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| The Godswood |
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| The Godswood Hedge Maze |
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| Locket |
S04E03: The heroes arrived at midnight in the godswood and met a minotaur druid named Locket who came here after the last Full Moon to guard the weirwood tree in the Sunspear hedge maze. The heroes discover various silver mirrors as old as the maze, that revealed the shadow corridor in various places and barred entry.
Locket proved to be helpful and after four hours of foraging and harvesting magical fruit, the heroes encountered three lost individuals who sought refuge in the hedge maze. A speaker named Been and two Baratheon soldiers Serlan and Kyle were relieved to find allies in the lengthening night. All three had similar stories: they had gotten separated from their group in the chaos that followed the night of the New Moon four days ago.
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| Silver Mirror |
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| Eldritch House |
Following a signal-light coming from Eldritch House the heroes, along with the three survivors, went to the grand residence to encounter twelve injured individuals who barricaded themselves inside. Maester Pyre Baugh, his apprentice; Ser Tergaram Carcel, his ward; the sickly Lady Baratheon, two nursemaids; and the head-strong Darren Tyrell with 4 soldiers at his disposal.
Darren was immediately suspicious of the heroes and demanded proof they were not dark folk or fetchlings. Lady Baratheon, praying and holding on for dear life, told Brim she fears for her son and fears dark times indicate the work of the gods. She seems to recognize Brim and bids the heroes to search the attic above as she passes out from exhaustion. She is given a fruit that seems to stop her illness.
Ser Tergaram, Sunspear’s Secretary of War, informed the heroes that whoever Dornish survived have likely fled to the Broken Arm lands of Whitecourt or Greengrove to the north. Many were lost in the first couple of nights but there may be small groups of survivors around. Ravens have been absent since the New Moon. Tergaram also reports seeing movement and possible survivors at both the Sun and Spear Towers, he also indicates Spear Tower has weapons that could be helpful.
Maester Pyre tells the heroes about the horrible atrocities committed by the dark folk since the New Moon. He reports on a three-headed winged wolf that flies by day ravaging at will and the malevolent shadows that roam the dark streets and alleys. Pyre seems sincerely worried about the Speaker clan as well as the young Casella Vaith who is also missing.
While everyone was distracted Darren and the other soldiers unwisely left Eldritch House trusting on their own skill. Brim channeled positive energy that healed everyone and left behind two healing kits. The heroes only stayed an hour, it is 5 am. Pyre (and his apprentice), Tergaram (and his ward), Lady Baratheon (plus two nurses), Been and two Baratheon soldiers Serlan and Kyle stayed behind while the heroes ventured out into the night.
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| Spear Tower |
S04E04 After the run in with dark folk, the heroes meet the Speaker leader Dhulsa and two other individuals. Dhulsa is a short humanoid with a long thick tail, tired eyes and slow speech; his two Speaker companions Saren and Jesmyn they explain how they got separated from the rest of their clan in the nights following the New Moon.
Jesmyn explains that the Old Gardens is the rendezvous for their kin. Their clan originated from The Nest, a nearby territory. Saren does most of the talking. They came here after Dhulsa began having nightmares of darkness and forlorne suffering- he believes four nights ago part of that dream came true. Dhulsa: they came to help because he fears more apertures into shadow will be opened. At that moment Brim had a vision of ancient rows of sarcophagi in an ancient crypt.
The heroes examine the individuals for signs of transformation, including looking for pointed ears, before leading them back to Eldritch House and one of their own- Been. Before they depart the Speakers tell the heroes how salves from the Old Gardens can help against the evil dark folk death throes.
At the Spear Tower, the heroes were spotted from their previous battle and were hastily let in to find survivors who had seen some combat action. The heroes were greeted by Will Manderly, Rickon Stark’s (Boren’s father) faithful squire along with four Stark Bannermen from House Mormont; Felir and Elden, known individuals from High Hermitage; as well as the young and beautiful Cassella Vaith, the Queen of the Greenblood who had four Baratheon Soldiers as guards.
Will Manderly, utterly surprised at seeing Lord Boren Stark; after some investigation it was revealed that Will Manderly was the resistance’s 'Fish-Man'. He has been in communication with the White Feather and has been working with the monks Felir, Elden and one Radco Sands. It was Radco who told him to look for the heroes.
Will told Boren how his father was betrayed by Boren’s cousin Barthogan ‘the Lesser’ during the battle after what was coined as the ‘fake’ bending of the knee: the assassination attempt on King Daeron. Barthogan's betrayal shook Will’s loyalties and Will switched sides to work for the resistance.
They came to Spear Tower looking for weapons and safe refuge. They mention seeing some activity- possibly more survivors- at Sun Tower. Cassella mentions the Rhoynar Sun, an orb of brilliant energy can be found at the Sun Tower. And mentions she has been in contact with House Martel for the resistance.
While at the Spear Tower, the heroes take and hour and search the edifice to find dragon glass (obsidian) daggers and spear tips to arm survivors against the dark folk. The real purpose however was to find the Martel weapon- a greyflame valerian steel spear which Brim found then learned it is said the weapon do not function outside of Dorne.
It was agreed that the Mormont and Baratheon soldiers escort Cassella Vaith to Eldritch house while Will, Felir and Elden should accompany the Heroes from here on out. It is 6 am when the heroes leave the safety of Spear Tower for the unknown dangers of Sun Tower.
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| Tower of the Sun |
After an encounter with more dark folk the Heroes arrive at Sun Tower to find thirteen individuals, each with signs of minor damage.
In the gilded grand entry the heroes meet the rugged Jessar Martell, brother to the Prince of Dorne and his niece, Myriah Martell the Princes’ eldest daughter and Sun priest. Jessar has five Sand Vipers- elite warriors from House Lleryn at his disposal while Myriah has five Sun Guards accompanying her. On a nearby sofa was a ranting and haunted Girstem Warder who was in an inconsolable frantic condition.
Jessar had taken exception to Brim wearing the Regelia of the Rhoynar, but Myriah had reservations and led Brim to the brilliant orb of light hovering in the grand hall. The Orb of the Rhoynar. Brim confirmed her suspicions and was able to dim and to move the orb slightly with the use of a fire shard.
Meanwhile in the gilded hall, Boren was channeling through Girstem, leading him out of the terror he was experiencing and saw what happened at the Old Sept on the first night of the New Moon.
Talking Girstem out of it, Boren learned that he was present at the Old sept when Pious Moll turned on his congregation. A pale woman of stunning beauty and malevolence stood as Pious Moll’s energetic sermon turned dark and foreboding. Then during the height of the ceremony the white woman came up behind Pious Moll and bit into his neck. Blood was everywhere. The look in Pious Molls face was of divine ecstasy. Pious Moll then shed his own blood in an unholy communion for the congregation to drink.
After that things seemed to happen so fast. He saw Pious Moll, bite into and drink the blood of the Royal Liason, the Steward of Sunspear, and Dorne’s Commodore of the Navy. He doesn’t know how he managed to escape but he claims Gannon, Hronagar, and Mildenrod hunted him until he lost his mind.
Furthermore, Girstem revealed he is a member of a secret group of Nymeria's promise keepers who claim Eldritch Shadowchaser came to Westeros as Nymeria’s brother, was killed in Nymeria’s War to unify Dorne, but was reborn as her son. This seems to confirm Brim’s suspicions of one of his former lives.
The heroes along with Will, Felir and Elden take an hour downtime and leave for the old gardens around 7 am.
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| The Greenhouse |
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| The Old Gardens |
S04:E05 After the battle with dark folk at the Old Gardens the heroes meet the garden's caretaker Dora Silkhead of Greenmark; Relek, the morally conflicted Speaker and several of his and Dhulsa’s clan; as well as several citizen soldiers and Dornish small folk who were of like minds to seek refuge here. In recovery were two Speakers of Relek’s clan as well as Radco Sands.
After some conversation and some inspired deduction from Brim it was discovered that killing an Owb that transforms a person to a shadow walker fetchling they will revert back with only minor illness and exhaustion to show for it.
Radco, after receiving some restorative magics told his story. Since returning to Sunspear from High Hermitage he as observed from a distance an evil take hold in the Church of Seven and believes three foreigner women from Ghis are at the heart of this evil disease. At first these women seem to have taken to revitalize the Mother Rhoyne temple, but have in fact brought only darkness and raised the curiosity of the righteous Pious Moll. Pious Moll’s curiosity turned into obsession and before long his demeanor changed and so did the church climate. To our peril.
Will Manderly says Alyn Valeryon, was the one who brought these women from across the narrow sea to Sunspear. After deploying soldiers for the King in Sunspear, Will says Alyn Valeryon came back a changed man after raiding Salt Shore. After that, Alyn seemed to act in his own interests, ignoring decrees from the Crown after the assassination attempt including bringing three witches from Essos to Sunspear.
Radco: On the night of the New Moon Pious Moll and several officers form the Spear Tower Council, meet a terrible fate. Radco was there under a different guise. Describing the blood communion, Radco explains how the beautiful pale woman stepped out of the shadows and with a snake like tongue bit into the throat of Pious Moll. They seemed to stand poised like that for several moments. Blood was everywhere- chaos, except for Alyn Valeryon who seemed unsurprised. Radco followed him to the docks and watched Alyn Valeryon and the pale woman get into his ship and sail that night. Radco had only glimpses of memory including coming across a few others along the way but were all captured the next night by dark folk and transformed in a terrible- soul tearing ritual he’d soon like to forget.
Relek, the first Speaker the heroes have ever seen with a weapon, admits to dark knowledge and how troubled he is… he was ready to take arms against a friend- after knowing they could be redeemed. Relek believes his research into dark knowledge has given his elder the nightmares. Relek confirmed what Brim puzzled out: killing an Owb would revert anyone that spawn of the Night Queen transformed. Furthermore is it believed the ‘dark callers’ function is to bring owbs through the breach/shadow touchstone. One at first dark everyday since the breach was opened.
The Heroes take their long rest (in 4 hours) and Mon remembers being here, but from the ocean when the previous Guardian of Water passed the mantle to him. With the help of Dora, Willow makes a discovery. Lobo searches for a mate and Brim and Boren send out replies to messages. A search for elemental shards is performed with the old gardens giving up an extra chosen shard.
Resources are gathered up and the heroes escort everyone back to the Sun Tower with sundown approaching at 4 pm. Just as the Sun tower was in view a transformed group of fetchlings attacked: Darren Tyrell and four other Tyrell soldiers who unwisely left the relative safety of Eldritch House.
