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Cleansing of Hirot

Session
2019-08-14

The Lightkeepers after agreeing to support the government of Amtal against the declaration of war from the Dragon Empire (formerly known as the Southern Kingdoms or The 4 Kingdoms) await an agent to arrive in Hirot with their further instructions on deployment and how they can bolster the war effort. Goldy decides to commission a stabile in town and Waldo demands naming rights. A group of Lightkeepers heads out into Hirot to scout a good place to build the monument. Town square being an obvious place for maximum visibility, they leave the Wolf-Spear toward the center of town only to realize that a different construction project has already begun. Countula and a group of Cadixtat acolytes have brought very large stones and boulders and are working them into a large circular platform. Normo is not impressed by the craftsmanship. When questioned about their motives they state it is simply the will of Cadixtat and building this platform will spread the message of his power to the masses. With half the Lightkeepers supporting this cause it is decided that a different site for the stabile will be found and the group departs.

Eventually, the group settles on the northwestern corner of town. As they make their way toward the site they realize much of the townsfolk seem to be holed up, few businesses are open, and even fewer foot traffic in the streets. Despite this, the Lightkeepers continue toward the soon-to-be construction site and after finding a small block of dilapidated buildings they begin tearing them down to create space for the new art installation. After a few hours of work, the town alarm bell goes off and there seems to be quite a commotion coming from the front gates. The Lightkeepers leave their labor unfinished and head toward the disturbance.

Upon arriving at the front gate the town watch had sealed the entrance from a huge group of pilgrims trying to get into town, the mass of humanity seemingly drawn to the town to worship Cadixtat. The Lightkeepers argue with the town watch for a while who don't seem to be willing to reopen the gate, until Goldy shows up and demands the gate be opened. The guards sulk away not wanting trouble and the pilgrims flood into town. As night falls Shorty finds a new arrival to town and informs him that he has been chosen by Cadixtat and must follow him. The man obliges and follows into an alley where Shorty murders him and feeds on his blood.

 

Rudy Randy has been traveling with a companion and camped out close to the coast where he plans on renewing his faith and worship to Pelagia. He is approached by a traveler who speaks to him in merfolk, suddenly realizing his surroundings have dissipated and he is in some other sort of plane of existence speaking to this being. The unknown entity reveals his identity as Many Names and asks Rudy if he is willing to support his cause and bring some redemption to the Lightkeepers. Rudy agrees and is led into a portal.

 

At dawn in Hirot, the building of the large stone platform in the town square was completed overnight and a corpse is found propped up in the center of this new pulpit. The body is marked with the iconography of Cadixtat and the word nonbeliever all which has been carved into its flesh. The growing horde of pilgrims takes this as a sign that their deity has blessed this place. The Lightkeepers discover that the body is that of Pancake Billy a former member whose whereabouts had been unknown. Countula taps into the growing fevor of the crowd and announcing that a ceremony will take place at noon in the town square and Cadixtat's will shall be made known to the masses.

Waldo and many of the Lightkeepers who are not aligned with the chaos titan have become uncomfortable with the now swelling fanaticism that has gripped the town. They quietly try to leave town and find that town watch has been replaced by members of Cadixtat's cult who have barred anyone from leaving Hirot unless Countula has cleared it. They decide against direct conflict and slip through town looking for alternative means of escape. When crossing the Three Rat flophouse they are met by Shaun the Swindler who asks them to come inside and meet an old acquaintance that was looking to speak with Waldo. Waldo deflects the meeting and asks Shaun to have the acquaintance meet them on the other side of town. Waldo takes most of the lawful aligned Lightkeepers toward the stabile project, Chutney Mist heads toward the Jarl's residence to fully assess the situation.

It does not take long for the old acquaintance to catch up with Waldo and almost at the same time they reach the northwestern corner of town. Versace Bellagio greets the Lightkeepers and explains he has infiltrated and become the leader of the local gang of thieves, Three Rats Mob. He was under the impression that they had some business at to conduct as the previous day Shaun the Swindler had approached the flophouse, he assumed as a representative of the Lightkeepers, and left with Pancake Billy. He hadn't heard from Billy yet so wanted to know what was going on. Waldo informed Versace that everyone in town not affiliated to Cadixtat was in trouble and they should likely make plans to leave town. He offered to discuss things with him in "a few hours" and that he head back to the flophouse to make preparations. Versace agreed to these terms.

Chutney Mist approached the Jarl's hold at the top of town and found two Cadixtat cultists guarding the doors. He asked to be let in to see the Jarl and the cultists obliged letting him walk into the great hall. As the doors opened he saw the Jarl slumped over dead sitting on his throne, neck slashed with the mark of Cadixtat carved into his forehead. The cultists grabbed Chutney as he took in the brutal scene and surmising it would be foolish to struggle allowed them to drag him off, back toward the town square.

Goldy and the other members of the Children of Cadixtat, directed by some unknown edict, marched with several other cultists toward Mad Widow Ymae's previous residence where the rest of the Lightkeepers were holed up. After instructing them to come to the town square for the ceremony and being refused, Goldy easily broke down the door and reissued the order. Without seeing much choice the remaining Lightkeepers followed the Cadixtat cult toward the site of the ceremony.

With all of the Lightkeepers who were not aligned with Cadixtat now bound on the stone platform. Countula began his sermon to the mass of followers, many whom had begun some sort of blood ritual and were murdering each other.

"Harken to the tale of the Ages of Man: Of the first age, when mankind was cast in the likeness of gods and ruled as titans upon the earth. And of how the first age ended in blood when the titans of Law clashed with those sworn to Chaos. Where their blood fell upon the earth, a new, lesser race sprang into existence, giving rise to...

The second age, when men were but a shadow of their former divinity cast upon the wall of creation. Towering like giants, yet blessed with peerless intellect and ageless beauty, the tribes of the second age raised mighty temples in honor of the titans of the past. The second age ended when the waters of the Empyrean ocean drank their shining cities, scattering the tribes of Ur-Lirea, making way for the...

Third, and current age of man, when the divine spark of humanity is obscured by emotions, sullied by vice, and caked with the stinking flesh of the fallen. But we shall not be the last. Hammering at our door are the harbingers of the fourth and final age, when the skies will run red and the man-beasts shall cast down our filthy cities and purge the earth with the fires of divinity.

We are those chosen to resurrect the titan, we shall begin to usher in the fourth age."

Countula brought a bound Waldo Swaggins to the center of the platform and had Goldy stand in front of the seething crowd and unveil the artifact that the Lightkeepers had retrieved from the collapsing plane a few weeks prior. It was a shard of Cadixtat's mighty weapon, the Axe of Unmaking. Goldy upon holding the shard formed the Whispblade and the new weapon formed into a monstrous long sword. Immediately compelled to shed blood for Cadixtat Goldy held high the chaotic weapon for the crowd to see before swinging it in a great arc upward and cleaving the diminutive halfling in two from groin to neck.

A pulse of unknown energy filled the air and time-reversed itself as Goldy's actions played in reverse and Waldo's flesh and sinew reformed into living matter. In a flash, a few steps away from the center of the dais Many Names appeared holding out his hand seemingly controlling very powerful magic. Two swirling portals opened over his shoulder and from these portals stepped Rudy Randy leading a contingent of merfolk warriors and Ultimak with 3 members of his lost dwarven clan. Many Names waves his hand and Goldy and Countula are thrown from the center slab to the edge of the stone platform and simultaneously the bounds of all the Lightkeepers are released. Many Names seemingly spent from this display of power drops to a knee as time begins to align and take its normal flow, "This is not how they should end. They are fated not to aid chaos." With those words, his grasp over time was released and as the adventurers all regained command a great battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil began.

 

Goldy rushed a weakened Many Names looking to take advantage and slay the most powerful entity involved in the battle. As the two great figures clashed death and destruction was being dealt all around the swirling melee. Jayna waded into the crowd of cultists swinging the Warhammer of Justica crushing the masses as easily as reaping wheat in a field. Waldo went down early to a flurry of blows as the fiercest fighting happened around the center of the platform, but quickly Rudy Randy directed his merfolk to form a barrier and used the healing power of Pelagia to bring back his friend. Versace Bellagio rushed onto the platform furious about being stood up by the Lightkeepers yet again and looking to exact some revenge as he yelled about betrayal. A powerful burst of magic missiles from the hands of Skyzarmandius quickly silenced his anger as his instantly limp body shot off the platform leaving only arcane scalded boots where he once stood. A second burst of magic on the other side of the platform caved in the chest of Ultimak causing the dwarven contingent to falter and be pulled under by the surging crowd of worshipers. Normo the Mighty squared up with Shorty to truely prove who the greatest halfling fighter was their blows going back and forth as the battle surged around them. Countula reached deep into himself and his connection with Cadixtat and asked for divine intervention. He began to levitate and a dark beam emitted from the chaos priests and focused on Goldy a terrifying shadow ripped from his body and cloning the fighter. Now against two of the powerful chaos champions, the forces of good began to look outmatched the back and forth sway of battle seemingly began to tilt.

Two spell casters reached deep into their arcane mastery to swing the battle away from the chaotic forces. Chutney Mist knowing that he recently had called upon the King of Elfland for divine aid, only briefly paused at the price that may be asked of him for again pulling a god into the dealings of mortals, reopened his connection to his patron. Without a word spoken the two enjoyed the peace and serenity of Elfland and both knowing the result and cost of this particular deal, Chutney Mist was returned to the battle to await the intervention. After being felled in combat and healed back to a feeble state, Skyzarmandius knew he may not get another chance. He pushed every part of his lifeforce, knowing that it would kill him, into a spell to disable the evil forces. The mumbling wizard began to shine multicolored light out of his pores and orifices and as the massive spell took form, the bright lights seemed to sear and desiccate his flesh leaving only a husk of a human shell behind. An incredible surge of rainbow light blasted forth from his fingertips, a powerful rainbow shining down from the heavens filled the sky and was said to be visible for miles. This surge of magic blinded and ravaged all of the chaos aligned combatants while a the same time acting as inspiration for those fighting against evil. Before the spectacular display was over, the sky was filled with falling leaves similar to as if every tree in the forest were to blossom and shed only moments apart. As the leaves touched the ground vines sprung up and bound any chaotic entity that survived the powerful blast of color spray magic. The pitched battle ended in mere moments with the lawfully aligned Lightkeepers victorious.

Waldo approached a bound Goldy and spoke softly to him, trying to find the humanity and what was worth saving in his former ally, asking him to renounce Cadixtat and embrace a chance at salvation. Goldy Doubloons knew that it would be impossible, even if a part of him wanted to turn away from chaos, he had given himself fully and Cadixtat had fused with his very being. "I can't". Waldo drove his sword into his former friend, following their guild leader's example the rest of the Lightkeepers delivered killing blows to the remaining bound Children of Cadixtat. Jayna brought down her holy weapon on Countula, Normo flailed Shorty, and Shaun the Swindler's remains, a rainbow stained skeleton, were crushed into a fine dust.

Many Names approached Waldo, "Now you have a second chance. Right the wrong path you went down before." He opened a portal and looked to Rudy Randy. "We now have more pressing matters." The two of them walked into the portal which closed and as quickly as he came he was gone. Chutney Mist also knew he would soon be ushered to Elfland and quietly disappeared from the crowd. Dickie Crickets held the body of Skyzarmandius whom he loved. The few remaining Lightkeepers looked out into Hirot and couldn't help but wonder how their upcoming war could possibly be more of a challenge.