Session 2, 2025-9-6

Episode Title	Family Brings Us Together, part 2
Game Date	September 6th, 2025
Known World Date	Semita, 15th of Ram, year 623 after the fall
Primary Location	The forest between the village of Temple Hill and the hill itself, Earldom of Eastmarches, Duchy of Broadgarden, Bellgard
Characters	Seraphina “Ash” Kostarev, Fighter 1 / Barbarian 1 Ignis “Rook” Kostarev, Paladin 2 Zelimir Zarin, Fighter 2 Falvaux Tybalt, Warlock 2 Taavi Kasva, Wizard 2
Antagonists	Sibotin the Sly, Voorish mercenary Vaclav the Fist, Voorish mercenary Radim the Swift, Voorish mercenary A corrupted pool within the Hidden Temple
Allies and Others

Session Recording

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nnIn657vJP5GFIKJzLqEJqrY01Q3zOvS/view?usp=drive_link

Summary

The nascent heroes follow the trail of the Voorish travelers on horseback to rescue kidnapped Magdalena. They observe other tracks, as well, which seem to come and go and vary in shape and size. Once they reach the Temple Hill, they must deal with three mercenaries left behind to guard the way.

Notes

As the party makes their way through the forest, the weather gradually gets worse, and also more strange: alternating hot and cold gusts, intermittent rain, and growing thunder. Zelimir warns of a possible tornado.

Taavi observes the strange tracks and hypothesizes a being that is only sometimes material. Rook and Ash suspect it is the same monster they tracked here from Sodden Few.

Near the base of the hill, with night falling, the party lights lanterns. Moments later, a crossbow bolt lands near them, bearing a note. The note is a warning from Sibotin the Sly. The party disregards the note. Taavi calls out, attempting to bribe the unseen enemies. The bribery almost works, but the party is too stingy in its attempt.

Vaclav the Fist dies after taking a beating from the twins and being chewed open by Falveaux's magic bugs.

Ash leaps upon Sibotin the Sly and knocks him out with a blow from the haft of her great-axe. Ash manacles his hands and ties him to a tree.

Rook attempts to resurrect Vaclav the Fist, and is apparently punished by his God for his hubris. Moments before death, God releases him - but why?

Taavi studies the trail again, realizing that the humans on horseback rode to the top of the hill wand walked back down, while the mystery tracks made a single trip partway up the the hill. The party follows the tracks and finds a door into the hill, hidden behind a big tree that is now split open. Meanwhile, the weather suddenly worsens.

While most of the party climbs the hill, Falveaux improvises a ritual in honor of her nameless Patron, spilling the blood she gathered over the corpse of Vaclav the Fist. The blood transforms into acid and violently melts Vaclav's body. Her Patron is pleased.

The party passes through the door into the hill and discovers a forgotten temple to the Mother and her family of seasonal deities. Within, they are attacked by the lightning-fast Radim the Swift, whose sprint attack carries him out of harm's reach.

After killing the mad Radim - multiple stabs wounds, and then falling into the corrupted pool - the party hears a strange chant from below:

SAH KASH VRAY TAH!
ECK MAR, ECK GEG, ECK YOT.
VECK ESH TAL, TAL VECK ESH.
SOO ROT SECK ECK MAR.
SOO ROT SECK ECK MAR.
SOO ROT SECK ECK MAR!

Taavi explores, finding a rough stairway going down. The gang follows Taavi and they discover a much larger chamber, the true Temple, now corrupted. Thugs are scattered about the space. At the head of the Temple, at the altar of black glass, their apparent leader stands, reading a ritual chant from a sheaf of papers. Above the altar there is a structure made of black metal rods, obviously a recent construction. Standing with the leader is a cloaked and hooded figure, a chained lizard-man, two more thugs, and a little girl. A dead lizard-man lays across the altar, bleeding out.

Falveaux and Zelimir shoot down the structure of rods. Taavi invokes a fog cloud. The party advances on the altar. Rook kicks aside a thug, who falls into a pool and violently melts. His death triggers the culmination of the ritual, but the ritual has been hijacked: instead of the intended result, the Voorish party invokes Sechautawetey, a thing of nightmare.