SGM - Chapter Summary
Nov 16, 2023 8:38:30 GMT -8
Post by Daos on Nov 16, 2023 8:38:30 GMT -8
Chapter One:
All That Glitters
A few days after their last adventure, the Dark Squall docked on the opposite side of Mithas Island to resupply. A guard approached them, offering them a job for Lord Rethoth, who was apparently next in line to become Emperor. Although wary after their last run in with a Minotaur Lord, they decided to check it out. Upon meeting Rethoth, he asked the party to list their deeds. Although some of the council snickered when Parra mentioned going to another planet.
Rethoth told them he wanted a crew of non-Minotaurs for diplomatic purposes. He intended to expand his political influence beyond the Blood Sea Isles. But first he needed to send them on a little test, to see if they were worthy. If they were successful, he would hire them and they would become quite rich under his employment. The job was simple. There was a small village of ogres not far off. Rumor is a gold-furred Minotaur could be found there. He wanted the party to find this Minotaur and convince him to return with them to the palace, so he could meet him. He was curious about how a golden Minotaur could exist. He had sent his own men, but the ogres ran away in fear. So he hoped non-Minotaurs would have better luck. The party accepted and set out immediately.
As they left the city, they noticed they received many dark looks from the locals. It was clear despite Lord Rethoth's desire for diplomacy, most Minotaurs saw the party as inferiors or associating with inferiors, in the case of Granker and Parra.
Not too long after they started their journey, they spotted a Minotaur woman laying in the middle of the road. When they approached to check on her, four male Minotaurs emerged from the brush, accusing the party of harming the woman. When the party assured them otherwise, they accused the party of lying. When they showed proof they were working for Rethoth, they accused the party of stealing.
Parra was eager for a fight, but before they had left, Rethoth had warned them to not harm any Minotaurs while on the island, or they would be executed. Kaelestia realized the Minotaurs were not engaging, just taunting, as if trying to provoke the party into striking first. She led the party away, and the Minotaurs did not follow, although they did continue to shout taunts. Sumina cast Darkness on one, blinding him. Parra tried to retrieve some hair from another, but was too obvious about it and shooed away.
The party continued on, enjoying the tropical weather and fauna, when a pack of armored dogs emerged from the brush and attacked them. The party fought back, defeating the pack. As most were put to sleep by one of Parra's spells, they decided to move on quickly, before they woke up.
Moving on, they came to the ruins of some ancient temple. It looked like it dated back to around the Cataclysm. They tried to enter it and found it guarded by several spectral minions. The ghosts said they were protecting the treasure within from the forces of Evil. The temple belonged to Habbakuk but after the Cataclysm the Minotaurs showed up and tried to raid the place. The priests all lost their lives but in death managed to drive off the invaders. They have stood vigil ever since.
Arthogate attempts to dismiss them, but he is not a priest so nothing happens. He asks to be allowed inside anyway, but they refuse. They cannot break their oath, and even if they could, they don't trust anyone who travels with Evil (Minotaurs and a Sargonnas worshiper). Arthogate became angry at the (admittedly very true) accusation that his friends were Evil.
Kaelestia came up with the idea to use the Protection from Undead scroll to bypass them. Sha'al wanted to try something, though. He sneaked around back and scaled the wall, and found a hole in the ceiling. He tried to sneak over to it, but the ceiling gave way and he crashed into the temple, hurting himself. The ghosts immediately started attacking him, but he managed to duck and weave and somersault his way to safety, then fled beyond their range.
Seeing no other choice, Kaelestia began to read from the magic scroll. With its power, Kaelestia was easily able to walk into the temple and take the holy relic within, some kind of staff, and the spectral guardians were unable to stop her. Their mission failed and their temple desecrated, they were forced to remain stuck on this plane for all time.
The party moved on, arriving at the base of the mountains. Remembering Rethoth's warnings of dire wolves, they were alert. But it was not wolves that attacked them, but a trained squad of Kapak Draconians. The party learned, the hard way, that slaying a Kapak caused it to melt into a puddle of acid, harming them. They also had a venomous saliva that paralyzed victims. Things didn't go well for the party, but the tides turned when Parra managed to summon a small squad of youngling Jarak-Sinn. Three of the Kapaks were slain, but the other three escaped. As several of them were paralyzed, the party let the Kapaks go and stayed behind to wait for their companions to recover.
Shortly after, though, a group of ten ogres approached and surrounded them, demanding they surrender. Arthogate tried to negotiate, but the ogres weren't having it. The party handed over their weapons and were blindfolded, then escorted to their camp to meet with the mysterious golden minotaur.
The community they were brought to was small and consisted of both ogres and minotaurs. The golden minotaur introduced himself as Devroc, and told his story. His unusual coloring is due to the fact that he is half-ogre. His father, a minotaur, fell in love with an ogre woman. Both were slain by Rethoth's men years ago when he tried to wipe out their camp. Devroc told them he would consider their proposal to escort him to see Rethoth, then left the tent to speak to his council.
The party sat and ate while Parra built a voodoo doll of Devroc using clay and some gold hairs she found in a brush. Eventually, Devroc returned and told them he would accompany them, and they would leave at once. However, the party wanted to stay the night to rest first. Devroc seemed surprised by this, but reluctantly agreed.
Although he had agreed to come with them, he was cagey about his reasoning and the party suspected he might be after revenge. The next morning, they set out again. The party spoke of the danger of the road, but Devroc misunderstood their concern and assured them he would protect them if they encountered any problems.
Parra was clearly attracted to Devroc, and Sumina, Kaelestia and Sha'al picked up on it and tried to help talk her up, but the mage continued to self-sabotage by insulting Devroc whenever she had the chance. Devroc either did not notice or was unbothered by the insults.
Their travel was interrupted when the remaining three Kapaks from before ambushed the party, surrounding them. Parra gets paralyzed, but fortunately with Devroc's help, the party is able to dispatch two and paralyze a third. Rather than question it, they slew the paralyzed one after looting it. Devroc and Granker then worked together to carry the paralyzed Parra for another 90 minutes or so, until she could walk again under her own power.
Once they returned to Rethoth's manor, he quickly revealed himself to have been the one to hire the draconians. He also admitted he didn't want to meet Devroc, just kill him, for being a half-breed that diluted the minotaur bloodline. He would also execute the party, since they knew too much. Devroc demanded trial by combat with Rethoth, and he agreed, amused to think Devroc could be any match for a pure minotaur like himself.
The party, plus Devroc, was led into the dungeon and locked up. There were a few ogres and minotaurs in the cell, as well, and Devroc greeted them as old friends. Devroc then explained to the party he had anticipated this happening. His hope was that while he is fighting Rethoth in the arena, security will be light (as everyone will be watching the fight), so the party can try to escape and hopefully free his friends, as well. They agreed, so after eating they sat down and discussed strategy.
Sha'al searched the straw on the ground and found a small piece of wood he hoped to jam into the lock when they retrieve Devroc in the morning. The party discussed many other plans, too, including trying to bend the bars or pretend to hold a demon summoning.
The next morning, the guards came for Devroc. While they were distracted, Sha'al was able to successfully shove the piece of wood into the lock, so that when they slammed it shut, it did not actually lock. After waiting a bit, the party then rushed out to attack, along with the prisoners. Sumina managed to scare one guard away with the power of Sargonnas. The other guard quickly fell to the onslaught. Once dead, the party looted his keys and freed the animals. They then made a beeline for the exit. They quickly made for the Dark Squall and departed, eager to never look back.
All That Glitters
A few days after their last adventure, the Dark Squall docked on the opposite side of Mithas Island to resupply. A guard approached them, offering them a job for Lord Rethoth, who was apparently next in line to become Emperor. Although wary after their last run in with a Minotaur Lord, they decided to check it out. Upon meeting Rethoth, he asked the party to list their deeds. Although some of the council snickered when Parra mentioned going to another planet.
Rethoth told them he wanted a crew of non-Minotaurs for diplomatic purposes. He intended to expand his political influence beyond the Blood Sea Isles. But first he needed to send them on a little test, to see if they were worthy. If they were successful, he would hire them and they would become quite rich under his employment. The job was simple. There was a small village of ogres not far off. Rumor is a gold-furred Minotaur could be found there. He wanted the party to find this Minotaur and convince him to return with them to the palace, so he could meet him. He was curious about how a golden Minotaur could exist. He had sent his own men, but the ogres ran away in fear. So he hoped non-Minotaurs would have better luck. The party accepted and set out immediately.
As they left the city, they noticed they received many dark looks from the locals. It was clear despite Lord Rethoth's desire for diplomacy, most Minotaurs saw the party as inferiors or associating with inferiors, in the case of Granker and Parra.
Not too long after they started their journey, they spotted a Minotaur woman laying in the middle of the road. When they approached to check on her, four male Minotaurs emerged from the brush, accusing the party of harming the woman. When the party assured them otherwise, they accused the party of lying. When they showed proof they were working for Rethoth, they accused the party of stealing.
Parra was eager for a fight, but before they had left, Rethoth had warned them to not harm any Minotaurs while on the island, or they would be executed. Kaelestia realized the Minotaurs were not engaging, just taunting, as if trying to provoke the party into striking first. She led the party away, and the Minotaurs did not follow, although they did continue to shout taunts. Sumina cast Darkness on one, blinding him. Parra tried to retrieve some hair from another, but was too obvious about it and shooed away.
The party continued on, enjoying the tropical weather and fauna, when a pack of armored dogs emerged from the brush and attacked them. The party fought back, defeating the pack. As most were put to sleep by one of Parra's spells, they decided to move on quickly, before they woke up.
Moving on, they came to the ruins of some ancient temple. It looked like it dated back to around the Cataclysm. They tried to enter it and found it guarded by several spectral minions. The ghosts said they were protecting the treasure within from the forces of Evil. The temple belonged to Habbakuk but after the Cataclysm the Minotaurs showed up and tried to raid the place. The priests all lost their lives but in death managed to drive off the invaders. They have stood vigil ever since.
Arthogate attempts to dismiss them, but he is not a priest so nothing happens. He asks to be allowed inside anyway, but they refuse. They cannot break their oath, and even if they could, they don't trust anyone who travels with Evil (Minotaurs and a Sargonnas worshiper). Arthogate became angry at the (admittedly very true) accusation that his friends were Evil.
Kaelestia came up with the idea to use the Protection from Undead scroll to bypass them. Sha'al wanted to try something, though. He sneaked around back and scaled the wall, and found a hole in the ceiling. He tried to sneak over to it, but the ceiling gave way and he crashed into the temple, hurting himself. The ghosts immediately started attacking him, but he managed to duck and weave and somersault his way to safety, then fled beyond their range.
Seeing no other choice, Kaelestia began to read from the magic scroll. With its power, Kaelestia was easily able to walk into the temple and take the holy relic within, some kind of staff, and the spectral guardians were unable to stop her. Their mission failed and their temple desecrated, they were forced to remain stuck on this plane for all time.
The party moved on, arriving at the base of the mountains. Remembering Rethoth's warnings of dire wolves, they were alert. But it was not wolves that attacked them, but a trained squad of Kapak Draconians. The party learned, the hard way, that slaying a Kapak caused it to melt into a puddle of acid, harming them. They also had a venomous saliva that paralyzed victims. Things didn't go well for the party, but the tides turned when Parra managed to summon a small squad of youngling Jarak-Sinn. Three of the Kapaks were slain, but the other three escaped. As several of them were paralyzed, the party let the Kapaks go and stayed behind to wait for their companions to recover.
Shortly after, though, a group of ten ogres approached and surrounded them, demanding they surrender. Arthogate tried to negotiate, but the ogres weren't having it. The party handed over their weapons and were blindfolded, then escorted to their camp to meet with the mysterious golden minotaur.
The community they were brought to was small and consisted of both ogres and minotaurs. The golden minotaur introduced himself as Devroc, and told his story. His unusual coloring is due to the fact that he is half-ogre. His father, a minotaur, fell in love with an ogre woman. Both were slain by Rethoth's men years ago when he tried to wipe out their camp. Devroc told them he would consider their proposal to escort him to see Rethoth, then left the tent to speak to his council.
The party sat and ate while Parra built a voodoo doll of Devroc using clay and some gold hairs she found in a brush. Eventually, Devroc returned and told them he would accompany them, and they would leave at once. However, the party wanted to stay the night to rest first. Devroc seemed surprised by this, but reluctantly agreed.
Although he had agreed to come with them, he was cagey about his reasoning and the party suspected he might be after revenge. The next morning, they set out again. The party spoke of the danger of the road, but Devroc misunderstood their concern and assured them he would protect them if they encountered any problems.
Parra was clearly attracted to Devroc, and Sumina, Kaelestia and Sha'al picked up on it and tried to help talk her up, but the mage continued to self-sabotage by insulting Devroc whenever she had the chance. Devroc either did not notice or was unbothered by the insults.
Their travel was interrupted when the remaining three Kapaks from before ambushed the party, surrounding them. Parra gets paralyzed, but fortunately with Devroc's help, the party is able to dispatch two and paralyze a third. Rather than question it, they slew the paralyzed one after looting it. Devroc and Granker then worked together to carry the paralyzed Parra for another 90 minutes or so, until she could walk again under her own power.
Once they returned to Rethoth's manor, he quickly revealed himself to have been the one to hire the draconians. He also admitted he didn't want to meet Devroc, just kill him, for being a half-breed that diluted the minotaur bloodline. He would also execute the party, since they knew too much. Devroc demanded trial by combat with Rethoth, and he agreed, amused to think Devroc could be any match for a pure minotaur like himself.
The party, plus Devroc, was led into the dungeon and locked up. There were a few ogres and minotaurs in the cell, as well, and Devroc greeted them as old friends. Devroc then explained to the party he had anticipated this happening. His hope was that while he is fighting Rethoth in the arena, security will be light (as everyone will be watching the fight), so the party can try to escape and hopefully free his friends, as well. They agreed, so after eating they sat down and discussed strategy.
Sha'al searched the straw on the ground and found a small piece of wood he hoped to jam into the lock when they retrieve Devroc in the morning. The party discussed many other plans, too, including trying to bend the bars or pretend to hold a demon summoning.
The next morning, the guards came for Devroc. While they were distracted, Sha'al was able to successfully shove the piece of wood into the lock, so that when they slammed it shut, it did not actually lock. After waiting a bit, the party then rushed out to attack, along with the prisoners. Sumina managed to scare one guard away with the power of Sargonnas. The other guard quickly fell to the onslaught. Once dead, the party looted his keys and freed the animals. They then made a beeline for the exit. They quickly made for the Dark Squall and departed, eager to never look back.