The Heretics of Thuzuul
| Current Campaign: The Thuzuulan Heresy | |
| Episode 1: "The Heretics of Thuzuul" | |
| Location: Kandorr, Kel Kozadd | |
| PCs: | |
| NPCs: | |
| Next Episode: "Gathering Gloom/The Lofty Corsairs" | |
| Next Campaign: The Knights of Eaton | |
A group of plunderers explore the ruins of temple once devoted to a heretical archmage.
Story
Act One: A Resolve to Plunder
This evening in Kandorr Flanagan of Osgud was on a roll at the Happy Boar; he was carousing for most of the evening and as the hearth fire burns late into the night he regales those present with tales of glory and wealth for the taking. It is whispered among the followers of Kalamir that a secret war recently erupted against the church of Yllion and the heresiarchs Thuzuul and his archmage Balo, and that a cavern temple devoted to Thuzuul outside the city of Dunbro was raided by Kalamiran paladins, who massacred all the priests. The zealous Kalamirans refused to touch the wealth at the temple, and they burned it all down.
One priest of that temple survived the attack and fled to Larkos, but was captured by soldiers and was being held until he could be transferred to the Paladins of Kalamir. Flannagan, who was recently imprisoned for public intoxication, spent a few days as this priest's cellmate and gained his confidence. The priest confessed that he hid within a secret passage beneath the temple that led to an extensive series of catacombs. The next day the priest was transferred to the Kalamiran authority, who executed him.
The assembled adventurers agree to travel out to the burned temple and verify it existence and, if indeed it exists, to plunder its hidden wealth.
Act Two: Dangerous Visions
That week they charter a boat to Larkos and spend a few days there, purchasing travel gear and kit for potential spelunking. During this momentary pause in their journey Joshua and Magnus visit a Quercushite seer, an old woman, and Joshua asks if he is destined to hold his father's sword again; she answers, "Yes, I see in the thread of your life you shall hold the sword again." Magnus asks the seer what she can perceive about the burned temple or the heretic priests and she goes into a trance. She whispers, "he sees you!" before her body is wracked by violent spasms and she dies. They leave the port city that week and make their way to Loth.
Halfway into their journey, outside of Crowten, the group is ambushed by the high priest Grutek and warrior acolytes of the Thuzuulan Heresy who are privy to their plundering ambitions. Although they are outnumbered the group makes a valiant stand; Gavin Karthos, Magnus and Marius are killed in the struggle and the others flee into the forests, north to Loth.
Weeks later the survivors, lost and desperate for supplies, stumble onto an Inyaré encampment on Lake Delyn. They are welcomed and given relief and during their short stay with the Inyaré they reveal the details and purpose of their journey. The Inyaré chief indicates that two of his own hunters who left a week ago for that area have not yet returned, and he assigns two of his fellow tribesmen to accompany the group on their journey: Bearclaw and Beowulf, a warrior and a mage.
Act Three: The Binding of Balo
The group travels to the sparsely populated Northern Regard and there they find the charred framework of the old temple. They secure the area, set a watch and camp for the evening outside the ruins. The next morning they are attacked by the acolytes, who have brought reinforcements: Belosian Firelords. The group fends off the attack while Flannagan and Beowulf run into the temple's secret passage to find an escape route for their companions. The skirmish lasts for some time until the group falls back into the passage too.
Flanagan and Beowulf stumble on the hiding place of the arch-mage Balo, who has been kidnapping passerby and sacrificing their life force to heal and strengthen himself; he has sacrificed the Inyare hunters and it has only increased his power. He murders Beowulf and wounds Flanagan and as he closes in on the kill he is thwarted by the rest of the party, who attack him en masse. Balo is beat back to the sacrificial altar and the wounded Flanagan traps him in his own device: a magical ruby gemstone set in a pendant. With the pendant, Flanagan is able to weaken the magical power of the battle-weary acolytes and the group rushes out of the hidden passage and kills them all. Afterward they pack all the wealth they can carry and slowly make their way back to Larkos.
Meta
Notes
I can't remember exactly when it all started, but I know it was the Fall term of 1991. Alex had a lot to do with starting our gaming group; he introduced me to Damian and both of them were keen on putting a crew together. We all gathered in Damian's room on 1st floor Rapides and held marathon gaming sessions. Alex ran the first couple of games and then we swapped places.
- I was rooming with James Tarbutton at that time.