Bad weather forced our session scheduled for 11/22 to be cancelled. The next session would have been scheduled for Thanksgiving Day; we're attempting to select a workable alternate day this week...

Session 4 Report:

The unit took a day off, during which time Qumál hiGa'ánish (Dennis Sustare) taught Siónu hiTekkól (Beth Loubet), Váti Kítik Kírik (Sean Summers) and Chégukal hiGurúma (Talzhemir Mrr) the Alleviation spell, so they wouldn’t get caught with insufficient magic to deal with poisonous creatures again. Vrishtára hiZa'éra (Matt Sheffield) assisted the sorcerers in their studies by concocting some weak poisons on which to test their newly learned spells.

Haráku hiZuróme (Denis Loubet) took this opportunity to pursue his interest in brewing. He paid a visit to his clanhouse (Arch of Heaven) for assistance, and ran into Kámbe hiSorúna, the boatman who’d brought him down the Chaigáva river to Katalál from the forests of the Kúrt Hills.

They shared a meal and got caught up; Haráku saying what little he could about his OAL activities, and Kámbe telling him how much the clanfolk talk about his OAL posting, and asking him what it was like serving with filthy worm-lovers. He also told Haráku of grumblings among the hill people about the growth of the Durritlámish-oriented Legion of the The Slayers of Cities at Katalál. The hill people have a long-standing hatred of the followers of Sárku and his cohort!

Haráku returned to the OAL barracks with a couple of clan-boys carrying boxes of spare brewing equipment that he got from the Arch of Heaven clan, tipping them generously.

Qumál and Váti also visited the slave markets, where Váti acquired a former swordsman bravo with a sad tale of lost love – but who was cheap due to his numerous scars. Qumál decided to simply borrow a torch-bearer slave named 'Torch' from their OAL unit, rather than purchase his own.

Tirrikámu Okkúru hiTlakotáni (their NPC subaltern) expressed concern to Qumál about how slowly things were going, urging Qumál to put an end to the creature, whatever it is, as soon as possible. He also ordered Qumál to begin considering the matter of a secondary Semétl (troop) leader, suggesting that Siónu might be a good choice because of her prior OAL experience.

Returning to the sewers the next morning, our heroes explored several different rooms and passages. They discovered a forgotten (or at least disused) entrance into the Temple of Drá, and a place where the floor of the sewer had fallen away, perhaps due to Katalál’s last bungled Ditlána, spilling sewage down to a deeper level of the underworld. They spent some time and effort makeshifting a bridge over this chasm out of doors salvaged from previously explored rooms, but eventually the entire troop was able to cross.

They found a room containing several sewer barges in various states of repair, and well as workroom facilities. Qumál made sure to carefully scan the walls and floor before entering, but neglected to look up – and it was from that direction that a Káyi dropped its tendril net down upon Haráku moments after the group entered the room.

A fight ensued. Haráku was cut free before suffering much harm, but Qumál’s slave 'Torch' succumbed and had to be dragged from the room when they fell back to re-group. The creatures were incapable of pursuing them through the closed door. On their second attempt, Siónu proved that throwing lighted torches at the Káyi was most effective, and they proceeded to triumph without much difficulty.

In the room, they discovered tracks matching the Demon of the Dark’s description… but much smaller than expected, indicating a creature perhaps only ½ as tall as a man. What’s more the tracks indicated at least two of the creatures!

Qumál called for another strategic withdrawal, and commanded Váti to pull all-nighter in his Thúmis temple’s library to something to shed light on this new discovery. He also informed Okkúru of his decision to select Siónu as second in command of their troop.

I've fallen behind on my session reports. In order to get caught up, here's a very quick overview of what happened in the last few sessions:

Session 5:
Okkuru and Qumal visited the Governor to explain why his drains were still not working. Meanwhile...

Sionu led the 3rd sewer expedition. They found and battled what turned out to be two immature Demonlings of Darkness. Haraku threw and lit oil, which burned one of them up, but the other fled flaming into the sewer network. After many hours of searching, they tracked it down to a room where it had taken refuge...

...a sealed chamber containing a large horde of mixed Ssu and Mu'ugalavyani treasures! The Demonling was hiding in a Magical Chest of the Topaz God, which the PCs tied shut to trap it. Then they returned, triumphant, and a runner was sent to the Governor's mansion in time to save Okkuru and Qumal from impalement.

Session 6
The treasure was handed over to the OAL's scholars. The OAL kept the Chest of the Topaz God, including the trapped Demonling and other items inside it. The PCs were allowed to keep the remaining treasure, including cash as well as a few enchanted steel weapons and bits of armor. They also received their regular pay.

A Ceremony of Promotion was held on the OAL's parade grounds. Haraku, Qumal, Sionu, and Vati were all promoted 1 rank. Okkuru, their NPC commanding officer, hoped to advance but was denied. However, their Troop was promoted from 3rd to 2nd within the Company, which Okkuru took as a point of pride.

Session 7
New Orders: "The Temple of Belkhánu reports that a spate of killings have been committed by slaves in Katalál. The dispatch was sent 5 months ago, but of course it had to be processed by the central OAL office in Béy Sü before orders could be sent back out to the OAL office in Katalál. Your orders are to root out the cause of this apparent slave uprising, apprehend its leaders, and see that they are sent to the stake forthwith."

Okkuru led inquiries at the Temple Belkhanu. He tracked down the administrative priest who wrote the dispatch, but learned little that wasn't already known, other than that the priest hadn't noticed any additional killings by slaves in the the interim.

Sionu led inquiries at Legion of the Slayers of Cities. One of the 3 victims was Kási (Captain) Changártla hiGa’ánish, an officer of that Legion (5th Imperial Sappers) from the medium-status Black Stone clan. He was a Durritlámish worshipper. He was strangled in his sleep in his quarters at the Legion’s barracks in Katalál. The perpetrator, Changártla’s handsome Jakállan love slave Míssikh (‘Copper’), leaped to his death immediately afterward.

Session 10
Our heroes confronted the Mu'ugalavyani, bursting in upon them in the main hall of the Kiosk of the Five Clans. Battle ensued, and the PCs were triumphant though Qumal took a Missile of Metallja spell through the shoulder from the Red Hat who turned out to be a sorcerer. It would have felled a lesser man. The 'trade delegates', now suspected of being member of the Legion of the Mourners in Sable (Mu'ugalavyani secret police) were taken into custody.

Session 11
Awaiting word on the interrogation of the Mu'ugalavyani (being conducted by higher-ranking OAL officers than themselves), out heroes received now orders. A coded document captured along with the Salarvyani slaver (Session 8) has resisted all attempts at decryption. They are ordered to deliver this document to the savants at the famous school of calligraphy, just north of the city. On the road north, Qumal attempted to form up his little troop into a proper marching formation; some hilarity ensued. By their second day of travel they began to get the hang of it, and made a moderately pleasing spectacle marching into the calligraphy school's grounds. Qumal met with the calligraphy master and handed over the document, and was informed that the work would take about a week. Meanwhile the others encountered several peasant refugees from the Plain of Mists region to the NW, and learned that a great creature of some sort was wreaking havoc there, destroying small buildings, killing peasants, and carrying others off as either captives... or meals. After consultation Qumal resolved to spend the coming week ridding the land of this creature.