Disposable Heroes

Summary

This chapter begins where The Risen Shadow left off, for all information leading up to the events of this chapter see the chapter summary there.

Let me know if I leave anything important out.

Session 1: 12/21/2008

• Descending Water 24
  • Phoenix travels with his followers from the far east to investigate rumors of Deathlords in the Scavenger Lands. As they approach Great Forks they spot smoke in the distance, the crew is urged to stop and Phoenix leaps at the chance to investigate. Phoenix discovers a smoldering and destroyed village with few remaining bodies and few clues, continues to Great Forks.
  • Husk has arrived in the Scavenger Lands after the urging of his warstrider 'Penance', and stumbled across a village under the terror of a demon. He defeats the demon, and during his stay there finds a young boy, Godfried.
  • The boy, Godfried, says his village was destroyed by 'The Chaos' and that he ran here. Husk discovers that the boys village is more than a week away. Husk decides to head to Great Forks to further investigate the matter and takes Godfried back with him.
  • Sarefine has been tending to Aktuelle's Temple during his absence when she begins to here rumors of destroyed villages, and decides to investigate the villages themselves. She finds each village destroyed and burned with no signs of any survivors, her efforts to track the force causing the damages lead to dead ends.
  • As fate would have it as Phoenix left the city he passed by Husk, the outgoing Phoenix asked if Husk knew the way to Thorns. Obviously intrigued they struck up conversation and before long it was settled that they would stay in Great Forks for the time being to seek more information and resources to help the people of the land and fight the Deathlords.
  • Not long after their arrival they found themselves entering Aktuelle's Temple, Sarefine immediately recognized that she had rather important guests. Before long the three of them had agreed to help investigate the strange attacks on the surrounding villages.
  • Sarefine and Phoenix visited several local taverns in search of more information but found no survivors of the village attacks, and ended up doing more recruiting for the Unconquered Sun than information gathering. Some information was gained from a local hunter, that the attacks happened at night and that the number of people with in the village didn't seem consistent with the number that entered and exited them.
  • Husk meanwhile visited several temples in search of answers about Godfried and other information. It was confirmed that Godfried was in fact a God-Blood and that a form of instant transportation was not completely impossible. A visit to the Immaculate temple did not gain much direct information, but Husk was able to convince the Abbot to investigate the village to the South. He also learned that General Blood Linnet, Ministry of Military started an investigation into the attacks.
• Descending Water 25
  • Husk and Sarefine meet with General Linnet under the guise of being mercenaries, she reveals to them that the Great Forks military is increasing patrols in the area in an attempt to prevent further attacks. They are also investigating the matter to the best of their current capacity, Husk suggests that they investigate the western village and that all three parties can share information.
  • Husk, Sarefine, Phoenix set out for the eastern village accompanied by Phoenix's scout and squire, Godfried, and a local man who claims to frequent the area. Arrive in the eastern village near nightfall and begin their investigation.
  • Most of the group begins to investigate the boy's mysterious escape, meanwhile Husk and the scout discover a strange ring around the town. A bit of digging soon reveals a terrifying sight as two Spine Chains are uncovered and attack. The rest of the group rushes back and the Spine Chains are defeated without any great damage to the group.
• Descending Water 26
  • The group works together to investigate the village a final time, and with the light of day they discover a lone skeleton in one of the collapsed homes. It is determined that the skeleton is of undead origins which offers solutions to many of the groups questions.
  • Smoke is spotted in the distance and Husk, Sarefine, and Phoenix take the remaining mounts to hurry to the source. Not surprisingly they discover another village destroyed and smoldering, the only signs are a set of tracks headed away from the village. The group hurries in pursuit, splitting directions as they come across a well traveled but eventually all joining together in a chase that seems to lose the trail of the group.
  • With no further leads the group is forced to guess at the next target, hoping that new information will help them save the next village. Sarefine and Phonenix head to the South-West village near Great Forks where the group predicts the next attack will be, while Husk and the others return to Great Forks. Husk is to meet with the Abbot and General Blood to discuss findings and strategy on D.W. 28.
• 4 Experience Awarded

Session 2: 1/24/2009

• Descending Water 25
  • Before Fury can join the Great Hunt of the tribe, he receives word from Arellious that his tribe is being threatened from a foreign tribe recent to the area, must return immediately. Remus takes Fury's place among the barbarians and Raygar and Lazarus follow behind at a safe distance.
  • Arkanian leaves the group to go into Walker's Realm to look ahead.
• Descending Water 26
  • Sarefine and Phoenix go to the south-west village to start preparing it for predicted attack.
  • Husk returns to Aktuelles temple in Great Forks.
• Descending Water 27
  • Husk visits one of the three temples, seeking a visit with the high priest of the city. They eventually allow him to visit with a lower priest, Husk tells him that he fears for the safety of Great Forks. Says that the high priest must tell the people that they must cooperate in order to resolve the matter. The priest doesn't know what he is talking about, and says Husk cannot just speak to the high priest. They don't want to spread panic among the citizens.
  • Phoenix and Sarefine arrive in the south-west village which is unharmed and appears to be normal. Phoenix alerts the people they could be in danger, but they say they cannot stop working. A few people helpt set baricades, but most are too busy working.
  • When the elder returns he is displeased at what he sees, however since Phoenix and Sarefine say they were sent by Great Forks he does not argue against them greatly.
  • The night passes without trouble, though Phoenix, Sarefine and several villagers stand guard.
• Descending Water 28
  • In the morning Phoenix and Sarefine split up to search for any nearby villages that might have been attacked during the night. Neither finds any signs of the Chaos or any nearby villages attacked last night.
  • Husk meets with General Blood Linnet: Blood Linnet says she had the resources from Great Forks to hire two mercenary companies to protect the surrounding villages, permanent troops protect the city of Great Forks itself. She offers Husk one of these contracts, but he says that they will work for free so that two more companies can be hired. One mercenary company will head west to protect the villages there, the other will travel north across the river to protect villages there. Declares their mercenary group the Undying Phoenix's.
  • Phoenix and Sarefine try to put together a small force from within the village to back their claim and help them fight; offer 4 Dinar for a week's worth of work to go to other villages and protect them. The town seems resistant to leave their own village, but 5 men accept.
  • Husk meets with the Abbot: The Abbot has little new information, but also suspects that their is an undead or anathema presence. Further evidence suggests that an anathema may be in the small village to the south-west, will send a monk to investigate whenever possible. 3 monks have already been sent to investigate far away lands, 2 monks went north across the river and 1 monk east across the river to look for more information.
  • Husk departs from Great Forks, taking Godfried with him to the south-west village. Will arrive late on DW 28, around 10pm.

• Experience Awarded: 4

Session 3: 2/13/2009

• Descending Water 28
  • Phoenix calls the attention of the village, argues with the leader and then declares that the Unconquered Sun has sent him and that this is his town now.
  • Sarefine hears the barbarians sneaking up on the city and rallies the townspeople to lead them against the barbarians. The barbarians carried in a huge bone coffin that is dropped and broken during combat, along with a flash of essence from a figure on a nearby hill hungry ghosts and reanimated skelatons suddenly emerge from the box and join in the combat. The battle is won with little damage to the group of the villagers and the village has only minimal damage.
  • Godfried is sent back to Great Forks before the battle begins.
• Ascending Earth 1
  • Investigate the hill the figures were seen on, find a set of tracks. Phoenix follows the tracks and Sarefine and Husk return to Hamwood.
  • Sarefine heads back to Great Forks to check on Godfried and other things, leaving the box for an occult specialist to be sent by General Linnet. Husk stays in the village and helps them rebuild.
  • Phoenix follows the tracks to a well, where the tracks die. Thinks it might be a shadowland. Returns that night with Husk, no shadowland but after falling into the well Phoenix realizes that necromancy might have been used to summon a portal to the underworld.
  • People of the village gain intimacy to worship the Unconquered Sun due to Phoenix's conversion.
• Ascending Earth 2
  • The Abbot and several monks along with some help from Great Forks is expected before nightfall in Hamwood, Husk and Phoenix decide they should leave before the Abbot arrives and leave for Great Forks. Avoid main roads.
  • Sarefine meets with Blood Linnet to give report from Undying Phoenix's and learns that the Abbot is going to investigate the village, waiting for word back from him before they make a move. Protection of Great Forks has been raised already.
• Ascending Earth 3
  • Husk and Sarefine summoned to Blood Linnet's office at once. Come into a war council of sorts with other mercnary commanders. General Linnet tells them that the mercanary company sent north (25+ men) was wiped out on a battle field, reported by monks sent north. General Linnet would like to hire a larger force to go north, track and destroy the army that wiped the other company out.
  • Husk volunteers the Undying Phoenix's for the job, saying they will do it for the cost of supplies. Other companies scoff at the idea of not being paid for the job. Another company will be hired depending on what the Abbot finds in the village, likely won't be able to reinforce the Undying Phoenix's.
  • Group decides to go north just the 3 of them, no troops and leave Godfried behind.

• Experience Awarded: 4

Session 4: 3/20/2009

• Ascending Earth 3
  • Rethink their plan to leave for the north, decide to hire and air spirit to send a message to Fury who's tribe is in the area. Bargain 1 month of prayer from Aktuelles Temple towards the air spirit for sending a message and bringing Fury's response. Message from Sarefine and response from Fury.
• Ascending Earth 4
  • Message sent to Fury in the morning, response received that night.
  • When they return to the temple, a messenger awaits them from Blood Linnet. Letter from Linnet to Husk. Group lays low until it is time to leave.
  • Sarefine checks map for Falcon's Watch location, wait for morning to leave.
• Ascending Earth 5
  • Depart for Falcon's Watch in the morning, make camp that night. Will arrive midday AE 6.
• Ascending Earth 6
  • Briefly lost under Sarefine's direction, Husk guides them to Falcon's Watch and arrive in the evening.
  • Fury arrives at nightfall: Tells of a growing force that is traveling south, not directly towards Great Forks, is recruiting further barbarians along their way to continue to grow. Most won't listen to Fury's warning, group decides they will try to warn the tribes not to join the force. Fury says he won't kill them if they surrender and join his tribe or leave the territory.
  • Group leaves immediately to try to catch up with the force, get ahead of them and warn possible tribes. Send Phoenix ahead on Simhatta to convince people not to join the army.
• Ascending Earth 7
  • Phoenix crosses the Yellow River in the morning, continues west down the Yanaze River searching for tribes.
  • Comes across a small tribe, warns of madmen coming to slaughter everyone. Phoenix tries to convince the leader to leave the land or join Phoenix's army. Leader asks Phoenix to stay and fight and defend their territory with them, Phoenix goes to find more tribes and says he'll be back.
  • Come across a larger clearing just before nightfall, much larger tribe that seems to be in the middle of a gathering. A notable large man seems to be holding the meeting and talking to the tribesmen gathered around him. Phoenix calls the man unclean after confessing he doesn't worship the Unconquered Sun. The two argue, calling one another anathema which stirs the tribe which seems to have some loyalty to the man, Phoenix challenges him to battle and flairs his anima. The tribe starts to panic but before battle breaks out another anima flairs nearby, the same as on the hill in Hamwood, skeletal hands burst from the ground and grasp hold of the villagers and Phoenix. The man and the source of the anima flee and disappear while Phoenix helps the tribesmen escape the hands.
  • Sarefine and Husk cross the Yellow River at midday, search as they move down the Yanaze. Find remenents of burned boats used to cross the river and a path leading south through the woods. Come across an abandoned camp, determine they are about a day or day and a half behind the group they are following. Further signs that it is most likely a group of barbarians. Continue to track, come to rest at nightfall.

• Experience Awarded: 4

Session 5: 3/24/2009

• Ascending Earth 7
  • Phoenix helps the tribesmen escape the skeleton hands from the ground, then tells off the village elder and tells him to leave the territory, Phoenix goes to camp for the night.
• Ascending Earth 8
  • Husk and Sarefine make haste towards the river, sensing impending rain. Receive a message from Blood Linnet along the way, wait to respond. Follow the path to the riverbank, discover the remains of what looks like where a large force departed onto the river. Approximately 200-500 people. Send messages to Blood Linnet and Phoenix telling situation and location before swimming across the river.
  • Phoenix tracks the two that left the camp the night before, swims across the river after them but finds evidence that they crossed back once he gets there. Decides to rest before swimming back, receives message from Husk and Sarefine, travels south to meet them.
  • Sarefine and Husk look for tracks once across the river, find some boat landings but not much and instead move north to track an odd source of light.
  • Group reunites along the banks of the Yanaze, dicuss plans and results. Can Blood Linnet spare any more troops to deal with this army? Swim back across river in the morning to track the necromancers.
• Ascending Earth 9
  • Rain the next morning makes the river too difficult to swim, instead follow set of tracks discovered around midday. Follow tracks until word comes back from Linnet, cannot send another army. Send out messages for help, the Abbot and Arellious. No response from the Abbot, Arellious says he is in the area working with a mercenary group tracking an army moving east. Meet him at Old Faithful landmark.
  • Meet up and discuss all that has gone on. Decide to go back to the mercenary army and stop groups from meeting up and forming one large force. Try to convince them to disperse, but realize they may not be able so.
  • Arellious goes into commander tent to speak with leaders, meanwhile Sarefine and Husk find food and Phoenix starts to preach to the company. Phoenix is talked down before commander grows too angry, Arellious tells Sarefine that Remus sent word the two armies have merged. Mercenary company will meet them tomorrow, hope to disperse as many as possible but ready for war.
  • Make and discuss battle strategy.

• Experience Awarded: 4

Session 6: 4/26/2009

• Ascending Earth 10
  • Arrive at the battlefield at sunset and put the plan into motion, discover that the barbarians are making camp in a shadowland.
  • The group of exalts runs their calvary charge through the barbarian force and for the apparent location of the necromancers. Charge through successfully, encounter Gildor along with undead creatures to slow them down. Remus disperses a portion of the barbarian horde, Ganryoku organizes what is left of them into a force to fight The Third.
  • Necromancer summons a horde of skelatons from the shadowlands before Husk is able to stop her.
  • Husk dispatches the Necromancer while Phoenix, Sarefine, Raygar, and Arellious get rid of Gildor and the creatures.
  • Husk and Phoenix stay to fight the skelaton horde while Sarefine, Raygar, and Arellious join Remus and the mercanaries fighting against the barbarians.
  • Fury and his horde of barbarians appear on the hilltop, charge into battle and fight with the mercanries against the Ganryoku led barbarian army.
  • Husk and Phoenix destroy the skelatons then join the man battle with the barbarian horde.
  • The mercanries, barbarians, and exalts finally bring down Ganryoku and his army. Ganryoku is killed as well as many of the barbarians that fought with him. Heavy casualties on all sides, but many survived and will be given the chance to return home or join Fury's tribe.
• Ascending Earth 11
  • What remains of The Thrid begins their trek back to Great Forks along with the group.
• Ascending Earth 12
  • Arrive back in Great Forks around midday. Guardian and The Thrid return to their HQ and go to report to Blood Linnet.
  • Raygar, Remus, Arellious, Sarefine, and Husk return to Aktuelles Temple to rest and decide where they need to go next.
  • Phoenix is given direction towards Thorns, his orginal destination, in an attempt to go and defeat The Mask of Winters.
  • Husk asks Arellious to show him where the blip on Penance leads. Arellious believes he knows the location, agrees to show him the way and asks for Sarefine to come along as well.

• Experience Awarded: 5

Characters

Player Characters

• Arellious Kalar (Dragon-Blooded, Air Aspect) - Tony
• Husk - (Solar Exalt, Zenith Caste) - Dan H
• Lazarus (Solar Exalt, Dawn Caste) - Drue
• Ledaal Sarefine (Dragon-Blooded, Fire Aspect) - Brian
• Steel Heart's Fury (Lunar, Changing Moon Caste) - Dan K
• Undying Phoenix - (Solar Exalt, Zenith Caste) - Dan K
• Whispers From Beyond (Abyssal Exalt, Day Caste) - Tony

Storyteller Characters

Solar Exalts

• Remus

Sidereal Exalts

• Phaeron Briggs

Terrestrial Exalts

• Mayhiros Raygar

Others

• Ganryokau
• General Blood Linnet
• Gildor Belmont
• Maevina Bloodrose
• The Last Ascending Guardian