Session 13 2013-09-09

37000 XP Total for each Party Member - Level 8 (next level 50,000) +1 Hero Point to Hand Of Kali for Roleplay in difficult circumstances.

Second Thoughts

After further investigating Eastedge and confirming that there are no civilian survivors, and discovering a note on the slain caster, The Hunted begin interrogating the survivors of their own attack - with troubling consequences. The first (later known as Marek) wakes in a state of apparent confusion, terrified by the Hunted and bemoaning the destruction of his town - placing doubt in the eyes of the Hand of Kali and Magni, and later Tharin, about their hasty attack. In the meantime, Kul'theras takes the initiative to wake up another man, who simply requests that he be finished quickly, with a very sour demeanour. The elf instead begins torture, and then drags the man to Marek. Identifying him as "Cousin Wyrick", he remains "terrified", but Wairik regards him with disdain (particularly when Kul'theras introduces them with "Is this him?" to Marek).

Kul'theras drags Wairik away for further questioning, revealing what had happened - the men were part of the Crimson Raiders Raiders of the Eastern Seas, passing through to deliver the note from someone to someone else, but were unrelated to it themselves. In the meantime, one of the men made a move on one of the women of the town, one thing led to another... and the entire town ended up slaughtered in a show of dominance by the Raiders. As does happen. He also offers to show The Hunted to the Raider's hideout. Confronting Marek with this information elicits a "can't blame a man for trying" in response. The somewhat disgruntled but vindicated party decides to return the three survivors (one still unconscious) to Madrill rather than head straight to the hideout - not least because The Hand seems to currently be under the effects if a curse.

The Note

"My dear baron,

Send me six troops, a priest of Norgorber who will take orders and won't proselytize, a holy symbol of Iomedae, and 30 feet of silver wire, and I will release the terrible treasure.

Your servant, Poltur.

The Accursed"

Note that "The Accursed" appears to be written in a different hand to the rest of the note.

Return to Madrill

Despite the early hour, The Hunted elect to speak to Sever Oeaga Treandra as soon as they arrive - the man, upon hearing their story, seems to be deeply saddened by the loss of the town, but still does reward the party for their efforts. He also encourages them to take Wyrick up on his offer to hunt down the Raiders, the leader of which, Garrett, has a bounty on his head.

In preparation, the party takes the Hand to the temple of Kali, the priests of which dutifully remove the curse - but the man also says that there is another, more powerful curse still on the Hand that they do not have the resources to deal with. Although wary, the Hand agrees to go with the party to the temple of Thor and Tristopher Caulken, who they also intend to have place a Geas on Wyrick to ensure his compliance.

Landra stays behind to probe the priest on more information on the Hand, but the priests offer nothing more than had been learned before - and much less than the rest of the party end up learning very shortly.

Warranty Void if Seal is Broken

Tristopher, in his extremely helpful way, offers to lift the unknown curse off of The Hand - to both the party's and the Hand's agreement. However, upon completion of the act, a very strange thing occurs: the Hand begins screaming, fleeing to a corner and cowering, where their illusory guise is finally lifted, revealing the form of a Warforged.

With the aid of a Calm spell from Tristopher, the Hunted begin to learn of the circumstances of their companion - a human woman by the name of Sarah, as well as several other individuals, were selected to be sacrificed centuries ago by an extreme sect of Kali to create their servant The Hand. The curse just removed seemed to be a part of this. Before, the Hand had been little more than an automaton under the service of its god, whereas upon the removal of the curse the creature (requesting to be known as Sarah, as the party had been calling them) identified as an autonomous individual, distinct from either the Hand, or from those component people involved in her forging, but still having some of all of these memories.

It was a difficult time for her.

Tristopher is shocked and apologetic for the turmoil his actions apparently caused, and does not request payment for the service. He also agrees to place a Geas on Wyrick for free, with the requirement that he "assist the Hunted to take down Garrett and in the breaking up of the raiders" (I don't remember the exact wording - Brendan). He is understandably keen to get going, and the party do so.