Here is the second journal from our Known World mini-campaign. This is from Todd. Despite the re-imagining of the module, there are certainly spoilers for N4 Treasure Hunt below. As always, my GM comments are in [italics and brackets].
Demenos said that there is a Temple of the Twelve nearby, where we can rest. As we walked in the rain, Demenos told us a little about his history. He has been alone on this island for 50 years or so (which explained a lot about his mental state of mind). Recently, two separate groups, some orcs led by a necromancer; and some pirates, had arrived looking for Demenos’ king’s treasure. He assured us it was very well hidden.
We arrived at the temple and were glad to be out of the rain. Any designs showing that the temple honored The Twelve, had been defaced. With Erica providing magical light, we moved into the main sanctuary. All of the pews had been hacked into pieces. Demenos used the wood to get a fire going. We laid Moe in the driest corner we could find. Erica and Mick went to see if they could find some rats, to eat and bowls to hold the rain water, for drinking. Demenos provided directions to the kitchen. While they were away, I searched around the altar and walls for secrets. Meanwhile, Demenos poked and prodded and sat on Moe.
Erica and Mick found a store room, but all of the food was ruined from both age and rats. There was nothing to be found in the kitchen either. Before long, they came back empty handed. We were all so exhausted that we just about collapsed where we stood. I tried to stay awake as long as I could, but I gave in to sleep very quickly.
Something dripping on Moe woke him up. The fire had gone out. He heard something land on the floor near him. He woke Mick and Erica and I woke to sounds of fighting. Erica provided light so we could see the creature we were fighting, a ghoul.
Its touch was paralyzing. Demenos ran from the sanctuary screaming. The ghoul was finally dispatched. Erica tried to do heal us with her magic, but she was too tired still. She dropped her light spell and we all started to prepare to sleep again. In the darkness, we were attacked again, two more ghouls dropped down. It was amazing that we survived.
Demenos came screaming back into the sanctuary with half a dozen skeletons hot on his heels. We destroyed the skeletons and Demenos got another fire going. As he did so, Erica healed those who had been injured in the fight and we all fell asleep again.
In the morning, Erica told us of a vision she had during the night…a vision of a tall, naked, green haired woman. The woman was very angry to have a priestess of the Twelve on her island. She gave Erica one day to leave or she would destroy everything.
[Actually, the “woman” spoke quite a bit on a number of things. She seemed to indicate that the Twelve were not quite as good as Erica believed them to be. She spoke of Erica’s people coming to the island and killing her people and of the grave offenses committed against her, including the construction of the temple upon this most holy of sites.
The “woman” told Erica that she would destroy the island in one day (regardless of Erica’s presence). Erica was told to go and leave and spread the word that the times were a-changing and to warn the Twelve that they (presumably referring to herself and others like her) were coming back.]
Demenos denied knowing anything about the woman. Though, he was adamant about not talking about her. [It was pretty obvious that he knew something about her but the topic wasn’t really pushed.] He caught us some rats to eat. He also told us about a boat under the palace, that we could use to leave the island. We would have to get past the orcs and the pirates to get to the boat. Seeing as we were very ill-equipped for combat, we went back to the area where we first found Demenos. The orcs’ armor was too large, but we were able to retrieve some scimitars.
We headed back towards the palace. I shape changed into a hawk to scout the palace and surrounding area. The palace was an area of contention between the orcs and pirates. As I flew back to my companions, I noticed a group of pirates moving in the general direction of our party. Mick came up with a plan to ambush the pirates, which was not what Demenos had in mind.
[Niccolo’s scouting also showed him that the two forces on the island were not small. There were dozens of ships on each side and rather large forces encamped both by the beaches with the ships and in two other locations. The pirates also held the old barracks while the necromancer’s forces held the old stables. Pirates also seemed to be walking around what was probably the old village that Demenos had told them about. Hopefully, the PCs all understand that a straight up fight with either force is probably a death sentence for them.]
As the pirates approached, Demenos went up a hill and tried to start a conversation with them. As I crested the top of a different hill, Demenos took off running from the pirates. As they started to go after Demenos, a couple of pirates saw me, and broke off to come after me. I fired some shards of rock from my hands. Mick, Erica and Moe came up from their hiding places and attacked the pirates. Demenos took off running again, after seeing me use magic.
After we killed the pirates, we robbed them of their clothes, guns and swords. Demenos reluctantly rejoined the group but not before threatening me with a gun, and requiring me to walk in front of him.
[Demenos has been on the island for close to sixty years. The Empire has changed quite a bit in that time and has declined significantly. For a long time, magic was outlawed in the Empire and was considered deviltry. Demenos, apparently, still believed that and repeatedly pointed out to the others that Niccolo was a demon-worshipper. They tried to argue about it with him but without too much success. Demenos, it seems, is starting to not trust the party quite as much as he seemed to previously. Hmm…]
When we got close to the palace, Demenos showed us a gully that would allow us to get within about thirty feet of a window without being seen. Against Demenos’ wishes, I turned into a muskrat to scout the palace.
There were skeletons along the wall near the gully. They did not pay any attention to my muskrat form. I gained entry into the room, which appeared to be used as a storeroom. Coming back outside, I went around the right corner of the palace, and saw the pirates were set up to repel any orcs from my direction. I went back to the gully, changed back to me, and told the others what I had seen.
[Demenos had explained that the palace was a sort of battleground between the two sets of forces. Each controlled one side of the h-shaped building. All but one of the windows in the palace still have bars and the one window, as Demenos pointed out, was the one closest to the gully. Since they had to get to the secret entrance to the catacombs below the palace, they could either fight their way in or try to sneak in.
As Niccolo had seen while scouting as a hawk, the skeletons were along one side of the palace (not too far from the window). Orcs guarded what looked to be a front door on one arm of the “H” while pirates had sort of fortified and guarded the area in front of another door on the opposite “leg” of the building.
We stopped for the night with the PCs trying to figure out exactly how they might get inside without attracting the attention of the skeletons.]
