GoCorral

This session was attended by Avery, Trajan, Will, and Tyler. The session was held over Google Hangouts using Roll20 like usual.

Wedding Plans

What to do next indeed? The party discussed their options and decided that perhaps they should take a short break from their constant adventuring. The wedding of Björn and Cassandra was coming up in three days so the party took some time off until that. Although they lacked invitations they planned to attend to prevent any trouble the Xorians might cause.

Björn was the leader of the city of Dalleer. Cassandra was the daughter of the champion and now dictator of Bradel Fields, Astyanax. In the past Dalleer and Bradel Fields were rival states, but the Xorian threat forced them to unite. A marriage alliance between their leading citizens would cement their alliance.

The three days up to the wedding were spent forming disguises and relaxing by most. After their last confrontation with Astyanax, no one wished to be recognized at the wedding. Torin chose to go without a disguise, but not to do anything that would draw attention to himself.

During the three days, Amalius teleported Eathirilu to Demeter’s Garden, a marsh on the northern end of the Caspian. Eathirilu set up a wild santuary for himself there and summoned some guardians to keep his domain safe. Amalius did not return to Lakatia with the others until the end of the third day. He attended to some personal business while away.

Loving Nuptials

On the wedding day, the wedding attendees teleported off to Bradel Fields. Tagenadi chose not to go as a true seeing directed at him would cause a panic. Hektor, still a respected member of the Alliance, attended the wedding on an invitation of his own. Eathirilu disguised his appearance with his Thousand Faces ability, reasoning that only the Alliance Council members would recognize who he really was with a true seeing. He would stay out of their vision and be fine. Amalius and Aldarian disguised themselves using Aldarian’s considerable mundane talents. Dyed hair, altered clothes, makeup, everything. In addition to all this Hektor demagicked the gear of Eathirilu, Amalius, and Aldarian with his magic aura spell.

The wedding was held at the temple in Bradel Fields as Dalleer had suffered too many recent attacks and was seen as unsafe. The temple has a large garden courtyard filled with paths, plants, flowers, and trees. There is also a grassy section for the wedding games that accompany such occasions in ancient Greek culture. The marriage ceremony was to be held on the temple steps so that all could see. Directly in front of the steps were a few hundred seats for the noble guests. Knightly guards kept commoners out of this section. Throughout the temple grounds more knights and a few dozen goblin guards kept order. The goblins were new additions that Astyanax added to Bradel Fields army from the previous slave population of goblins in the city.

Hektor entered first and took his seat at the front. Torin followed and was confronted by a knight upon entering the seated area. After voicing his patronage and familial connection to the Hill Dwarf King he was admitted with apologies from the guard. Eathirilu entered and stood among the commoners far back and to the side of the stage. Aldarian and Amalius entered together and muscled their way through the commoner crowd to get spots near the front, by the back of the seated section.

(This scene was particularly memorable for the players. I’ve used the exact same map and location previously for another wedding. In our previous campaign a noble couple, Hector and Andromache, were married on this spot. The PCs of that campaign defended the wedding from an attack by a nefarious weretiger and a group of his loyal assassins. Hector became friends with the party ever since and was a favorite NPC of theirs. Hector and Andromache are also the parents of Astyanax and thus grandparents of Cassandra, the bride of the present wedding.)

Peasants and merchants filled the temple grounds. Thousands of voices talking drowned out any sound from the temple steps at the front. All changed when the head priest emerged from the interior of the temple. The crowd slowly quieted down. Then the priest spoke with a magically enhanced voice, “We are gathered here today to witness the union of Björn of Dalleer and Cassandra of Bradel Fields. The marriage of these two souls will join their cities as well, fostering friendship where long there has been incessant rivalry. It is my hope and the hope of all of us, that the love these two share and the forthcoming alliance between our two wonderful cities will turn back the Xorian forces that threaten the sovereignty of our lands.
“Who presents the bride?”
Astyanax stood with Cassandra on the right side of the seated area. He walked her up the steps and said, “I do.” The masked man returned to his seat.
The priest gestured to the left side of the seats, “And who presents the groom?”
Terolio stood with Björn and said, “I do.” Terolio walked his lord up the steps and positioned him correctly beside the priest. Apparently the Björn was having a worse mental day than usual. Terolio pointed his lord’s head towards Cassandra before returning to his seat.
The priest continued, “Cassandra has told me she wishes to sing one more song as a maiden before she is wed.” He turned to Cassandra and touched her on the shoulder with a magic spell to project her voice. “When you’re ready, Cassandra.”
Cassandra sang “Holding Out for a Hero.”

When Cassandra finished the crowd applauded. The priest rose his hands in the air and spoke, “I now begin the sacred act of marrying this couple. Please repeat after me.
He turned to Cassandra, “I, Cassandra, take Björn to be my lawfully wedded husband.”
Cassandra repeated, “I, Cassandra, take Björn to be my lawfully wedded husband.”
“My constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward.”
“My constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward.”
“In the presence of the gods, our family, friends, and subjects, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner.”
“In the presence of the gods, our family, friends, and subjects, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner.”
“In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow.”
“In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow.”
“I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”
“I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”
The priest turned to Björn and recited the vows once more, “I, Björn, take Cassandra to be my lawfully wedded wife.”
Björn repeated, “I, Björn, take Cassandra to be my lawfully wedded wife.”
“My constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward.”
“My constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward.”
“In the presence of the gods, our family, friends, and subjects, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner.”
“In the presence of the gods, our family, friends, and subjects, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner.”
“In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow.”
“In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow.”
“I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”
“I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”
The priest turned back to Cassandra, “Do you, Cassandra, take Björn to be your husband til death do you part?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Björn, take-”
And the assassins attacked!

Romantic Complications

Two assassins in nearby trees cast spells that entranced most of the guards by the stage. Colorful lights filled the air distracting the knights. Only one kept his wits about him. Two others rushed towards the stage. One made it past the guards and threw a dart into Björn’s side. The other was caught by the only knight that remained mentally competent.

Two more assassins appeared on the roof. One shot a crossbow down at Astyanax. The other jumped off the roof holding a stick. He slammed the stick into the Björn’s head with the full force of his jump. The Björn reeled and almost collapsed.

Three nobles on Dalleer’s side of the seated area jumped up from their seats and streaked toward Astyanax. They pummeled the seated dictator with their fists, striking pressure points with every blow. The nobles were nothing more than disguised monk assassins!
Björn reflexively threw up a protective ectoplasmic barrier around himself, the priest, and his fiancee (the marriage not quite completed yet). Eathirilu and Torin used their skill with magic to light a few of the assassins up with well placed fire storms. Fire filled the air around the wedding and the two assassins in the trees, the one on the roof, and the one who made it past the entranced guards were all roasted. Only the one on the ground survived with horrid burns. The crowd panicked at the sight of the fire and the assassins and began to run for the exit from the temple grounds.

Hektor rose from his seat and cast hold person on the assassin next to Björn. Gradorian and Junai tackled two of the assassins attacking Astyanax. The other monk assassin continued to pummel Astyanax, but his efforts were stymied by Erick, Torin’s old apprentice. He cast a healing spell upon Astyanax, removing most of the bruises he’d sustained. Astyanax took a defensive posture and called for a sword from one of the guards, but all were entranced or occupied and could not obey his orders.

The burned assassin, fearing for his life, disappeared. Amalius used two overchanneled dominates to try to take over the minds of the five remaining assassins. Only the free monk attacking Astyanax resisted. Amalius ordered them to surrender, cooperate with the people of Bradel Fields, and to not harm themselves or others.

Aldarian turned invisible and moved to join the combat. He soon realized that it was all but finished and returned to his spot in the crowd. The one assassin still in control of his mind was soon captured by the knights when they regained their senses. A few cure spells from Erick and the head priest restored Astyanax and Björn to good health.

Caught the Shadows

Eathirilu turned into a sparrow and searched the grounds with true seeing for the disappeared assassin. Finding no one, he guessed the assassin had teleported away instead of turning invisible.

The party began a different means of searching for the missing assassin. Amalius still maintained his dominate spells. He kept watch on the four under his control. They were escorted to separate stone cells without windows and left there. While Amalius couldn’t hear their thoughts, he could order them telepathically. They couldn’t respond mentally, but they could whisper to themselves and he would hear the whispers. Amalius began his remote interrogation.

He learned that the assassins were members of the Ninjas Guild in Nomingburg, a city famous for its assassins guilds. They were hired to kill Astyanax and Björn during the wedding. They did not know the person or faction that had hired them for the job. They had a rendezvous point in the wooded Park of Delights on the south side of Bradel Fields. They were to meet there and leave tomorrow. This information was confirmed by interviewing all four assassins.

The party reasoned that the remaining assassin must’ve gone there to wait. Eathirilu flew there in bird form with Amalius’ psicrystal, Black, following along. Eathirilu found the assassin and Black swooped in on the location with a dominate. The assassin’s will crumbled.

Amalius checked the questions on this assassin and came up with the same answers. He asked a few more questions about what the assassins typically did after a contract killing failed. The assassins said that usually a more competent assassin would attempt the murder once more. This case might be different as the contract was for a specific time and place of the assassination. The dominated men were unsure of what would happen next.

Amalius sent the assassin off to the noble quarter of town to turn himself over to the police. The assassin went there, but refused to turn himself over. Amalius told him to approach a guard and confess his sins, starting with the most recent.
The assassin walked up to a pair of goblin guards and said, “I have trespassed on holy ground.”
They looked at him strangely. “What can we do for you?”
The assassin stood mute until Amalius ordered him to say, “I was at the wedding, but I wasn’t invited.” The assassin said this, but waved his arms around wildly, acting like a lunatic.
The guards looked at each other and nodded. They arrested the assassin and threw him in the drunk tank along with many others who had celebrated a bit too much before the public wedding. Amalius told the assassin he was no longer allowed to act like an insane person.

The party got rooms in town and waited. Amalius occasionally kept tabs on his dominated assassins.

The next day the assassin was released. Amalius told him to take care of his body’s needs and contemplate his past sins, but under no circumstances was he to take any risky actions or to contact his guild members.

Near the end of the afternoon nobles began leaving the noble quarter to return to the temple. Guards checked them off a list at the entrance to the temple grounds. They went inside the temple building itself. A private wedding would be safer.

Eathirilu wanted to ensure the couple’s safety by casting foresight on them. Then if danger threatened he could react before the threat struck. He took his sparrow form and flew into the temple through the open doors.

Logan suspected magical tricks. He blasted the oddly flying sparrow with a hellrime blast. Eathirilu faltered in midair, but did not fall. Logan saw this as confirmation that this was no ordinary bird. As he prepared another blast, Eathirilu fled. Logan gave chase along with Hektor. They would’ve caught Eathirilu, but he turned into an eagle and streaked away. Logan and Hektor could not catch up to him. Hektor could’ve with a teleport spell, but he recognized his shapeshifting friend. He let him escape.

The wedding proceeded without any further problems noticed by outside observers while the assassins waited in their dark cells.