Bane the Barbarian – Session 1

DAY 1

After riding for many days, Ichabard and I reached the small township of Hommlet. Once there it did not take long to find the man the Med-Jai had sent us to aid.

Tangrel was a squat, powerful figure, clothed predominantly in black. His manner was stern and dogmatic. My impression was that he was a man of zeal, and not to be trifled with. I hoped that we would never be enemies.

By contrast, Tangrel’s underling Carceron was a slight, bookish man with watchful eyes.

On meeting we observed the usual formalities when servants of the Med-Jai are first introduced, and then Tangrel took us to a house on the edge of town, where he and his associates were staying. Though at that time the others were not there.

Tangrel spoke to us of the spread of the Enemy’s followers. Recently Tangrel and his companions, the sorcerer Muratis, a lady half-elf paladin named Rae and a third individual named Snub, who from Tangrel’s description was a man of somewhat dubious background and character, had discovered the location of a group of cultists and moved against them. Consequently the souls of the servants of Evil had rapidly departed for the Afterworld.

Tangrel had learned however that the cultists had been in the midst of preparing for something. There were references to the Temple of Elemental Evil and also evidence that this group of cultists had not been alone. Text from a journal that was recovered indicated that the nearby mill, at least, was another of their havens. And according to Tangrel this was the next target.

I was relatively unconcerned until Tangrel mentioned that, prior to any further action, a ritual to de-petrify Rae would need to be performed, as she had been turned to stone by a cockatrice during the last skirmish.

It was only then that I began to wonder what I had gotten myself into.

Glancing at Ichabard, I noted that as usual his curiosity appeared to have overridden any misgivings similar to my own.

A short while after, Muratis returned and it was discovered that Snub had departed. He had bid no farewell but had left behind a note explaining that he had gone in search of the truth about himself. Tangrel and Muratis did not seem that surprised. I had the impression that there had been a falling out between them but decided it was better that I did not pry.

DAY 2

It was a full day before the ritual to free Rae could be performed by the Canoness of the local church. And for the majority of this time the others were content to pour over the various mystical items their group had recovered thus far.

The day was uneventful and so passed interminably slowly. I cleaned my weapons and armour repeatedly, paced the room and dozed fitfully, but despite my attempts to occupy myself the wait gnawed at me and I grew increasingly restless. My companions appeared to be unaffected. They were too caught up in deciphering the manuscripts and journals they had found to notice the passage of the Sun slow to a mere crawl across the sky.

Finally, a few hours after the de-petrification ritual had been performed, Tangrel, Muratis, Rae, Ichabard, Carceron and I set out for the mill. I was reassured to see that Rae appeared to be none the worse for wear after her misfortune, and also to find that I was not the only member of the group who liked to keep things simple. Rae was adorned in spiked plate mail and carried a great sword and a flail that crackled with electrical energy. Her manner was direct and forthright and from what I could ascertain her approach was to slay anything that she didn’t like. As was the case with Tangrel, I was glad that she was on my side.

It was not long before we were waiting again however. From some distance away Muratis’s scrying determined that there were three cultists inside the mill and that they had sensed our coming. Personally I was all for rushing in before they had time to make ready but the rest of the party assured me that it was better to wait for the defensive magic that had been cast to subside. Begrudgingly I bowed to their experience. I was already disturbed that this didn’t look like it was going to be a stand-up fight. I am not at all fond of wizardry.

A short while after, as the sun began to set, Tangrel stood and purposefully led us toward the mill.

From outside there was no sign of life but Muratis assured us that the cultists remained within. I made a brief circuit of the building to confirm that there was only one entrance, and then Tangrel led us inside.

My companions seemed unperturbed by the prospect of what might lie in wait within the dimly lit interior but my own mind kept returning to thoughts of dark sorcery and I could not shake a feeling of unease that crawled up my spine.

I followed Rae downstairs into the cellar while the others spread out to search the ground and first floor.

Suddenly Rae and I were confronted by a priest and his bodyguard, while upstairs the third cultist we had known about and an invisible assassin ambushed the remainder of the group.

Downstairs, the bodyguard was quickly despatched but the priest proved to be altogether a different matter. Before Rae or I could reach him and strike him down he wove tendrils of dark magic with words of power. The thick black shadows scuttled across the walls around us and I felt the power of the Enemy wash through me. Though my mind cried out against it, I was overcome. I heard words in my head and they commanded “PROTECT MY SERVANT” and I had no choice but to obey.

Turning against Rae I barred her path, holding her back just long enough for the dark power to take effect on her also, and she fell to her knees in the grip of some terrible delirium.

I tried with all of my will to shake off His control but it was to no avail. Helplessly I strode toward the stairway and made ready to defend it against my comrades.

The remainder is a blur.

I remember facing Muratis and Ichabard, telling them they could not pass, and hearing Muratis call out that I had turned against them.

I remember the air exploding around us, trapping me within a bubble of dark magical energy that blocked the stairwell, and hurling Ichabard against the wall where he fell to the floor and did not rise.

Though I was thankful that the searing pain from the blast had finally broken the spell I was under, I remained effectively helpless. Now trapped inside the bubble I could only watch as Muratis took on the priest alone.

For a while sorcery crackled back and forth. There didn’t appear to be much to choose between them but slowly Muratis gained the upper hand. Then, when the battle was nearly won, Rae, who had been almost forgotten suddenly recovered, drew her great sword and struck the priest down.

The battle was over, the servants of the Enemy had fallen. Ichabard and Carceron had come close to death but we were victorious. Yet I was left feeling subdued and shaken. Though I had battled his minions for many years this was the first time I had experienced his power at first hand. Until that moment I had always had faith that I could resist the powers of darkness, but when the time had come I had been found wanting. My will had broken as though it were a dry twig. Knowing this I was not sure if I would ever be the same …