Session 2025-03-08 — Age of Ashes

Narrative Summary

The party healed and entered the Hall of Lictors, a hidden sepulcher containing six stone coffins carved with the likenesses of Hellknight lictors. Two coffins stood empty, their former occupants—Wights—having already risen. Alak warned the party that these were no ordinary undead; lictors were once judges and leaders of the Order, and death had twisted their discipline into corruption. The two wights emerged, addressing Alak as a "pretender" and "usurper," then attacked the party.

The combat proved deadly but brief. Nadira's concentrated fire spells dealt significant damage, William defended methodically while counterattacking, Theo's sorcery focused on lowering the wights' saves before unleashing damaging spells, and Alak's blade struck with lethal precision. The wights were defeated in a single round, destroyed utterly by the party's coordinated assault.

After the combat, Alak expressed bitter sorrow, recognizing that the lictors had let death twist them from judges into executioners—a betrayal of everything they had sworn to uphold. He acknowledged the party's mercy in ending their torment.

The party then discovered a necromantic ward maintaining the sepulcher's bindings. Theo attempted to dispel the magic twice but failed. Nadira invoked her divine authority, channeling Sarenrae's sunlight through a Dispel Magic that shattered the ancient runes and freed the restless dead of the entire citadel from their binding enchantment.

With the citadel's conflicts resolved, the kobolds Pib and Zarf—who had fought alongside the party throughout—departed. William expressed gratitude for their courage, and Nadira encouraged them to work with the Bumblebrashers, emphasizing that strong friendships make communities stronger. The kobolds accepted the praise and encouragement, departing with newfound purpose.

The party then entered a mysterious tunnel that had been shaped through transmutation magic, walking nearly a mile through absolute darkness before emerging in the storage room of the Pickled Ear tavern in Breachill. There they encountered Falwan, the halfling investigator, who had been tracking the connections between Voz Lirayne, the Scarlet Triad, and the secret passage.

Falwan revealed that Voz Lirayne—proprietor of the Reliant Book Company and employer of the now-arrested Calmont—was far more than a simple shopkeeper. Through her investigation, Falwan discovered:

Voz's history prior to arriving in Breachill five years ago is difficult to trace
She vanished immediately after Calmont's arrest, using the secret tunnel frequently for unknown purposes
She had been paying Roxie Denn to keep quiet about her movements
She is connected to the Scarlet Triad, slavers from Katapesh
She is interested in "Alseta's Ring," an ancient network of elven teleportation portals beneath Citadel Altaerein
She practices unorthodox magic, possibly including necromancy

Falwan also shared research Voz had been conducting into Breachill's true origins. According to Voz's notes (found partially burned in her fireplace):

The town's founder, Lamond Breachton, may not have been the benevolent savior of legend
He may have deliberately caused the settlers' memory loss as part of an experiment
The settlers were originally part of a settlement called "Paragon" before being "relocated" to Breachill
Breachton may have been conducting some form of social experiment

Falwan also revealed that Voz has been spotted heading toward Guardian's Way, an abandoned military outpost from the Goblinblood Wars. The location is now occupied by the Bloody Blades, a band of mercenaries led by a hobgoblin named Dmiri Yoltosha, who arrived recently and are turning away all visitors.

The party committed to pursuing Voz to Guardian's Way despite lacking formal council support. Falwan promised to continue her investigation in Breachill and to discreetly inform the council about the tunnel. She cautioned the party about the Bloody Blades' reputation for violence and warned them of the dangers of confronting necromancers.

Session Notes

Key events:

Defeated two Wight lictors in the Hall of Lictors; brief but violent combat
Nadira dispelled the necromantic ward, freeing all restless dead in the citadel
Pib and Zarf departed with encouragement to join the Bumblebrashers
Party emerged from secret tunnel in the Pickled Ear tavern in Breachill
Reunited with Falwan and received critical intelligence on Voz Lirayne's activities
Learned that Voz and the Scarlet Triad are connected to Alseta's Ring
Discovered Voz's research into Breachill's dark founding history

NPCs encountered:

Two Wight Lictors (defeated)
Pib and Zarf Bumblebasher (kobolds, departing allies)
Falwan (halfling investigator, ally)
Roxie Denn (tavern keeper, mentioned as paid informant)

Combat:

Two Wights fought in the Hall of Lictors; sophisticated undead warriors, called the party "pretenders"
Combat lasted one round; wights defeated decisively through coordinated magical and martial assault
No significant damage sustained (party had been healed before entering)

Party decisions:

Committed to pursuing Voz to Guardian's Way without formal council authorization
Agreed to allow Falwan to inform the council about the tunnel discreetly
Chose to continue investigating Breachill's founding history alongside the Voz/Triad threat

Unresolved threads:

Identity and purpose of the experiments Lamond Breachton conducted in Paragon
Full extent of Voz Lirayne's necromantic knowledge and current location
Dmiri Yoltosha and the Bloody Blades' involvement with Voz
Purpose of activating Alseta's Ring; potential threat posed by the Scarlet Triad gaining access
Relationship between the Scarlet Triad and the cult from Hellknight Hill

Rewards/loot:

Miscellaneous items sold for coin (torches, cookware, etc.)
Wand of Heal (60 gp value, usable 1/day)
Scrolls from the citadel

Post-Session Notes

The party is now transitioning from Hellknight Hill (Book 1) toward investigating threats from the Scarlet Triad and Voz Lirayne's agenda, which appear to connect to Book 2: Cult of Cinders
Falwan's investigations suggest multiple layers of conspiracy involving town history, slavery networks, and interdimensional travel
The party learned they are level 3-4 equivalent, now facing more sophisticated enemies (wights) and larger plot threads