Kal-Arath Actual Play Part 3

Kharn confronts the high priest.

Day 6

Cloudy Skies. Not lost. POI Teradun nest w/ eggs on a cliff. Encounter Eukarya. 

Kharn is not able to sleep and sets out before dawn under cloudy skies. Before heading out, he applies Zhar’um to the wound in his leg. He should now only be one day away from the Old Cairn. He adds a half day to the journey by foraging, finding 3 rations. During his trek, Kharn climbs a small mountainside and comes upon a Teradun nest.

Oracle: he cannot pass around it. 

To play it safe, Kharn backs away and retraces his steps. He believes he is close to the old cairn and does not want to tangle with a mama Teradun. The beasts of Kal-Arath can be deadly to the unwary. On another day he may have tried to steal an egg before the mother Teradun returned.

Int check success. 

He finds another way that leads him into the path of an Eukarya. Kharn immediately, turns around and runs away, believing he does not stand a chance. The giant mantis like Eukarya are known killers.

AGI check success. 

He puts some distance between him and the Eukarya and ends up camping around the side of the mountain. The formidable beasts on the mountain added time to his journey. No matter, the weakling priest will pay.

Day 7

Cloudy skies. Kharn stays on track. 

Kharn sets out on what should be the last leg of the journey. Cresting a hill, he comes upon 2 Bison herders trying to dig out a large Battlebarge wheel. When they see Kharn they threaten him. Kharn holds up his hands and explains he only wants to pass by. They curse him as he warily walks past.

In the night, Kharn is awoken by two hostile Sons of Akai. He is barely able to turn away from a spear thrust as the other catches his along his ribs as he rises to meet the threat.

Sons of Akai: 8 HP; 11 HP;  d6; Morale 8. 

A fierce battle ensues with Kharn and the sons trading blows. Kharn remains victorious. He takes 2 rations, 20sp and 6 Vakalsh plants from the bodies. The Sons of Akai seem to be everywhere. 1 xp.

Day 8

Old Cairn: 3 areas. 

Kharn prepares a tea of Gruul before heading inside the old burial cairn. He finds himself in a dimly lit corridor leading slightly down. Guttering torches line the walls. Cobwebs hang everywhere among the rough hewn stone sarcophaguses. Kharn notes a fine pair of boots lying near the exit. They may fetch a fair price if he makes it out of here alive.

Kharn enters the hallway that soon leads to another empty room of sarcophaguses. As he reaches the halfway point in this room, two skeletons rise, pushing stone lids aside.

Skeletons: (7) HP, (9) HP.  Sword d6, no morale

The skeletons act first. Kharn takes a glancing blow from one as he doges another, returns with a cleaving swing, taking the arm off one skeleton. He deflects one sword swing and takes another mild hit from the other skeleton. His next swing of the greataxe takes out one skeleton. He trades blows with the remaining skeleton and leaves it scattered across the stone floor. Kharn takes a moment to catch his breath. He does not hear any further foes approaching and takes a moment to apply his last Zhar’um herb mixture and keeps moving ahead, feeling focused almost at peak health.

He enters the final chamber to find the high priest conducting a sacrifice of an animal on an altar. The priest, looking emaciated and pale, utters dark curses to Malakai as he dips a small shell shaker in the blood of the unidentifiable beast and shakes it at the four directions, spattering blood. The priest stops mid sentence as he notices Kharn enter the room.

“You will dishonor Malakai no more priest.” growls Kharn as he lopes towards the priest, Gorechild raised high. Kharn slices the priest’s leg, deflects a stab from a dagger and finishes him off, Gorechild buried deep into the chest of the high priest. The priest's body falls lifeless to the ground. The blood on Gorechild is black and thick. As Kharn leans to clean Gorechild on the priest's robes, the priest's arm shoots up casting Withering Mandala. Kharn’s forearm begins to turn purple with dark spidery veins showing underneath. Kharn, stumbles back as the priest rises on unsteady legs, black blood oozing from his chest. He takes a glancing hit from the priest’s dagger. Kharn raises Gorechild again and cleaves the priest in two, killing him a second time. He curses the priest for taking up a Pact of Corruption as he stomps in the priest's skull. Somewhere Malakai stirs.

Critical hit on Zombie Priest. 1 XP this session.

Notes:

Kharn reached level 2 after the Son of Akai ambush, giving him 2 more HP. Stats: Level 2; HP (10); STR 2; AGI 1; TOU 2; INT 0 PRE -1. Armour: Light 1 Def. Weapons: Gorechild (Greataxe) d6a Skills: Rage add d6 damage for d6 rounds. After, roll d6; 1-3 all rolls dis. until long rest. After a long rest can Rage again.

I made the cairn 3 rooms thinking there it might be more dangerous than it turned out to be. In future delves I will make dungeons bigger for more action.

The magic spell the priest used is from Pact of Corruption Spell list. d6 rot damage.

Thank you so much for reading!