====== Those Turbulent Priests ====== ===== Initial Brief ===== ~ADVENTURERS WANTED!~ The Adventurers' Guild of Acryn seeks capable and innovative new adventurers to investigate unattributed attacks on a farm that supplies the city and, if possible, put a stop to them. Minimal travel involved. Expected danger: 2/9. Pay: 18R ea. Those interested should gather at the Adventurers' Guild, Mosia Lane, Merchant Quarter, at Noon of the tenth day of the month. ===== PCs ===== * [[user:annas:pc:francesca_fitzgraves|Cleo Fitzgraves]] - Anna * [[user:emmab:pc:Armand Cargan]] - Emma * [[user:jamesg:pc:gerard_vidati|Gerard Vidati]] - James G * [[user:vickyh:pc:rashida_worrn|Rashida Worrn]] - Vicky * Brielle - Agata * [[user:jasperr:pc:zora_bracken|Zora Bracken]] - Jasper * Brother Amon - Josh * [[user:chaos:pc:toli_nutt|Toli Nutt]] - Chaos ===== Adventure Summary ===== The party meet at the Adventurers Guild and are briefed on the perceived arson attack on a farm just outside of Acryn. They don't have a Wayfinder so one is hired for them and off they go. Through the Flux is fastest and there they are ambushed by Clawfiends before encountering a farmhand running through a field of corn. They save him from living scarecrows and giant crows and he leads them out of the Flux to his farm. The field has been razed but lying in it is the corpse of a Tender Priest with a mysterious amulet. They are suddenly sprung upon by cultists of the Thunderer who are angry for the burning down of their shrine by Tender Priests. A fight starts but the situation is defused by talking eventually and the party agree to investigate the Thunderer Shrine to prove it wasn't the Tender Church that did it. They bury the Tender priest and get on their way. They catch a ride with a caravan heading toward Acryn to save time and avoid the Flux at night, and on the way they are asked if they want to play various games. The games are difficult to win but soon Gerard starts noticing some of these travellers are pickpocketing people. They start arguing about this though in the meantime Cleo is quietly liberating shiny objects from the travellers (including a shiny coin on a necklace that appears rigged). Things turn violent and some of the travellers run for it. The party track him down and get their belongings back. They return to Acryn and at the Thunderer's Shrine they find some Builder Priests carving something into the wall: the message "THERE ARE ONLY FOUR GODS IN ACRYN". These people too are wearing the strange amulets and the party attempts to pretend they are part of their group but eventually this cover is blown by protestations by Rashida. They deal with the priests, though one gets away, and take the vandals to the Watch under Brielle's direction. The Watch explain that this is just the tip of the iceberg of religiously charged arguing and vandalism on the streets and notice that the strange amulets appear to have a map of Founders' Square: a marketplace in the North of Acryn where all the little cults in Acryn are flogging their gods to anyone who'll listen. They ask if the party would go and have a look on their behalf as they're flooded with work. At Founders Square they defuse some arguments between the Tender Church and the Mare of Night cult as well as an altercation between the Builder Church and the Lord of the Rock cults. They escort the Lord of the Rock priest safely away and return to find themselves in a meeting of a consortium of smaller cults who are all in uproar about the Amulet-wearing people. They meet all sorts of cultists and make some friends: Toli has a duel with a Tyrant King Priest to determine who is stronger, but just following this the square is overrun by Wyverns set loose from Tyrant King cultists' cages. The party deal with the commotion and Toli subdues a cultist with an amulet who was responsible for setting the Wyverns loose. They take the cultist to the Watch and interrogate him there. He gives up the location of the **Order of the Four** and they head off to investigate. Upon arrival they try to get through the door but with a number of guards alerted it's difficult to get through. Thanks to Gerard, though, they break down the wall and fight their way in. They get past a trapped corridor and into the inner sanctum where an enormous mining project has removed all the ground beneath Founders' Square, supported by four pillars, one of which is destroyed as they arrive by a Warrior Priest. The Priests and cultists explain that they intend to remove the disease of foreign gods from Acryn. They start bringing down the pillars but with one left the Warrior Priest there is subdued and Zora binds the pillar back together. Just after this, a number of Priests appear to deal with the problem (having now turned up late) and help stabilise things. ===== Debrief ===== The Priests explain that it would be good if news of what the Order was up to doesn't make it that far and the party agree to let them clear up and rebuild down there so long as all the Order members are sent to the Watch. The party head to the Watch and explain everything. The Watch send guards to evacuate the Square until it's made safe and for saving the lives of hundreds of innocents pay everyone in the party 50R. They then head back to the Adventurers Guild and explain to them that the field's razing was just a small dispute they have now resolved. They are all paid their 18R for their work. Rashida gets in touch with first the Mare of Night Priests, suggesting they should go to the Tender to get their souls back (which they do, unsuccessfully). Then she goes to a Priest of Zozimos the Curious she met at the consortium of smaller cults and asks about the Dark Master. They get interested particularly in Rowan Darrish and the location of his bones (which the Ivory Priest has laid claim to). She gets them suitably interested that they start doing research and say they'll be glad to help her find them. Zora begins to feel the effects of the poison she got struck with in the entrance to the Order when her arm falls off. She goes to the Tender church who agree to cure the poison but reattach the limb later. Toli exerts authority and they agree to do it next Tuesday. Armand goes back home and regails his parents with stories of his adventure. Zora also goes to the Cargans and acquires a job gardening in the grounds. Cleo investigates her gains from the tricksters and is pleased to find 67R as well as a shiny coin that allows her to choose heads or tails when flipping it. She also pays 5R to have her mystery potions she stole identified. She has a Veil and Sticky Sap. Toli follows up all his invitations to various cults. First he goes back to get in touch with Sigvald. He tells Sigvald the Rampant about the big pit underneath Founders' Square (the Rampant suggests a rave) and also about the involvement of the Traitor Church. Sigvald asks Toli to keep an eye out for Booker and Penelope Cargan as he doesn't like them and suggests leading them into a trap. Toli then goes to the Mare of Night cultists who are sat outside the Tender Church being ignored. He suggests to them that he can do something to try and receive their souls back and they agree that would be a good plan, but they'll stay there just in case. Toli then visits the Stoic Veil who explain everything they're about and demonstrate the ability to try and ignore your emotions to do things better. Then Toli goes to the Priest of Zozimos and tells them everything they know about all the cults and sends them off investigating what's going on in Founders' Square. ===== Summary ===== **Cleo** * 67R stolen from tricksters * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild * -5R paid for Alchemy Services * 1 x Sticky Sap * 1 x The Veil * Divinely Rigged Coin of Cyrus the Gambler **Armand** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild **Gerard** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild **Rashida** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild * Contact in the Church of Zozimos the Curious willing to look for Rowan Darrish's bones **Zora** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild (-9 paid to the Tender Church) * Gardening Job with House Cargan (+2R per adventure) * Missing arm if played next week **Toli** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild (then paid to the Tender Church) * Further contact with Sigvald the Rampant * Contact in the Churches of Zozimos the Curious, the Mare of Night, the Stoic Veil. **Brother Amon** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild **Brielle** * 50R paid from the Watch * 18R paid from the Adventurers Guild {{tag>"those turbulent priests" "founders square" rampant "mare of night" zozimos "stoic veil" "order of the four" leader tender traitor warrior builder "cyrus the gambler" "the thunderer" adventurers_guild adventure "armand cargan" "cleo fitzgraves" "gerard vidati" "rashida worrn" "zora bracken" "toli nutt"}}