Io - Servant of Sarenrae

·         Io was conceived in a rite by Souleater priestess of Szuriel and one of Szuriel’s Deacons.

·         His mother led a cult of Szuriel worshipers

·         Cult had been growing for years and was planning a significant act of destruction

·         When Io was three the Martial arm of the Church of Sarenrae intervened.  They raided his mother’s stronghold and killed or captured most of her followers.  As the attack took place she was preparing to sacrifice Io in a particularly nasty ritual.   She escaped, tossing Io bodily at the Sarenraites as a distraction.  Attack was led by Dawnflower Dervish bard who took it a personal challenge to raise and redeem Io.

·          Io was raised in a Sarenraite temple and grew up in the faith.  Growing up, he knew that the payment he could make to his savior was to overcome his heritage and become a force for good working in Sarenrae’s name.  To this day he struggles to feel worthy and tries twice as hard others to bring good to the world. Largely this is motivated by his belief that he must be tainted by his heritage.

·         He trained in the temple as a Dawnflower Dervish.  But, despite his dedication he was barely “passable” in most of the skills.  His spell casting was unremarkable, he was found to not be particularly gifted in song, dance or other performances (likely self sabotage b/c he didn’t believe the others would overlook his heritage and be moved by his performance).  However he excelled at the scholarly aspects of bard craft (knowledge skills) and the special fighting style of the dervish dancers.

·         as a young adult his training was completed and he left the temple to spread the word of Sarenrae and do good “works”

·         He adventured with a group that included an elven wizard.  Io became interested in the alternate method of prepared spells for working arcane magic.  Under the tutelage of this mage he worked his first arcane cantrip.  He quickly demonstrated an aptitude for this methodology that far outstripped his ability with bardic spells.  After a few years with this group he had written a number of cantrips and minor spells into is very own spellbook.

·         The groups rogue perished on one of their adventures.  Being naturally stealthy (a gift of his heritage)Io inherited the rogue’s role as scout and disabler of traps.  In addition, he inherited her beautifully crafted thieves tools and other implements.  While he was never formally trained, Io worked hard to hone his natural aptitude for stealth, sleight of hand and working with small intricate devices.  His natural dexterity, intelligence and generally curiosity have served him well in place of formal training in the roguish arts.

·         After a long period of adventure Io returned with the elf to visit his homeland and continued his arcane education.  They found the elf’s village had been taken over and enslaved by Orcs.  As a reward for helping to save the village Io was gifted with a fine suit of studded leather armor made from rare elven darkleaf cloth.  Asa personal thanks his mentor gifted him with a magical pearl that enhances Io’s arcane abilities.

·         During his stay as he continued his studies he became aware of the elven practice of blending spell casting with various fighting techniques; arcane archer and spell dancers.  He was determined to learn how best to blend his own fighting style with his budding arcane talents.

·         After several years, with helpful advice from the elves, he perfected his new style and moved back into the world alone to continue his good work in Sarenrae’s name.

Session #1 Recap

Pathfinder Campaign Recap

Session #1 Recap:  The Beginning

Juliet, travelling to Clearwater’s Gate to find and meet her new Guardian, comes across Mell travelling South towards Korvosa on the road from Kaer Maga, a city at the top of the Storval Rise.  As the roads are not as safe for lone travelers as they are for groups, even small ones, Juliet strikes up conversation and begins walking with the reluctant Mell.  A few days out from Clearwater’s Gate, they come across a very ragged and worse-for-wear dwarf named Morgrym, who comes from Janderhoff to the east and is also on the road south, searching for some folks.

Meanwhile, Io is wandering the countryside of Varisia, searching for purpose and those people and places which could use the intervention of one of Sarenrae’s martial forces.  As he travels east one afternoon, he decides to set up camp by a placid lake in the hilly area.  Just as he is going into the trees and towards the lake, he is passed by an Asimar on horseback, Aean, obviously thinking of setting up camp in the same area.  As they both approach the lake, a camp is already being set up by two women, Juliet and Mell.  Soon, Morgrym arrives, appearing quietly from the shadows of the trees, and dumps a deer in the camp area for food.  Everyone decides to camp together, although Mell is not pleased with new company, having just slowly begun to warm up with Juliet.

Across the lake, before night completely falls, a spire-like tower can be seen in the distance, a common architectural site in this part of western Varisia.  Also, a tumbled-down set of ruins, like a megalith of great age.  The lake is clear and pure, and the trees are coniferous, with a crisp mid-Autumn air.

During the evening, Io’s animal friend, Tercel the falcon, keeps watch while the travelers sleep.  In the middle of the night, Tercel screeches and wakes the party.  Aean sees white flashes of light across the lake in the general area of the Megalith ruins, counting 5 although likely more occurred before he awoke.  The party is wary, and then some hear the sploshing of water being slapped lightly, like a hand swatting at water.  Some of the party soon see wolf-like shapes traveling ACROSS the water towards the camp.

3 wolves, more like rotting corpses of wolves with rotting flesh and decaying remains, attack the party.  The party moves surprisingly well together, especially given that they do not know each other’s strengths or abilities.  The wolves take a couple of bites out of folks, and fortunately do NOT pass on any disease, but are soon dispatched.  The rest for the remainder of the night, and in the morning, Aean points out that the wolves seemed to come from the stone ruins across the lake.  The party talk together, and they all agree to go to Clearwater’s Gate, each for their own reason, whether by task, for information, or just a general “gotta-go-someplace” feel.

A half-day’s journey bring the group to Clearwater’s Gate, a hamlet set in the foothills before the eastern mountain range.  The small village appears to be setting up for a Harvest Festival, albeit a very provincial holiday given the town’s size.  Juliet and Mell head towards the only church temple to be seen, a church for Sarenrae on the eastern side of the hamlet across the Village Green where a bonfire is being readied by the town’s children.

Io and Aean decide to visit the booths being erected for the festival, from fortune tellers to puppet shows to exhibits and games.  One exhibit is “see the unusual half-woman/ half-fish mermaid”, which turns out to be no more than a cat skull tied to a large fish, the fish swimming in a cloudy tank of water with smoke and candles providing a concealing environment for onlookers.

Morgrym heads to the inn, and meets Cenn Flannis, a crippled dusky-skinned innkeeper and his wife, Florina, who appears to be much more muscled than a normal innkeeper/ barmaid normally would.  He quickly dives into a plate of food and drink after asking about any strangers, possibly with a dwarf in toe, passing through the village.  None has been seen by Cenn, but Morgrym does seemingly enjoy the food he is given.

Juliet and Mell arrive at the church and meet the priest in charge, a young adept named Petris who is helping to spread the word of Sarenrae in this “country of such evil and tragic history which desperately needs a guiding light.”  He also takes in orphans from around the locale, housing them in the church and helping to educate them as best as he is able.  Juliet asks after someone she is supposed to find here at the church, but Petris knows nothing of this.  He is very glad, though, to see another follower of Sarenrae, and Juliet, after offering services, is asked to “guest teach” the children and given a place to stay in the church while she is in the village.  Juliet and Mell then decide to go.

Io and Aean decide to go visit the church as well, and pass Mell, who is on her way to the inn, called the Restful Sleep, and also Juliet, who has taken to helping the children and teens who are building up the wood for the bonfire that evening.  She is making some fast friends among the older children, who are but a few years younger than she.  They meet Petris, who again is thrilled at seeing another follower of Sarenrae in Io, and Io offers any services needed of the martial arm of the church.  Petris sees of no need at this point, but Io speaks of the attack by the undead wolves, and Petris, troubled by this news, suggests Io and Aean speak with Cenn the innkeeper, who is also the town mayor.

Back at the inn, Mell joins Morgrym, who had stepped out to see the puppet show (he loved Punch and Judy beating up each other!), and they settle into an uncomfortable silence as they drink at a table, kind of together, but kind of not.  Another table holds an aristocrat of some sort, who Aean saw enter the village earlier, and his 3 bodyguards.  Florina makes herself scarce, having an immediate dislike of the boorish man, but Cenn is talking, almost apologetically, to the aristocrat.

Io and Aean arrive at the inn, and overhear talk between the arrogant man and Cenn, a discussion about getting everything together quickly so that the man can leave this little “sinkhole” as soon as possible.  When they politely question Cenn, who has returned to behind the bar and serves them drinks, it turns out that the man at the table is the tax collector for Korvosa, Delix, a job he deems “below” his status (noble, but middle class noble, at best).  The village, as do all the country towns and people, tread lightly around him as they do not want Korvosa to suddenly take notice and “conscript” the youth and men of a locale, which would devastate any community in the country.

Io relays to Cenn about the wolf attack, as Petris suggested, and Cenn calls to Florina to go find Gerrett for a private meeting with Cenn in the kitchen.  Cenn said he will ask his friend to check out if more wolves are about by going out to outlying farms as well as travel to the lake to look at the toppled stones/ ruins for more information.

Rooms are secured for the four at the inn (Juliet will be staying at the church and has been invited to dinner at a local farm by some of her new friends who she helped build the bonfire pile with), and Mell quickly excuses herself to her room while the others go partake of the Harvest Festival.  Aean finds a spot and breaks out his gittern, playing for the villagers on one end of the green while a minstrel who has come for the festival tells stories of Desna, a major goddess of the Varisian people.  Juliet goes up and entices Mell to come see the festival, while the rest of the group looks at the exhibits, watches the bonfire and dancing, and sees locals who have come out, including the half-elven herbalist, the female blacksmith, and the hood-covered tanner.

After the town children have been sent home, the bonfire begins to die down, and the locals still out have mostly retired to the inn, a scream is heard from the far side of the Village Green, and the party sees shadowy four-legged creatures running from the nearby woods and straight towards the church.  The party tears after these creatures, and burst upon 3 more decaying wolves now attacking Petris and his orphans.  The party engages the wolves, but not before the wolves have ripped apart both Petris and the oldest orphan girl, who is crouched down by a pew and is protecting a younger child.  The oldest orphan boy is in the choir area with two younger children, and the wolves seem unable to approach them.

As the party work to stop the wolves, a huge decaying wolf, at least twice the size of the other 3, comes running into the church, leaps up onto the alter, and from there onto the holy symbol of Sarenrae on the wall behind the altar, impaling itself on the sunburst.  As it dies, its blood runs down onto the floor while Juliet pulls the body free.  The altar suddenly splits apart as a device is set off, likely by the wolf’s blood, and a seven-foot wide cistern is revealed under the former altar. 

The wolves dispatched, the party begins to hear the sound of lots of flesh slapping against stone coming out of the cistern and getting closer.  The oldest boy grabs Juliet’s eyes, and points to the cistern, saying that something is coming.  As the party backs away and prepares itself, hundreds of pieces of flesh, finger, toes, claws, nails and teeth, comes flowing out of the cistern in a swarm.  Mell conjures a fire elemental, and the swarm of flesh seems to turn directly towards Mell and begins flowing towards her.  Morgrym beings to look for tapestries to cover the swarm with which might burn while Aean moves to protect the 4 children, now all in the choir, and Juliet grabs a standing candelabra with which to use as a weapon.  A second swarm of flesh flows out of the cistern, and the party dispatches the abominations, after Mell runs out of the church to escape the swarm coming pointedly after her.

When all of the animated flesh has been destroyed or dispersed, the oldest orphan boy stands up from the choir, looks at Juliet, and says he has been awaiting her arrival and is her new guardian.  The boy, who is named Robinn, says that the first thing which must be done is they must all go down into the cistern to see what has been awakened (Juliet has noticed rungs of a ladder on the cisterns inside edge going down into the darkness), and in Mell’s head, the voice of her eidolon, Poshmora, who has been surprisingly quiet since the lake, says that yes, they must go down into the depths.

End of Session #1

Morgrym - Ian's Badass Dwarf

 

Morgrym

 

 

Background printed with Ian's permission. 

 

Morgrym Odolson

 

Morgrym was born the older of two boys to a miner and his wife. Odol's family had long been removed from the prestige it had once held in the councils of the Sky Citadel of Janderhoff. Some transgression had made those ancestors pariahs there and now Odol was forced to work in the mines of Kopparberget, his two young boys the last member of a once noble line.

 

Morgrym was still quite young when his father was killed in a tunnel collapse. He was left to shoulder the burden of caring for his mother and younger brother, and since he was considered to young to take up his father' strafe, the three were left to eke out an existence in the wild lands of the north. Morgrym hunted to provide food for the family and trapped in the coldest months to earn enough coin to buy what supplies they couldn't forage for. The harsh existence hardened the boy and taught him to expect little from life without a struggle. What had been a cheerful and pleasant child grew into a grimly pragmatic young man.

His younger brother Narrin, however, could not be more different. Regardless of the hardships of life after the loss of his father, Narrin remained a cheerful and affable child. Nothing seemed able to dampen his spirits and he was the joy of his small family's life. Even Morgrym found it impossible to not be buoyed his younger brother's joy for life and what few smiles he had in those days were usually prompted by Narrin's good-natured ribbing.

A few years later, the boys' mother died. She had never recovered from Odol's death and with her passing went the last ties they had to the small cottage and the harsh life they made for themselves there. While she had lived she refused to leave it because it had been built with Odol's own hands, but now Narrin was able to convince Morgrym that their future could be built in the city. The two decided to make their way to Karlsgard, eager to see more of life than could be found in the wild and hilly lands in which they had grown up.

Once there, though, they struggled to find employment. Although their father had never spoken much of their family's history it was clear that many in the dwarves communities there had little regard for Odol's sons. Soon, desperate to continue to care for his younger brother, Morgrym turned to petty thievery to provide enough coin to keep them fed. Narrin continually protested to his brother that there must be another way,it the objections fell on deaf ears. Morgrym had too long been the caretaker and felt no shame in doing whatever it took to protect his younger brother. Eventually he even found work of a darker sort when his skills as a marksman were discovered by a local gang of thieves eager to dispose of key rivals. Narrin fretted and continued to find a way to convince his brother that there must be another way.

 

He was sure he had found it when he brought Morgrym news of a small mining operation that was willing to hire both young men for work in the mountains near Kopparberget. A small concern of outlanders from Varisia had acquired rights to an old mine and were looking for skilled miners to help them reopen it. They told Narrin They had had difficulty attracting the interest of the more experienced dwarves in Kalsgard because they were from the south but they were sure it would be profitable for all involved. For days Narrin nagged his brother to meet the men and hear their offer. At first Morgrym would hear nothing of it, calling it a pipe dream of easy riches and his brother a foolish child for imagining that term was any success in life that could be gained without hard struggle and sacrifice, but his brother's enthusiasm had always been infectious. Eventually, Morgrym capitulated and met with Ratarion, the chief officer of the mining concern. The offer made was certainly generous and despite his nagging misgivings about the practiced charm of the southerner, Morgrym agreed and the two brothers soon set out southeast with a dozen other workers and a half dozen heavily armed company guards for the old mine.

The ragged and seedy of their fellow "miners" was the first indication that all was not as it seemed with the operation, but their were quickly other troublesome signs. Although Ratarion had said the site was "quite near Kopparberget" they actually swung quite wide of that mine to a location much further south. When asked about the claim, Ratarion was vague and said he that he was was in possession of it on behalf of a third party but offered little other detail. Most worrisome was that he was evasive about exactly what they would be mining for. He would say only that it was a mineral most rare and valuable.

Once they arrived, the state of the mine gave Morgrym even more to be worried about. It was clearly abandoned and some years ago at that. Morgrym had been an apt pupil of his father's teachings about mining and he quickly pointed out the need for reinforcement and repair before the operation could be made safe. Here Ratarion's easy charm disappeared; it quickly became clear that he cared for little but extracting the pale blue crystal that filled the lower tunnels as quickly as possible. In fact, he seemed always alert as if he expected interruption at any minute and constantly exhorted the crews to work faster. He still spoke of the profits to be made but only to use cutting them off as a threat to any who complained.

And complaints they had many: the working conditions were poor, the hours brutally long, and the timber supports frequently gave protesting groans as they bored deeper into the mountain. But the most grave complaint was that all who worked in the mine seemed to be sickening quickly, a strange wasting illness. They each spoke of frequent headaches and trouble concentrating. Days became hazy and more and more the miners spoke less, working ceaselessly but ever more slowly as their mental faculties suffered and their bodies weakened. Morgrym suffered less than most, but Narrin was particularly affected. Some days he even looked at his brother through tired eyes that seemed to show little recognition. When Morgrym protested to Ratarion that work must be halted, the Varisian snarled that if he didn't return to work he would forfeit his share. Regardless of the consequences, Morgrym made up his mind that he would take Narrin and sneak away from the camp that very evening. He had seen the cold look in the eyes of the company guards and was none to sure that he would have been free to leave regardless.

The chance of escape never came, however. That very afternoon, just after Morgrym had commanded his brother to take a final load of the strange crystals up and rest, a rumble shook the tunnels. Seconds later, Morgrym caught a final glance of Narrin at the far end of the tunnel, silhouetted against the westering sun, when the rotten timbers have way and a massive collapse buried the miners.

Morgrym awoke in darkness some time later. A falling support timber had knocked him unconscious but he was otherwise unharmed. The rest of the wretches that had been brought into that pit had fared less well. All around broken and mangled bodies attested to the fact that Morgrym seemed the only survivor of the collapse. He prayed that Narrin had escaped safely on the other side on the wall of rubble, but his immediate concern was escape. Judging that it would take him weeks to shift the detritus on his own, he set about exploring the deeper tunnels that had not yet been probed; possibly there was another exit and the dark held no fear for the dwarf.

Days later he emerged from a cleft some ways north of the original entrance. His hopes of being reunited with his brother were dashed, however, when he found his way back to the mining camp. It was obvious that it had been struck in haste. Rather than making an attempt to rescue him and the other miners, it was clear that Ratarion and the others had abandoned them to their fate. Worst of all, Morgrym could find no sign of his younger brother and feared the worst. If the Varisians were concerned that Narrin might tell others of what had happened...

The trail was old but led clearly for some distance southeast, in the direction of Varisia. Morgrym wanted answers and was prepared to get them, no matter how long it took and no matter what he had to do to get them.



One badass farmgirl:

Juliet

Mell's Background - Amon's Character

(Posting everything with Amon's permission)

 

Mell was born in the nation of Nidal, The city of Albatross. She is an Half-elf. Both parents were half-elves. At a young age Mell noticed that she had the ability to summon animals to her side. Her ability was effortless and precise. She greatly enjoyed the company of the forest animals. It drove her parents crazy! All these animals in the house.

 

Her parents hired a summoner to teach their daughter the correct ways to summon. So in her late teen years Mell was introduced to her mentor….Clista, a great summoner and more.

 

Clista showed and taught and trained Mell the ways of summoning. Calista was the one that told Mell how important it was to do a sacred summoning for what is called an Eidolon. Mell trained and later fought by Calista’s side for fifteen years.

 

After the first year, Calista took Mell away from Nidal and across the land into Varisia. Mell is an only child, and missed her parents greatly….but Calista was a great teacher. The opportunity couldn’t be missed. In the city of Urglin, Mell attended the palace and training ground Calista owned.

 

Mell was not the only one being trained in the ways of magic by Calista. A vampire boy by the name of Sholin was one her most adept pupils, although Mell quickly noticed that he showed no summoning ability.

 

Sholin and Mell fell in love within the first year at the palace training camp. They became the talk of the palace. The two were inseparable. Calista found the romance hopeful and endearing. It made Calista feel motherly.

 

Calista had a small army of orcs…..all spellcasters. Mell at first found this shocking! She thought Orcs so daft, that they wouldn’t be able to spellcast. Mell did notice that she was the only true summoner on Calista’s “team”.

 

Mell’s Eidolon that came and bonded with here was beautiful. A separate four legged creature. It looked horse-like with peacock markings. Mell sometimes rode Dipsem, the name she had given him. Sometimes even Sholin took a brief ride about.

 

Calista had a major rival. The reason for the rivalry is unknown to Mell, Calista refused to go into any details. His name is Vazrel…...A powerful spellcaster with skeleton minions.

 

One afternoon, Calista announced that her “group” was ready. Calista took her whole spell casting calvary to a place called Mobhad Leigh, located in the same nation of Varisia, but many mountain passes away. Calista said they need to obtain an artifact before Vazrel got his hands on it.

 

In a perfectly round pit in an otherwise nondescript field at the foot of the Kodar Mountains, a path of stairs leads partway down into the shaft’s throat. The stairs end after a few hundred feet down.

 

Mell remembers going down the stairs, but nothing that happened down in the ground, or coming to the surface. She remembers chatting and staying close with her lover, Sholin, while descending down. She remembers Calsita leading her and the mainly orcs and misc spell casters.

 

Mell awoke face down in the dirt at the top entrance of the stairs. No one was around but her, not a single party member. She summoned her Eidolon, thinking she would descend again to help or save her trainer and lover.

 

To her horror she felt pushed back out of her body…..she was aware of a dark presence…..her normal Eidolon was nowhere in sight.

 

“We need to taaaaalk……” a sexy perverse voice purred. “I’m Poshhhhmora…….acolyte of Krune. You’ll be helping me my dear.”

 

Mells heart sank in despair…..

 

 

Poshmora seemed to able to override Mell’s presence. Poshmora explained in a wicked way, how she had slayed Mell’s beautiful Eidolon and taken it’s place. Poshmora knew not if Mell’s adventuring party survived the pit or not. She merely explained an opportunity was seized., and Mell was to do Poshmora”s bidding now.

 

“Head to the Cinderlands and then Korvosa my pet…..you need know nothing more.”

 

Over the course of traveling, Mell learned that Poshmora could only gain control if summoned or if Mell’s mind was distracted from constant concentration. Even though Mell was mostly in control after a month of traveling, Mell still reluctantly did as told. Once Poshmora obtained something and awakened the runelord Krune, she would leave Mell alone in peace Poshmora promised.