Chapter 4: The Marble Throne

This is a continuation of the King Thadar's Catacombs Campaign (Chapter 3: Lady of the Stars).

Summary: At this point in the campaign you've likely succeeded in preventing Lady Ilka's assassination or failed spectacularly. If you've succeeded then the Eloszor army will march on Városa and catch the Green's between hammer and anvil. And more, if your map of Kerthaz makes it to the Blues, the loss at Városa and Kerthaz will deal the Greens such a blow that they are unlikely to recover.

However, if you've failed then Városa remains besieged and the Eloszor refuse to march into the valley, but there's still a chance. If Kerthaz can be breached quickly, then the Városa army is free to return to the city and break the siege.

For now, we will assume you succeeded because even if you failed, Chapter 4 still provides an interesting alternative...

The Lady's Errand: Lady Ilka is grateful for your role in thwarting the assassin. What comes next, she tells you, is the final demise of the Greens and opposition in the valley. Soon it will be time to set sights northwards. She allows you leave and join the Eloszor either on the march to Városa or to the armies besieging Kerthaz, and assures you, she will honor Lord Gabriel's offer, but she also offers an alternative. Pass beyond Kerthaz to Fenyovar, the furthest northern fief in Vale.

She confides in you that Vàrosa, long a neutral state, risked war for one reason, the powerful Vadas family has nearly consolidated the whole of northern Kelet and the balance of power is shifting. Lady Ilka is a strong ally and friend of the Queen, the matriarch of the Veres family and brother to the lord of Városa. To remain in power the Veres family must be a counter balance to Vadas or risk invasion. Kelet has long been a kingdom only in name. Its five regions are fractured. The Veres family has kept Kelet from slipping into a theocracy under the church but only barely. Vadas is a tyrant but also an extremely religious man. He is also old. If he conquers Kelet and usurps the throne, chaos is likely to follow his death.

The lord of Fenyovar has remained aloof from the conflicts in Vale. His fief is either the first line of defense against an invasion from Vadas's armies or an excellent staging point. Go north and curry favor with this mysterious Lord Miklos.

Lady Ilka presents you a writ offering a defense agreement and acquisition of materials. As an emissary of Ilka, determine Miklos' intentions and send word of any agreement you come to with him.

Setting: Fenyovar is a quiet town nestled in low forested foothills. The streets and buildings are well kept and over them looms a large castle manor. It appears that most the townsfolk are well off or at least even the poorest eat well. This is unusual for Kelet. Perhaps because of this, the denizens of this town are friendly and speak highly of Lord Miklos. It seems Miklos is a benevolent overseer. When you speak with the townsfolk you learn Lord Miklos regulates guilds and the Triad strictly, which serves to combat corruption. Speaking with the townsfolk leads to many fantastic stories about Lord Miklos. Some say he is half-aelfin while others say his family has the ancient blood of the Thegn, a mythical race of men. The stories surrounding him all have a degree of enigma and fantasy. The fact that he rarely leaves the castle and that he has been lord of Fenyovar for as long as anyone can remember lends to the mystery.

Resources: I used this map as a stand in for Fenyovar:
Oravsky Podzámok (here is the artist's page: http://www.francescabaerald.com/maps/)

Magda Zwierzchowska

Miklos: Miklos is an intelligent character with complex motivations, made all the more complicated by his nature. Miklos is a dhampir. He has been lord of Fenyovar for as long as anyone can remember. He rarely shows himself in public, but his realm is prosperous. And though he has the savvy of Machiavelli and occasionally gives in to his primal urges, his ultimate desire is peace and stability. With Bálint Vadas conquering the only remaining lordship in the north his sights will turn southwards to Ártér and the capital. With the rumors of war in southern Vale and the adventurers' arrival, Miklos sees an opportunity, but he must play his hand carefully. Miklos has planted an agent in Bálint Vadas' council. This agent has become Bálint's closest advisor and lover. The Eszes clan is the last northern family to stand against Vadas and also the family of Bálint's wife (she still lives, locked away in Vadavar). All that remains of their holdings now is a small mountain fortress and the daughter of the late Áron Eszes. Miklos had considered offering friendship to the Vadas family (and indeed has already made some small gestures of friendship), but Bálint is too close to the Church of the Triad. Miklos has watched the church tear Kelet apart and hates it.

No. Miklos will usurp Bálint at the peak of his power and use the last member of the Eszes family to cement his claim on the north, but he must act quickly to ensure the conflict in Vale continues and offers no resistance. Ilka's writ complicates things.

Csilla: Csilla is Miklos' edge. When the time comes she will dispose of Vadas and turn control of his army to Miklos. Csilla has spent half a decade with Vadas and gained his utmost confidence and even his affection. They will not turn on him while he is alive, but should he die their loyalty passes to her.
Csilla has proved herself invaluable. In fact, her success has raised Miklos' suspicions. After assuaging his concerns, Csilla prepares to return to Vadas. Csilla is inscrutable. It is one of her many talents. But she will do what is required of her. She recognizes the need for stability in Kelet. She also recognizes that any stability Vadas brings will be short lived. She is also, however, not convinced that Miklos will serve better. She does not know his true nature but knows he is different and suspects it will prevent him from establishing a stable empire. Csilla is shrewd and will do as Miklos wants until an opportunity presents itself. The adventurers may be that opportunity.

Magda Zwierzchowska

Scene 1: The adventurers arrive in Fenyovar. As emissaries of Ilka, the adventurers can ride right up to Fenyovar Castle and request an audience with Miklos. Show them the writ and David, the tall head servant of the castle, will grant them entry. The adventurers will be admitted into a comfortable waiting room with a fireplace, chairs, books, and numerous tapestries depicting the geography of Fenyovar. There is also a large portrait of a pale man with sharp features, jet black hair, and eyes the color of ochre. In a short time, they will be admitted to the main hall. A long blue rug runs its length. There are two guards at the entrance and a pale man with black hair sitting on a strange marble seat. Standing next to him is another man in black and silver livery and a servant holding a long sword much too large for her, but unsheathed. She is very carefully holding the sword so that it does not touch the floor. As the adventurers approach they may notice one other servant scrubbing the stone floor, she appears to be cleaning up blood.

Miklos will probably speak first as he will want to control the conversation. He may draw attention to the servant and mention that a spy of Vadas was captured and he had just finished interrogating him (which is half true; the blood is from a captured Eszes soldier). He will want to establish his stance against Vadas immediately. While the adventurers speak with Miklos and present him with the writ they may notice something strange. Everything Miklos says sounds incredibly believable. The adventurers will have an unnatural impulse to trust him and anything he says rings true (attempting to discern a lie or exaggeration unerringly fails). This is due to the throne that Miklos sits on (it is not a spell so it cannot be countered but characters with Sense Magic will feel something happening and sense his motives normally). Miklos will want time to speak with his advisors and see how he can help. The players are granted room and board in the guest houses in town but not the castle, which is unusual and draws attention to the fact that the castle staff is meager for its size. On further exploration, the players may learn most the guardsmen also have quarters in town, rather than a castle barracks. Upon exiting the castle the adventurers may notice a tall well-built woman in the hall. She very obviously takes notice of the adventurers but does not approach. Observant characters may notice a light distortion near her (she is a hussar with a phantom companion).

Scene 2: In town, rumors swirl around the visiting characters. There's much to learn here and the townsfolk won't be shy about speaking with the adventurers. Rumors of the Vadas army, the war in the south, and the death of Áron Eszes will be common. There are also interesting stories surrounding Miklos and his origins. Exploring further the adventurers may learn that the most prominent organizations are the craft guild and only one priest of the Triad. It's odd there isn't even a representative for each of the three goddesses. Apparently, there are strict rules to prevent corruption and violaters in the past have either left town in a hurry or disappeared.

When summoned to Castle Fenyovar, Miklos again meets the adventurers in the great hall. In addition to the guardsmen, servants, and advisors, the tall woman with the shimmering thing is present. Miklos explains that he would like to discuss how best to aid Ilka and the Blues, stating that he would like to see a united Vale, indeed a united Kelet. He also explains that Vadas presents a problem. If he were to ally with Ilka and the Blues, Vadas is likely to invade Vale and Fenyovar would be the front line. He is unwilling to let that happen and presents a counteroffer: livestock and grain will be sent south, but there will be no open military alliance. However, he also offers this: if Ilka would give them leave, he suggests the adventurers slip through Vadas territory to Felvidék. Felvidék is the last unconquered hold out of the Eszes family and where Aliz Eszes, last of the Eszes family has gathered her supporters. There is also a possible ally near Felvidék that may be willing to fight the Vadas family, the half-men known as catfolk. He assures you catfolk are indeed real and that they were once steadfast allies of the Vadas family, until they were betrayed. He asks that the adventurers sit on this and return with an answer.

Scene 3: Miklos invites the adventurers to a formal dinner. Csilla is also there. The adventurers give their answer. If the answer is no, then the adventurers are free to leave, but they are watched and later ambushed on the road. Miklos will not want them to return alive if there is a possibility that the Blues will arrive in force and foil his plans. If the answer is yes, Csilla lays out the plans, explains that there are scattered Eszes forces and that they are slowly making their way to Felvidék as word of Aliz's survival spreads. She will give them a week of travel (if she can) before the Vadas army moves again. She suggests that the adventurers pass as near to Lake Mél as possible. She will explain the danger of the half-men that live in that place but also suggest seeking out their aid. The catfolk have a long history with the Vadas family and are old enemies.

Inbetween Scenes: While the adventurers are in Fenyovar they will have significant time away from Miklos. There is much to explore here. There is Otto, the priest without a following. And Pel, the collector of Naerodian artifacts. And Hanna, the rare book seller with tomes of genealogy and heraldry.

There are also the ruins around town. As with the rest of Vale, there are Naerodian ruins here. One particular outcrop just peaks through the forest. Hidden in the underbrush is an entrance to a network of tunnels. The tunnels here are a vacant labyrinth. Exploring this area extensively reveals a secret entrance to the dungeon under Fenyovar Castle. Exploring further is a dangerous gambit.

Csilla may search out the adventurers in secret. The ruins around town may be a good place to meet them. Csilla can break the spell on the adventurers if they become charmed by Miklos words, thereby casting doubt on his intentions. She will not go into detail about her allegiances but she may imply there are better leaders in the north than Vadas or Miklos.

Last, if the adventurers wish to explore Miklos' background, they can find that Miklos has been lord of Fenyovar for decades. There is at least one art piece in the castle depicting a man with a striking resemblance to Miklos. The staff claims it is of Miklos' father Mátyás. In truth, Miklos has been lord of Fenyovar for well over a century. Sometime during the Aelf War he became Margrave of Fenyovar. His father was a man named Mátyás and his mother, Olivia was a dhampir, but they were never lords.

Unicorns

Arthur Rackham

 

A symbol of royalty, the unicorn is universally recognized. It is a creature of enigma, beauty, and magnificence. Many house crests bear the likeness of a unicorn. It is said that there is only one and that he is the king of Greywood, while others say there are many but only one king sire, or that it is a great mare, a favored shape of the fey queen, it is said– many things.

Unicorns are magic given substance. Sometimes they appear as a horse with a single horn rising from its head; sometimes they are blinding flash of light, and others a deep shadow. Their appearance alters depending on its environment, what’s transpired there, and what past emotions resonate in the fabric of a place.

A glimpse of one is enough to drive a person mad. The good folk tell sad tales about people that have seen one and been broken. The fey are of course unaffected, but they notice the change in us. When a mortal sees a unicorn, they see their entire lives from beginning to end. They see their happiest and saddest moments, most traumatic and memorable. When the vision leaves them, we cannot possibly remember all the moments of our lives, but the memory of death stays with us. The vision of our fate is unavoidable and almost always very near as if proximity to the unicorn has burned away years of life.

There is only one known way to change your fate, kill the unicorn, but how to find one? How to hunt it? No one knows and few have tried. An old story of the vanished king Godric of Storgeard tells of a stag hunt, where he chanced upon a unicorn. Having glimpsed it, he knew his fate, but being strong hearted and stubborn Godric left with a hunting party. This story has many endings, and in all, he never returns. Many say he died, but one says he succeeded and that he still lives, even five hundred years later he walks the forest as an empty, hollowed out creature.

Killing a unicorn rips the fabric of reality, essentially removing its killer from the tapestry of existence and time. The killer becomes immortal, non-dead. The mortal can no longer sleep. He no longer bleeds when stabbed and does not die when chopped into many pieces. Age does not touch him, but he does not heal either. Spells that would mend his body do not work. He can only be fixed. A lost arm can be reattached with a sewing needle and it remains usable. In fact, even unattached he can still control it. What’s more, he sees things in variable states. The emotions of creatures, their shadow selves, past events– all play out before him if he concentrates too long on one thing. It becomes difficult to discern reality from his visions, but the visions can also reveal to him hidden places and mysteries.

When enough time passes he may wish to die. Burns will not heal. Wounds will ever gape without the aid of thread. To die his body must be incinerated, in other words completely destroyed. A spell or violent fire may cleanse him of materiality but every bit of him must be destroyed (damage must exceed his Life total).

Like all magical creatures, a unicorn’s body parts have special properties. Its horn can be used like a wand (all spells cast with it are cast as cantrips). Its hair can be used to produce the most beautiful sounding instrument (song-based spells and abilities are cast without having to spend Power). Its hooves can be ground into powder and added to a potion to make it permanent. Its blood can be used to strengthen an enchantment. And consuming its eyes grants foresight, causing one to permanently glimpse into the future or past at random.

Truth (M): In the presence of a unicorn undead are driven mad. They act as if confused for the remainder of the day. Mindless undead lose animation completely and incorporeal undead fade out of existence. Mortal creatures glimpse the entirety of their lives (as described above). Mindless constructs gain the seed of sentience. Fairy folk and planar creatures are unaffected, but outsiders are struck with an epiphany: killing a unicorn will grant it escape to the Outside.

Under the Manor

Why the hell did you come down here anyway? The tunnels under Crocáno have long served as an effective drainage system and before that a method of escape during attacks and sieges. Dark, torchless, the tunnels are pitch black except for a faint light ahead.

You’ve heard some government buildings and old manors have secret entrances to the underground but you’ve never seen one yourself. The closer you get you realize this must be one. A barred entrance stands before you and beyond is a roughly hewn tunnel. You can’t see torches but there’s a flicker of light playing across the tunnel walls. Guess this is where the adventure stops. You’ve spent a good five minutes in the tunnels and that’s probably a good five minutes longer than your friends are willing to spend on a dare. Before you leave, you tap the bricks next to the arched entrance. You don’t know why you do it but you do and now the loose brick you tapped has given way, revealing a strange round device. It’s hard to see in the dark, but when you turn it, the bars drop.

That’s interesting… well, let’s just see where that light’s coming from shall we.

The next room opens up. The ceiling is high, about 10 ft. up. There’s an eave that runs around the room with flames, just visible over the edge. It’s too high to see what’s feeding the flames but it smells terrible. There are also four pillars at the center of the room. All of them have chains and manacles anchored to them, but each is different. One has four chains bolted to the ground and two sets anchored high up on the pillar. The three others have chains bolted to them, though one chain is significantly shorter than the others. Looking around, you can see deep scratches on the pillars and the floor. Some looked like scratch marks from claws, others from a spike or horns.

This room is really strange, but its nothing compared to the next room. This chamber has no pillars, just a round opening in the floor. When you stand at its edge you look down. Immediately you’re hit with a barrage of confused emotions. You don’t know why you suddenly feel angry but you do. A moment later you feel somber and then confused. Just as you begin to adjust to the strange roulette of emotions you notice the pulsating mass below. Filling the pit, a hideous creature the color of rock and mud sloshes across the floor like a viscous fluid. Then it begins changing. Its rocky flesh now appears more like a blob of skinless flesh and parts of its body open and close in a confusing array of orifices. It takes a few moments but it eventually hits you, its skin tone now exactly matches your own.

Then comes the sound of a heavy door unlocking and the sound of a steel joints screeching. Someone’s coming from the adjacent room and you hear voices. Too late to escape back where you came from, so you go to the only place you can, the next room. This room has many pillars and you have to descend a staircase into it. If they don’t come into this room you should be able to hide from view.

The voices come closer. You hear two women speaking. Their voices echo around the room. One of the women says, “Ignore it!” She sounds agitated and impatient. Then it goes quiet except for the sounds of scraping feet and something being drawn along the ground. You dare to come closer.

Slouched and ascending the stair ever so slowly, you hide behind a stone carving, peering from between its joints. You can just barely see into the room. There are two women and three cloaked figures. Before she turns her back to you, you’re certain you recognize one of the women as Orsa, a councilwoman.

“Hand me the dagger,” she says. Holding out a hand, one of the cloaked men bring her a long dagger. At nearly two feet long it’s almost a sword. She stands at the threshold of the pit reciting words you cannot understand and pours a dark liquid into the pit. You gasp when she throws the dagger into the pit but its masked with a sudden crackling like sparks from a fire and a high whine that fills the room with cacophony.

Then an image appears in front of her, a cloaked figure. The deep voice of man with a strange accent comes from the image, “So you found one? You are resourceful.”

“Do not doubt me, Lothar,” replies Orsa.

“Of course not, of course.” Leaning forward through the image suspended over the pit, the figure holds out a piece of parchment. “This will send you to the east wing. Do not use it until past midnight.”

“Of course. When we find what we’re looking for we will share it,” replies Orsa.

“We are most grateful,” replies the deep voiced man as he makes a slight bow. A moment later the portal closes. Not long after, Orsa and her companions leave with the piece of parchment.

You don’t move for many moments afterwards, but eventually make your way back to the pit. When you peer down you see a mound of open flesh with many blotches of pooled blood. When you feel nothing, it becomes clear to you that the creature is dead.

“Fucking hell.”

1. There are four pillars in this room and three entrances, one entrance from the sewers, one from Orsa’s Manor, and one from the adjacent room. Each of the four pillars has shackles. One has deep grooves at the top of the pillar. Another has many claw marks. One of the other pillars has an extra set of shackles. Along the top of the ceiling is a groove with some oil flowing through it that stinks when burned. It seems this room is always lit.

2. This room has pit at the center with a creature the likes of which you’ve never seen. It’s totally alien and saturated with psychic energy. After the ritual the creature in the pit is dead. If you stare long enough you’ll notice it’s sinking underwater. There is also an intricate pattern on the floor, drawn in chalk, and completely surrounding the pit. There are runes about it but its language is totally alien. It has the likeness of a summoning circle from a children’s book about witches and wizards.

3. Descending the stairs from area two reveals another peculiar room. There are many pillars. Each is covered in ornate carvings. Beginning with the most northerly pillar and moving southwards reveals a story of the da Crocána, from explorers and migrants to builders and philosophers, it also depicts the cities twice destruction by the nobles and its rebirth as the city of today. Careful viewers may find buildings they are otherwise familiar with are subtly different. The sharpest amongst you may have the realization that the oldest buildings have an extra floor (their first floor is now underground).

4. The adjacent room is lined with empty sconces. It’s dark and it reeks. If you have good hearing and you listen closely you can hear feint breathing. Bringing light to this room reveals a narrow hall and shelves (one that masks a secret exit to an unused cellar in the adjacent building. On the shelves are many oddities, including books with alien writing, also some with Ancient writing and four vials. The vials are filled with a dark red, almost black liquid). Opposite this narrow hall are two cells. Within one is a heap of unmoving flesh. At first light it appears to be a dead bull. On closer inspection it has human features as well. A monstrous creature, the beast is chained to the ground. In the other cell is another strange creature- a bird-man. The creature’s arms are raised and shackled to the wall while its body is seated on the ground. If it weren’t for the subtle movement of its chest slowly rising and falling you would think it’s dead too. If you speak with it, you will hear of the horrors this bird-folk creature and its cellmates, each of the half-men, a catfolk, minotaur, and centaur were chained and bled. Apparently the catfolk died first, unable to cope with being chained and locked away. Soon after the centaur managed to kill himself. The minotaur has been dead a week now but no one has come to clear him away like the others. The birdfolk is emaciated, delirious, and likely beyond help, but you can glean that each creature was stolen from their homes and brought here. He does not know why but he has seen some of the strange alien creatures his captors bring in and hears strange rituals being performed.

Magda Zwierzchowska