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Session 2 (31st March)

Note if as a player your GM is likely to run Retribution by Raging Swan please do not read any further.  Retribution is one of the most superb adventures, very far from a standard dungeon crawl and would be truly spoiled to play by the information contained below.  If you’re a GM I really recommend buying and running Retribution, so far it’s been a blast and even an entire session without once rolling for initiative hasn’t put the party off.

At the end of the first session we left the party at the Priory of Cymer, an abbey dedicated to the worship of Darlen and preaching a message centring on the need for the strong to protect the weak.  After their hard fought passage through the beginnings of a raging blizzard the party were grateful when Ythell (an acolyte at the priory) brought them something to eat as they regained their strength in the guest quarters.

Just prior to the evening meal Ruan joined the party to request them to respect the peace and contemplation of the priory by not carrying their weapons.  At dinner the party renewed their acquaintance with the clergy and met for the first time Rosenn, a very quiet and frightened young lady who barely spoke during the meal.  During the meal the party were told of strange lights in the woods, tracks outside the main gate and a strange quiet this winter in the nearby woods.  After a meal and sharing in the worship of Darlen in the main hall the party decided to investigate the strange happenings and help the clergy to hopefully displace the sense of dread hovering over the priory as the storm rages outside it.

The party set a watch pattern, barred the door and retired for the night which thankfully was uneventful both during Dvadi’s initial watch and Elrohir’s second watch.  Early the next morning though, shortly after breakfast had finished, the discovery by Rosenn of four birds, lying dead on the snow in the garth caused much upset.  The scene was made worse when Hederas examination concluded that the birds had in fact been poisoned and deposited on the snow.

The party decided to see if they could discover anything outside the priory however as the gale blowing outside was enough to knock down even Dvadi (the legendary stability of the dwarves in this case failing him) this plan was soon abandoned.  This left a quiet end to the day where the party finished their recovery from the journey and chatted to some of the clergy.

That night as Dvadi was composing himself to sleep after handing the watch over to Elrohir a banging from the garth disturbed them and the party rushed out to discover what was wrong.  The gruesome discovery of a mutilated fox with its heart cut out inside the banging doors of the Justicar Hall where scant hours before all had joined in worship of Darlen was a shock for all concerned.  After a cursory investigation and judging that little more could be discovered that night the party returned to bed ever more alert for strange happenings.

Tension had definitely spread the next morning with news of the overnight desecration of the hall however the appearance of Eiravel at breakfast, recovered from the attack by goblins that left her poisoned, gave temporary relief to the mood.  After worship and breakfast Hederas accompanied the clergy in their daily discussion of theology and scripture.  The rest of the party discussed the situation in the abbey and what their next steps should be to unearth what was behind them.  The discovery before lunch that someone, or something, had opened the shutters in Ruan’s sleeping chambers sent the elderly cleric to his private chapel is shock and distress and while the parties help with clearing up the damage from the snow and wind was appreciated all were subdued.

This attitude was changed to one of fear when the lintel of Ythel’s cell door sprang out and nearly hit him when he went to his room having finished clearing Ruan’s room.  This badly shook the clergy and by the evening meal, unattended by Ruan and Rosenn, both Malvenos and Tomas were openly carrying their swords while Malvenos was also wearing armour.  Both were also openly distrustful of the party while Malvenos in particular appeared actively hostile towards Elrohir.

After a tense but uneventful night, locked inside the guest quarters and fully prepared for any nocturnal occurrence, we leave our party preparing for another day at the abbey and trying to puzzle out who or what is behind the sinister happenings that haunt the occupants…