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Music by Kevin MacLeod.
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Ten years ago, the Ghoul Imperium of the Underworld and the vampires of Morgau marched into Krakova and conquered the kingdom entirely, establishing the Greater Duchy of Morgau and expanding the borders of the Blood Kingdom.
The undead occupation has been kept in check by resistance from the Court-in-Exile, as well as opportunistic reaver dwarves who sailed across the Nieder Straits.
But the hidden machinations of the ghouls swirl beneath the surface. Rumors abound of an even more sinister plot that threatens not just one kingdom, but the entire world of Midgard.
Empire of the Ghouls is designed by Richard Green, and published by Kobold Press. It takes place in Kobold Press’ fantasy world of Midgard.
Chapter 3: The Blood Wedding
Episode 1: Into the Northlands
Active Party:
Bahn, level 6 kobold Bard College of Whispers
I/O, level 6 gearforged Circle of the Moon Druid
Kovac, level 6 ratfolk Dawn Blade Rogue
Lucian, level 6 dhampir Clockwork Soul Sorcerer
Ry, level 6 shadow fey Black Powder Sorcerer
After a lengthy, dangerous excursion in Krakovar, the party finally returns to Johzt weary, bloodied, but triumphant. The Spear Maidens have been (mostly) rescued, the Holy Robes of Sister Adelind are safe, and the Ghoul Imperium and Blood Kingdom had been dealt a serious blow.
But the adventure is far from over.
During their week off, the party enjoys some downtime in Johzt. They’re each rewarded with a magic item of their choosing from the treasury, and the scheming Bahn is quite upset when Lucian selects a Medallion of Thoughts, forever paranoid that the piercing dhampir is reading his mind!
High Priestess Jagoda summons them to the Temple of Sif. She’s learned of a growing evil in the Northlands. The Creed of All Flesh has been spreading amongst the reaver dwarves of Wolfheim, a cannibal cult condoned by the Imperium whose non-undead members hope to ascend to become darakhul.
The cult is mentioned in the letter recovered from Castle Orzelbirg, as well as mention of a “wedding ceremony.” Jagoda fears this cult’s influence on the already dangerous reavers, and urges the party to head north to root it out.
To aid in their journey, she’s providing them with a ship, the Osprey, and a trustworthy captain, Sigurd, a salty sea dog with decades of experience sailing the Nieder Straits.
She also has their first lead: Reaver’s Cave. The sea cave is a popular launching point for raids, and is only a five day’s journey across the sea from Johzt.
Before they leave, Jagoda also mentions the trollkin shield maidens of Huldramose. The Huldra are fierce warriors, but devoted to Sif, and have kept their lands free of dwarven raiders, and the evils of the fallen kingdoms to the north.
Should they need assistance, the party can use her name, and the Holy Robes, to gain their trust.
The party purchase some warm-weather clothing, meet with the gravelly Captain Sigurd, and ship off into increasingly frigid waters.
The ship is small and built for speed, not luxury. It’s an uncomfortable ride across cold winds and salty sprays.
On the third day, First Mate Svenja calls out a pod of whales swimming quickly. They’re fleeing from a ship, sporting reaver colors. They soon hear the keening cries of the whales, and Svenja identifies a harpoon cannon as the other ship chases the large creatures across the water.
Sigurd and the crew appear disheartened. He reveals that whale hunting is a bad omen; many consider them sacred or special creatures, but their valuable parts on the black market is undeniable.
The party, especially I/O and Kovac, quickly plead with the captain to intervene, easily convincing him that they are more than capable of handling a few reavers.
Turns out, they’re right!
As the ships close in, the reaver hobgoblins ready their longbows, but Ry opens things up with a fireball spell! The damage is hilariously pitiful (19 on 8d6!) but it’s enough to incinerate most of the hobgoblins in one blow, and the flames prevent the rest of the crew from taking cover.
Kovac steadies aim with his shortbow and unleashes a critical hit, stunning a berserker who was aiming the harpoon gun. Another takes his place, fires the harpoon, and critically misses!
I/O conjures a storm with call lightning, striking the captain, and Bahn follows up with hypnotic pattern, shutting down both the trollkin reaver captain and the spellcasting shaman.
Not to be outdone, Ry casts vortex warp, teleporting the incapacitated captain into open ocean, and dropping him into the frigid waters. Ha!
The quickly demoralized reaver ship quickly disengages, with the sole remaining berserker taking the wheel and breaking off.
Sigurd is impressed with the party’s incredible display of pyrotechnics, but doesn’t want to risk any damage to his ship (and his crew aren’t exactly equipped to take another ship). They allow the reaver ship to leave, and continue on their way.
I/O casts speak with animals to call out to the whales, telling them they’re safe now. She doesn’t see or hear anything in response.
But later that night, a small whale comes up to the side of the boat, rocking it gently, and lifts up a fin. I/O gently grasps the mammal as the two share a moment of comfort, before it swims away to join the pod.
On the fifth day the Osprey arrives near Reaver’s Cave. He can’t get the longship near the cave, but the rowboats can.
I/O offers to transform into a crocodile while the other four clamber onto the rowboat under cover of night.
They’re able to successfully sneak toward a small beach near the cave opening, where smoke indicates a gathering.
Sure enough, a trio of tattooed dwarves sit around a large campfire. Three person-size gibbets hang over the fire, full of cooked meat, while a giant boar looks its lips in anticipation.
After a brief decision, the party decide to take advantage of their stealth, and launch an amphibious assault.
Bahn rows the boat close to the beach, allowing the others to charge with spells and blades.
I/O-croc emerges from the water and grabs the boar, while Kovac finishes it off with a powerful sneak attack.
Lucian casts slow on the dwarves, while Ry unloads a shotgun blast of burning hands.
The cannibal reavers are completely caught off guard, and their counterattack is pitiful. Lucian negates their reckless attacks with Restore Balance, while the party maximize their attacks against the slowed, reckless foes.
Upon killing the final dwarf, Bahn shocks everyone by using Mantle of Whispers to steal the reaver’s shadow.
With the dwarves slain, the party confirm that the remains in the gibbet were once humanoid. It seems the Creed is already here.
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RogueWatson 