Lars Boheme may have set Tatiana Mendhik up for kidnapping unwittingly, but the forces that kidnapped her, were not without whit, and while the effort to save her has not paid off as of yet. The generous offers of tens of thousands of silver offered to various Crusaders to the House of Stone, have yet to produce either the Princess Tatiana, nor her kidnappers.
The Ramagen Forces under Sir Sedelicious of the Ramagen Winged Hussars, nor the Mercenary Company of the Rose of Arkhen led by Lord Beaumont of Somme, both journeyed to Damilon where she was suspected to have been taken to the large frontier town of Zlotoryja, ruled by the Wotonic Monk covert, Baron Fernis 'BlueBeard' Auslaw. They met up with a Templar order presentative, the Grand Knight Father Wolfgang Vonegurt, there to help provide a guiding hand to the Northern Crusade. A Master of the Wotonic Order, the Summa Marshal Wisimar Scanamander. With a combined force of over 200 battle hardened warriors they traveled up the Damilon River to the last bastion of Arkhen Civilization and the borders of the Infamous Red Forest.
The ruler, Baron Auslaw, was thought of well by the Order, a local noble of Duranese heritage who had shown himself a loyal member of the new order by naming several traitors of the corrupt old regime and always paying his tithe on time. He didn’t mind taking the strict bonds of chastity having been widowed four times he said he was content to rule justly in Arkhen’s name. He was a loyal but reclusive Allie.
As they came up to this last bastion of sanity, they herd the clash of arms, cries of women and children, the roars of wild animals, and saw the blazes of a burning city reflected in the sky, they knew before passing around the bend that the city was in mortal peril.
As the docks of the island came into view they saw town folk running towards boats on the dock, a pitiful number of Militia attempting to fend off packs of dire wolves, and many more dire badgers(?!). The heroes recognized that docking their large vessel’s would take way too long and took smaller launches with a couple picked men. As they got closer their realized that the assailants were not natural animals but some form of Barbaric Carrin tribesmen who could straddle the line between man and beast. They would shift form to communicate or when proper hands were needed, but in battle assumed the form of full on beast.
These beast men were quick, but fur is not chain or plate, and claws and teeth cannot match steel swords. They slew many Beast Men, and the Marshall Demonstrated his Metatron power and commanded them to flee into a fast running river. Their Great Dire Gator witch leader and Giant Cat Father were no match for the Heroes. The Witch Fled, and their War Chief captured by Beaumont’s expert shot with a trick arrow.
But this was not the only threat they faced. Looters and Brigands had taken advantage of the situation, but they did not even have the courage of the Beast Men and soon folded, many surrendering after a few examples of the futility of a fight. The third challengers fought with more rigor, a fanatic group of barbarian Carrins decorated in human and animal bone armor called the Reborn, members of the Dog’s Howl, had cornered a group of young women, but as they clustered at the Statue of St. Brigid, a local Saint of the Manichean branch of Arkhen, worshipped exclusively on the Island of Whight, a purple mist befuddled and kept them at bay. They were caught more or less unaware and when their leaders fell, the rest surrendered or fled. Few got away.
They learned from the women of the St. Brigid’s Square, who were apparently some 'coven of midwife monks', and insisted they were not Nuns. Clearly some kind of heresy that Marshall Scaramander must sort out at a later date. But they spoke of a terrible curse that had taken hold of the Castle and they feared the Blue Beard and his men had been subsumed. The castle is where this terrible curse originated from. A statue of the Baron blocked the bridge to his Castle, a strange blue flame on his head that cast terrible bolts of lightning to all those who attempted passing. They knew of one woman who could help…Thelma the Pure, a self declared Wotonic Monk of the White Cloaks, she travels the borderlands destroying undead and malicious Carrin heathen cults that are harm the innocent, along with her friend the a Bishop named Father Andros of the Sienfest. They understood this curse the best, and she was going to deal with it, but terrible monsters attacked people in the poor quarter, strange lizard chickens with a toxic breath that turned people to stone... these were the Cockatrice, and they were numerous and led by the dreaded Spirit Rooster.
They journeyed next into the poor quarter where there was an ominous clucking echoing
around every bend, and people half petrified, some dead, some dying for the petrification was not perfect, so they were mutilated and partially fleshy horrors mixed with stones. One home where the foul Cockatrices were particularly interested had a busted door, but a barrier of White Powder holding the demonic creatures at bay. The birds attacked the party, and they discovered that the toxic clouds could be resisted, and their love Arkhen would aid them. Still the creatures were a fearsome order of fowl, and the great Spirit Rooster came close to badly injuring several crusaders, but in the end the heros swept them aside.
In the house was Thelma the Pure, who Scaramander remembered fondly, but had not realized that she had lived through the test of the Leap of Faith. She was still a devoted member of the order, despite taking up the sword, which is forbiden to the softer sex. But it appears that God had other plans for her. She explained that the Baron Fenris 'Blue Beard' Auslaw, had a terrible habit of murdering his wives when they got to close to him, he felt vulnerable so he put them on meat hooks in a secret chamber under his grand hall of his Tower Bira-Boro. He had done this to six wives, but his seventh wife Lucretia was approached by her Lady in Waiting, Danzanig, who was a Witch from the Feathered Children. She was shown the horrors of what had befallen the previous wives, she agreed to summon a terrible curse from the Rampoola using a Clay head of Blue Beard. She would take vengeance on not just Blue Beard, but all of his realm for their many pass sins against the people of the Red Forest, for his people were deforesting the trees, murdering all the game, and killing looting all the Carrin settlements, selling the prisoners to slave traders of Cove.
She switched places with a Vampire Priestess D'Scorpia, summoned by the Carrin Nation known as the Feathered Children. A Carrin Religious Matriarchy built around the Worship of a Dragon Known as the Rainbow Serpent. They had a secret city in the Mountains but had avoided conflicts with the Monks, and it was unclear why they were involved now. The answer was likely to be found in Bira-Boro.
Thelma extinguished the Blue flame, as the spirit would not harm a righteous woman, and the fire could be doused with Essential Water (Holy Water). Breaking into the castle they found the men at arms and other servants massacred apparently by each other, as if in a bloody berserk frenzy. Danazig greeted them in the Great Halll of Bira-Boro, and she explained that the exploitation and extermination of the Carrins of the Red Forest justified their extreme measures, but they did not hold the Ramagen or Templar at any issue, and those of Cove exploited the situation but had not instigated it. But even these transgressions against the people of the Rd Forest were not enough for them to make war against the Wotonic Monks, they did this as part of an obligation to assist their god, the Rainbow Serpent from which all life in their valley flowed.
Her egg had been stollen by the Goblym Demon Prince Maglubiyet who demanded a High Elf Princess as ransom as he was owed Theo promise as payment from the Forgotten War. They had originally sent Golden Bird, a Princess of the Sylvan who had been staying with them, but the Demon Prince killed her and his high priest danced in her skin to mock them and demand a High Elf bride. Wood Elves were not good enough. Shadow Watch said they could obtain a High Elf Princess but they would need to reap vengeance on behalf of the Red Forest people who had seen some 5,000 taken as slaves (sold to Cove) and another 2,000 dead from fighting the Monks. So the various High Priestess, the Five Sisters, summoned the ancient Vampire Priestess D'Scorpia, who in turn could channel the Rampoola, and bring the vengeance of women down on Blue Beard and his followers. The Mark of her Curse led others like the Beast Men, the Reborn, and even Mixed Men deserters now bandits to descend upon Zlotoriya.
Then Blue Beard and a few of his remaining retainers confronted the party and took Danazig hostage. She was strangely calm and in control and although initially he was belligerent, the soothing words of Marshall Scanamander soon had him far calmer and he realized that his best chances lay with the Crusaders his life and possibly hos position salvaged. He still held her at Knife point but he stepped on to their side.
The Crusaders then asked about the Princess Tatiana and what role she played in all this at the Castle? She had only passed through here brought to them by the Shadow Watch Crow Riders. The Crow Riders had taken her along with Lucretia to the place where the Five Sisters intended to meet with Magyubiyet. Blue Beard was angry at betraying of their marriage and the summoning of demons and said she too belongs with Demon Prince and damns her soul. Danazig reminded him that he was a dead man.
It was at this point that The false Lucretia emerged the ghostly wraith of the Rampoola floating behind her, Blue Beard’s men paralyzed with fear.
Danazig said to the Crusaders that a deal might still be reached, but Blue Beard was definitely forfeit. She might help them betray Magyubiyet, after all their deal with him was under duress and perhaps he can be fooled, ambushed and over powered with an alliance. The Crusaders started to warm to this idea, but Blue Beard was a spiteful man, he drove his dagger into the heart of Danazig killing her instantly. Father Vonigut quickly caved in Blue Beard’s head. Too little too late. The envoy of the Five Sisters was dead.
D'Scorpia broke form of Lucretia to reveal herself and the Rampoola summoned through a portal in the floor the six dead wives of Blur Beard, some ghostly and banshee in appearance, others skeletal warriors but still carrying their babies. These seven moved forward to wreak now random havoc as their guide was gone.
Thelma the Pure urged the Crusaders to run, as their power only extends to the Fortress Tower of Bira-Boro…
Thelma - "The spirits might have had closure if they had completed their 'arch', whatever that was, likely that Danazig might have known, or possibly BlueBeard, according to Bishop Andros, who has dealt with this before, many times they seek an acknowledgement of the wrong before death and they are plagued by nightmares, this is why he was still alive, he was probably holding out, but now that is impossible. The only thing we can do now to put them at rest would be to find their bodies and use a funeral rite to put each soul at rest. That is all I can think of..." (Indeed others with Theology, Occult, and Thamotology agree.that this is likely the best solution. The portal that they came from where the floor vanished is gone.
Tatiana was tracked to the lair of "---".
Sir Sedelicious, Father Wolfgang and Paladin Beaumont entered the temple.
After a frustrating round of pleasuring a Pagan Statue, the encountered a Two headed giant and his pet Deathclaw "Doggie".
Barely able to kill the Death Deathclaw, they convinced the giant he could save it if he acted quickly.
The open market of the Underdark.
A switch is proposed with the Goblin mistress of the Goblin Demon Lord.
Bodies are swapped with Princess Tatiana.
Tatiana is brought to the mud people and re- designed into her old body. The Feathered Serpent folk get their Dragon Egg back.
