Kemu'at: Session 2

[thecaffeinator]

Early evening approaches, the smoke from the still burning wagon nearby still drifting up into the sky. Nearby are the corpses of the merchants and drovers.

-Inspect the Wagon?-
-DC10 Perception Sight: There are no signs of the merchant's goods, or their horses/camels. DC 15- the corpses seem to be several days old, and there are not signs of a recent struggle in the area besides your own.
-Bandits: 150xp for Vincent & George. Loot; 2 light crossbows & 19 bolts, 4 shortswords.


-Skrap collects his fallen arm for possible reattachment.

If characters linger more than twenty minutes, 10 vultures begin to move in. If wait till after dark, a Giant Scorpion may show up (1-3 on a d20.)

-The bandits have a lair off in a nearby cave, maybe a mile or so out from here in a hill. Here there are twelve more Bandits, and a Bandit Captain. They have plans to continue collecting stolen goods to present to their 'Queen' (who is in fact, a Lamia who has charmed them.)

-(The Scarab Queen: a powerful lamia enchantress who charms weak-willed men and monsters into doing her bidding. She rules over a ruined city half-buried in the desert. She has a small network of spies in Per'din, and often sows rumors to lure new victims into her clutches.)

-(The Soulforge: A still active piece of machinery in the desert that was built to construct Warforged and their soulstones. A mad warforged wizard and his 'party' continue to create more Warforged and let them loose in the desert.)

-(Kobolds: In and adjacent to the sewers is the lair of a clan of Kobolds led by a human cultist who are preparing for the return of 'The King of Kings'! They've been abducting people and livestock to use as sacrifices in their weird rituals. Kobolds are blue. Lots of traps, a gelatinous cube, and a couple of gray oozes.)

-If return to Per'din, have the Marshall ask them to deliver a message to Lady Lavinia Corvinus, the noble who runs the city.

The directions were easy enough to follow, and Lady Corvinus's residence is...hard to miss. The building is four stories tall, with no windows on the bottom two floors. A large stained-glass window occupies the upper two stories on the front, depicting a raven with red-tainted wings, wings spread in front of a full moon wreathed in black thorns.

(If Detect Magic is used, it does radiate an aura of Divination magic, for the opposite side is a large, ornate mirror that she uses for scrying.)

[A Raven's head knocked sculpted from black steel is on the front door. Takes about a minute before Lavinia's Homonculus servant arrives to greet the party. Odd, but friendly!]

The interior of the building is very lavish, with magical lanterns lighting it. However, the lighting is only dim, casting shadows that occasionally seem to move on their own. Adorning the walls are many pieces of art, some known and famous, some depicting locations such as Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Per'din, and some that are unknown.

You are led to the waiting room, a fireplace crackling at the far end. A table in the center of the room is surrounded by empty, plush chairs, and there are finger-foods and wine on the table itself.

[Once all players have sat down, the servant wanders off to fetch the lady. Give the players a few moments to speak amongst themselves, or investigate the room.
-Mirror
-Glass vials of various types, holding liquids that are both magical and not
-Bookshelves! Many are historical, others are poetry, and some are magical studies
-It is clear you were expected]

A soft chill seems to sweep into the room not more than a moment before the door opens once more. A pale woman walks in, her hair as white as her flesh, her eyes a deep crimson, the color of blood. She smiles as she looks at you.

"Ah, welcome, welcome. I am Lavinia Corvinus. Please, make yourselves at home. I hear you have something for me?"

-DC15 Perception: You catch a glimpse of the mirror...and notice that Lavinia does NOT cast a reflection! (She IS a vampire, after all...)

-If asked, she simply shrugs it off and explains. She has no intention of hiding her heritage. She means the party no harm, she's simply here because the promise of knowledge is enticing. Much of Kemu'at is still new territory, as the deserts are fierce and untamed. She hopes to uncover the secrets of civilizations long past.