This post continues the series of brief play reports I have been posting on Discord. This does not cover every single session (sometimes, recon and setup is what happens), but it covers our ongoing games.
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| They Also Visited the Iudex |
18/02/2026 THISIUM
News from the doomed city of Thisium! A small group of adventurers hatched a plan to kidnap the city’s most powerful nobleman, Mornalt Tamburello, and deliver him to his sister, Lucia, the bringer of the Doom Beneath the City. At this time, Mornalt was throwing a grand garden party and masquerade, just the night after his last rival, Gordisio Pamfile was mysteriously assassinated. The company spent the day in preparation. The stealthy characters secured an escape route from the palace gardens from an abandoned apartment, while Giacomo went and bought costumes. More than that, he ordered an extra set from an expensive tailor, to closely resemble the crow costume Mornalt had bought. At night, with Giacomo leading the company as a balrog, followed by a cuckoo, a dryad, a skunk, and a rabbit (Septimus only wearing his chameleon armour), they entered the lamplit gardens of Villa Tamburello. The city’s nobility and hedonists were engaged in decadent partying centred on a stage offering risque and blasphemous comedy, while others snuck off on twisting paths for amorous trysts and intrigue. Aufidia started looking if any masked assassins were to be found, and spotted a masked person dressed in form-fitting black, stalking into the garden. Septimus followed in his camouflage, and saw that the person was a woman, looking down a round pit leading to the thermal pool below, and smiling. Following in her tracks, she was seen to converse with a man wearing a vulture costume. Septimus and Eriberto Barrella followed the vulture-man into the palace banquet. They found him in the kitchen ordering a large quantity of the finest wines for the underground revellers for his personal care. As he was leaving, they ambushed him in the torchlit corridor and dragged him into a side-room. The man proved to be Puccio Malatesta, a minor noble and gadfly they had met before, and he was found to be in the possession of a pouch of powdered poison.
In interrogation, Puccio spilled the beans rather than be exposed publicly. He acted on behalf of the dark-clad lady, Iacynthe Tamburello, Mornalt’s wife, with whom he was madly in love with, but did not know her reasons for wanting the partygoers poisoned. The hapless fellow was left tied up in a cupboard, while Eriberto took on his buzzard costume. Heading out to the garden, Giacomo found his love, the maiden Hestia Tamburello, who, being disgusted with the assembled guests, had only agreed to come down to the fête to dance with him. In doing so, she could pinpoint her father, Mornalt, a dark bird of prey standing aside in the company of four loosely dressed ladies wearing mice costumes. He approached, and invited him for a garden walk to reveal a deadly danger – where the head of the house was slept and black-bagged. A random, charmed partygoer was given the copy of his costume to serve as the impromptu master of Villa Tamburello for the night, which the fellow gladly accepted. Carrying the sleeping malefactor to the Pickled Carp, they donned adventuring gear and descended deep into the Underworld with their unconscious baggage. At last, deep beneath the city, they entered the mighty volcanic cavern spanned by a dark basalt bridge above roaring fires. Lucia Tamburello was there, and Mornalt, who had instigated her murder with poisoned words among the city’s mobs, was given over to her. Mornalt tried fleeing, and as Lucia advanced on him, fell over the bridge into the fiery depths. With this, Lucia agreed to forgive the city, her revenge satisfied, and departed this world. Thus passed the Doom from Beneath the City, the second of the four.
The company chose to return to the surface, but their adventure was not yet over. They took a wrong turn in the passages, and were well and truly lost. They encountered a group of adventuring barbarians, who were impressed by Giacomo’s fire sword, a group of sackcloth-robed undead, who were turned, and four minotards, who were blasted by Aufidia’s fireball. Their way finally led to a great columned hall decorated with inky drapes, and furnished with bare wooden benches. A group of skeletal lictors in the garments of the old Empire and the helmets of Legion III demanded their purpose in petitioning the Iudex, the Judge of the Underworld. They said they brought a case, and, in keeping with the court’s rules, had brought petitioners’ masks to ensure the court’s impartiality, as well as a donation to pay the court costs. The Iudex received them on his bench, a dark-cloaked, masked figure. The Judge confirmed that the Doom From Beneath the City – brought on by Mornalt’s act of fratricide, – and the Doom From the Forests – brought on by the city’s godlessness, and failure to perform their annual sacrifices to honour the gods, had been made right and lifted. Two more remained. As the Iudex explained the cases, the Doom From the Seas was caused by the breaking of divine commandments not to build on certain sacred islands, and would be punished by a flood of poisonous gasses from the volcano on the Isle of the Black Dogs. As for the Doom From the Mountains, its cause was Thisium’s treachery to break the bonds of love between the knight Sir Rapax and the forest fairy Niabex, whose split caused the downfall of their tiny mountain kingdom. For this reason were the invincible orc armies allowed to march on the city. Hearing the Judge’s words, the company returned to the surface, to plan their actions against the remaining dooms. At this time, the city had 18 days left.
A Pleasant Excursion
19/02/2026
KASSADIA
News from the fallen empire of Kassadia! Returning from a deadly but lucrative adventure, the Lion Pack delivered the healing herbs to Senator Porfirio Holden, who gratefully offered to instruct Martus the Opiate in the magical arts, and to owe them a favour in the future. Selling off their loot at the jewellers and trying to buy pearls for identify, they learned that all in town were bought up by Messer Barcello Cadorna for an expensive dress for his daughter, Gundelinda. First contemplating burglary, they remembered the name of Guetto the Leech, an underworld figure who was supposedly able to get „anything” in town. Inquiring at Renaldo’s delight, the proprietor’s eyes darkened, and he warned them Guetto was an assassin, a blackguard, and a dangerous man to deal with. At their dinner, they were also approached by Septimus Regulus, a cheerful old gnome, who sought travelling companions to take a trip to scenic Wailing Lake, located among Sormadium’s mountains, and known for its picturesque cypresses and antique grave obelisks. The next day, they decided to visit Penitents’ Plaza, where Guetto owned a restaurant/brothel. Jovial Faustulus went on horseback befitting a great lord, drawing impressed and fearful looks (rumours in town took him for a pirate captain travelling incognito). The plaza was a small round place, its sides lined with cages serving as Sormadium’s jail, a scenic view from the brothel’s upper balcony. It turned out Guetto was a prisoner himself for now, after insulting Messer Verenzio Altieri, the lord of Fiolaga. They discussed the matter of the pearls, and he agreed to try his best by evening. Returning after sundown, Guetto was now indoors, enjoying dinner in his establishment next to a company of his own jailers. He had the pearls, and in his upstairs office, bought the party’s supplies of refined purple poppies, also offering exclusive poisons for sale.
Declining this offer, they left satisfied, although not before Faustulus bumped into Charming Valentino Viselli, a haughty young rake who was just about to challenge him right there and then. For now, it did not come to blows, and they retired to Renaldo’s Delight. Fearing Valentino’s assassins, they set a watch, but what came instead was a cat-burglar descending from the rooftop on their balcony. Publius Varro, on watch, fired his crossbow and missed, upon which the thief retreated, the affair resolved reasonably amicably between two professionals.
The following day was heavy with late autumn rains, but Septimus Regulus was enthusiastic about the trip. They mounted horses, and – after scaring off a band of mercenaries trying to rob them on the bad side of town – headed for the mountains. In dark rainfall, they followed the old imperial road, then a mountain trail from the Monastery of Kurlakum of the Seven Misfortunes. Beyond a pass, at dusk, they found Wailing Lake with its sinister grave obelisks and gloomy cypresses. Entering the neglected graveyard, shadows rose from the burial mounds, which were mostly turned, and a few killed. Septimus Regulus loved the atmosphere, and went skinny-dipping. It was dark, and they feared more undead were about, so they urged the gnome to be done with it and leave while they could. In constant rain, they retreated a little to set up camp. Alas, the shadows followed them, and it was only Jovial Faustulus’ alertness which saved them from a nasty surprise. They quickly mounted their horses and rode off in the darkness... getting lost in the mountains. Below a rocky ledge, they heard the woosh of large wings, and 11 griffins descended on them to feast on their horses and themselves! Martus the Opiate threw his fireball, catching four and scattering the rest. In blind panic, they fled on horseback, cold and soaked by rain, among the dark peaks of Sormadium.
Cisterns of Death
22/02/2026
KASSADIA
News from the fallen Empire of Kassadia! I, Valerius Artorius, messenger of the God Apelles; and my companions, Cymbrix the Druid, Ilvar Goron the Grave-Robber, Bartavir the Fighter, Gaunt Gerald the Illusionist, and Petronius the Fighter, gathered at the call of Collino the Vulture, who had a lucrative tip for us. He wanted us to venture into the Cisterns of Death, and retrieve a set of building plans from the tomb of its architect, Gaius Licinius Profundus – in particular, a map of the podesta’s palace. I had adventured in the area before: on the outskirts of Cassidum, still within the old walls, but within the modern city, among the ruins of the old empire now used for pasture and orchards.
We set out with five hired men and an empty purse, until we found the broken aqueduct which led to the site we were seeking. What were once splendid baths were only outer walls now, with hovels and shacks built among them, and ruled by Old Bertoni, a local crime boss whose son I and my companions slew an adventure earlier. Thus, we persuaded a local urchin to lead us in safely; and he mentioned an old trapdoor in his mother’s cottage which dropped into the depths. Sneaking into the ruins, we descended by rope into a vast, lightless columned hall. Dark, brackish water was found 80’ below, shallow enough to wade in. Orienting ourselves, we saw a tall tower rising to the ceiling to our NW, stairs climbing around it to double gates. We checked this first, and behind, discovered an abandoned shrine to Cloacina, Goddess of Sewers. A tangle of skeletons in rotted togas were prodded and slain in battle. Here, alas, we lost my spearman, Vinicio, whom I accidentally shot in his back (he had 1 Hp, and I did the same in damage), and I myself almost died. The shrine had metal rungs behind the statue leading to another trapdoor, from beyond which we heard heavy footsteps. Instead, we made a sacrifice to Cloacina in Vinicio’s memory, and were rewarded with her favour.
We returned down into the cistern. On its southern side, frescoes depicted the bathhouse’s construction, and we found a secret door next to the depiction of Gaius Profundus. Stairs led up to a chamber with three walled arches and three secret buttons. Only one was hollow, however, and this proved the correct way into a splendid hall. We were in an under-temple of Gladuor, God of Aqueducts, with golden treasures heaped on his altar, a side-treasury with locked chests, and further ways out. Nearby, we found the body of a thief clutching a sack, and he came back as a spectre whom Petronius slew single-handedly, winning a sack’s worth of small jewellery. We now turned to plunder the treasury, whose chests were laden with coinage, gems, and more jewels. We took as much as we could carry, happy to return outside. However, as we would depart the temple, the statue of the god spoke, and we were crushed by the weights of invisible pillars, killing Gaunt Gerard, Baldo the Porter, Roderigo the Porter, and August the Legionary. We survivors dragged out the treasure chests, and took them to the shrine of Cloacina, making another sacrifice of the coins we could take no further. Alas, trying to climb out, we were greeted by Old Bertoni and his men, who demanded our treasures for letting us leave. Cymbrix hid in a mostly empty chest, while some of us snuck off for the shrine exit. The druid could make terrible havoc upstairs by conjuring thick fog, and using a heat metal spell on Bertoni, who ended up grilled in his banded mail as his men fled. Those left down fared less well, as we were attacked by ghasts, and poor Bartavir was dragged off as we fled. Three of us made our way out, finding ourselves in Bertoni’s gaudy hut, and taking his treasures for our own. Alas, the vagrants’ settlement burned due to Bertoni’s heated armour, and its inhabitants fled to the four winds as we returned to the city to sell off our loot, rest, and prepare for a return trip.
Now better
outfitted, we headed back. The entrances had been sealed and guarded on the
podesta’s orders, and Captain Barduccio Blackeagle saw through our ruse
to present ourselves as official exorcists. However, he smiled as he did, and
allowed us in for a cut to „the Podesta” (widely known as “Signor 10%”).
We descended, and now headed east. Stairs lead up to a long balcony above the
cistern, and more splendid rooms. In one with two fonts (one offering water
making us get recognised as undead, and another detected as poison). Behind a
secret door, we found the survivor of another expedition sponsored by Collino
the Vulture, the thief Giordano. We headed east, into a large underground
forum, and down some stairs into a room with a gold-covered fountain and a
statue of a maiden with her cat. The latter proved a mimic, and was slain
(revealing a treasure-pit); the fountain’s golden sheen yellow mould, which
fortunately killed none of us. Westwards and even further down, we found a
dressing room with curiously intact togas, and – after checking for cloakers – we
donned them, remembering Giordano’s words about getting attacked by patricians’
spirits for dressing as a plebeian. We found the patricians fairly close, in a
steam bath, and could converse with them as equals, learning some more of the
dungeon. Following their leads, we pressed on; encountering the ghost of a
poet, a dead member of Giordano’s expedition, and another who was alive, just
about to be drained of blood by six deranged „vampiric” cultists. These we
slew, and headed back to the exit, satisfied with our take. We paid off the
captain (concealing some smaller gems and jewellery), and headed back from the
field of ruins to the centre of Cassidum.
No Privaet Entrie
23/02/2026
THISIUM
News from the doomed city of Thisium! A reconnaissance party set out towards the northern mountains to spy on the orcs, and learn of the fate of the knight Sir Rapax and the faerie Niabex, separated by Thisian intrigue. But first – following a treasure map, they halted in Mouseshire, and took sledgehammers to a secret chamber in the crumbling old belltower, gaining 12,000 gp in old Imperial coinage. ¼ was given over to the Majordomo to use in the war effort, while the rest was to be transported to Thisium. The company rode north, reaching the mountain pass above the fortress of Castrum Rapax by dusk. They observed the orcish forces carefully, taking stock of the castle’s strength and weaknesses. They also noted a hidden trail descending from the pass, and seemingly going around the castle. This piqued their curiosity, and next dawn, Amedeo, Poucas Trancas, and Don Arduino Spezzaferro made a three-man detour. The route led above a deep ravine next to the castle walls. The two thieves descended by rope, spotting a mighty wooden gate under a rock overhang. An enormous and very ugly troll was slumbering next to it with a massive mace, and a large wooden sign read in bad lettering: „NO PRIVAET ENTRIE!” Noting this way in, they returned to the rest of the party. Travelling north along a desolate seacoast, and returning to the mountain-cradled valley where the castle stood, they rode up to a saddle on the valley’s western side. This was a garden long gone wild. Statues of courtiers stood in the tall grass in dated finery, with expressions of sadness and sorrow. There was nothing else here, and no person like Niabex was found. Now they travelled back south along the peninsula’s western coast, reaching the swamps by dusk. They were surrounded by a group of bedraggled men, who turned out to be escapees from the orcish mines producing iron for Castrum Rapax’s forges – some 150 slaves, many of them halflings, under the yoke of 80 orcs and Troglont, one of the orc lords.
The next day, they escorted the escapees back to Mouseshire. They stopped at a clearing south of a lone mountain peak, where, in the middle of nowhere, stood the statue of the Philanthropus, Thisium’s mysterious and much-hated benefactor. The statue kept its secrets, and they marched on, arriving in the evening, where 22 men of the 40 immediately signed up as recruits to fight the orcs. The next day, they explored the northern areas of the Forest of Verrilli. First they found a garden where the spirits of nymphs were taunting the statue of a particularly sinister-looking satyr. Its gaze was terrifying, but Amedeo stood his ground, which the figure seemed to like. He could tell of Niabex, whom he named a trollop (and more foul things) for leaving the faerie court and marrying a human – as the satyr added gleefully, things ended badly for her, and she died of a broken heart after Sir Rapax cheated on her. They rode on, finding a different garden with the statues of animals, a votive column with a mysterious inscription, and the bodies of people turned into flowering earth on marble benches. The road continued, leading to the ruins of a small barbaric village on the edge of the woods, destroyed in some old battle. The sole standing structure was a crumbling garanary, where wild wheat grew on piles of earth. Bregor stepped in to search for treasure, and did not watch out for two giant crab spiders, which injected him with deadly poison. In the fight, the campaign’s unluckiest Fighting-Man was hit twice by his own company’s slingers firing into meelee, suffering organ failure, and finally dying of spider venom. Some coins were recovered, however, from buried clay pots under the pile of rotted grain. Some more exploration in the forest found a sinister-looking dead area, but the hour was late, and they needed to ride back to Thisium, so this place they skipped, riding across the land to reach the gates at night. At this time, the city had 16 days left...
Against the Flying Gods
02/03/2026
THISIUM
News from the doomed city of Thisium! The Comely Lass sailed out from port to explore the Isle of the Black Dogs. However, before making landfall, the company took a look at the smaller island to its south, and decided to explore it more thoroughly. The place was covered in thick jungles not found in this clime. They followed a river to one of the cliffs rising from the wilderness when they found themselves greeted by 6 lizardmen – unexpectedly friendly, and asking the assistance of mighty heroes! In broken speech, the lizards explained they were being regularly preyed on by two „flying demi-gods”, which the company soon guessed to be the two black dragons they have known to lair in this part of the isles. They followed the warriors to their primitive village, located among crumbling ruins. Consulting with the chief, they agreed to help out, and decided on setting a trap. With the lizards’ aid, they headed for the island’s central group of cliffs, where rose „the Hand”, a plateau ringed by stone outcroppings. They ordered their allies to build a great beacon, and smoke much of their rotting meat supplies to draw in the beasts. The women and young fashioned large nets from lianas, and they also prepared a big pot of glue wrapped up in the juiciest strips of meat. The lizards were ordered to dance around the fire, while they hid themselves in an ambush among the stones. After nightfall, the dragons came, swooping down on the campsite, and blasting the lizardmen with their breath. Many were killed, and the battle was on! Arrows and javelins just bounced off of the beasts’ hardened scales, and both nets missed. The lizardman warriors were decimated and ran for shelter, along with the chief. The battle was the company’s to win or lose! Lemmy the heavy footman charged, and died heroically in a dragon’s jaws. The other dragon was (very luckily) entrapped in a web, and brought down.
The other met the charging attackers with a stream of acid, and Quayin Torchbearer, the southern prince seeking his inheritance, as well as Opiter Torchbearer (both named for light-casting magic swords), died, while Racha Ducka barely survived with 2 Hp. It was finally Maglor the Elf who saved the day, snatching the cowardly chieftain’s magic spear with a spectral hand [my SVoZ version], and attacked the dragon, killing it with a critical hit. The battle was won! The lizardmen saw what was well and truly a miracle, and from now on, the characters were considered demi-gods, or at least divine messengers. A great feast commenced on the clifftop, and one brave lizardman, Hisss, endeavoured to join the group. In the morning, before parting, the lizards brought their treasures to gift their liberators; gold, a few gems, potions, and the magic spear. Now it was time to plunder the dragon lair! They sailed for the neighbouring island, a place of mangrove swamps and water channels leading to a dark lake in the centre. A cave mouth opened to a network of foetid passages with deep pools of brackish water. Strange, eerie string music came from the depths. This would have been a nasty place for a dragon fight, but they were already dead. Thus, the entrance trap and the giant frogs lurking in the passages were no match for the adventurers. In the depths of the lair, they found the source of the music: an old, chained man playing a golden harp on a massive pile of treasure. He introduced himself as Nicanor Philocrates, who was imprisoned here by the evil wizard Prospero, known to dwell deep beneath Thisium. Liberating Nikanor (who joined the company), they could now load the dragon hoard on their ship – 30,000 gp, a wealth of 46 gems, and a cache of magic items, including a staff of healing! Thus they sailed back to Thisium. At this time, the city had 17 days left...
The Kidnapping
12/03/2026
KASSADIA
News from the fallen empire of Kassadia! Separated from his companions in the mountains of Sormadium, and fleeing from Death Griffon Doom, Martus the Opiate finally found a campfire in the wilderness – it was not his previous party, but Aristeo Guarini, Arden Oakbark, and their follower Albred the Grey, just as lost in the wilds as they were. They spent the night in the storm, and on the next rainy late Autumn day, followed a valley westwards. Travelling through untamed wilderness, they finally found an overgrown stone path leading to the town of Sambuci, and Villa Bonnacorsi. They received hospitality from the landlord, Quirino Bonnacorsi, as well as his son Alvaro and daughter Mercede, telling of their adventure in Ucria, where they destroyed the drug plantation and found the body of the slain Paolo Viglione. True to his word, Quirino gave them his heirloom magical seal, and they spent a nice evening dining and drinking wine. Then, disaster struck. There was a crash of splintering glass from Mercede’s room, and arrived just in time to see her abducted by four gargoyles – no doubt the minions of her obstinate suitor, the sculptor and impoverished nobleman Edoardo Memmoli!
Edoardo lived on the isle of Fiolaga to the south of Sormadium, and the next morning, they sailed out on the Lydia, the family’s pleasure ship. Alvaro brought his arms, and four guards: Ugo, Clodoveo, Asterio and Adalfredo. They reached the shores of Fiolaga by mid-afternoon with fortunate winds. Deciding not to land next to Villa Memmoli, they instead found a little bay close by... and a recently landed ship! A mountain trail led up to a rock formation resembling a hand with broken-off fingers, and a scene of horror. 20 axe-wielding cultists in rag-masks, 4 bodyguards, and a cowled figure had just finished sacrificing four goats, a youth, a maiden, and a chest of treasure to Titus Malformatus, the evil god whose cultists the Lion Pack had already fought previously! The cult leader called on the god for help, but as the cultists rushed forward to slay the interlopers, Martus threw his fireball, scoring a lucky 28 Hp on 5d6, killing the leader, his bodyguards, and half the cultists. The rest were killed without mercy, and Alvaro Bonnacorsi proved his skill with the blade.
Looting the bodies, they continued to Villa Memmoli, reaching the estate’s crumbling walls by a moonless night. They entered through a gap, near a glass-topped greenhouse. Westwards, they saw a very large statue and an obelisk crowned by a recently lit flame, but decided to move towards the dark villa. The overgrown grounds held statues: the first, a guardsman, issued a cryptic warning, while a stone dog rushed them before turning into an armoured knight who slew Clodoveo with a single strike, before being himself dispatched by the vengeful Alvaro. They crept closer. They found a small back entrance, and after confirming the building was dark and silent, entered. Avoiding an open central courtyard, they entered the main hall, dusty and cobwebbed, with ragged tapestries and strange statues... the statues animated! A troll, a faceless man, and a demon marched on them, striking Aristeo before they could flee, but did not pursue outside. Choosing the villa’s eastern side, they now approached a terrace overgrown with vines which, contrary to their expectation, did not attack. The body of an adventurer rested before a door, badly burned. As it was inspected, there was the sound of wings, and 4 gargoyles descended from the rooftops, avoiding Martus the Opiate’s web spell. The horrid creatures fell on the party and slew Albred the Grey, while taking little damage from the party, which lacked magic weapons in its current composition save for Arden’s slave in stone spell. They fled the house, sustaining wounds from the pursuing gargoyles, and seeing more of them circling above the sagging roof. They contemplated their plans, lost in the moonless night.
The Spiralling Temple
15/03/2026
FOMALHAUT
News from Fomalhaut! Lost in the massive city of Diomira, the company chose to hit up Eldoxos, an old acquaintance, and one of the merchants/smugglers operating out of the Plaza of the Gloomy Wells, dealing in goods and foodstuff from the outside world. The plaza was also one of the places in Diomira where the faceless statue had its head missing, and only the rim remained of the dark metal mirror on the facade next to it. Eldoxos was not in his store, and as they were informed by his protégé, Polemon, who was specialised in outside liquors and narcotics, he has moved up in society thanks to their previous visit. They hit him up in the House of Broken Locks, a warehouse complex to the SE, guarding the entrance to the monorail station, and thereby controlling Diomira’s illicit trade. Eldoxos was happy to see them – he had greatly expanded business after his predecessor, Boss Twand, met an „unfortunate accident” at the characters’ hand – but grew a bit concerned when he was told of the Uttermost Masters, and their plans which would disrupt his lucrative smuggling operation. The men had been seen twice in the city: once emerging from a nearby cistern shaft, and once lurking near the Spiralling Temple, a sealed building north of Diomira’s central plazas. He also told them of the great stone face they had seen in a back alley – he had once followed one of the „False Men”, the brainwashed servants of the powers ruling Diomira, and heard him receiving spoken instructions from the visage.
They enjoyed an
evening of fine food and drink, and early next morning, set out for the
Spiralling Temple. Off the main plaza, at the foot of the octagonal spire of
the Radiant Pyramid, they were approached by an elegant young woman, Alkithoë.
She came at the behest of Eldoxos, her lover, to bring news that he had seen
something interesting at a nearby location. While the others were conversing
with her, Bocephus furtively cast true seeing to check her out. There
was something very wrong with Alkithoë, a gaping piece of emptiness in her
personality, and a strange tic around the eyes; and Bocephus saw that she was
deadly with the concealed dagger and mini-crossbow she was carrying. They told
her they would follow her suggestions, then quickly went the exact opposite way
towards the temple.
The great front doors, bearing a massive disk embossed with a spiral, were sealed, and dark mirrors were mounted on the front facade. But the side had open windows, and as the area was deserted this early, they quickly climbed inside with ropes. The abandoned interior was a massive columned space with suspended glass prisms, openings to side-chambers, and a great stone face. As they advanced, the face spoke one word: „KILL!” The prisms started to rotate, hypnotising Lilith, Ion, and Itestra. With clanging steps, six mechanical men bearing battleaxes came from the side-chambers. A fight ensued, in which the city’s crossbow-wielding assassins also made an appearance through the windows on the other side, but a judicious application of spells and violence defeated them. The place was empty, but narrow spiral stairs led down. They descended into a chamber of strange, defunct machines (Pausanias identifying them as devices for complex calculations and decision-making), and found a cabinet with a spare energy cartridge and a handful of healing dermal patches. From the south came sounds, belonging to 17 of the shaggy, brutish Underdwellers, with murderous intent. They fought bitterly, but Bocephus’s wand of paralysation proved useful, and they were killed off. To the south, they came to a small monorail terminal with a crashed vehicle, a massive gong (which the Underdwellers were too stubborn to ring), and a passage from which came an even rumbling. They chose to follow the westwards monorail passage instead, through the crashed metal gates.
The tunnel brought them to a station, and a SW passage, through which they entered a familiar place: a massive circular hall, with a tall towering structure standing in the middle of deep shaft. Bridges connected from the outer rim to the central building. Remembering how they had run into formidable opponents here the last time, and knowing they did not have a way to get in yet, they withdrew. The next objective was to find an alternate exit. They followed the monorail tunnel a long way NW, finding a station, and stairs up. Stepping out through a secret door, they saw daylight, and emerged in verdant gardens on the edge of the city, with Diomira’s people engaged in picnics and enjoyment at various spots. An inscription running along the small structure they came from read: : : KEEP US SAFE : : KEEP US NOURISHED : : KEEP US VALUED : : It was still early in the day, but they knew Eldoxos must be in danger, as the city’s masters must have known of their contact if they used Alkithoë’s lure like that. They followed side-streets back to the warehouse, but even so, they ran into a group of people looking at them suspiciously. „It is them!”, screamed a colourfully dressed man, and the mob grew into a size of 40. Pausanias colour spayed five of them, upon which they got cold feet. „Someone’s got to doooo something!”, whined the man, but didn’t dare to mess with a group of well-armed killers. They quickly got lost in the alleyways, and made their way back to Eldoxos. The news of the discovery were bad, and the master of the smugglers was in danger. They suggested he should skip town through the monorail system, and gave him a few identifiers to let him meet Tyraxus Tharg, the wizard-tyrant of Glourm, and establish even stronger trade deals with the outside world. Their next aim was to find a special mirror, somewhere in the city, which contained a passcode of sorts to the underground tower... and courtesy of Eldoxos, they now had a few leads to follow!
Plateau of the Amazons
18/03/2026
THISIUM
News from the doomed city of Thisium! On Day 81, the Comely Lass sailed out to sea, carrying the heads of two black dragons. They headed for the island ruled by a terrible demon who had long ago ordered them to slay these creatures – and now that the deed was done, they went to claim their reward. They landed near a ruined, archaic village, whose inhabitants had gone feral, but were overawed by the adventurers’ display of power. They climbed massive old stairs to the plateau, then even further up to the island’s peak where stood a massive marble dome. Inside, in a wild garden, the winged demon awaited. Giacomo offered the heads, and the demon agreed to let them to pick as much as they could carry of its treasure – a magical axe, a potion and a scroll, and about a tenth of its 100,000 sp. Afterwards, it ordered them to leave him to contemplate the dooms of men, which were sure to come!
Returning to ship, they sailed north, finding a mostly sunken island where suntanning mermaids lounged on the rocks remaining above water, above beautiful coral forests. Hiss dived down to take a sample, then they approached the beauties, ears plugged for most and Giacomo tied to the ship’s mast. The beauties were cheerful and inviting, remarking that the dooms were not so bad – after all, the city of Wiorak had already sunk, yet there was life after that too! When Giacomo asked them of the corals, they noted some of them were horribly poisonous. This was a good time to take their farewell without bothering the underwater formations.
Now they headed for the Isle of the Black Dogs. Sailing along its northern coast, they discovered the entrance of a sea cave among the cliffs, wide enough for a small ship. The sounds of revelry and music came from beyond a bend, and after some recon by Hisss, they sailed inside, into a large limestone cavern occupied by a lake. Dining tables stood on the shore laden with food, drink, and precious silverware, but the dining guests were not to be seen. Introductions were made, and the apparitions – who turned out to be invisible fairy-folk – turned out to be welcoming hosts. Giacomo challenged one of them, Fern to a dance-off and lost his wager, but won the fairies’ admiration (the 18 CHA helped). The fairies thought the doom a minor and insignificant issue but told them the cavern below the wizard’s tower on the island was the lair of what they figured was a red dragon. As they much disliked Pantomorphus, the master of the tower, they agreed to a future prank if the company came up with a good plan. They parted on amicable terms, and as it was getting late, spent a night on their ship.
The next day, they investigated the island’s northern tip, spotting the ruins of a primitive village, and finding three half-submerged colossi in the sea. Further in the forests, they also discovered a massive stone gate next to an altar of burning fire. Something gleamed in the flames, but it reeked of being a trap, and they decided not to risk it. They headed to the ruined village on the northern slopes of the broken volcano, finding it long deserted. However, somewhat further, they discovered something more interesting: a narrow, barely visible trail heading for the steep cliffs below the inaccessible mountain plateau, and a treacherous way leading up. They climbed up in single file, and emerged on the top, a grassy land of small glades and a bronze-age village. Large herds of sheep grazed on the grass. Assuming danger, Kaeso scouted ahead, camouflaged in his chameleon armour. The shepherd he spotted was a girl-child of thirteen, and the village was populated solely by women, many well-armed. A crude idol of an owl decorated with golden plates stood in the middle of the settlement. He returned to the group, and they chose to announce themselves. The shepherd girl gave a cry and fled. Out of the village came a host of 60 women with bows and spears. Belloza the Archer was picked as the company’s spokeswoman as the only female member. In an archaic dialect, the amazons demanded their purpose, obviously displeased by their arrival. They were faithful followers of the gods, and of the Wise Owl, their messenger, who had come to them in ages past. They outright refused to help unless the adventurers would bring news of their lost leader Thisbe, who had gone missing while hunting with her precious armaments, and a light-casting magic sword.
This was familiar, as the party owned two such weapons, one of which was found on this very island in a clearing with some bones, the prey of a spotted smilodon. Thus, they left, and decided to return the remains to the amazons along with the sword. They descended from the plateau, and investigated its other end. Here they discovered a very well-hidden little bay, and a splendid longship with golden sails bearing the mark of an owl, as well as a golden figurehead depicting a mermaid. Deciding to leave it be for now, they headed back to their own vessel, and rounded the island to find the clearing with Thisbe’s remains. Three owlbears were fought and killed in the isle’s forests, but the bones were found, and after resting on the ship again, they made their way back to the plateau again. The amazons were now slightly more friendly. What they could offer as help was to suggest that the company find Kadorto, another messenger of the gods, who was known to carry messages from mortals to their presence, and had once had a fondness for the island of the sorceress Daphne di Leonti. They outright refused an alliance against the red dragon, proving once again that in SVoZ, women roll their WIS on 3d6, not 2d6 like men.
Unfortunately,
men do truly roll it on 2d6. For the adventurers, overcome by greed, decided to
steal the amazons’ enchanted ship on their way back, and doing so, sleep
overcame them. They awakened in the morning, but what day? Trying his beard,
Giacomo thought it was longer than it had been. With these doubts, they sailed
back to Thisium, and arrived on the noon of Day 86, having slept three whole
days. While they were out, the orcish armies had advanced across the Thisian
plateau, slowly encircling the doomed city. A rain of blood had fallen the preceding
day, and the previous night, some 1/20 of the citizens had been turned into
lycanthropes, massacring many innocents before they could be cut down at great
cost. At this time, the city had 11 days left...
The Eye of the Pyramid
21/03/2026
FOMALHAUT
News from Fomalhaut! The company continued exploring the massive city of Diomira to find the special mirror containing the code glyph to the underground tower. The first one they heard of was close to their present location, in an alleyway off of the main avenues. A large statue stood there, its face replaced with a mirror, and the inscription „THE MYSTERY OF MAN” chiselled on the plinth. A group of fancily-dressed poets admired their own reflections on the surface. Ion gazed inside, and was fascinated by himself, having to be dragged away by the others. They decided to try their next known option. They moved through the massive crowds, which seemed to be on edge this day. NW of the main plaza, in a run-down area with a lake, they ran into a mob gathered below one of the city’s omnipresent black mirrors. A young woman called out: „It is them from the outer darkness! They who bring want and the spirit of strife!” They ran back into the maze of streets as the mob gave pursuit, but ran into another mob coming from another direction, closing in. They escaped to a side-street, and found themselves in a plaza surrounded with old houses and a lake. They found refuge in a house, waiting for the murderous crowds to disperse. They decided to check one of their three sites, the Radiant Pyramid, but the way was blocked by surging masses of thousands. The colourfully dressed citizens gathered before the Spiralling Temple, on the edge of a nervous breakdown, weeping and shouting in a weird collective ritual. After some thinking, they made a wide detour to the north, through less populated areas, until they arrived at the base of the pyramid.
The eight-sided structure rose to 90’ with multiple balconies near the top, and a purple-robed figure standing on one. Entering from the base, they found themselves in a mirror maze with private rooms occupied by people enjoying drugs, gossip, or amorous pursuits. Murat expertly navigated the maze, finding a secret door near the middle. There were steep stairs, and a 10’×10’ room with buttons on its metal walls that did not work no matter which button they tried. They climbed, emerging in a comfortable suite near the top. Pleuron, the master of they pyramid and a contact of Eldoxos and the Handymen, was friendly in receiving them, although behaving a bit oddly as if coming down from his own drugs.
They decided to go with the open strategy and explain it all about there being some great danger to the city, now working from an underground tower, a cabal of evil infiltrators from the outside! Pleuron was surprised by the revelations (he only knew of the Cannibalistic Human Underdwellers prowling the underground areas), but agreed to assist them. He didn’t have the magic mirror, but suggested Akrasios, who ran an atelier for avantgarde art close by, had recently acquired one that was said to be special. He also mentioned a previous encounter with a mirror which created a hostile duplicate of whoever looked inside it several years before, but didn’t know what had happened to it. They took their leave from their helpful host, and walked over to the atelier, a white marble building in the side of the eastern cliffs. The guards admitted them at once when they told they were from Eldoxos, and, passing through a collection of modern art, entered Akrasios’s suite on the top. A group of scantily dressed, tipsy ladies were enjoying drinks and drugs in the company of price cats (no doubt imported from the outer world, as there were none others in Diomira). Akrasios was in a side-room, and was quite taken aback when the mirror was brought up, claiming he didn’t have any such thing. As the adventurers’ interrogation grew more insistent („You are not in trouble, but...”), he started to panic, insisting on his innocence and appearing more and more guilty, offering to show his safe to demonstrate there was no mirror in there in a growing panic. That’s when things went sideways.
A barrage of crossbow bolts came from behind them, and an invisible spellcaster covered their room in sticky white webs, trapping them all. The voice was familiar – Pleuron, the man on top of the pyramid! It was a desperate struggle at first. Akrasios’s doxies fled in panic, and the atelier’s master was in complete shock. Through superhuman effort, Kleombrotos freed himself enough to chug a potion of giant strength, allowing him to escape the webs. Pleuron cast more spells, remaining invisible. „You shall not prevail over the City-Machine!”, he spoke evenly, as his assassins attacked in an oddly mechanical fashion. Finally, as Kleombrotos fended off the men, Ion could set the webs on fire, and let them escape with some burns. The assassins were cut down, Pleuron remaining invisible for a while. On his person, they found a poisoned dagger, bracers, some edible cubes and colourful candy, as well as half a pouch of dust of disappearance. Akrasios was still shocked at the assassination attempt, as he had known Pleuron, but he noted he had started behaving oddly in the recent months. He helped the company as he could in saving his city, providing them with a rare vial of imported potion of spider climbing.
They returned to
the top suite of the Radiant Pyramid, liberating Pleuron’s spellbooks,
valuables, and a round mirror similar to, but also different from the dark
disks on the streets of Diomira. They returned through the now dark and
deserted streets to their apartment hideout – now luckily meeting nobody – and
having Bocephus, who was immune to mind-control, gaze into the mirror. He did
so, and he saw flashing patterns, geometric forms, and finally, a complicated
and intricate glyph which sunk into his mind as an exact memory. The way to the
underground tower lie open, but the masters of the city were aware of their
presence, and had taken steps to destroy them. The game was on!
The Underground Tower
11/04/2026
FOMALHAUT
News from Fomalhaut! Having found the mirror with the weird glyph displayed therein, the company decided to strike the underground tower immediately. They followed through the dark, deserted streets of Diomira, passing by a handful of corpses beaten to death recently. At the entrance to the Eternal Gardens, they found a young man looking over the bridge, contemplating a leap, but Lilith talked him out of it. They proceeded to the „doorless” marble pavilion, and entered through the secret entrance. Following a side-passage, they heard approaching Underdwellers, and drew back, while the bestial men were also reluctant to engage. Following the monorail tunnel, they made their way to the great circular hall of the underground tower. A dark abyss opened before them, the central metal cylinder connected to the surrounding ledge with metal bridges. On its northern side, they discovered double gates with no opening mechanism but a round mirror to the side. Bocephus recalled the glyph from Pleuron’s mirror; and as he did so, the mirror by the entrance also flashed with its pattern. The door hissed open, and from a dusty corridor came a barrage of crossbow bolts – they were awaited! The green-cloaked, oddly mechanically moving False Men were defeated, each falling without hesitation to defend the tower. Beyond the entrance hall, they found a chamber with a small rock garden, lit from above by dull grey ceiling panels, and surrounded with colourful benches. All was dusty and abandoned. In a nearby passage was a metal door. Opening it up revealed a ransacked room with badly damaged panelling, and a half-collapsed ceiling exposing intricate pipework. Disregarding marks of corrosion on the panels, Lilith stepped in, and two ochre jellies dropped on her from the pipes. These gelatinous horrors were only divided up by weapons, but eventually, fire proved useful, although wounds were also sustained.
A side-room proved to be a former storeroom, most of its crates emptied of all contents, but one still bolted shut. For now, they just pushed it into the portable hole for later opening. They continued exploring a side-corridor. Rhythmic, heavy metal footsteps came from ahead. Bocephus crept forward invisibly, looking into a dimly lit, marble-covered hallway decked with large mirrors displaying odd landscapes. A massive metal guardian covered in riveted yellow plates lumbered along, much like a sentry. As they were discussing how to ambush it, it heard the conversation, and came at them, firing off its laser, and then pummelling with its fists. It was brought down, Bocephus using his ring of the ram* well. Prying off the destroyed automaton’s chest plate, they extracted an intact energy cartridge.
They now returned to the rock garden. Kleombrotos, who has been increasingly fascinated by this strange location, dug through the mineral samples to find something good. He did find the sharp-edged rock sample containing deadly poison, made his saving throw, and wrapped up the deadly rock in a piece of cloth, satisfied. As they were wounded [and a player had to leave early], they decided to return to their apartment before going deeper. Back in the city, the metal crate brought along in the portable hole was opened up with a knockspell. The container offered up a good amount of valuables: electrum sheets, gold coils for an unknown purpose, two large industrial diamonds – a total value of some 30 thousand altogether – and a mysterious bakelite box stamped with the inscription „HYPERVORTEX”. „I am feeling a lot better about those ochre jellies!”, said Lilith.
Infiltration
23/03/2026
THISIUM
News from the doomed city of Thisium! A large company rode out of Thisium to destroy the orcs’ military operations in the Northern Wilderness. Messengers were sent out previously to Mouseshire, the Imperator, and the military school of Ramondo Montefeltro to mobilise their forces for a campaign, and make a landing on the western shores of the mountainous peninsula. The adventurers themselves followed wilderness roads: there were signs of large-scale orc troop movements all around the Thisian Plateau, and they encountered a smaller force of 30, blasting them with a fireball. At the gateway of the mountain valley where rose Castrum Rapax, they found a small glade with the overgrown statue of a stone knight, identified by an inscription: „A GALLANT KNIGHT WAS SIR RAPAX / AND A WOOD NYMPH EVER-FAIR NIABEX / THEIR CASTLE’S WITNESS TO THEIR LOVE / AND TO THEIR SPLIT STONES WORDLESS”. There was a recently used campsite nearby, and on a hunch, Aufidia Corvina looked around to see if there were any tracks to pick up. They led to a nearby stone, and underneath, they discovered a rich cache of recently hidden treasures! Happy with their discovery, they rode along the eastern seacoast, and climbed up the hidden path to the pass above Castrum Rapax.
After establishing camp, they descended the mountain trail, surprising and killing a group of orc special forces. Next to the castle, they entered the ravine leading to the side-gate they had found previously, guarded by Hellafinet the troll. Clotilde advanced, using her potion of giant control, to no success. Hellafinet was thus slain in combat and his remains torched. The gate was wizard-locked, but Maglor dispelled the magic with his wand, and a knockspell threw it open. They entered an abandoned old cellar, overgrown with moss. At the end, an ancient old tuatara lizard stirred, chained to the wall. Failing to succumb to poisoned food, it, too, was killed in combat. At the end of the cellar, spiral stairs ascended upwards. A door led to a throne room, where sat a mummified king wearing a golden crown. He spoke, introducing himself as Strozza Bragadin, offering his boon if they defeated his hated rival, Cipriano Barbani. For now, they gave a non-committal answer, and quickly filed out.
Up the stairs, they found a secret door. It led to a prison cell whose only occupants were petrified courtiers wearing antiquated attires. Beyond bars, a torture chamber was lit by flames, a minotaur torturer preparing a glowing iron for his work. They killed him, and freed the prisoners in the other cell: a badly wounded legionary named Varanthus, and a merchant named Iblogan. As they were too weak, they were pointed to the exit and told to wait there. The captives’ cell hid a secret exit behind a loose stone block, with a crawlway leading to a small grotto. The statue of a hunched jester studied his own features in a silver mirror. Narvi removed the mirror, animating Arlecchino the Clown, who attacked him in a crying, laughing fury. The horrifying entity was put down and his gemstone tears collected. Beyond the grotto, a vertical cavern shaft dropped into darkness. They climbed up with ropes, eventually emerging in a dusty secret corridor. This led to the more regularly used passages. The first chamber was a council room, where five tromes were defeated, and a magic shield they were talking over taken. A set of stairs led to a kitchen operated by ogre cooks and several orcs, but they left this one alone. Now orcs were coming down the stairs, and using the cover of darkness, they made their exit from the dungeons. Varanthus was there, with Iblogan’s bloody corpse: the merchant, a spy from Arak Brannia, had tried to assassinate the young legionary, but failed in his treacherous work! With their new ally, they returned to the mountain pass to develop new plans. At this time, the city had 14 days left...
Confrontation
15/04/2026
THISIUM
News from the doomed city of Thisium! The day after a successful recon expedition, the time came for an assault on Castrum Rapax. Varanthus the legionary, freshly rescued from the dungeons, was chosen to deliver a message to the assembled forces on the other side of the valley. Varanthus swigged a potion of polymorphisation, transformed into a majestic imperial eagle, and flew off. The adventurers descended towards the castle to wreak havoc, and open the gates from the inside. In the forest on the mountain slopes, however, they heard flapping wings, and a manticore attacked from the air. The beast killed Toecutter the bowman and Ozzy the light foot with its tail spikes. Maglor cast darkness 15’ radius on the company to provide cover; the beast came down, and was cut down as it charged into the darkness.
They continued to the castle, and the lower side-entrance in the ravine. With Hellafinet gone, a small group of orcs served as a guard, and were quickly dispatched. They entered the underground passages, fighting a giant tuatara, then climbed upstairs. A secret door led to another set of spiral stairs, and a cellar well stocked with foodstuffs, as well as animated frescoes depicting a harvest. The supplies, it seems, were mainly from the island republic of Arak Brannia. Going higher up, they heard snoring from a side-room, opened it, and killed a sleeping goblin. This was another storeroom, filled with casks of lamp oil, again with Arak Brannia’s seal. Poucas quickly rigged a simple trap so opening the door from the outside would combust the whole place, then they headed up. The stairs emerged in the castle’s gatehouse. The outer gates were partially open, guarded on the outside by a group of orcs, while stairs led up to a locked iron door to the bastion, where the orc archers were in wait. As the adventurers were discussing their options, five from the outside guard came in. They were slept, but not soon enough to prevent an alarm.
Orcs started pouring in through the front gates, and more came from the tower. Orders were being shouted and horns blown. A vicious melee developed in the wide gatehouse corridor. Maglor read a scroll of monster summoning III, and at once, two shriekers appeared, hooting loudly. Now even the orcs drinking in a nearby dining room heard the commotion, and came up from the back, followed by 7 tromes from deeper in the dungeons. Some of the orcs ran upstairs to bring further reinforcements. As the orcs came down from the bastion, Aufidia cast pyrotechnics inside their stairwell, flooding it with smoke. The characters in the gatehouse fought valiantly, holding back the orcish foe. Aufidia’s fireball blew up the orcs advancing from behind, but this was only temporary relief. From beyond them came a great orc in plate mail, with two ogre bodyguards, announcing himself as Troglont, one of the orc lords leading the campaign against Thisium! He was upon the back guard, destroying Maglor’s animated spear. Aufidia threw another fireball from her wand. Dead were the orcs and tromes, dead was Dio the light foot, and dead was Septimus (Fighter 3), Aufidia’s faithful companion! Troglont, wounded but strong, went for Aufidia, swinging his magic longsword. Aufidia stood her ground, swung her staff, and with a critical hit and 10 Hp damage, killed the surprised orc lord in one stroke! The remaining orcs ran where they could, and those in the bastion kept dead quiet not to be noticed. They killed off the remaining shrieker, picked up what they could, and marched out of the castle gates. Gargoyles dove down from the parapets, but were killed. Through the drawbridge, they headed to the wilderness to meet their army on the valley road, led by the Imperator, Sir Egmont Mouseburg, and Ramondo Montefeltro. They were hailed as victors by the assembled host, and started to plan their next stratagem against the orcish foe. At this time, the city had 13 days left...
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