The Citadel part 3 (Blighted City 9)
| The Citadel part 3 (Blighted City 9) | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7/24/23 |
| Storyteller | Dag |
| Tier | Trainee - Easy |
| Player Characters | Nathan, Damian Brooks, Vik, Aleth, Amani Hashmi, Zeal, LOC |
| Rewards | 150 xp, 245 gold, 6 silver, 9 copper, Hellknight Half Plate (formula), Hellknight Breastplate (formula), weapon potency (+1) x 3, manacles of persuasion, manacles (simple) x 5, Lastwall Soup (Formula), Ghost Ink x 2, Ghost Ink (Formula), |
| Result | Success |
| Author | Zeal |
Log
Gathering outside the round table council room, I made sure to give a rundown to everyone present on the state of Lancaster. Some members had already been before, hence Amani suggesting a purchase of anti-plagues, but barring some poor luck we would not see combat today. This was intended to be an investigation of the now cleared and warded hellknight citadel. The trip itself was uneventful as usual, aside from Vik's alcohol consumption being concerningly high. Getting into the city proper, we confirm once more the wards still hold, seeing the undead we walk past act as though we aren't even there.
Heading into the citadel, we spread out and begin our search. I head to the far north, finding an office and reading the documents inside. A hardcover book detailed the procedures for the hellknight trials, and a second detailed the different types of orders. I have taken those, as they are of great use to me and none else. I began looking through the folders next, getting through one that accounted for the many leaders of the "wild tribes" as the Nail called them, as well as their willingness to "Do the right thing". A woman named Shami was on there, the leader of the People of the Willow. This was the ghost woman chained in the depths of the jail. I'm glad Hiromi set that one free before we left. The second folder wasn't much better, disdainfully detailing the cultures and traditions of the various tribes in a fashion I suspect is not fully accurate. Too much emotion behind what should have been business as usual, I suspect the Nail were always made of those of weaker will and hatred-filled hearts.
After that, LOC enters with a blank red book. Apparently he and Amani had discovered them and knew something was off, but not anything magical as far as LOC could tell. I also could not see anything, so that marked off both magic and "intended only for Hellknight eyes" on the list, which left alchemical means as the final solution. Amani had already cracked this code, testing heat against the pages and confirming it revealed what was known as Ghost Ink, an ink that turned invisible after it dried. From there we all gathered in and read the 7 journals of the now departed Paravicar, the first of which detailed the most important details; The details on a mysterious elusive mage, and the collapse of the city. While we waited for Aleth to retrieve some lamps and candles from the storage room, I answered questions including why I was not able to generate heat as a tiefling, and why it was not ironic for a tiefling to be a hellknight.
Attached at the bottom of this report will be the timeline for the fall of the city. The books themselves start in the year 175, 10 years before the last collapse, and are written in very short entries spanning 50 years. Each day had a single sentence at the least to report the most important event, which typically translated into clearing out undead that wandered in, patrolling, and creating scrolls after the fall. To say I am disappointed in the Order of the Nail is an understatement, but I think that was made clear enough when I led a purge of the citadel.
The others found a side room containing some more powerful weapons containing potency runes, which we were able to have extracted for the benefit of our newer associates. Damian also found some stowed away coins, and the graveyard was confirmed to still be empty. We then returned to the office I found originally, wherein we read the remaining documents. The last folder details the strategies employed to "integrate or exterminate" the wild tribes, something the Nail took great pleasure in doing. All the unsealed letters present were an array of requests for updates from the representative of the lord of the palace, mostly in regards to defense. There wasn't much else to find, but we did discover a map fragment pointing to a different part of the city. It was zoomed in, and we knew it wasn't a place with a graveyard, but I think next time we send a team in, we should see where this location leads us. This elusive mage might give us more answers as to what occurred.
The fall of the city of Lancaster:
1 Neth 183 Enemies at the gates.
2 Neth 183 City barricaded.
3 Neth 183 Northern gate falls. Palace gate closed. None in nor out.
5 Neth 183 Eastern gate abandoned. Forces enter through North.
10 Neth 183 Lictor slain. Enemies endless.
12 Neth 183 Incorporeals breach palace. No word from the lord.
28 Neth 183 Forces halved.
15 Kuthona 183 Enemies do not tire while the living freeze.
20 Kuthona 183 Slums ablaze. Good riddance.
24 Kuthona 183 Priyor returns after death.
28 Kuthona 183 No word from the lord. Presumed dead.
29 Kuthona 183 Priyor was not the last. Some return as bones, others as spirits.
5 Abadius 184 The enemies replenish themselves with the corpses of the slain. It is fortunate that the people are weak.
18 Pharast 184 The returned have begun to lose purpose. I feel myself following behind.
30 Erastus 184 The Order has fallen. We maintain the citadel and graveyard, but do not have the power to enforce law on these lawless enemies. Without law, we are nothing.