Summary

Date: 04/24/02 PF

At the behest of Captain Seneral, the party gathered in Helleron to aid the legion in laying siege to Castle Helleron in hopes of finally driving the Sanctarum tribe from the city. Taking advantage of the chaos created by the Legion’s charge, the party made their way into the castle and secured the great hall. Within, they recruited the assistance of a Hakzin named Horse and Gardens who agreed to break the magical seals protecting the ritual chamber so the party could enter and free the tribe from their current leader, Savage Locust. Before she could break the seal, however, the party had to scavenge materials from across the castle, dealing with both a vengeful spirit and several more Hakzin in their search.

After Horse and Gardens broke the seal, the party entered the ritual chamber within the castle’s chapel and fought Savage Locust and her loyal thralls. Throughout the fight, Savage Locust called upon hellish forces to empower her minions and even bring them back from death, seemingly drawing her powers from a trio of floating obsidian stones. Upon her death, her minions vanished in swirls of red and an obelisk made of the same obsidian material and etched with Cthonic text burst from her chest. Making contact with the object in an attempt to take a rubbing of the carvings, Ianthésmyne disappeared in a swirl of red energy. Despite their injuries, the rest of the party leapt after Myne, finding themselves in a chapel similar to the one they left but bathed in red light filtering through the windows. Within the chapel was a goat-like demon who briefly entertained a conversation with Eleanor before combat broke out. Not fully recovered from the fight with Savage Locust, the party struggled against the demon, doing their best to hold out for a chance to escape. Mercifully, the doors to chapel began glowing with golden light after a short time and the party could hear the voice of Horse and Gardens calling them to flee while she holds open the way back. Though the party managed to escape the demon, the black obelisk remains in the heart of Castle Helleron, perhaps awaiting a more prepared group of heroes to purge it once and for all.

Returning to Captain Seneral, the party reported their success and the Legion began preparations for the next steps of restoring the city. In the wake of Savage Locust’s death, Horse and Gardens took command of the Sanctarum tribe and promised to return them to their traditional ways of life out on the plains.

Results

• Defeated Savage Locust, breaking her demonic hold on the Sanctarum tribe
• Installed Horse and Gardens as the new leader of the Sanctarum
• Freed Helleron from Sanctarum control

Rumors

On the return to Ariminium, the party heard rumors from local farmers:

• Vampires in the plains to the north of the city
• After visiting a graveyard, a farmer was reunited with his wife who he hadn’t seen for several years

Loot

Experience: 380xp/player

Gold: 47gp

Permanent Items

Consumables

Total Value: 141gp (35gp 2sp 5cp/player)