The
Company spent the early part of the year at the Arm of Pavis, training and performing cult duties. Serenity and Fost spent
a lot of time together, leading to speculation that they might marry. The expansion of the Arm of Pavis complex began in earnest.
Hall of the Red Lady built.
Adventures in Sun County
The Company spent Fire Season
working for the Sun Domers. They spent most of this time hunting down chaos beasts, although they also dealt with a hazia
smuggling gang, killed a vampire, and freed some slaves. Tarn WildBow served with The Company as a guide and later became
a member of the group. They were well paid and returned to Pavis to spend their earnings.
It was not until Sea Season that The Company undertook any expeditions other than anti-chaos
patrols in the Rubble. Their next adventure was a disaster, resulting in the loss of The Company’s leader and a humiliating
retreat for the group, their expedition to Dyskund Caverns.
Dyskund Caverns
Vega Goldbreath approached the remnants
of The Company with an offer of employment. She believed that there was some kind of Chaos cult operating in Sun County (she
suspected it was Thanatari) and wanted them to track it down and deal with it.The Company readily agreed to her request and set off almost immediately.
Kallyr, Fost, Grunth, Kenwyn, Dana, Tarn
They travelled to Sun County and began their investigations, using information that Vega had provided
as a start point. After ten days or so of investigation they narrowed down the location of the cults base to a remote area,
which they then proceeded to search thoroughly.
They spent some time searching the region until they met some locals who informed them
that there was a cavern system in the area that could be accessed through a nearby sinkhole. Having exhausted all other options
the group decided to investigate the caverns.
A local farmer proved helpful; looking after their riding beasts while they prepared to
enter the cavern (he later turned out to be a cultist. Never mind, he’s dead now). They set up ropes and entered the
caverns.
Initially they encountered no opposition, and they advanced cautiously into the tunnels
that lay beyond the bottom of the sinkhole. They were then attacked by a small group of cultists, who quickly retreated into
the tunnels after suffering several casualties.
The party slowly advanced further into the complex. They decided that any potential opponents
were already aware of their presence and used a chisel to mark the route they too, heedless of the noise this caused. As they
advanced they saw few signs of occupation, and even fewer signs of opposition. Increasingly nervous they continued travelling
into the tunnels.
After a couple of hours of wandering they found a very narrow bridge over a chasm, this
led to a large room in which they were attacked by a horde of zombies. They held their ground well and soon began to thin
the ranks of the undead. Then they pushed forwards, driving their foes before them. It was then that the Mad Head Ghosts attacked,
supported by cultists.
The Company was left reeling by a series of frenzied assaults. Wraiths attacked and were
slain. More zombies joined the melee. Magical attacks damaged the group and many of their own spells were dispelled. The ghosts
attempted to possess Grunth and Kenwyn but failed, they were however a serious impediment to their ability to fight. The cultists
proved to be competent warriors, the high priest especially so. He drove Fost back, wounding him badly, and also gave Serenity
a nasty wound.
The situation was becoming increasingly bad and The Company decided to retreat, hopefully
to a stronger position where they could heal up and re-cast their defensive magics. They pulled back slowly, heavily pressed
by their opponents. Fost and Serenity held the entry to the bridge for thirty seconds or so, buying some time for the rest
of the group, but were then forced back across the bridge.
As they retreated Serenity used a Shout of
Command spell and by some miracle, it affected all of the cultists on the narrow bridge, who promptly jumped to the left as
per her command (she claims it was the grace of Vinga). They all fell into the chasm, enough of a fall to kill most of them
(except for the person wanted dead most of all, the high priest. This bought the group precious time as they hurriedly retreated.
They were attacked several times along the way but their attackers were disorganised and
easily brushed aside. Conscious that the main body of cultists had been rallied by the high priest and was not far behind
them, they moved quickly indeed.
When they arrived at the base of the sinkhole The Company found that their ropes had been
removed. The once-friendly farmer was now armed with a spear and standing at the top of the long shaft, laughing at them and
taunting them about the suffering they would endure at the hands of the cultists.
Fost realised that the main body of cultists had just arrived and ran to the cavern entrance,
holding it against their initial attacks. The other members of the group helped where they could, most were too wounded to
be of any real assistance.
Serenity cast Breathe Water on the farmer and then used a sylph to fly to the top of the
shaft while he was choking. He had just dispelled the spell when she arrived at the top of the sinkhole and killed him with
her first blow. The sylph returned to the wounded members of the group and began to transport them to the surface, Serenity
stayed on the surface in case more cultists were present. After all of the group but Fost had been moved to the surface she
went down to look for him, arriving just in time to see him prone and being stabbed repeatedly. A small horde of cultists
then rushed her, in her heavily wounded state she knew she could not possibly defeat them and so she flew to safety.
The Company returned to Harpoon and reported
to Vega, who immediately sent Templars and militiamen to investigate. The group remained in Harpoon and recuperated, some
had serious wounds that took some time to heal. The Templars returned a few days later; the cavern’s occupants had fled,
taking Fost’s body with them. The Company returned to Pavis in a highly
dispirited mood.
The Company spent the next
season at the Arm of Pavis, recovering and training. Serenity took over the leadership of the group following Fost’s
death at Dyskund Caverns.
