Adventure Log #8

Adventure Log #8 (Sylvia’s Rest)
Aki-Professional killer
Estryellia-Mage
Henry-Paladin
Kebridane-Mage
Marcus-Paladin of Chaldisaya
Morgan-High Priestess
Paladin Henry-How long have I been gone?
Serrif-Fighter with an “evil” twin
Scalla-Mage

The party debarks from the ship and surveys how Sylvia Rest has changes in the six months they have been gone. More permanent buildings are slowly replacing the tent town and the keep on the hill is finished.

They make their way to the keep and while waiting to see Jun (actually Emror Jun, Emperor Jun) they are met by Aaron Vel (Aaron is the leader of Arions army and a good friend of Marcus). Aaron tells the party about Van Kiddas death producing an heir for the Emror. He mentioned that Jun is taking it pretty hard. The party gives Aaron the details of their trip. Aaron gently scolded them for running away from the battle at Lament but comments that he and 4 Alts (about 1,600 men are leaving the next day to try to lift the siege. He also tells them that there is a royal feast to be held in Marcus’s (and the rest of the party’s honor) that night.
When the party is led to meet with Jun, he treats them rather coolly, telling them that they should have stayed in Lament to help out. He thanks them for their reports then advises them that they are to be feted at a party that night.

Estryellia and Scalla spend most of the day buying new clothes for the party, since they’ve been living in their current clothing through swamps, various battles, as well as an undead crypt.
Aki goes to the local Manthootian house to meet with the mother of the local group of Manthootians. Although the meeting is pleasant it’s rather dull. The Mother of the house tells Aki that she doesn’t want her to start spreading the old religion here in Sylvia’s Rest (although both worship the Goddess Marcia they each follow radically different versions). Aki goes back to the manor and tries to use divination to ask her goddess a few questions, “Am I the last priestess of the Old Marcia?” The answer was “no”.

At the party all of the local dignitaries are there, the local Alt commanders and their junior commanders (Sumen) Aaron Vell, the Manthootian Mother as well as Estryellias half brother Samis who feels that it’s his job to keep the men away from her. Eventually he gets in a fight with one of the soldiers and is asked by the Jun to leave.

Near the end of the evening Estryellia's mother Morgan shows up with three young priestesses in tow, one of them, Mary is the butt of many PC jokes in that she’s stupid (Int 6) and ugly (Char 8). Estryellia and Morgan don’t get to meet, Estryellias teacher is at the party and she had whisked her apprentice away for a couple of weeks. Morgan listens to the tales of what adventures they’ve had since she stayed behind at the village of Gol.

Suddenly Mary is overcome by the visage of the goddess (Chaldisaya). The goddess tells they group that she wants them to retrieve one of her missing paladins (there are currently only 2 paladins left). The party is to leave at this moment on a conveyance of the Goddesses creation. Hurrying down to the beach they board a boat that the goddess has blessed and are transported into a grotto filled with the screams of the damned. The party thinks that maybe they have gone to Hell, actually its worse.