One Faithful Harp Shall Praise Thee (2COT32)

Part of Saga: The Coming of Twilight
- Part of Season 2: A Time For Discovery (2COT)
  - Part of Episode 6: To Tame the Perilous Skies (2COT3)

Session took place on 11/17/2010.

Story

Session begins on 21 Kythorn 1381.

Act 1

Party reports to Aleric, then goes to talk to Talos.

At the Sunglade, they meet the old man, who explains the purpose and history of the scions, modeled after the Sin Eaters of old Illythiir. He explains the danger of awakening He Who Waits, the massive, cataclysmic entity slumbering beneath the Thaymount.

The PCs first see to Elikarashae. They enlist the Wolf tribe in summoning her. They succeed, causing Kirna Howling-Moon to briefly become her vessel. They ask her to track down her missing "key", the item Elikarashae keyed to the grand enchantment that has kept He Who Waits imprisoned, which was stolen from her tomb. She indicates that it crossed the sea to the east.

They are interrupted by Samael Arcosian, who brings them dire news: King Aleric Argentsworn and Empress Zahl Fe'rya were attacked in the Dragonjaw Pass. Their honor guards have been slain, and they themselves are missing.

Act 2

Velprintalar is in chaos. A council has arisen to oversee matters in the King's absence:

The hawkish Goodhearth is talked down from an immediate military response while the party works to track down the missing monarchs.

At Covenant HQ, they confer with Yaphyll. Astraia offers to divine the location of the missing monarchs, but only with the aid of the "sacred" properties of Delphi. One HALO drop and a harrowing escape later, they've gotten a fix on the location: The Alaor.

Act 3

The party assaults the Alaor, gaining entrance by means of submarine, through an underwater access port. They infiltrate the base from beneath, bypassing old golems and traps, and eventually super-soldiers and Red Wizards.

At the end of the line, they encounter Krista and Tirin again, as well as the Red Wizard, who has a nefarious scheme all set up. They can clearly see Zahl and Aleric, in death traps, with no indication of how to locate them. The only way to save them is to play ball.

Act 4

At length, Tirin and the Red Wizard try to talk Talrendis into accepting the power and joining them. After much deliberation, he accepts, still looking for some opportunity to betray them and take command of the situation.

At the crucial moment, as Talrendis stands over a volcanic caldera, he jumps the Red Wizard, getting the better of him, and hacking off his head. Back inside the base, the party quickly executes the super-soldier guard and takes command of the switches keeping Zahl and Aleric alive. However, their quick and dirty attack has damaged the structure, and it threatens to collapse.

Raithen manages to save Aleric, who escapes once free of antimagic. Ani stays behind, doomed, and with no way to see to Zahl's safety, despite the Empress' please for her to escape. Ultimately, Logan forces her to flee, but doesn't make it into the portal himself. Zahl survives, through means yet unknown.

Act 5

The party relaxes in Covenant HQ, glad to be free of the situation, but dismayed at the seeming loss of Logan. Before they can process anything, the base is attacked--nay, utterly destroyed--as Krista and Tirin have arrived to assault it. Now bereft of any seeming of humanity, they attack with gusto, and the battle is joined.

The fight is brief and incredibly violent. When it ends, Krista is raised by Talrendis' magic, but Tirin declines to return to the mortal world. Admitting his error, he asks only that Talrendis restore the honor of those who sacrificed so much in Rashemen.

The party must abandon the ruins of Covenant HQ when the Royal Guard arrives to arrest them. They narrowly avoid falling into the clutches of the new emperor of Thay: Aznar Thrul

Funerals are held for Aleric, Zahl, and Tirin, the latter being an informal affair in the soldier's home village, but the most final, impactful, and emotional.

In the epilogue, it is hinted that Logan has been reborn, somewhere in the territory of the Shadovar, far to the north.

Rewards

Combined

10,000 xp each (new total: 154,000 xp)
Treasure to follow...

Characters

Starring

Guest Stars

References and Trivia

The title is a reference to the traditional folk song Minstrel Boy, which also has many elements in common with the life and death of Tirin.
Through subtle cues and body language, it was hinted that Elikarashae has been incarnated into the unborn daughter of Kirna and Raithen.
In the epilogue, Yaphyll notified the party that she had found a new base to replace the Covenant Guild Hall. This is assumed to be the secret base beneath the Alaor, recently cleared of opposition.
In a scene in Act 2, Keket uses an unknown power to analyze Astraia's divinations, causing her eyes to glow blue. This is because of her consumption of raw power from an Energist, an important plot point in episodes to come.
The character of Grand Marshal Goodhearth is the same Colonel Goodhearth who was Talrendis' commanding officer during the war.
Duke Vortrus was recently created Duke of the Fang, in place of the deposed Duchess, by King Aleric. Much earlier in the campaign (episode 1), he was friendly to Keket and the PCs when others at court were not. The previous Duchess was recently recalled as Ambassador to Thay, and was tried for treason when the King learned of her side deals with the Empress. Vortrus was instrumental in uncovering her plots.
During the scene in which Talos visited the Sunglade, Ilmaryn, Hierophant of the Yuirwood, and chief among the religion of Yuir, was incredulous, and had no knowledge of him. This is because Talos is among the majority of Yuir gods, whose names have been worn away from the standing stones of the Sunglade as they were forgotten by their people. (FR Canon)
In a deleted scene, the nobles of Aglarond discuss the succession in case of Aleric's death. The prevailing faction, backed by the Church, and virtually all of the Yuirwood, is that Princess Ninaren should succeed him. This is valid, because she is a direct descendant of King Brindor, and thus not only the rightful Princess of the Ten Tribes, but Queen of Aglarond, in the vein of the half-elven rulers of old (FR Canon). Likely, if she takes the throne, the Sons of Hoar will be moved to terrible vengeance.
The Alaor had a submarine access port because it was the site of the development of the Thayan Ironclad "Red Scourge", one of Aznar Thrul's projects before he was deposed. The secret base has eluded the Pharaoh's troops on the island.