Session 20

PCs (lvl 7): Thana, Terric, Tak

The Urikite army charges, clashing against the brave men and women of Tyr. The PCs do what they can to hold the line, but the Urikite are simply too many.

They face a monstrous braxat, a psionic, armored giant of terrible power, while at the same time leading their soldiers into battle against such overwhelming forces.

The PCs spot an elite troop of enemies breaking through the walls. They fight against a half-giant gladiator, but they have no more strength to stand against the magical attacks of the defiler bringing down the walls. As darkness takes them, they see the sun disappearing behind the horizon.

Night has come, and with it the spirits of the ancient dwarven kings and their dead legion pour forth from the ruins of Kemalok, slaughtering the invaders and routing them.

The battle is won, but at great cost; only a few hundreds of the Tyrian survived, and Thana lies dead on the field. The dwarves reward the PCs for their bravery by presenting them with gifts from ancient Kemalok.

The survivors return to Tyr, where they're hailed as heroes. But the horrors of the war are not easily forgotten. As the days turn into weeks, the PCs begin to feel the urge to leave these memories behind, and travel to new horizons.

Session 19

PCs (lvl 7): Tak, Thana, Terric, Gardain

The army of Tyr reaches the dwarven village of Kled, where the PCs meet with the village elder Barunus and his son Caelum, a priest of the sun. Seeing a valorous dwarf (Gardain) among their numbers, the elder decides to test the PCs, and send them to the excavation site of ancient Kemalok, the lost city of the darven kings.

The PCs enter the hallowed halls, and meet with the ghost of the kings of old. The spirit test the PCs in battle, and when they survive the encounter, they make a gift to Gardain: the Belt of Kings, an ancient artefact of a long lost age. They also tell the PCs that if their cause is just, the spirits will come to their help.

The day after, scouts report that the legions of Urik have surrounded Kled on all sides. Templar Ajan with his retinue approaches the walls of Kled to discuss the surrender of the Tyrian army. The PCs refuse, and take Ajan prisoner. Not far from the walls, huge clouds of dust gather: the Urikites are coming!

Session 18

PCs (lvl 6): Terric, Thana, Toruk

During one of their scouting rounds, the PCs finally come into contact with a Urikite warband. They engage the enemy, but are defeated. Toruk and Thana are captured, while Terric manages to escape.

Terric return to the Tyrian army to report, but Rikus is furious; he needed the PCs to find out about the enemy army's position and numbers, but they only managed to alert them of their presence.

Guilted by Rikus' words, Terric goes back to the Urikite camp, and follows the soldier's tracks until he finds the main body of the Urikite army. At least 10,000 men are arrayed in the desert, with kank cavalry, halfling troops, and war machines.

Exhausted, Terric reports back to Rikus, who is already marching along the road. Together with Sadira, Agis, and Neeva, he manages to persuade Rikus to retreat to the dwarven village of Kled, where they will at least have a water supply and maybe the help of the dwarven villagers.

In the meanwhile, Thana and Toruk are tortured and interrogated, but they do not share any information. After two days of imprisonment, they manage to escape, but they find themselves in the desert, lost and without any food nor water.

After a couple of days wandering in the desert, they are exhausted and near death. Thana contacts her dark patron, begging him for salvation. Her patron makes her promise she will travel to the lost city of Giustenal, to "become like me". She accepts, but this is not the only price to pay. "I can only save one of you... Blood is power... Blood is... life".

On that fateful night, she looks at the sleeping, dying shape of Toruk. She summons her mystical blade, brings its down on the half-giant's neck. And then Toruk's lifeblood soaks the unforgiving sands.

Session 17

PCs (lvl 6): Gardain, Terric, Thana, Toruk

The army of Tyr continues its march, with the PCs and their platoon scouting ahead of the main body of soldiers.

During the next few days, they slaughter a band of marauding gith, and meet with traders from Raam. The army of Urik is nowhere to be seen, and the PCs begin to wonder if they will have to travel to the very walls of Urik to face their enemy.

On a fateful night, the encampment is assaulted by elven raiders. The PCs rally their men around them, and manage to rout the elves. As the sun rises on the horizon, the PCs count their dead.

Session 16

PCs (lvl 6): Terric, Thana, Toruk, Gardain

The PCs try to find out who hired assassins to kill them, but when the trail goes cold they turn their attention back at the task of finding a scapegoat for Kalak's murder.

They find the perfect dupe in Girias, the inept templar with dreams of grandeur. King Tithian seems content with their choice, and makes sure the execution is performed without delay to silence the matter. The templar faction is unhappy with the outcome.

The army of Tyr musters outside the city walls. Gardain is promoted to lieutenant by Rikus, in charge of 200 men. The PCs try to organize their men as best they can, dealing with the day-to-day issues of handling such a large number of unruly individuals.

The army leaves Tyr, and begins its march. The PCs' platoon is assigned scouting duty, with Rikus making clear he wants them to report personally to him, as he does not trust the other commanders.

Session 15

PCs (lvl 6): Gardan, Thana, Terric, Toruk

Troubles in Tyr continue, as the PCs try to gather as much support as possible among the several squabbling factions.

The craftsmen are angry with the merchants for reaping most of the benefits of their hard work; their malcontent generates violence directed at the merchant's warehouses and offices. The PCs manage to calm down the crowd, earning the merchant's support in the form of supplies for the army.

The Council of Tyr demands an investigation to apprehend the "true" culprits behind Kalak's assassination. Knowning the truth all too well, Tithian enlists the PCs to conduct a token investigation, and to find the most convenient scapegoat. The PCs interview a few nobles, receiving several bribes in exchange for immunity.

One night, as the PCs return to their abodes, they're ambushed by sharp-shooters hiding on the rooftops of Tyr's Elven Quarter. Though heavily wounded in the attempt, the PCs manage to escape with their lives. Thana is knocked unconscious, and in her delirium she forges a pact with a mysterious creature with a dragon-like visage. When she awakes, she holds a metal necklace bearing the symbol of a three-headed dragon.

Having recovered from their wounds, the PCs walk the streets of Tyr, where they notice a charismatic man trying with his rethroic to sway the crowd against the current government of Tyr. The PCs approach the man, and succeed in silencing him without resorting to violence.

Session 14

Hasaval and Girias

PCs (lvl 5): Toruk, Terric, Thana.

The PCs return to House Tyrthani to offer their services to Senator Vildeen. The conversation moves on more dangerous grounds, when the PCs pretend to support the senator in a conspiracy to assassinate King Tithian. They obtain the full support of House Tyrthani, and then go to report to Agis about the traitorous intents of Vildeen. The nobleman is troubled by the turn of events, and recommends caution.

The PCs visit another noble family, the Minthur, who requires immediate service to secure their support. They want the PCs to cause severe damage to the farm of a rival noble House. Eager to obtain more man for the war effort, the PCs do not think twice about assaulting the farm, and burn it to the ground, making sure no lives are lost in the process.

Some time later, templar Hasaval approaches the PCs, seeking their support to raise fellow templar Girias to the rank of Commander of the Tyrian army. The PCs investigate the issue, rapidly realising that Girias is an incompetent fool. Hasaval only hoped to aquire power by manipulating the army's leadership. The PCs eventually leave the two templars to their own devices.

While returning to their abodes in the late evening, the PCs hear a couple of figures whispering in the shadows of a dark alley. When they approach, the two conspirators run in different directions. The PCs split up, and the chase begins. Toruk and Terric loose their quarry, but Thana manages to catch one of the runaways. She faces the man, but she soon discovers he's a spellcaster of remarkable power. The two fight and Thana is knocked unconscious. The last words she hears before darkness takes her are "we shall meet again on the field of battle..."

Session 13

Senator Vildeen

PCs (lvl 5): Gardain, Terric, Thana, Toruk

Thana is intrigued by the events surrounding Kalak's death. She tactfully approaches the leaders of the rebellion, and eventually learns that the former king was trying to perform a necromantic ritual that would have transformed him into a "dragon". One of the main components of this ritual are perfectly smooth obsidian spheres, and the souls of thousands of sentient humanoids. 

During the next few weeks, Thana travels back to Nibenay to report to her superiors, who assign her the task of gaining the trust of the Veiled Alliance in Tyr, to unmask their leader and find out more details about the ritual.

Agis sends the PCs to the Tyrthani estate, to try and convince the noble patron of the house to send more soldiers for the war effort. The support of Senator Vildeen of Tyrthani has been less than enthusiastic, and he could easily muster 100 soldiers, instead of the meager 20 he has provided.

The meeting with the Senator does not go very well, but in the end Vildeen agrees to send more soldiers if the "payment" is right. He either wants gold enough to buy 10 steel swords, or he wants the PCs to perform a service for him, whenever he calls upon them. The PCs leave the estate and take some time to decide how to better gain the Senator's favour.

More trouble is growing in the arena, as several gladiators push to leave Tyr and fight the Urikites sooner than later. Toruk challenges the leader of the hot-headed gladiators and beats him into submission. The remaining gladiators follow Toruk's advise to wait until the army of Tyr is ready to march. 

Session 12

PCs (lvl 5): Gardain, Terric, Toruk

The Tyrant of Tyr is dead, and all the slaves are now free. And hungry, and homeless, and with no future. The mob rapidly turns to looting, as the remaining templars and guards barricade themselves in the Golden Tower to avoid the onslaught.

The PCs do what they can to stop the looting and the rioting, eventually earning the respect of both the free citizens and the new leadership of the city. During the next few months, they find their place in Tyrian society, earning the patronage of several of the Heroes that brought down Kalak, among them the gladiator Rikus, the noble Agis, and the sorceress Sadira. 

The fields are tended, the iron mines are re-opened, and the arena is used as a open market for all who want to trade in peace. King Tithian is amenable to most of the reforms his counsellor bring to him, earning the love of his citizens. But things are about to change.

During one of the Council meetings, Tithian brings forth a scroll containing dark news; his spies in the city or Urik report of a great army marching on Tyr, sent from King Hamanu to conquer the city. Lacking the fearsome arcane and psionic powers of the former king, Tithian turns to the Heroes of the rebellion to muster an army to defend Tyr.