Session Date: 26th Mar 2025
Web Vault Link: https://www.ashencampaign.xyz/session-notes/season-4-ignatius-beckons/session-34/
A list Of Spells Cast In Sessions: Click Here
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Session Summary

Full Session Notes

Soon after returning, the party set off for Whitespire. Aiden Knight decided it would be best to find Shoni Anofora, rather than risk needing help from Lorwyn again. He quickly discovered a tavern down the road where the bartender, a dwarf, was speaking simply while pouring drinks for various customers. When Aiden asked about Shoni, the bartender replied, “I’m no good at remembering. Do you have something to jog my memory?” Reluctantly, Aiden pushed a few extra coins across the counter, and the bartender began to speak more formally. He explained that he had heard of Shoni and that she was last known to be heading south. With another payment, he detailed that she was working in the Desert, beyond the Great Wall. Aiden thanked him for the information and returned to the party, who refused to believe him, citing the bartender's poor command of Common.

Looking up from their glass, Halfbie excitedly explained that this could work out well for them, as their Tour De Ashen plan would take them right to the Great Wall, allowing for a quick detour to look for her. They asked if Aiden had managed to find out exactly where in the Desert they could locate Shoni. Aiden sheepishly admitted that he had forgotten to ask. Returning to the bar with Halfbie and Kal The Korrigan †, Aiden requested more information, but the bartender seemed incapable of answering. With a strained voice, Aiden explained that the barkeep would speak more clearly if they offered him some money. However, he was running low on cash. Without hesitation, Kal The Korrigan † pulled out 50 gold and asked the same question. The bartender promptly accepted the gold and, in an incredibly posh accent, explained that Shoni was in Camp Sophia, which was near a river she was working on. He even provided them with the coordinates A61.

Seeing his chance, Wurinn Fuuldrusch asked Kal The Korrigan † to buy him a drink, and he agreed, buying a round for the whole party. Halfbie politely refused, however, citing their previous bad luck with drinking. Kal The Korrigan † also declined to drink, fearing another encounter with a demon.

They all decided they hadn’t gone exploring at night in a long time and wanted to do just that. They agreed to rest at a nearby Adventurers Guild to ensure they weren’t exhausted. While there, they realized they hadn’t taken on any quests in a long time and decided to pick one that involved investigating a strange trend of small animals, like rabbits, being killed in the forest, as it happened to be on the way to their next destination. On their way, Aiden noticed they were being followed and pointed to a nearby bush where he suspected their pursuers were hiding. Kal The Korrigan †, not taking it seriously, shapeshifted into a bat, but soon found himself drawn into the bush and could not stop himself. When he reached the bush, he faced a pale white face that looked at him with pity. Kal The Korrigan † could not resist walking into the person's hands before they picked him up and vanished in a puff of smoke.

The Korrigan now found himself in a small, one-room house with four new pale faces staring back at him. The one holding him explained that the bat must have been injured, as it walked over to them, and its wings appeared broken. The three boys and one girl in the room rushed off to find medical supplies for the 'bat.' The one holding him began barking orders to the others to fetch specific items, calling them by name: Cosmo, Calathus, and Veranius. Still in bat form, Kal The Korrigan † tried to explain that he wasn’t a real bat; he just hadn’t mastered wild shaping yet. However, the person holding him didn’t understand and did their best to reassure him that everything would be okay.

Feeling guilty, the Korrigan finally reverted to his humanoid form and sat in one of the nearby chairs. The atmosphere instantly grew tense as the others in the room appeared frightened. With his normal senses and better lighting, Kal The Korrigan † quickly realized why their pale skin should have been a warning; the fangs confirmed it. All these children were vampires, and they were terrified that Human would slaughter them.

The rest of the party grew concerned when Kal The Korrigan † did not return from the bush and cautiously went to investigate. While Mordecai Reverence and Drache attempted to figure out what had happened, Halfbie dressed up as a 1960s noir detective using various spells and began to investigate with a spyglass. After some time, Mordecai and Halfbie found the same clues and even discovered a dead rabbit. Mordecai then spotted a small cottage with light streaming out from its boarded windows.

Halfway through his explanation that he meant no harm at it was just them, Halfbie barged in dressed in an overcoat and devoid of colour, exclaiming that justice waited for no one and it needed to be seized. All of the kids, but the one who found Korrigan, scattered in fear as the final vampire began to get ready for a fight. Korrigan slapped Halfbie in frustration before returning to the vampire once again, trying to explain the situation and how The Party meant them no harm. Finally, the vampire put their claws down but didn't drop their guard. Seeing they were getting nowhere, Korrigan gave one last apology before leaving the house and carrying on with the journey, promising to make it up to them when he could.

After walking a considerable distance away, Korrigan finds a rabbit and casts Animal Messenger on it. He instructs the rabbit to deliver a message to the vampires, saying, "A gift from the horned man, sorry," before continuing on their journey.

Later, as they pass by Farpost, they notice a lot of activity in the town. Many guards clad in bright orange armour are stationed around the city. They decide it would be wise to investigate, as it might provide clues about the identity of the "Prince of Fire," referenced in the 'Prince Of Fire' Flyer.

As they approached the gates of Farpost, they noticed that all the guards were wearing Dragon Scale helmets, which made Wurinn Fuuldrusch, also known as Drache, feel quite worried about his safety. To boost his confidence, Mordecai used his makeup skills to transform Drache into an exceedingly handsome Tiefling. With renewed courage, Drache confidently approached the gate, and his stunning appearance caught the guards off guard.

Once they recovered, the guards explained that the prince was very busy and didn't have time for guests. Drache simply winked and stated that they were there as "special friends." After a brief communication with the prince, the guards soon let them in, as the prince had expressed his desire to meet the handsome Tiefling..

They slowly made their way through the large town hall that had since been repurposed as a throne room, and when suddenly, a massive plumb of fire flooded over them before anyone could react. Instead of a sizeable burning sensation, they found that all but Mordecai had gone blind ^[1]. The whole party soon found that they were being drawn further into the palace before hearing a slimy laugh from before them. Mordecai tried to take a look. Still, before their eyes could recognise what they saw, they were also turned blind. The prince of fire sat before them and commanded them to tell him what they wanted.

Mordecai began speaking but was quickly interrupted; the prince was more interested in hearing from the handsome Tiefling than the unattractive leaders of the Organisation of Free Cities (OFC). Mordecai suppressed his frustration and let Drache take the lead.

Drache explained that they were simply passing by, had noticed that Farpost was active again, and wanted to understand why. He also requested a way to see what lay ahead before he stumbled over something. With a wave of his hand, the prince restored their vision.

The new vision was strange; a heavy orange hue engulfed the scene, and when they looked at one another, they noticed their eyes had transformed into tongues of flame. However, the most distressing part was the intense pain; the flames burned their eye sockets relentlessly. Despite the agony, Halfbie was captivated by the esoteric display of magical skill.

Drache then asked who they were, as they had never heard of the Prince of Fire before. The prince laughed and said, "Of course you've heard of me, or at least of my spells!" Mordecai, still annoyed that he wasn't the prettiest one at the moment, snorted and remarked that they probably didn't know whatever obscure spell the prince had created. The prince snorted even louder and exclaimed, "What, you haven't heard of Fireball?!" Mordecai was left dumbfounded, but before he could respond, Halfbie excitedly asked if he was the one and only Kaelis Ignithar, the famed wizard from the book The Pyromancer's Legacy - The Chronicles of Kaelis Ignithar.

Kaelis Ignithar began to rant about how kids these days had no clue about the magic they so casually wielded and wouldn't recognize true talent even if it hit them in the face. He was adamant that he was the best mage in the history of mages and claimed he could even defeat Ignatius if he tried. To the party's relief, Kaelis clarified that he wasn't related to Ebis Daro and was offended by the suggestion that he might worship a god he considered weaker than himself.

For the next 5 to 10 minutes, Kaelis insulted Mordecai's magical skills while answering various questions about what he was doing and showcasing several mind-blowing magical feats. He explained that he had observed The Dawn Empire slowly collapsing without its leader and saw it as the perfect opportunity to claim what was rightfully his: the crown. He shared stories of his time during the fall of the Grayfall Empire and his experiences in laying the foundation for most fire magic that followed.

Halfbie then asked if their eyes were gone entirely on account of them being on the fire, and Kaelis laughed before clicking his figures, another wave of fire washed over them and returning them all to standard, citing he wanted to test some new spell he was working on. Halfbie couldn't contain their excitement and pleaded with Kaelis to teach them how to use similar magic. Meanwhile, Mordecai was overtaken by jealousy. He couldn't understand why this person had access to fire magic that not only burned and destroyed but also had healing properties. Mordecai detested that, due to his bad luck, he had hurt people, believing that if he had access to this magic when he was younger, perhaps his family wouldn't have been killed. It was all too overwhelming, and in his frustration, Mordecai walked away, too annoyed to care about what anyone else thought. The others said their goodbyes and hurried after him.

Halfbie lingered for a moment and asked Kaelis if there was any chance he would teach them some of this magic. The mage inquired about Halfbie’s current spell-casting level, and Halfbie revealed that they were a tier 3 mage. Kaelis didn’t bother to hide his disappointment as he explained that the magic he was using required a skill level higher than most 9 th-level mages could handle. However, he promised that he could teach them some more basic spells later on.

With a snap of his fingers, a bell appeared in Halfbie ’s hands. Kaelis explained that when he was free later, Halfbie could ring the bell, and he would send his simulacrum to teach them the spell. Halfbie thanked the mage with a deep bow and hurried off.

As the party made their way to the border between Farpost and the Uvam Dynasty, they met a fleet of soldiers guarding the wall. They paused, minds racing on how they were going to get past them again, knowing Mordecai's complicated history with them. Chenris' dying words swirled in Mordecai's mind as they were finally confronted by their past. How could he save others from their sadness when all he did was run from his own? Impulsively, the Tiefling raised their crimson fingertips to unhook their cloak from over their horns, the sun reflecting off their jewellery like flames coiling through their dark hair. Within seconds, arrows soared through the air. Green vials of sedatives plunged into the necks of our heroes, bringing with them the murky darkness of their consciousness leaving them.

Fire licked at the Tiefling 's feet as they regained consciousness, bound tightly to a cross surrounded by all the people he had run from for years. His friends dangled upside down around them, bound and gagged, watching the events unfold - unable to help. Mordecai couldn't recognise laughs bitterly in the face of their Father, brother and previous employer. "You know this won't work." They chided as they gestured their bound hands towards the fire snaking around their ankles. Arwen simply did not care as he watched the leaders of the OFC dangle at his mercy. He informed the party through Mordecai that the goblin mafia would take over their precious OFC when they died by his hand. His eyes dragged themself over his previous employee, the object of his obsession and then vehement hatred, restrained in front of him. "One thing I have found after years of trying to find you, that little taste of catching you and you evading my grip once again, I no longer care about you." Those words hung like a man at the gallows as the slimy nightclub owner retreated, leaving the Thornewood family reunion to commence.

Footnotes