. They decide to sleep on the roof of the guest wing. Lorien consecrates their sleeping area, and it seems to do the trick: the group is neither attacked nor the victim of the nightmares that plagued them on previous nights in Scarwall. Yraelzin magically contacts Goldcape and hears about the progress of the summit, while Bishop d'Bear contacts The Reckoner with news of progress: “Cleared opposition from city streets, advancing toward Castle Korvosa. Scores of civilians dying every day from blood magic. Is your mission still viable?” The Reckoner responds that their task is almost complete, but he asks for magical aid to be waiting for him to address his ongoing weakness after the battle with the demilich.

[Sunday, 9 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Well-rested and primed for battle, The Reckoner, Lorien, and Yraelzin ascend the steps of the War Tower ready to do battle with a spirit anchor. After making short work of a lone spectre, they reach the top of the tower and are treated to a stunning view of the crater lake below. But there’s clearly no devil present. “We’ve been tricked!” laments Yraelzin, speculating that his spectral ancestor lured them up here because it would be tempting to give up on the quest and depart the castle. But there’s not much time for recriminations, as another pack of brutish four-armed gargoyles launch themselves into the air from distant minarets to attack! With Yraelzin’s magic slowing the creatures down and The Reckoner’s myriad magical protections, the foes are defeated with little difficulty.

In the distance, a tall tower in the center of the keep is visible—could that be the one spoken of in the Sun Shaman’s song? But if so, the challenge lies in getting there across hundreds of feet of open air or difficult backtracking through the heart of the castle below. But Lorien has the answer! Pulling out the strand of prayer beads found in the shrine to Zon-Kuthon, he says: “With these, we could fly like the wind!”

I always try to come up with a unique and interesting explanation of what happens to a PC to effectively remove them from player when a player can't make a session, so that's why Anorak suffered a "curse" and turned slowly to stone. I normally of course would not do such a thing by pure GM fiat, and sometimes I have to gently steer players away from having their characters expend precious resources trying to "solve" a problem that can only be "fixed" when the player returns the following session.

We some more development of Yraelzin this session, following the theme I've talked about in past commentaries of him always feeling a bit out of place and unappreciated.

Having the PCs reach the roof of a tower then created the challenging situation I've mentioned before of me as the GM, without a 3D model, trying to figure out and describe what they can and can't see from their new vantage point.

[Starday, 8 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

The shrine to Zon-Kuthon emanates an almost palpable gloom as the Harrowed Heroes decide to investigate the treasures on the altar. Fortunately, Lorien stirs and seems to be in his right mind as he wonders why he’s been manacled and is floating on a translucent magical disk. Once freed, he asks few questions and is quickly ready to help in the exploration. The consensus seems to be that something dreadful will happen if the enchanted objects on the altar (a string of prayer beads and a spiked chain) are disturbed, so Lorien takes the clever precaution of summoning a bralani from a realm far beyond his own to perform the task. But once the extraplanar visitor lifts the two treasures, the gem-encrusted skull on the altar suddenly rises into the air! The ashes and bone fragments on the altar begin to swirl in an unearthly vortex as the skull’s jaws move up and down in a ghastly simulacrum of speech: “Who dares disturb the eternal resting place of Bishop Zev Ravenka?”

Anorak instantly realises that the skull is a demilich: the final eldritch remains of a destroyed lich! “If we run, it won’t pursue!” shouts Anorak, but The Reckoner shouts back that it could be one of the four spirit anchors. Eldritch flees immediately, as does Yraelzin when he realises something disturbing: none of his spells work against the demilich! The others rush closer to attack, but Anorak finds his dwarven waraxe and spells completely ineffective, Lorien can’t reach the levitating foe, the bralani’s arrows crumple into dust upon impact, and The Reckoner finds his very lifeforce sucked out of him again and again! The situation looks so dire that Anorak turns invisible and shouts to retreat, leading The Reckoner to call him a coward! With Plate allowing him to fly, The Reckoner continues the fight, but the supernatural darkness and his ever-increasing weakness cannot be surmounted! With a final morbid chuckle, the demilich seizes full control of The Reckoner’s soul and readies to rip it out of his body--but the final blessing of The Harrower turns away instant death. Instead, The Reckoner falls and hits the ground hard, losing his weapon in the process. Anorak swoops down to grab The Reckoner’s hammer while Lorien picks up the defeated leader and rushes him to safety.

In the corridor outside the shrine, the dismayed heroes at least have the consolation that Anorak’s knowledge proved accurate: the demilich has not followed, and it was surely badly damaged during the fighting. But the group’s prospects seem dismal, with The Reckoner permanently weakened and Lorien unable to perform the necessary ritual to heal him without weeks of preparation and thousands of gold pieces worth of diamond dust. But persistence is a virtue the Harrowed Heroes have in spades, and they decide on the spur of the moment to try again! Flinging the doors to the shrine open, Lorien calls forth the holy power contained in the prayer beads to smite the demilich. The abomination survives the attack, but is unable to retaliate before The Reckoner flies in and deals it an awesome blow that shatters the skull completely! With the demilich’s destruction, an echoing cry of agony can be heard throughout the castle and a severe tremor shakes the building, raining dust and fist-sized chunks of stone down from the ceiling.

To the victors go the spoils, and the Harrowed Heroes reap a valuable array of rubies, silverware, and spell scrolls from the shrine and adjacent chapels. Confident they’ve cleared the ground floor of the donjon, Anorak suggests breaking a hole in the outer wall so the group could rest outside. The Reckoner, however, reminds the dwarf that there was something in the water there--not to mention, the possibility of more gargoyle attacks. The group talk about the ancient song they learned from the Sun Shaman in the Cinderlands, and decide to see if the castle’s War Tower is the one with the “infernal soul” at the top. Anorak expresses concern that the reference to a “stone cage crumbling” could mean the entire castle will fall down around their ears when they break the curse!

A second spirit anchor has been destroyed in a remarkable testament to courage and perseverance. But at what cost? With The Reckoner permanently weakened and the last vestige of The Harrower’s blessing extinguished from his soul, will he be able to survive the rest of what Castle Scarwall has to offer? And, if Anorak is right about the castle collapsing on them, could ultimate victory mean instant death?

The demilich was the toughest foe the PCs encountered in all of Scarwall. With virtual immunity to magic, incredibly high DR, flight, and life-draining attacks, it was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Speaking of, The Reckoner only managed to survive because upon entering Scarwall for the first time, each PC got a gift from The Harrower (either one automatic success on a save vs a death effect or a ghost touch weapon). Still, the negative levels would be a drag for a long time.

I'm not sure exactly why they decided to rush right back in for a second go, but the incredibly risky gamble actually paid off. Sometimes, once in a great while, bravery overcomes probability!

[Starday, 8 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

Hundreds of miles away from Scarwall, in the independent city of Ilsurian, the summit of leaders from across Varisia is about to conclude. The delegates have assembled to sign a mutual defence pact containing the terms negotiated over recent days. But Goldcape, suspicious that the document could be an infernal magical contract like that The Reckoner and Anorak had their spy in Old Korvosa sign, decides to first check if its magical. The document isn’t magical, but she is surprised to learn that something under the table radiates a powerful aura. She crouches down to see what it is and realises there’s an arcane pentagram drawn in dried blood on the underside of the table! Overlord Cromarcky of Riddleport follows suit but, untutored in magic, thinks it’s some kind of magical charming sigil to make the delegates more pliable. He draws his sword and starts shouting about treachery. The delegates start to argue amongst themselves as the pentagram glows brighter and brighter before the table suddenly splits down the middle to reveal a seven-foot-tall monster bristling with barbs from the tip of its lashing tail to the serrated features of its fang-filled visage. Goldcape was right about Infernal powers at work—just not in the way she anticipated!

The delegates react in a myriad of ways: some cower in fear, too terrified to move; others, like Lord-Mayor Grobaras of Magnimar and Overlord Cromarcky, run away from the table for the (closed) doors; and two, Goldcape and Sheriff Feldane of Ilsurian, stand to fight! Drawing a longsword that radiates the holy power of Heaven itself, Goldcape slashes at the monster while whistling for Rocky to join the fray. Goldcape’s enchanted blade cuts easily through the Hell-toughened skill of the beast, but Rocky finds many of his attacks blunted—and ends with a mouth full of barbs for his effort! But Sheriff Feldane fares the worst of the lot, as the barbed devil cuts her down in seconds. Again, Goldcape steps in, calling Feldane’s spirit to stay in her body and knitting her wounds back together through magic. The vanara conjures a cyclops to do battle with the devil, but the imposing monster is so terrified it, too, flees in fear! As he pounds on the door for help, Lord-Mayor Grobaras pulls a curious-looking pan flute from his pocket and blows on it--rats begin to pour forth from cracks in the walls to swarm over the devil. Simultaneously, Overlord Cromarcky makes a brave (but futile) show of attacking the devil with a crossbow while keeping a safe distance away. Finally, the doors burst open with Ilsurian guards who start pulling the delegates to safety just as Goldcape manages to dispatch the devil with another sizzling strike from her holy blade.

The summit has been saved with no casualties among the delegates, but a puzzling fact remains: who drew the summoning pentagram, and will they strike again?

Meanwhile, back in the damp and gloomy fastness named Castle Scarwall, the rest of the Harrowed Heroes continue their search for a way to break the curse that somehow fuels Queen Ileosa’s newfound invulnerability. As Yraelzin, Anorak, and The Reckoner discuss how to proceed, all three are startled to see that Lorien has walked up to the statue of Zon-Kuthon and embraced it! His holy symbol of Cayden Cailean begins to scorch before the others pull him away, realising he must be entranced again. When the battle-priest continues trying to embrace the statue, the others decide they have no choice but to bind him with chains and manacles. Eldritch offers his unwelcome opinion that they should just throw Lorien down the stairs. The Reckoner asks Yraelzin to drag Lorien around as they explore, but he refuses, citing the half-orc’s weight and his own burdensome possessions. With a sigh, The Reckoner agrees to do it himself, though before long Anorak conjures a floating disk of magical force to carry Lorien.

The decision is made to explore what lies beyond the (already open) secret door behind the statue. The Reckoner’s grasp of architecture leaves him confident that the group has passed beyond the donjon and into the star-shaped tower. Here, they find multiple prison cells with adamantine manacles embedded in the walls, a staircase to a small chamber on what must be the roof (where the nonfunctional phase door should lead), and another staircase below. The group decide to backtrack out of the Star Tower and search the rest of the donjon. Unfortunately, there’s little of interest: a row of small chambers that probably served as monastic cells, a crumbling common room, and what looks to be a larder full of glass jars of murky liquid on shelves. But as everyone turns to leave, The Reckoner is suddenly struck with an overwhelming desire to unscrew the lid of one of the jars and pull out the human kidney pickled within. Just as he’s about to take a bite, the compulsion suddenly fades, and he throws the mess away in disgust.

Returning to the Star Tower, the group decide to see where the staircase below leads. The walls and floor of the chamber they reach have a strange organic texture, appearing almost like black mummified flesh streaked with glistening swaths of ancient blood. Four pillars carved to look like coils of entwined arteries and spinal cords support the ceiling, with nails and surgical tools embedded in these pillars at key and painful-looking positions. But perhaps most notable is the ten-foot-diameter open shaft in the middle of the chamber, entirely filled with thick bluish mist! Anorak drops multiple pebbles into the shaft and never hears them hit bottom. He speculates that the mist is a sort of magical loop, traversable only by those with clear and focussed minds—perhaps a sort of prison of eternally falling! The Reckoner, however, seems very intrigued and speculates it could instead be a portal to someplace else. He seems poised to enter, but Anorak persuades him to leave it for another time--there’s still a lot of the castle to investigate, after all.

After climbing back up the stairs and returning to the donjon, the group descend another staircase. Here, a long corridor leads to a massive set of doors. On the other side, a vast chamber is floored in gray slate and supported by thick pillars of obsidian. Torches mounted on the pillars burn, yet their flames are strangely dim, barely lighting the cathedral-like space. White pinpoints of light seem to dance in the eye sockets of each skull that decorates the pillars and thick black curtains hang from the chamber’s walls. To the northwest, a tall statue of a skull-headed man dressed in dark robes stands behind a black marble altar, on which lies heaped mounds of ashes, bits of bone, and a single skull, its teeth and eye sockets set with glittering gemstones. Jagged, barbed chains dangle from the statue’s eye sockets. As Anorak’s enchanted eyes detect magical auras under the mounds of ash, Yraelzin whispers an ominous observation: “We have entered a shrine to the Midnight Lord . . .”

We got another entry this session in the subplot with Goldcape attending a summit of Varisian leaders in Ilsurian to try to form an alliance against Runelord Karzoug's armies. It was a funny stroke of pure luck that they detected the summoning circle early (with Cromarcky rolling a natural 1 to mis-identify it). The resulting battle was pretty exciting, as each of the NPCs had their actual stats and equipment (from other sources) and most were either under-leveled or not at all designed for combat. The players running them had to be pretty inventive sometimes. Still, the result of the summit ends up being pretty important, as it leads to a massive "Battle of Magnimar" which would play out in my "Roots of Golarion/The Magic Mirror" campaign and also had implications for my subsequent AP, Second Darkness.

Back in the main plotline, Lorien's player was absent again, so as usual I had to come up with a good explanation. This one put a bit of a burden on the other PCs, but nobody ever said adventuring would be easy!

I don't remember off-hand where the shaft of bluish mist went to. I think it might have descended down to the underground caverns where the gugs lived and Serithtial was originally to be found on an island in an underground lake. I do remember the PCs never backtracked or got there, anyway.

[Fireday, 7 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

Having managed to save Eldritch from a brutish band of four-armed gargoyles, the Harrowed Heroes regroup. They decide to continue with their original plan of resting through the day and night on the roof of the star-shaped tower, under the watchful gaze of the carving of Zon-Kuthon, the Midnight Lord. Lorien finally awakens from his trance to find himself bruised and manacled, but the others fill him in on what happened. The chill wind and drizzle make it an uncomfortable place to spend twenty-four hours, but Yraelzin observes it may be safer camping on Castle Scarwall than in it.

[Starday, 8 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

In the morning, as the others prepare by pouring over old spellbooks and sending prayers skyward, The Reckoner is checking over his equipment when he suddenly hears a voice in his head. Surely another sending spell, but this one is not from an ally in Korvosa: it’s from Shadowcount Sial! In the clipped aristocratic tones of Nidalese Taldane, Sial says “Know this, you ignorant thug. Serithtial is mine, and you opened the way with your primitive hammer! I said you would regret defying me.” The Reckoner doesn’t bother to reply, but shares the message with his allies. Yraelzin’s outrage over the breaking of the alliance he negotiated days earlier again comes to the fore, but the others hope that Sial was either lying or could still be found within the castle. The Reckoner decides trying to smash a hole in the roof but finds something he’s never encountered before: even his adamantine battle-maul only scratches the surface of the tower’s magically-reinforced marble!

Hours of laborious work might conceivably still open a way, but the group decide to instead return below to the entrance to the donjon where The Reckoner’s hammer smashed in the sealed doors but multiple arcane wards nonetheless barred passage. Knowing the wards could be easily bypassed by a devotee of Zon-Kuthon leads Anorak to believe there may be credence to Sial’s boast. He observes that, in theory, the repulsion ward could be nullified by a sufficiently powerful counterspell, even if the pain ward would remain in place. He, Lorien, and Yraelzin try again and again until finally Yraelzin succeeds. It seems the only way forward is to endure the terrible wracking pains of the second ward, so the Harrowed Heroes--even a very reluctant Eldritch and Yraelzin--bravely push into the donjon proper.

Tiled in blood-red marble and featuring an altar resembling a skull opposite a ten-foot-diameter white marble pool, the donjon’s foyer is an imposing sight. As they use ever-dwindling healing magicks to assuage the pain of entry, the Harrowed Heroes see the water in the pool begin to churn and thrash. Suddenly, a massive creature made of blood-red water manifests and attacks! The Reckoner easily dodges its blows (with a little help from a magically-produced illusion), and soon returns the elemental to a state of dormancy. A search of the room turns up bits of fresh incense and specks of blood--signs that, recently, someone performed a ritual in the chamber.

A pair of doors lead off the chamber. One door leads to a long corridor with several other doors branching off it, but The Reckoner finds no traces of recent passage down it. The group decide to instead try the westernmost door, and here they find recently-made scratches and chips in the corridor and realise it leads to another, smaller entrance to the donjon. This door too had obviously once-been sealed, but now stands smashed open--from the inside! The group hypothesise that Shadowcount Sial and his bodyguard may have entered through the door The Reckoner smashed down, explored a portion of the donjon, and then broke their way out through the smaller door. Indeed, confirmation seems to come from tracks leading to a parapet that suddenly stop--a clue that, perhaps, escape from Scarwall through magical flight or teleportation was accomplished.

With the tracks leading to a dead end, the group is out of leads. They decide to return to the donjon (again suffering the pains of entry) while discussing whether or not their quest to save Korvosa can be successful if Serithtial is gone. One chamber in the donjon features partially collapsed cabinets, a circular black rug caked with long-dried gore, and, most curiously, a reddish-skinned, undead giant of some type--but one obviously destroyed and completely inanimate. Passing by stairs leading downward, the group reach another chamber that is incredibly dark--even Yraelzin’s best magic can adjust it only to a shadowy gloom. A ten-foot-tall humanoid figure stands motionless deeper in the room. Here, a statue of Zon-Kuthon represented as a cloaked humanoid with a skull for a head and a spiked chain dangling from its eye sockets stands in front of a wide-open secret door.

Having spent the better part of a week in Scarwall, the Harrowed Heroes’ caution, preparation, and ingenuity have allowed them to triumph in every battle. But will their victories prove pyrrhic if Serithtial is already gone?

The notable event in this session was the discovery that Serithtial had been found by Shadowcount Sial (as mentioned in some earlier commentaries, I assigned a small random chance of it happening each in-game day, and the PCs luck was against them!). Although the players were worried, as GM I was secretly at the time not concerned at all--they tromping through all of the encounters and winning battles pretty easily. It turns out, however, that having Serithtial would indeed have been pretty handy . . .

Having explored most of the second floor of Castle Scarwall proper, the Harrowed Heroes decide to turn their efforts to the roof of the guest wing. A stubborn door has to be broken down. But once The Reckoner and Anorak pass through it, the pieces of the door suddenly reassemble and Lorien’s voice can be heard shouting in an ominous tone: “Destroy the weak to weaken the strong!” Yraelzin calls out “she’s been entranced! Run!” Eldritch and Yraelzin, trapped on the other side of the door with a suddenly-dangerous ally-turned-foe, flee at top speed while The Reckoner hammers furiously to break the door down again. He succeeds just in time for Anorak to wrap Lorien up in a conjured mass of writhing black tentacles. Soon, the group’s newest member is safely manacled, although bruised severely from the crushing grip of the tentacles. The group’s two controlled zombies also perished in the fighting, but none consider that a great loss.

When he returns to the scene, Eldritch whispers to Anorak that he’s been saying all along there were assassins in the group! The reptilian bird says they should slit Lorien’s throat while they still can, and that you can never trust a half-orc. Anorak rebuffs the paranoid rantings as the group explores the roof of the guest wing to discover little of interest save a staircase leading down into it. They decide to instead turn their attention to Castle Scarwall’s donjon (a fortified inner keep) and approach the set of bronze double doors leading to it. The doors are so tarnished that they almost appear black, and gruesome images of devils and priests cavorting among the corpses and tortured souls of the damned are cast in bas-relief on its exterior while a skull and spiked chain overlook the entire scene from the center of the doors.

The Reckoner examines the doors carefully and realises two surprising things. First, the stone wall around the doors has been magically altered to form a seal around their edges. Second, the central seam has likewise been sealed with lead. But where keys and picks may fail, The Reckoner’s trusty adamantine hammer never does! He smashes down the door with several swings to reveal a foyer tiled in blood-red marble. An altar resembling a skull, its lower section wrapped in iron chains and its top cut off flat to form a level surface, stands in an alcove to the east, while an alcove to the west contains a ten-foot-diameter pool of what appears to be stagnant water.

The Reckoner moves in cautiously, but is suddenly hurled back by blinding waves of magical force that would have killed a lesser man! As he uses a wand of healing to recover, Anorak scrutinises the wards protecting the donjon and comes to a startling conclusion: there are two separate wards to keep people out, and two additional wards to keep people in! Is the castle’s donjon a vault or a prison? Anorak explains that it may be possible for he or Yraelzin to dispel the repulsion field, but the pain ward is far too powerful to remove.

Finding their efforts to force their way in stymied, the Harrowed Heroes regroup and decide to try to get in through the roof! The Reckoner tries to climb the smooth stone walls of the donjon, but finds himself sliding back down repeatedly. Anorak levitates up, a smirk on his face, and lowers a rope. Soon, everyone is on the roof of the donjon. Weak sunlight filters through the ever-present thin mist that hangs around Castle Scarwall like a gloomy veil. Even the chill wind that blows off the crater lake at this altitude doesn’t disturb the mist at all. Plate urges the group to hurry, reminding them that the rebels in Korvosa are planning to attack Castle Korvosa immediately because of the dark blood magicks killing random civilians. In just minutes, the group find themselves at the point where the rest of Castle Scarwall connects to the strange, star-shaped tower that looms over it. Interestingly, it becomes immediately obvious that the “Star Tower” is in fact much, much older than the rest of the castle--perhaps dating to Thassilonian times or even before!

With Anorak’s help, the group fly to the top of the Star Tower. There, they find a single stone building with no obvious entrance. The marble of both the building and the surrounding tower show no seams and are polished to a sheen, almost as if the entire structure were carved from a single immense shaft of stone. But on the southeastern wall of the small stone building, a carving of a ten-foot-wide skull with spiked chains dangling from its eye sockets looks out over the castle below. The carving can only represent one thing: Zon-Kuthon! Anorak examines the symbol carefully with his magically-enhanced senses, and realises that the carving is a type of magical entrance called a phase door, normally passable only by a true worshipper of the Midnight Lord. But alas, with the curse affecting Scarwall, even the potent magic of the phase door cannot operate.

Although scarcely an hour has passed since they broke camp, the explorers are concerned that they’ve exhausted too many of their arcane resources and decide they should rest. As they go about the procedure to set up camp on the roof of the Star Tower, little do they realize that their actions have been observed from afar ever since they first ascended. For Castle Scarwall has many guardians, and not all stand sentinel inside the building. Almost before it’s too late, the Harrowed Heroes see a quartet of four-armed brutish gargoyles swooping toward them! Eldritch happens to be the closest to the gargoyles, and two immediately turn their attention (and appetites) to an exotic meal! Anorak’s familiar flees with grievous wounds. Yraelzin conjures spheres of crackling lightning to down two of the foes, but Anorak and The Reckoner (with the help of Plate’s limited enchantments) fly off the roof to help Eldritch. It’s a near thing, but they manage to get there just in time! The strange reptilian-bird that is Eldritch will live to fly another day . . .

Repulsed by the magical protections guarding the donjon and the Star Tower, the Harrowed Heroes have certainly learned one thing: nowhere in Scarwall is truly safe . . .

As I've commented before, I really like to give familiars, intelligent weapons, hirelings, eidolons, and so forth a real personality and presence in the game if I can. Eldritch was always fun to role-play, as he was paranoid and psychotic, always convinced that everyone was out to betray and kill him and Anorak. When an NPC is only going to get limited screen time, you really have to give them some extreme personality characteristics to make them "pop", and that worked well with Eldritch.

The combination repulsion and forbiddance (if I remember correctly) wards were complex and a little confusing to run, because they had very different effects depending on each PC's alignment and the results had to be applied in a particular order. The damage really hit animal companions and familiars hard.

I made it sound all smooth here, but I found Castle Scarwall a real challenge to run just given its enormous size and complexity. (even physically juggling several flip-mats and finding table space was a logistical issue) The challenge was even harder when the PCs went outside, because then I had to try to match up the (very detailed) interior maps with the (very sketchy) external drawing. The gargoyle brutes ended up being pretty nasty, mostly because they were able to get in close before the PCs spotted them. Eldritch just happened to be the closest, and the psycho bird barely escaped with his life.

[Fireday, 7 Arodus 4708 continued]

Having learned that the key to defeating the chained spirit in the throne room is to first destroy each of the “anchors” that keep it bound to the Material Plane, the Harrowed Heroes discuss how to find them. Yraelzin laments that no one in the group is skilled in divination, adding that the group has already spent days in Scarwall and could easily spend several more before they’ve searched it thoroughly. But with no better options available, the group continue their room-by-room search of the second floor. After looking over what must have been servants’ quarters, now containing only sagging bunks, the group head toward the front of the castle where the winch mechanism sits to raise and lower the main portcullis. Murder holes in the floor alongside troughs of magically-cold oil testify that it must have been from this vantage point that the group was attacked on their way into the castle. But, mysteriously, evidence that the defenders were destroyed here recently is everywhere: scattered and broken bones, dented weapons, and small impact craters in the wall from something small but powerful.

Adjacent guardhouses contain stairs descending to the first floor, but The Reckoner is most interested in the ladders providing access to wide trap doors above. Climbing up quietly, he puts an ear to the bottom of the trap door and can hear creaking sounds--something heavy is walking around up there! He climbs back down and whispers to the group. After more discussion about the shattered bones and the pock-marked walls, The Reckoner has an insight: what if Shadowcount Sial and his bodyguard are still exploring the castle? Or could there be other, even more mysterious, forces at work in Scarwall?

The decision is made to investigate where the trapdoor leads. Anorak takes point, but he’s not nearly as stealthy as The Reckoner, and the trapdoor creaks loudly when he raises it just a few inches to peer out onto a rooftop turret overlooking the castle’s main gate. A pair of massive skeletal minotaurs, presumably the reanimated remnants of the castle guard, hear the creeping of the trapdoor and spring to attack! The Reckoner hurries up to do battle, activating his mask of the mantis to see through the supernatural gloom, but even he isn’t fast enough to stop the guards from shouting an alarm in some foul tongue. Lorien ascends quickly and channels the glories of Cayden Cailean through his rapier, shattering one of the massive skeletons, and the other one falls soon thereafter. The group decide to retreat back down the ladder before anything can respond to the alarm, but Anorak can’t help but gaze over the castle’s parapets into the crater lake below. Was that a shadow just below the surface of the water? If something’s swimming there, it must be enormous!

Back in the winch room, the sounds of pursuit are clear. The group decide to stand and fight, hastily blockading the doors. But doors can be no obstacle to the incorporeal, and two shadowy apparitions drift down from the ceiling! Seconds later, one of the blockaded doors bursts open to reveal a skeletal figure with a flaming skull and a wicked-looking battleaxe. But when fully prepared for battle, the Harrowed Heroes are unstoppable! Anorak utters a spell that forces one of the shadows to flee and the other is quickly dispatched. The fearsome looking skeletal warrior withstands only a few quick blows from one of The Reckoner’s many enchanted mauls before crumbling to dust. And not only is no one seriously hurt in the fighting, but a breakthrough has been accomplished: tremors shake the castle, the gloom recedes somewhat, and a shriek can be heard from the direction of the throne room. A spirit anchor has been destroyed!

With its primary defender dispatched, the castle’s heights are now open for investigating. The Harrowed Heroes find little of interest beyond more evidence that others beyond themselves are exploring (and occasionally fighting) in the castle. The Reckoner says that if it’s Shadowcount Sial and his bodyguard, the group needs to get to the chained spirit as quickly as possible once the fourth spirit anchor is destroyed before their rivals can get Serithtial.

Extensive discussion is held about whether to rest or press on. Anorak pushes to keep moving, and agrees to take the lead as the group searches more rooms on the second floor, finding little of interest apart from a sparring chamber manifesting splotches of blood and a haunting that grabs hold of Yraelzin’s psyche, convincing him that he needs to clean the castle before the spiritual hold over the former Priest of Razmir is broken by Lorien’s magic. Before long, the Harrowed Heroes have cleared the second floor proper, and are ready to move on to the roof of the guest wing.

With one of the spirit anchors destroyed, only three more remain before the curse of Castle Scarwall can be broken forever. But if they are in a race against time--or Shadowcount Sial--are the Harrowed Heroes winning or falling behind?

Yraelzin's mention of divination is a shout-out to the most underappreciated school of magic--there are so many great divination spells that would save adventuring parties loads of time if they were used more often.

The PCs quickly picked up the clues that they weren't the only ones exploring Castle Scarwall. Indeed, Shadowcount Sial and Laori Vaus were each (separately) exploring the castle and hoping to find Serithtial. I assigned odds and rolled randomly each in-game day to see if they found the weapon or died in the attempt.

It was just sheer good luck that the first spirit anchor, a skeletal champion named Castothrane, happened to be in the area to respond to the alarm. He was no challenge for the PCs. One day, three to go!

[Fireday, 7 Arodus 4708 continued]

In Castle Scarwall, Anorak awakens to find concerned allies looking over him. He has no recollection of what happened, so The Reckoner fills the dwarf in on his disappearance and subsequent rescue. The Reckoner, Lorien, and Yraelzin agree to wait for the dwarf to consult his spellbook before continuing their exploration of the second level of the foreboding fortress.

With the aid of a recently-found keyring, The Reckoner is able to open a lock that stymied him before, gaining access to the castle’s armory! Unfortunately, the weapons inside have rotted shafts and rusty, pitted blades, testament to just how long Castle Scarwall has been abandoned. Curiously, an iron statue of an imposing man with long stair stands in the corner of the room. The statue looks just like the figure in the paintings the group saw elsewhere in the tower. As Anorak enters the room to search, the statue suddenly animates! Huddled near the doorway, the Harrowed Heroes prepare to meet its charge, though they aren’t expecting it to breathe poisonous fumes! Yraelzin finds himself overwhelmed and begins coughing and choking. Lorien takes a staggering blow to the chin and is lucky to keep his feet (not to mention his head!), but The Reckoner is always prepared, and his adamantine war-maul makes short work of the construct.

Nearby, an investigation of what once must have been a lounge turns up one curious thing: an area where motes of dust seem to be gusting. Suspecting the presence of spirits nearby, the group prepare for another attack--and their expectations are met as four disembodied phantoms with sharp-toothed maws covered by swirling robes soon arrive! Anorak finds himself overcome by a terrible fear and he sprints away, but The Reckoner and Lorien’s enchanted weapons and extensive magical protections again overcome the foes quickly. Yraelzin decides that with such powerful allies, simply staying out of the way might be his biggest contribution!

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, the lone distaff member of the Harrowed Heroes participates in an assembly of leaders from across Varisia. Gathered together in Ilsurian to determine whether the scattered city-states and independent towns of the vast wilderness can band together against the giant army of the north, the representatives attending this summit could decide the fate of thousands. Sheriff Kyra Feldane, Ilsurian’s no-nonsense representative at the meeting, delivers a background and summary of the current crisis, using a hand-painted, wall-sized map to illustrate key points.

We gather here today to decide how to respond to the biggest threat Varisia has seen in living memory. There have always been giants in the region’s vast interior wilderness. Giants tend toward tribal cultures and are territorial, but they have never been expansionist beyond scattered raids.

I now leave it to you to determine whether and how we should respond.

The silence following Sheriff Feldane’s speech is broken by Lord-Mayor Haldmeer Grobaras, elected ruler of Magnimar--the largest city-state in Varisia and the apparent target of Karzoug’s next thrust. Grobaras immediately calls for a full military alliance to repel the assault, but this meets with immediate opposition from Overlord Gaston Cromarky of Riddleport, who cites the enormous expense of fielding such a massive force. When Cromarky is reminded that he has little in the way of ground forces to contribute (his “gendarmes” are little more than a group of thus and enforcers), he says his ships could play a crucial role in delivering grain and other supplies to Magnimar for the duration of the war--for a price! Goldcape, there on behalf of the rebel factions in Korvosa, promises that the city will lend support once Queen Ileosa is overthrown. The others scoff, and it seems the city’s reputation from past interactions have made the other leaders sceptical a new ruler would make a difference. An elven general by the name of Kaerishiel Neirenar, representing the elves of the Mierani forests, reluctantly agrees to lend his people’s support as skirmishers since the giant army will surely savage the forests to help fuel their war.

The discussion is long and contentious, and full of personal insults. The main sticking point seems to be how to fund a joint force and how to ensure that Korvosa pays its fair share. Eventually, a breakthrough is reached when Grobaras proposes that if the city can’t send troops, the rebel leaders will have to commit to repaying the others’ expenses on a per-soldier basis. Sheriff Feldane adds that Ilsurian will only lend its support if Korvosa’s rebels agree to an immediate and permanent non-aggression pact. Goldcape thinks this is manageable, and agrees to discuss it with the rebel leaders. She immediately sends a magical silver raven with a message to Glorio Arkona. The assembled representatives agree to reconvene in a few days with the hope of finalising the details.

Twin efforts are simultaneously underway, one in Castle Scarwall and one in Ilsurian, to stop terrible threats that have emerged in the past year. If either effort fails, thousands of innocents could pay the price . . .

The first part of this session says the PCs tromping through encounters in Scarwall with little difficulty. The Reckoner, at least, was a bit OP (and super-prepared), but that might have been a good thing considering Anorak and Lorien were run by first-time Pathfinder players.

I thought the summit was great and worked out even better than I had planned. Sheriff Feldane's recounting of the events draws directly on what happened in Rise of the Runelords when I ran it before this campaign, even the bit with a PC (and player) dropping out right before the final push! The summit was a great way to get Goldcape (whose player had otherwise transitioned to Assistant GM during this Chapter) some screentime, to show off some major Varisian NPCs (some I had had the opportunity to use in RotRL, such as Grobaras and others I would be previewing a presence in my next AP to run, Second Darkness, like Overlord Cromarky and Kaerishiel). I actually had the other non-Goldcape players at the table run these NPCs, having secretly briefed each one before hand on what their goals and personalities were like. I always say part of the fun of being a GM is not knowing what's going to happen, and that was certainly the case here--I had no idea whether a mutual defense pact would be reached for this major plot-point.

There is no rest for the weary in Castle Scarwall--as soon as one wave of necromantic abominations are cut down, a second assaults the group’s campsite. More skeletal monsters and rotting corpses are dispatched, but although Yraelzin calls out that the Castle has found them, the group decide to stay in the same place. Before long, spectral apparitions glide through the walls and plunge icy hands into the Harrowed Heroes, sapping their lifeforce. The battle is won, but Yraelzin looks like a parched old man when it’s over--and even worse, Anorak is missing!

[Fireday, 7 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

Somehow, after a long night of enduring Castle Scarwall’s vented fury at their trespass, three intruders live to see dawn. Lorien expends several hundred gold pieces’ worth of diamond dust in a ritual to restore everyone’s drained life energies, while The Reckoner expends the last vestiges of magic in a healing wand to address their more obvious physical wounds. Having prayed on the matter overnight, Lorien feels that if he can just glimpse the strange chained ghost again, he might be able to understand how to defeat it. The trio hatch a plan involving giving a lit lantern to one of the walking dead they’ve managed to take magical control over, and having it advance toward the dais in the throne room to illuminate its bound resident for Lorien. But although the plan starts well, Lorien’s inspiration deserts him at the crucial moment, and he remains unsure of what the spirit is or how to defeat it.

True illumination comes not from a lantern, but a much more bizarre source: the apparition from ancient Azlant that has repeatedly appeared to level its disapproving stare at Yraelzin! Reluctantly translating from the Old Azlanti tongue, Yraelzin says his chastiser claims even a feebleminded street urchin would deduce that the ghost chained to the dais can only be permanently banished by first depriving it of its spiritual anchors--four creatures somewhere else in the castle that serve to bind the chained ghost to the Material Plane. With a sigh, Yraelzin says the apparition claims he’s missed his destiny by abandoning a planned expedition to try to find the remnants of Azlant in the sea.

If the apparition that Yraelzin serves as interlocutor for is correct, there seems no alternative than to hunt down the chained spirit’s anchors one by one. The trio of adventurers decide to explore one of the many chambers off the long, twisting corridor that runs through Castle Scarwall’s second floor. The door opens to reveal a room with furnishings that leave no doubt as to its original purpose: racks, iron maidens, cages, and other implements of torture abound, all in fine working order. A not-quite-human figure dressed in a long dark coat and tall hat exudes an almost palpable aura of horror as it looms over a table that contains an unconscious Anorak! “More toys! How delightful!” chuckles the figure in a disturbing voice that sets everyone’s teeth on edge. Controlling his fear, The Reckoner advances and quickly cuts down the monster before freeing Anorak.

Continued exploration on the second floor turns up a garderobe and a bedroom with rotted furniture. Not long after extracting a keyring from under a decomposing writing desk, The Reckoner suddenly hears a now-familiar voice in his head: Bishop Keppira d’Bear, his connection with Cressida Kroft’s resistance band in Korvosa. The message, constrained by the limitations of magic, is short:

“Good: Triffacia unmasked by Grau as efreeti working for Crimson Throne. Bad: Dozens/hundreds of civilians dying spontaneously. Dark blood magic. Factions discussing Palace assault.”

As the Harrowed Heroes explore Castle Scarwall, the world outside isn’t standing still. What will they find when they finally emerge?

The idea that the spirit controlling Castle Scarwall had located the PCs and was targeting them wasn't exactly subtle, but the players were determined (or stubborn) to stand their ground and fight off the waves of attacks. They all survived it, though it did drain a lot of healing and restorative resources.

The bit with Lorien and the lantern was because they wanted the PC to make a Knowledge (religion) check vs the chained spirit but (due to the the light levels in Scarwall) they needed him to get close enough to see it. From the result, I'm guessing the player rolled a natural 1 or something similarly awful on the check. Fortunately, Yraelzin's ancestral spirit was there (discussed in my previous commentary) because, mechanically, it allowed him some sort of free check or bonus on Knowledge attempts a limited number of times per day.

I'm guessing Anorak's player was either late or absent, thus the kidnapping by the monster (a boogeyman).

Having Grau defeat/unmask the "vigilante" Trifaccia (secretly an agent of Ileosa) was to further one of my guiding principles: don't make it seem like every NPC is helpless and the world just sits around waiting for the PCs to drive events forward. Plus, I really wanted each of the three "rebel leaders" (Kroft, Grau, and Glorio Arkona) to have some successes and reasons for supporting them, so that the decision which to ultimately back would not be obvious.

The quest to break the curse of Castle Scarwall--and thus the source of Queen Ileosa’s invincibility through her mysterious crown--continues. As their exploration of the myriad hallways and chambers of the second floor of the castle continue, the Harrowed Heroes decide to try a stealthy approach. Anorak, taking the lead due to The Reckoner’s perceived vulnerability, turns himself invisible to scout ahead. The dwarf soon finds himself on a balcony overlooking the courtyard the group trudged through previously. He also discovers a lone skeletal minotaur, obviously a sentinel, in a watch station on the balcony. Anorak quietly backtracks to the group and shares what he’s seen. The decision is made for everyone to approach stealthily and try to subdue the guard. Anorak, The Reckoner, and Goldcape move on tiptoe through the hallway, while Yraelzin stays around the corner with Eldritch. Everything seems to be going well until Lorien’s armor begins squeaking, instantly drawing the sentinel’s attention! It begins ringing a brass bell, surely alerting everyone and everything in the vicinity, before Anorak blasts it to fragments with an electricity spell.

In seconds, skeletons and zombies begin pouring forth into the hallway from multiple entry points. Yraelzin and Eldritch are in dire straits, but Goldcape rushes over to protect them. Rocky smashes three skeletons with as many strikes, while The Reckoner uses a magical wand to take control of a zombie left unscathed by the black tentacles Anorak conjures out of thin air. The group decide to retreat out of concern that other defenders could be on their way.

In the chamber the group has used for multiple days as a makeshift campsite, The Reckoner asks Anorak to check his sapient armor, Plate, for curses. The dwarf reports nothing awry with his creation. For its part, Plate says it feels great and just wishes they could break the curse quickly to keep Ileosa from wreaking further havoc in Korvosa. As the group converse, they realise drops of what looks like blood have started trickling down the wall, one by one. The Reckoner calls out in alarm, readying the group to run, until the blood drops begin to form an image of perhaps the last person the Harrowed Heroes would expect to see: Glorio Arkona, patriarch of House Arkona, a wealthy aristocratic family that has become the de facto ruler of Old Korvosa, the Black Tower, and Trail’s End.

Glorio looks to be in high spirits as he addresses the explorers each by name, awaiting an introduction to Lorien that comes with little information. When asked about how his image has manifested, Glorio says only that “the old magicks are the best magicks!”—though it’s clear from the bloody knife and the open wound in his palm that once his bleeding stops, so will the spell. After some attempts at genial chit-chat that the Harrowed Heroes don’t reciprocate, Glorio sighs and gets to the point. He says that although one prong of the invasion by the giant armies of the north was repulsed at Urglin (something that makes Yraelzin puff out his chest with pride), it’s clear the enemy has regrouped with a new plan: a knockout blow to take Magnimar (the region’s largest city), split the defenders of Varisia in half, and then easily mop up the rest. Glorio says the alliance of Varisian city-states, their holdings, and the independent cities in the region are meeting in Ilsurian for a defence summit to plan a strategy to repel the expected invasion. But Queen Ileosa has refused Korvosa’s participation in the alliance or even to send a representative to the summit, a choice that puts the whole region at risk of being conquered. However, Glorio is excited to announce, the city’s three rebel factions (his own, Grau Soldado’s, and Cressida Kroft’s) have agreed to jointly send a representative to the summit, promising Korvosa’s aid as soon as Ileosa is overthrown.

The problem, Glorio explains, is that the rebel factions can’t agree on who to send. None of the leaders are willing to risk leaving the city, and they don’t trust one another. But then they hit upon a possible solution: send someone from a group they’ve all worked with in the past: the Harrowed Heroes! Glorio says he championed his “Royal Craftsdwarf” Anorak (something that leads the dwarf to roll his eyes), while Kroft suggested sending The Reckoner. Grau, it seems, didn’t have a preference. Glorio concludes that that leaves only two possibilities that the rebel factions could agree on: Yraelzin and Goldcape. Yraelzin reluctantly volunteers to go, but says he has no way of getting there quickly—he had to bribe a shaman in Urglin to provide him magical passage to Scarwall. Anorak suggests teleporting someone to Ilsurian, but without having been there before and the risk of whatever magical defenses Castle Scarwall may have, it doesn’t seem likely such an attempt would succeed. Goldcape bravely offers herself as the rebels’ emissary: she can fly at great speeds on Rocky’s back, has a contact in Ilsurian already, and can stay in touch with the group through Yraelzin’s magical sending spells. Goldcape gives Yraelzin a dagger marked with a stylized B as a symbol that she won’t let the group--or Korvosa--down.

After Goldcape and Rocky’s departure, the group’s spirits are subdued. Nonetheless, they decide to press on. Anorak and The Reckoner have come up with a new plan to permanently destroy the spectral skulls that seem to keep the strange, chain-covered ghost in Scarwall’s throne room from being permanently banished. For a third time, the group burst into the throne room, but their plan has overlooked a key element—light! The dais on which the chained spirit and the anchoring skulls sit is too far from the door to be seen, even with a dwarf’s darkvision. But the spirit has no such limitation, as it’s able to sense the living from hundreds of feet away. It springs forth to attack as Anorak and The Reckoner fumble with enchanting a coin to glow and then hurling it toward the dais. Aided by the added light, Anorak casts a spell designed negate the magic of objects. But it has no effect on the spectral skulls! Everyone retreats, but the spirit’s ability to burst through walls without restraint means the group doesn’t make it out unscathed.

Back at their campsite, the group debrief. Anorak confirms he cast the spell correctly, and that another attempt along the same lines isn’t likely to succeed either. Lorien speculates that she could magically hide the group from the senses of undead, while Yraelzin argues that there’s no point in the group hitting its head against the wall since there’s no reason to think the throne room ghost is important. Changing the subject entirely, Eldritch adds his speculation that the whole visit by Glorio was just a trick to weaken the party.

The magical camping spike is used to once again camouflage the group’s location as Anorak uses his newly-crafted wand to allow everyone to rest while still awake. But several hours into the night, zombies and skeletons literally burst out of the ground at their feet! Eldritch is wounded before flying high for safety, and the battle is prolonged by The Reckoner’s and Anorak’s insistence on trying to gain magical control of the creatures. Just as the battle seems to be over, more undead arise! It seems Castle Scarwall has been awakened, and it is not happy.

At the beginning of the session, the group briefly try out scouting, and gain information about what lies ahead. Smart! They follow up with a group attempt at Stealth. Dumb! There are ways to deal with the "noisy group" problem (silence spells, special feats, etc.), but they take some planning. Most groups just revert to the "we all move together and kick in every door" approach.

Several commentaries ago I referred to Goldcape's player leaving so he could become Assistant GM. That shows my shoddy memory, as it actually happened this session. We get to see some scenes at the summit in later sessions though.

A lot of zombies and skeletons appeared in this session--simply the result of random encounters. At the PCs' level, such foes (even in large numbers) aren't really dangerous, but they do interrupt activities and drain resources.

[Oathday, 6 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

The Harrowed Heroes’ room-by-room exploration of the massive Castle Scarwall continues. One chamber, perhaps once a formal waiting room, now contains only ratty, ruined couches interspersed by small tables and shelves containing broken bottles of wine and serving trays covered with sheets of mold. A search of the room turns up nothing of interest, but as Anorak goes to leave, he suddenly exclaims in fear and sadness as tears run down his face! He embraces The Reckoner, saying it’s time for him (Anorak) to go—that Kazavon will never provide mercy, so the only recourse is to throw himself from the castle’s walls! Although the strange impulse quickly fades and Anorak realises the emotions he was feeling weren’t real, the lingering terror of the Lord of Scarwall remains.

Yraelzin reminds the group that Goldcape and Rocky are still missing. The others remind Yraelzin that he has a way to magically communicate with allies, leading the former priest of Razmir to cast the spell. He reports that Goldcape sounds strange, saying only that she’s in the “big room off the hallway with the double-doors”. The group backtrack, trying to see if they’ve walked past anyplace that fits that description. At one point, Lorien looks back to see something startling--a ghostly figure seems to be hovering right behind Yraelzin! Dressed in archaic, overly formal clothing, the spectral human is looking down at Yraelzin with clear disapproval on its face. “Who are you?” Lorien calls out. The figure speaks in response, but no words can be heard. By reading lips, The Reckoner is able to annunciate a few of its words, though the language is strange to everyone—everyone but Yraelzin. Shaken by the apparition suddenly dissolving into a pile of wet snow, Yraelzin says the words are Old Azlanti and refer to him being a “failure” and a “disappointment”. And even more strangely, continues Yraelzin, the man’s clothing marked him as from the time of Azlant—a continent lost to a worldwide cataclysm almost ten millennia ago, well before Scarwall was built!

Although the mystery lingers, the search for Goldcape must go on. Before long, the group find a set of double-doors in the same hallway where they fought the nightmarish horse. When the door is opened, the group is at first pleased to see that Goldcape and Rocky are indeed there—but happiness turns to concern when they seem to be in a deep trance. Around them is a massive hall, its ceiling supported by thick wooden columns. Between the columns, in the center of the room exactly where Goldcape and Rocky are hovering, is a large fire pit, its ashes long gone cold. At the far end of the hall, difficult to see with the darkness and distance, is a wide dais. A terrifying sight floats above one of the two chairs on the dais: a ghostly torso bound by lengths of writhing chains connected to misty skulls on the ground at its feet. With the subtlest of nods from the ghostly figure, Goldcape and Rocky streak forward to attack! The Reckoner backflips away, but not before Rocky gouges him with talon and beak. With a prayer to Cayden Cailean, however, Lorien is able to dispel the evil enchantment that had clouded Goldcape’s mind and turned friend into foe.

But the danger is far from over. Several spectres—the same type of creatures that nearly killed The Reckoner earlier—drift through walls and into the chamber. Yraelzin hastily utters a new spell he learned especially for Scarwall—a spell to keep lesser undead completely at bay. But although the spectres are barred from doing any harm (and soon incinerated by Anorak’s magic), the chained spirit on the dais hurtles itself forward, its merest touch leaving disfiguring wounds and shattered morale. Strangely, the chains connecting the spirit to the skulls constantly snap it backwards to the dais like a taut bowstring being snapped. The Harrowed Heroes decide to close the distance to the dais, putting themselves in harm’s way as the chains around the spirit lash out with more disfiguring attacks. But The Reckoner’s enchanted hammer is unstoppable, and soon the chained spirit is completely dispersed.

Or so it seems. The ghostly skulls remain on the dais, and barely a minute passes before the chains go taut and they pull the screaming spirit back from the Great Beyond for more torturous moments in the mortal realm! Lorien’s magic conjures a silver-haired warrior from Elysium to aid in the struggle at the same time that Goldcape unleashes magical arrows, Anorak uses electrical spells, and The Reckoner continues swinging away. Again, the chained spirit is dispersed.

But for how long? The Harrowed Heroes try everything they can think of to destroy the four ghostly skulls remaining on the dais, but nothing seems to work. Worried that the group can’t survive a third fight against the chained spirit, The Reckoner hurries everyone out of the room seconds before it reforms with an ear-splitting wail.

The group retreat to the campsite, where, fortunately, Lorien has exactly the right spells prepared to help Goldcape and The Reckoner recover from the spiritual harms they suffered. Yraelzin says they should just avoid the castle’s throne room—there’s no need to defeat every foe in the castle. The Reckoner speculates that defeating the chained spirit could be part of lifting the curse. Speaking of curses, The Reckoner and Anorak speculate that one or both of them may have been cursed, so they shed everything they’re wearing for a thorough magical inspection—but both turn up clean. Afterwards, The Reckoner and Anorak debate whether to push on with exploring or rest for another 24 hours to regain their strength. This time, Anorak’s argument wins the day, but with the proviso that he take the lead.

Sprawling Castle Scarwall holds many mysteries that test the strength and courage of all who would dare enter it. One such mystery now seems prominent: how to defeat a foe bound to eternal battle?

The ghostly Azlanti figure following Yraelzin was my way of incorporating that he had the Vestige bloodline and had gained the Call Ancestor ability, which summons an ancestral spirit as a temporary ally. Since Yraelzin was created, his bonded object was an otherwise non-magical ring with an inscription in Azlanti on it because I wanted to tie him into an adventure path I planned to play him in as an actual PC (Ruins of Azlant) before he quickly transitioned into being a GMPC here. The idea of the spirit being disappointed relates to the fact that Yraelzin didn't fulfil his original destiny and connected to how (secretly) uncertain and self-doubting he was throughout much of the campaign.

This session is also notable for the first battle (of many!) against the chained spirit that rules Scarwall. As the adventure provides, the spirit is attached to four "anchors"--other creatures--and cannot be permanently destroyed until those anchors are destroyed. It's a fun concept and a good challenge for the players to figure out what's going on and what they need to do. I also really liked the unique "yo-yo" movement style of the chained spirit (how it could charge forth a limited distance but at the end of its turn would automatically be yanked back to its starting point by the chains).

In a relatively secure chamber somewhere on the second floor of Castle Scarwall, Anorak spends several hours crafting a magical wand that will allow the group to stay up all night, thus hopefully providing some solace against the constant nightmares that plague their sleep. As he finishes the work, Goldcape and Rocky show just how dangerous sleeping in the haunted castle can be—neither can be awakened! The best Anorak can tell is that they’re under some sort of necromantic curse. While the dwarf is examining the pair, Yraelzin and The Reckoner hurry over to a nearby staircase from whence the sounds of slow, heavy footsteps can be heard rising toward them. The mystery of Lorien’s whereabouts is solved, as the warrior returns, but with blood on his hands and a glazed look in his eyes. He comes out of the trance gradually, but reports no memory of what happened to him! Anorak pronounces the trance has had no lingering effects, but while everyone’s backs are turned, Goldcape and Rocky disappear! Deciding it’s too risky to go looking for them without resting overnight, the group use Anorak’s new wand to keep a constant vigil until morning.

[Oathday, 6 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

In the morning, Lorien surprises the others by fortifying himself with a shot of whisky. When their exploration of Scarwall resumes, they soon find themselves on a parapet looking out east over the crater lake below—the direction from which the group made their first, aborted attempt to approach Scarwall. On the northeast corner of the parapet, a tall tower looms overhead. The Reckoner pulls out a small case of rarely-used tools and (noisily) manages to unlock a well-preserved iron door leading to the tower. The room on the other side contains multiple staircases and doors, but it’s clear the intruders’ approach has been detected. From one doorway massive skeletal minotaurs like those encountered near the courtyard issue forth, greataxes at the ready. But their attack is blocked by a more fearsome threat: a pair of massive hellhounds charging up from a staircase below!

Anorak is burned badly by the gouts of flame breathed by the hellhounds, and even Yraelzin, standing far to the rear, is scorched. But flame is only one of their creatures’ weapons, as The Reckoner can attest when one of the creatures tears a chunk of flesh from his shoulder with a bite like a beartrap. But The Reckoner recovers quickly from the blow and manages to dispatch the two creatures, opening the way for the assault from the skeletal minotaurs. Lorien steps up to help fend off the attack and soon only piles of cracked bones are all that are left of the undead foes.

Deciding not to chance either the staircase up or the staircase down, the group instead explore the chambers on this level of the tower. One chamber contains nearly a dozen paintings on the wall, all depicting historical battles, but all diverging, in a particular way: an arrogant, cruel human with black-hair is leading the victorious side. Whether leading the vanguard of the dwarves in the Quest for the Sky, rallying troops in the Shining Crusade, or leading an army of warriors against a demonic host in a blighted land, the same figure appears in each of the paintings. Lorien notices that all the paintings are signed “Zev Ravenka, Bishop of Scarwall.” Outraged by the blasphemy of a human purportedly leading the dwarves in the sacred Quest for the Sky, Anorak destroys that painting and then all of the others. Another chamber must have once been a finely-decorated meeting chamber before falling into disrepair—even a high-backed chair built from a tangle of bones has not stood the test of time. Little appears to be of interest in the room apart from a pair of mithral candelabras, but as Anorak and Lorien are talking, they realise that The Reckoner is looking very odd indeed! He spins around and points toward the chair, proclaiming that a misty shape is sitting on it, urging him to do wicked things! Quickly, The Reckoner pulls out a magic wand to protect himself and his allies from evil, but no one else in the room sees or hears anything unusual—and even The Reckoner admits the chair is now empty. The group hurry out of the tower and back onto the parapets.

Lorien calls upon his divine magic to examine the constant dread and spiritual darkness that pervades Castle Scarwall. He reports that the curse on the castle is the most powerful he has ever seen, so powerful that no simple spell could remove it—there must be a special procedure or ritual involved, if lifting the curse is even possible to begin with.

Finding that the only other interesting thing on the parapet is a long-unused forge with a gleaming, surely magical warhammer, the group look for a way from this eastern section of the castle into the main portion—but can’t find one. The Reckoner decides to make his own doorway with an adamantine maul, and soon the group find themselves in a winding hallway. A miasma of smoke fills the air here, along with the stink of burning flesh. The cause appears instantly: a nightmare! Lorien bravely charges in to do battle but The Reckoner destroys the creature with a single swing of one of his many enchanted battle-mauls.

This session was more general exploration of Castle Scarwall without anything particularly memorable about it. Lorien's player was back but Goldcape's player was absent, so that's why there were some shenanigans at the beginning.

I liked the image of The Reckoner just smashing holes in walls with this adamantine maul to create his own doorways!

[Wealday, 5 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

The Harrowed Heroes have made the fateful choice to spend a second night in Scarwall, a choice that brings with it great danger. Goldcape, standing watch with Rocky, sounds the alarm as long fingers of black smoke somehow press through the walls all around the ostensibly-disguised campsite! Two vaguely-humanoid shadowy shapes and a translucent ghostly figure emerge. Rocky panicks at the unnatural sight and bolts, carrying Goldcape (and the room’s only source of light) with him! “Hammer . . . bearer . . . “ croaks the ghostly figure, pointing a long, skeletal finger at The Reckoner. Blinded by the total darkness and still wrapped in his bedroll, The Reckoner’s completely unable to defend himself as the shapes swarm and begin to drain his life force with the merest touch!

Anorak leaps to his feet, ready to do battle as The Reckoner pulls on his mask of the mantis so he can see his attackers. Severely weakened, he nonetheless manages to pull himself up and race from the room. Yraelzin utters some arcane words to make his robes glow, shouts “spectre!” and attacks with a volley of glowing missiles launched from a nearly-drained wand. Goldcape bravely rushes back on foot, her blessed longsword at the ready, and joins the fray. Once Rocky’s initial panic abates, he flies back in and together he and her master destroy one of the spectral haunts. When The Reckoner returns, having had time to recover thanks to the others’ intervention, he quickly dispatches the remaining foes. Magical scrolls and wands manage to assuage the wounds--physical and spiritual--incurred in the early morning assault.

Nonetheless, The Reckoner is frustrated and angry that no one detected the attack, that Rocky panicked, and that somehow the attackers knew to target him. He proposes the group should leave Scarwall, purchase more supplies, and return. Anorak, however, is reluctant to leave--he says he’s not even sure it’s possible, and even if it is, wonders if it would be possible to return. Goldcape and Anorak, who both suffered intense and unnerving dreams overnight, discuss whether there’s a safer way to rest in Scarwall. Anorak comes up with the potential solution of crafting a magical wand that will allow everyone to stay awake, all night long, while feeling as if they’ve had a good night’s sleep—at least until they exert themselves. The decision is made for Anorak to start on the project immediately. Although it will take several hours, Goldcape can rest while The Reckoner and Yraelzin stand guard.

But after the traumatic attack and angry debate that followed, one crucial question has been forgotten. What happened to Lorien?

This scenario seems very short (just one encounter and some RP about crafting a wand), but I honestly can't remember why. There must have been an interruption of some kind that forced us to call it short.

A lot of GMs forget about the Unnatural Aura ability of wraiths, but they can wreak havoc on mounts and animal companions, as we saw in the opening round here. Similarly, this encounter showed the advantage of having darkvision because The Reckoner's need to don and activate his mask of the mantis in order to fight the attackers left him very vulnerable.

I think the wand that Anorak intended to craft was for the keep watch spell, which has always been a problematic spell for the game. The rules for sleep and fatigue aren't detailed well, and the addition of a low-level spell that allows PCs to bypass one of the key limitations in the game (the need to rest) is problematic because it then opens the door to players asking questions about what other activities they can do while magically awake on watch all night. It's also an example of "magical trivializes all obstacles" in the game.

Lorien's player was absent from the session, but I think returns in the next one.

[Toilday, 4 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Unbeknownst to the Harrowed Heroes, another outsider has fallen prey to the mysterious lure of Castle Scarwall! Lorien Craie Foie, a half-orc battle-cleric of Cayden Cailean, was in Urglin during the recent giant siege. After the siege was broken, he met and began drinking with a strange, bombastic spellcaster in purple robes named Yraelzin, who spoke endlessly about a tyrant in Korvosa, a growing rebellion, and the key to victory laying in an ancient castle called Scarwall in the Hold of Belkzen. Seeing Yraelzin trade an ostensibly magic jade carving of an elephant to a wizened shaman for fast passage to Scarwall, Lorien began thinking of his own, relatively sedate life in Urglin. A life of adventure, danger, treasure, heroism called to him. Not believing most of the stories Yraelzin related about a “haunted” castle, Lorien decided to see for himself. Weeks passed in preparation and travel, but finally Lorien reached the crater lake where the fortress stood.

Now, sneaking past a small tribe of orcs guarding the causeway leading to the castle, Lorien pushes through the unsettling wet blanket of fog shrouding the entrance and finds himself in a horrifying scene of a recent battle’s aftermath, with bodies and blood everywhere. The sound of clashing weaponry and battle-cries echo from somewhere ahead, leading the warrior to draw his own rapier and approach cautiously. But what he witnesses is far from what he could ever expect! An imposing, fastidiously-dressed man with a Nidalese accent is berating a blue-skinned woman who wears only chains. A thin trickle of blood slides down the aristocratic man’s high cheekbones, and it appears as if the woman just struck him and is now coming to her senses as the sounds of clashing blades dwindles. “I forgive you, Asyra,” says the man curtly. “But let there not be a recurrence. You must steel your will against the shades and phantasms of this place.” Realising he’s being observed, the man turns to Lorien and his lips curl in disgust when he realises it’s a half-orc. “What are you doing here, half-breed?” the man demands.

Lorien replies that he’s a warpriest of Cayden Cailean, and his purpose here is his own business. This reply is met with cold anger, but before the conversation can continue further, others have come to investigate the disturbance: The Reckoner, Goldcape, Anorak, and Yraelzin have arrived! Recognising Shadowcount Sial and his bodyguard, Asyra, The Reckoner asks Sial to explain himself. The reply is a cutting remark about the usefulness of keeping fools close at hand—with an implication that perhaps Sial is trailing the Harrowed Heroes, letting them deal with the dangers of Scarwall for him! Sial stalks away with a dismissive sneer, motioning for Asyra to follow him. Yraelzin is delighted to see Lorien again, and introduces him to the others. As Yraelzin and Lorien talk, The Reckoner leads the others a short distance away for a private conversation. He says having another ally on their side could be very useful, especially if Shadowcount Sial is waiting to snatch Serithtial out from under them. But Eldritch, Anorak’s strange reptilian bird familiar, is instantly suspicious, and says the newcomer could be a spy sent by the queen--or even worse, an assassin out to kill Anorak! Knowing that Eldritch has a tendency to be paranoid (and excessively violent), the group consensus is to trust Lorien for now, while keeping an eye on him just in case.

Returning to Lorien and Yraelzin, the others share what they know about Shadowcount Sial. A worshipper of the Midnight Lord, Zon-Kuthon (the deity of shadows and pain), Sial ostensibly wants to find Serithtial because it is a potent weapon against followers of his faith, and he wants to ensure it is never used against them. Interjections from Yraelzin show the former priest of Razmir clearly hasn’t forgiven The Reckoner for blowing up the agreement he had made with the Brotherood of Bone to enter Scarwall together. Conversation is had about whether the group should attack Sial immediately, but for now they decide to wait and continue their search.

Returning to the gloomy courtyard that marked the previous extent of their exploration, the group cautiously decide to climb the staircase that’s on the other side of a door creaking in the chill wind. They emerge in a chamber on the second floor of Castle Scarwall, but their ponderous footsteps and Yraelzin’s magical light have alerted the room’s inhabitants: a quartet of howling corpses swooping through the air with hideously-elongated legs and longbows made of bone! The blood-curdling shrieks literally paralyse Goldcape, and Yraelzin with fear, but The Reckoner leaps high into the air to smash one of the abominations. The swooping figures fire arrows that seem to be conjured spontaneously with each attack, and their shrieking continues. The Reckoner finds his muscles seizing up, completely unable to dodge a flurry of arrows fired his way. But his elaborate magical preparations pay off, as every single arrow strikes an illusory image of him! As two of the animated corpses drop awkwardly to the ground, Lorien utters a prayer to Cayden Cailean to free Goldcape from her paralysis--and in turn, Goldcape is able to free Anorak. The dwarf’s fireball weakens the foes as Lorien then charges into battle. But this leads the defenders to focus their fire on him, and he’s nearly pin-cushioned by arrows! Goldcape frees The Reckoner from paralysis and the vigilante charges in to aid their new ally with more leaping attacks. Yraelzin, finally recovered from his own paralysis, shows his magical prowess is not all rhetoric, as his spell takes control of the last monster and forces it to fly right into range for Rocky, Lorien, and The Reckoner to finish it off.

Before the group has time to recover, it becomes apparent that the sounds of the fighting have brought yet more danger right to them. Bursting through the room’s southern door, a grinning spectre with mad eyes and blood-red hands switch and jerk like a puppeteer’s, somehow giving a stuffed wyvern a semblance of life! The Reckoner laughs until the grinning figure’s mere touch sends waves of pain through his body. “Who’s laughing now?” the spectral woman croaks. “Kazavon shall return, and my loyalty will be proven!” But The Reckoner doesn’t give her time to elaborate—his enchanted battle-maul tears through her ghostly form and dissipates it. The animated stuffed wyvern collapses to the floor. The entire battle lasted only a handful of seconds and was over before anyone else in the room could even react!

Plate, The Reckoner’s sapient enchanted armor, whispers to its master that the easy battle shows the others aren’t needed on the current quest--that their constant need to rest to heal wounds and prepare spells is slowing things down and giving Ileosa more time to consolidate power in Korvosa. Plate says the others in the group are brave and worthy allies, but that they’re being put in unnecessary danger when The Reckoner can handle anything Scarwall has to offer single-handedly! However, The Reckoner refuses to consider the idea of leaving the others behind.

The group debate whether to continue exploring or rest. Anorak and The Reckoner suggest the latter, while Yraelzin and Goldcape push for the former. Lorien casts the deciding vote to continue on, but resting becomes a far more attractive option when the next chamber (filled with ruined beds and tattered paintings) looks like a perfectly defensible spot because there’s only one entrance to it. Using their magical iron spike to create an illusion of bodies piled in front of the door, the group settle in for a long day and night of rest.

[Wealday, 5 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Sleep finally comes, but it’s an uneasy one, filled with vague and disturbing nightmares. Anorak dreams of ceaseless toiling enslaved to House Arkona, Rocky is tormented by dreams of being endlessly chased by a huge predator, and Goldcape suffers traumatic nightmares of Old Lady Cloggins dying in a fire. The three are kept tossing and turning all night, and awake more exhausted in the morning than when they went to sleep.

But there are far worse things than bad dreams in Castle Scarwall. As everyone readies themselves for another day, they realise Lorien is missing! And spectral hands are emerging from the walls all around them . . .

This session is important for the introduction of Lorien, a new PC who would continue to appear throughout the rest of the campaign. The character was played by the daughter of The Reckoner's player which I think sometimes gave him too much influence over the character. Lorien was fairly quiet when it came to role-playing, but it was nice to have another PC at the table.

I always had fun playing Eldritch, Anorak's familiar. I gave Eldritch a paranoid, almost psychopathic personality. Exaggerated personalities are useful for familiars, intelligent weapons, and others NPCs that I'll probably only remember or have time to role-play occasionally.

The battle against the baykoks started off pretty dire, as paralysing arrows are nasty. The group displayed some good teamwork to recover. On the other hand, no teamwork was needed in the battle against the spectre, as The Reckoner destroyed it single-handedly before the others even got a turn!

I liked that Scarwall inflicted nightmares on those who sleep within its walls (at least if they fail their Will saves). It was both thematically appropriate and kept the pressure on.

Having penetrated Castle Scarwall and faced some fearsome threats already, the Harrowed Heroes discuss whether to press deeper or secure their flanks by backtracking. Deciding on the former (with Anorak instructing Eldritch to lurk in the back of the group to watch for anyone sneaking up), the group presses onward after clearing a door barricaded the previous night. In the room where they found the lingering, corrupted spirit of Mandraivus, the sounds of clanking swords and shouts of battle again start slowly before intensifying. Yraelzin is suddenly overcome with madness, babbling incoherently before using magic to assault The Reckoner! Although a non-spellcaster, The Reckoner has become intimately familiar with spells and wandcraft, and instantly uses magic to restore his ally to sanity. Yraelzin is ashamed about what just happened, and pleads for forgiveness. The Reckoner says he should think nothing of it. Although this is the second time the strange manifestation has occurred, no one in the group is able to discern exactly what is causing it.

Noticing a door to the south, the group open it to reveal a nondescript hallway with arrow slits looking out into the main keep’s entry corridor. Human bodies in chain shirts lie on the floor among the broken remains of shortbows and quivers of arrows, with a curious yellow smoke wafting among the bones and ruined weapons. As the bodies lurch into a blasphemous semblance of life, the yellow smoke rises up and starts to flow toward the intruders of this ancient resting place, threatening to engulf them! Anorak reacts quickly and shuts the door, only to find the mist seeping through cracks all around it. Goldcape and Yraelzin aren’t able to move out of the way fast enough and scream in agony as every tiny particle of the mist’s moisture burns like acid! And the mockeries of human life on the other side of the door are clearly more advanced zombies than normal ones, for they know enough to open the door and move quickly to launch an attack! As The Reckoner’s enchanted weapon somehow tears away the mist’s form and Yraelzin uses magical force missiles against it, Rocky destroys three of the zombies in one overwhelming fury! The battle is soon won, but for Yraelzin at least, the trauma won’t soon fade.

The group decide to head north, deeper into the ground floor of Castle Scarwall. With The Reckoner and Goldcape able to see in the omnipresent darkness thanks to their masks of the mantis and Yraelzin emitting light from his robes, only the total silence and stillness of the fortress conveys that this is not a place for the living. Taking the lead, The Reckoner opens another door to reveal a long corridor running east and west, with several doors on every side. Arrow slits look out over a gloomy courtyard, but there’s no time for sight-seeing, as the group’s unsubtle entrance has alerted a quintet of massive, skeletal minotaurs wielding greataxes longer than a man is tall! Undeterred, The Reckoner quickly destroys two of the undead abominations. Anorak darts in to guard his back and destroys one with a dose of magical electricity. With a nod from Goldcape, Rocky flies into the fray, but an ill-timed approach leaves him vulnerable and he takes a grievous, near fatal wound! Goldcape assists with magic that weakens the remaining defenders, and one by one they’re destroyed. After the fighting, Yraelzin uses a wand to heal most of Rocky’s wounds, but explains frankly that their stored magic is being rapidly depleted—if the group don’t hurry on their quest, they may not escape alive.

Through a door, the wide courtyard gives an inside view of the castle’s looming walls and towers. Although it should be a bright summer’s day, unnaturally-long shadows cast a gloomy pall over the entire place. An unseasonable, chill breeze whips through the courtyard, carrying a few dry leaves from scraggly scrub bushes that grow fitfully at the yard’s edges. Bent, rusted, and in some cases partially broken spikes protrude from the walls of the courtyard, and here and there, holes in the hardpack soil hint at long-missing structures or poles that once stood within. To the north, stairs rise to a platform fifteen feet above the courtyard; atop it, a black double door provides entry into what must be the castle’s donjon--its inner, most fortified keep. Along with the sound of leaves skittering on the flagstones, the creaking of hinges can be heard—a door to the northeast stands open and sways gently with the wind. At the western end of the courtyard, a broad, stone-rimmed well stands, though its stone lip is crumbling and has collapsed in places. The Reckoner instantly realises that the thick patches of vegetation growing around the well aren’t just unnatural—they’re positively carnivorous! The group decide to skirt the wall away from the well, and open another door leading out of the courtyard to reveal a spiral staircase heading up.

Before they can decide whether to ascend or continue exploring the ground floor, The Reckoner hears a familiar voice in his mind—Bishop d’Bear! It seems House Arkona has taken control of Trail’s End—and more significantly, the Tower of Passage.

One thing is certain: whatever happens in Castle Scarwall, the city of Korvosa will surely not be the same when—-or if—-the Harrowed Heroes return.

There was something about The Reckoner's frequent use of wands (and general knowledge of spells) that always annoyed me a little, simply because the character didn't have any connection to magic in his background. I like to see some story justification for mechanical abilities so a character feels like an organic part of the world. On the other hand, I acknowledge this may just be an idiosyncratic pet peeve of mine.

The trench mist was pretty cool. I think it would have been even better if it weren't a creature (limited to a specific size and shape) and instead a hazard that could take on irregular sizes and shapes (and just described instead of given concrete form with a pawn, etc.). Sometimes giving such concreteness to dangers (necessary in a tactical combat game) takes away from the "scare factor" when trying to build atmosphere.

Yraelzin's reference that the group had limited healing magic was both correct (wand charges can be burned through pretty quickly at this level) and intended to add to the feel that the longer the group stayed in Scarwall, the more dangerous it would become (versus a "fight-heal-rinse & repeat" feel). Sometimes having a party cleric is pretty handy!

I spoke in a previous commentary about just how *big* Scarwall is. I ran the campaign on a pretty large table (actually two long tables side by side), but I still had to frequently switch out flip-mats, leading to the "GM Loading" jokes. I remember the courtyard was especially challenging for me because it came at the conjunction of several large flip-mats. And because it was a courtyard, I had to try to think about everything that overlooked it. What could the PCs see? What could creatures on various towers or higher levels see? Which encounters should trigger when and under what circumstances? It's one of those situations where those people who actually build out full 3D structures out of styrofoam probably feel their efforts are worth it, even if generally I think such a thing is impractical.

Having pushed through the black mist that separates the interior of Castle Scarwall from the outside world, three brave souls find themselves in an entry corridor. Rows of arrow slits line the walls, murder holes look down from above, dozens of orc skeletons and scattered bones cover the floor, and the way forward is blocked by yet another combination of portcullis and heavy gate. At first, there’s an eerie silence, but then the sound of quiet breathing and creaking armor can be heard from all around. In sudden unison, an onslaught of crossbow bolts are fired through the arrow slits while liquid cold enough to instantly freeze the flesh is poured through the murder holes above! Unable to see or fight their attackers, Anorak cleverly conjures illusory walls along the side of the corridor to stymie the crossbowmen while The Reckoner charges the portcullis and gate, smashing them with swing after swing of an adamantine war-maul! Still, a crossbow bolt longer than a sword embeds itself deeply in his back. Yraelzin is quickly on the scene to magically heal the wound, and the trio push forward out of the murder hall.

But it’s from the frying pan and into the fire, for the large chamber they find themselves in is stomach-turning. Bodies lie everywhere, orc and human alike. Judging by the sprawled and mutilated nature of the corpses, they fought brutally before succumbing to their wounds, dying in heaps on the floor. Many corpses are riddled with arrows and crossbow bolts, and a few appear to have perished while locked in mortal combat, still holding weapons embedded in various parts of each other’s anatomy. Strangely, while the room reeks of death and the bloodstains appear incredibly ancient, the corpses themselves seem quite recent.

The Reckoner instructs Plate to turn him invisible as he moves cautiously through the room toward a huge mound of corpses in the northwest corner of the room. But even the most sensible of precautions may be of no avail in Scarwall! The mound begins to somehow animate and move, scuttling forth on dozens of arms and legs, speaking in a dissonant, disturbing tone that no one can understand. Suddenly, it lets forth a horrifying shriek as all of its many mouths scream at once. Yraelzin’s knees turn to water at the sound, but Anorak bravely rushes forward only to find himself grabbed by a dozen mismatched arms and pummeled relentlessly. As Yraelzin recovers enough to evoke magical bolts of force, The Reckoner does an amazing leap over the mound, landing on the other side with a powerful blow! Anorak tries to extricate himself and cast spells, but the intricate gestures and words of his spellcraft are disrupted time and again. Finally, with great effort and nearly at the cost of Anorak’s life, the hideous aberration is destroyed.

After benefitting from several uses of a healing wand, Anorak is able to continue exploring. A heavy door that must be barred from the other side stands to the northeast corner of the corpse-ridden chamber. The Reckoner smashes it down with one resounding blow that echoes through the castle. Jagged splinters are added to the bits of ruined tapestries, ancient bones, and broken weaponry lining the hallway on the other side. Only one skeleton appears whole, slumped against a far corner of the room, clad in dust-caked full plate armor. Sure that that skeleton is going to animate and attack, The Reckoner moves in slowly while Anorak and Yraelzin wait at the doorway. The silence of the ancient castle suddenly shatters as the hall fills with a cacophony of clashing weapons and battles cries intermingled with the screams of the dead and dying--individual words are impossible to make out, but as the sounds reach a crescendo of violence, smoky black shapes boil up out of the bones and swirl into a vortex of angry shrieking spirits! But just as suddenly as the mad vortex arises, it disappears. Yet there was reason to be cautious: a towering, smoky form rises a moment later from the plate-clad figure in the corner! It lunges towards The Reckoner, shrieking “You shall not have Serithtial! It is mine and no other’s!”

Although The Reckoner has prepared for the spirits of Scarwall with an enchanted weapon that can destroy the incorporeal as easily as the corporeal, his armor is not similarly enchanted. The wraith plunges smoky hands into his body time and time again to drain the very life out of him, but somehow The Reckoner manages to resist! “I brought Serithtial here! I used it to slay Kazavon! It’s mine!” screams the fearsome shadow monster. Yraelzin contributes more force missiles, while Anorak brilliantly bluffs the unnatural menace into thinking that he’s the one who wants to steal Serithtial. As the spectral evil flies away from The Reckoner and toward the dwarf, it leaves itself open to another blow from the enchanted weapon and disappears with a final shriek of torment.

After the bracing event, Anorak examines the plate armor on the intact skeleton and realises it’s among the most powerfully enchanted he’s ever seen! Marked with the heraldry of Lastwall, it must have been worn by a true knight. The Reckoner urges Anorak to put it on. The explorers then decide to barricade themselves in the adjacent room, using the magical spike they purchased in Kaer Maga to make it appear as if their camp is a mound of bodies. Disturbing noises and vague but troubling dreams make for an uncomfortable night’s rest, but everyone is ready to continue when morning finally comes.

[Toilday, 4 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Despite their surroundings, the day begins auspiciously for those slumbering in the cursed castle: Goldcape and Rocky have arrived! After some misunderstandings over the illusory campsite, Goldcape explains that Thousand Bones had been poisoned with purple worm venom by an evil Shoanti intent on assassinating the tribal elder for his own gain. Fortunately, Goldcape explains, she arrived just in time to neutralise the poison ravaging the shaman’s body and managed to capture the assassin. After the explanation, Anorak shows off his new armor and explains about the wraith’s remarks about Serithtial and Kazavon. Goldcape puts two and two together, and surmises that the armor must have been on the skeleton of Mandraivus, a paladin from Lastwall who led a small band to infiltrate Scarwall and kill the evil warlord. Yraelzin interrupts to say that he wants to move quickly to break the curse of Scarwall and strip Ileosa of her invulnerability, whether or not they find Serithtial. He says he can’t bear to spend another night in Scarwall, but The Reckoner replies it could take days to search a castle of this size! Yraelzin quickly apologies for a hastily-made insult about The Reckoner breaking the deal with allies (Shadowcount Sial and Laori Vaus) who would surely speed up the search. He explains Scarwall must be getting to him already.

With their first full day inside Castle Scarwall ahead of them, the Harrowed Heroes are at full strength! Perhaps the legends around this haunted place are overblown, and success will come quickly. The time has finally come to find out.

The animated mound of bodies is a monster called a "corpse orgy", and it certainly put up a good fight as well as tying in well to the atmosphere of Scarwall. Mandraivus' appearance also helped provide some of the backstory to Scarwall and Serithtial. I tried to have Yraelzin's fright contribute to the idea that just being in this place would be terrifying. Anyway, for a first session in its walls, the group made solid progress; in future sessions though, the sheer size of the place will bog them down.

I made a mistake in my commentary for last session; it wasn't then that Goldcape left and his player became "Assistant GM"--it happens a little further down the line.