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Raxus Blackheart

copper-black dragonborn paladin, level 2

I am sworn by the Gods of Light to protect the Planesweaver.

~2 Prince of Shadows

+5 bodyguard of Doku Death Shadow - black dragon, underworld boss of the Shadow Syndicate in Drakkenhall, bearer of Dream Cleaver (the Archmage's magic crown)

+1 Priestess

+3 acolyte-repentant under Sister Calcetta, keeper of the Hopewell shrine outside of the port town of Queensgate where the elf wood meets the Midland Sea, during the years of chaotic and destructive Planestides

Campaign Notes

<< krypton | raxus | session L2 08 07 06 05 04 L1 03 02 01 00

2024-07-16 # 08: Bizness Time

We came to the Brambles' Keep in the Intrepid Hills--an earthworks wall protecting a bustling gnome village, with a stonewalled inner keep.

Built on and near ruins, it's dotted with creepy statues of bird people. A dwarf stonemaster, nicknamed Thump, oversaw the building of a new stone wall. Workers and residents were abuzz, because the project had just unearthed an eldritch sarcophagus. We met Lucas, the former Rustler, working the project. He hoped to go to the ruins soon.

Endra met her traveling apothecary mentor, Hoggle, a rotund human man. He congratulated her and gave her healing salts from a coastal hellhole.

Mou5e and Raxus were mobbed by curious gnome children. Raxus was deeply uncomfortable. Mou5e showed off his robot tricks. One child brought a glass bottle gnome, Fizzy "the Wiz" Wizler. It wizzed blue goo.

Bobby went to check his family's heirlooms and found that the Brambles' signet ring--one of five rings from five founding families--was safely there. The one he carried, taken from Arvax, was in fact a copy.

Then Bizzy met us there. Her leg was still healing from her fight with Doku and his thugs on the island northwest of the keep. She didn't know why Doku was there.

We went to the Vault. Not the lower "decoy" vault, but the high tower, on rails that could sequester it in the nearby mountain. This is where the real magic items were kept. It was projected by a lock from the Black, combination stairs, and a blood barrier.

Inside, Artemis's wand perked up at the presence of a hammer--the Dwarf King's thunderous Hammer of Colossus. Bizzy admitted that Bobby's Uncle Bruce died trying to wield it. The wand gave it voice: it was there with all the rest of the iconic items when the Archmage summoned the Plane of Light. We placed the Lightning Greaves beside it, and the hammer and greaves mated magically and produced a magical sprite that asked us to give it an item to inhabit. Bobby gave it the fake signet ring. In a flash of light, it bonded with it, leaving the Brambles seal seared into the floor.

We debated the wisdom of leaving all the iconic items in one place. Mou5e feared theft and wondered if all together they'd complete the summoning of the Plane of Light. Bobby wanted to make new magic items and sell them. For now, we agreed to leave the Greaves but likely put a third item somewhere else. Mou5e pondered theological implications. We hoped Bizzy's magical researchers would discover something about the mating rituals and offspring of the hammer and greaves.

There was an impromptu feast of wild boar and root vegetables. We stayed for two days. When we left, Bizzy rejected Endra's apothecary pack but let Mou5e heal her. Bizzy gave Bobby a sending stone.

We left for the coast, to travel by sea to the Wake Islands. Raxus knew an enemy of Doku who would happily arrange discreet passage for us (Prince of Shadows benefit). But on the outskirts of the village, we found orcs harassing Hoggle. They wanted food. Also, they were Doku thugs. We murdered most of them and captured two, leaving them for Bizzy to imprison. The captured orcs said, "Doku is scouring the land for his former apprentice."

Full heal up, plus incremental advance (the third at 2nd level).

2024-07-11 # 07: Lies, Neal's Lies, and Scrotes

Doku Death Shadow returned Raxus's call: "Bring me the Lightning Greaves, and we'll rule Drakkenhall together." We (Raxus, Artemis, and Bobby) thought ruling Drakkenhall sounded like too much work.

Evasively, Raxus responded: "Greaves in possession of a companion. Will return to Drakkenhall. Much love, Raxus." (We plan to return to Drakkenhall after safely storing the Greaves in the Intrepid Hills. Would Doku keep Greaves for self or return to Prince of Shadows?) Doku replied that he'd send an escort to protect us.

Raxus answered: "Copy. Will remain in Bitches Bend. Much love, Raxus." This was a lie; we plan to continue to the Brambles's compound. But fearing that Arvax's and Raxus's old Shadow Syndicate rank markers (which allowed communication with Doku) would allow Doku to track him, Raxus buried them in Arvax's grave.

After supplying up, the heroes went west, overland through the Queen's Wood, which would be tricky and enchanted and full of dumb spiders. Immediately, we found ourselves walking seemingly in circles, and we passed the same traveler three times. He was headed to Bitches Bend.

On the third pass, Raxus hailed the traveler, named Neal, an old man confused by the forest, claiming to be headed to Drakkenhall. Raxus brought him along, then convinced the confused Bobby and Artemis that they were confused and should follow Raxus instead of marking every tree in the Queen's Wood in random order.

We fought spiders until they were dead.

Raxus grilled Neal, because his story seemed incredible: that he was traveling alone for hundreds of miles from the far western edge of the Queen's Wood to visit his son, Steve, an honest dockworker in Drakkenhall.

1. Alone? A suicidal undertaking.
2. Honest? In Drakkenhall? Please.

Using a Priestess benefit, Raxus compelled Neal's confession. Neal had lied. (gasp) He is really a Rustlers informant going to Bitches Bend to find us. He informs because his son, who really is in Drakkenhall, got in trouble there. Neal truly repented his lies and evil deeds.

We considered killing him--or putting the Greaves on him and letting him run, maybe same difference--but we decided to free him, because if you love something, let it go. Bobby's High Druid benefit: "The wood will judge you (Neal) if you betray us." Artemis's Lich King benefit: some kind of death curse on Neal if he betrays us. #freedom

Then Raxus vowed: "I swear by the Gods of Light and my sacred oaths as a paladin, that the next time I return to Drakkenhall, I will find your son, Steve, even if he does have double syphilis, and get him out of trouble with the Rustlers."

Then Neal said, "Boy, you're nice lads. I wish you had the Greaves instead of those mean Rustlers." And we said, "Yeah, we wish we had the Greaves too." (wink) And Neal said, "Oh yeah, Richard Scrotes is going to the Wake Islands next, searching for another iconic magic item."

We parted ways with our new best friend, Neal, the old man lost in the woods, and continued on to the Intrepid Hills. Once we ditch the Greaves, we'll meet Dick on the islands.

2024-06-13 # 06: A Dead Douche, but Raxus's Dead Douche

We continued by canoe down the Goldleaf River. Where the river bent north, we planned to leave the water to continue overland, east toward Bizzy Brambles and the Intrepid Hills.

But there at the bend, at a river town called Bitches Bend, we met Arvax the Douche, Raxus's jealous associate from Doku Death Shadow days. (We first met Arvax when he demanded The Cursed's weapon.) Arvax and his crew had embargoed the river and were searching all boats, looking for us and the Lightning Greaves. No one was in the mood to skulk around this lowlife, so we went straight for the docks, where he was peacocking astride a mongoose mount.

Arvax, his mongoose, two giant spiders, and 10 archers immediately attacked us. (Everyone rolled like babies but finally Artemis's cannon went off.) When we killed Arvax and his archers, the beasts scattered.

Then Raxus fished Arvax's body from the river, defiled it by scalping Arvax's dragonborn crest, looted the two Shadow Syndicate rank markers he carried (his own, and Raxus's first), spit acid in his dead eye, then gave him a proper, honorable burial because - as Artemis, said - Arvax might have been a douche, but he was Raxus's douche.

Also, Endra planted Dragonsbane in Arvax's wounds before burial. #druidhumor

Finally, Raxus sent a message via shadows to Doku Death Shadow, using his old rank marker. "Arvax attacked me twice. He's dead. Much love, Raxus." Doku's answer to his unspoken question - "WTF?" - will come in time, thanks to a Prince of Shadows benefit.

Arvax also carried a Brambles heirloom, their signet ring, with deeply sentimental value. How did he come to possess it? We don't know. Who did it belong to? Bizzy Brambles. Boy is Bobby gonna be mad!

2024-05-23 # 05: For the Queen

We made our way down the Goldleaf River in our newly bought canoes, lead by Thaddaeus the river guide. A Santa Cora native, he had a telltale ouroboros bicep tattoo of a winged angelic snake, that promised Raxus he was a trustworthy follower of the Priestess. Old Town authorities had watched us leaving the city and embarking on the river. They interfered with neither us nor the Rustlers behind us. "They were bought," Thaddaeus said.

We followed the river southeast, deeper into the Queen's Wood, toward a confluence where we might begin to uncurse Endra's shillelagh, on our way to Bobbin's family. Many never returned from seeking that magical place, Thaddaeus told us.

The river widened into a bog, filled with dead and cursed trees. A foul miasma choked us. Bobbin spotted a green crystal near the shore, the seeming source of it. He shot it with a single arrow. It disappeared. The miasma jetted into the sky, and the air was clear again. But Thaddaeus seemed to have noticed only fog, nothing more.

As we approached the confluence we sought, we found another foul fog in the river canyon. Artemis conjured light elementals to aid our search. And finding the river branch, we traveled up it, to a kind of stone garden in a cylindrical canyon - a blessed place but tainted.

Then the green crystal rose before us, and three spiders attacked. Raxus hewed one spider, and Bobbin, finally clearheaded, shattered the crystal with a glancing blow. The other two spiders, released from the crystal's control, fled.

Then the Elf Queen arrived. She thanked us: she'd been blocked from traveling here or even being aware of this place for an age. But just now it called to her and she came. She took an interest in Artemis's wand, saying it "matters more than the Greaves." She warned us to keep them separate and not to store them together. She said she was seeking her own lost magic item: the Armor of Shards of Ice. All the major icons had a signature item, she told us, and the Archmage stole them to summon the Plane of Light. "Keep an eye on us," Artemis asked her. She agreed and granted us each one uncursed magic item.

After she left, Endra thrust her shillelagh into a magical rock. And the shillelagh told her a name, the name of the person she had to kill to break the curse: Speagol, an evil follower of the Priestess.

We spent icon benefits to:

• Raxus / Priestess - to find Thaddaeus the river guide
• Endra - to aid with uncursing her shillelagh
• Bobby / Dwarf King - didn't write it down
• Artemis / Lich King - to distract and make vulnerable the spiders

The session ended with invitations to take a full heal-up and an incremental and choose a magic item (uncursed!) and run it past our GM.

2024-05-16 # 04: Fleeing Old Town

In the Old Town elven tree cathedral, we participated in a ritual for kids. Then Artemis felt his wand moving. It was pointing and pulling in a direction. When he and Raxus let it lead them out of the cathedral, it pointed to a house across the street. Some 20 Rustlers were branding it. In moments, they broke down the door and dragged Mishra outside.

We attacked the Rustlers, 4 thugs and 16 goblins. But Endra was pummeled by her shillelagh's curse, and Artemis's magic failed him. Then a huge brass dragon bearing Richard Scrotes slammed into the cathedral and began torching it.

With a powerful blast, Urza emerged from Mishra's house, bearing the Lightning Greaves. He announced that Artemis's wand--a wand prepared for the Archmage that nevertheless eluded him when he wanted it most--wanted the Greaves. Urza insisted we take the Greaves and flee to Bizzy Brambles, while he, Mishra, Urza, and Glunch held off the cursed the Rustlers. So that's what we did.

We spent icon benefits to:

• Endra / High Druid - bring Mishra back from the dead
• Bobby / Priestess - heal Fluffer Nutter
• Raxus / double Prince of Shadows - know someone in the Queen's Wood, on the way to Bizzy, who could tell us how to remove Endra's shillelagh's curse
• Artemis / Lich King - aid Mishra, Urza, and Glunch

2024-05-02 # 03: Hopewell Hostel hearth

When we arrived, a ship was burning in Queensgate harbor, branded by the Rustlers, with a disemboweled dwarf strung up on the bow. The dwarf was Angus, a friend of Keef and fellow magic item curser. Akimbo, the old lady in the harbor, said the Rustlers asked Angus where the Lightning Greaves were before they killed him.

Raxus led the way to a hostel (Priestess benefit) by the Hopewell shrine, where he knew we could stay and likely learn more. The way was blessed and protected, and in this holy aura, Raxus became cheerful and generous - more like Mou5e. But at the shrine, in the presence of Sister Calcetta, he became nervous and submissive.

Bobby drew healing potions (High Druid benefit) for everyone from the spring that fed the Hopewell. Endra planted mushroom spores.

Sister Calcetta said, in Drakkenhall, Doku Death Shadow and Bizzy, Bobby's mom, clashed and Bizzy was injured but would recover. When pressed by the Sister, Bobby declared that his current loyalty to us and duty to Keef the innkeep outweighed his desire to return to his mom.

At the hostel, we shared stories around the hearth. First among them, Raxus told a story Angus told him years ago when Raxus served at the shrine and Angus came occasionally to repent for his crimes against magic items. It was about a shillelagh Angus cursed, the juggling of flaming shillelaghs, which ended with an unexpected disappearance. A good time was had by all trading stories and enjoying the comradery.

We also learned:

• the Lightning Greaves were named for the great speed they bestow upon their wearer, but they give delusions to weak wearers
• the Prince of Shadows helped someone (who?) create them
• Ersa might know where the Greaves are and only Mishra in Old Town knows where Ersa is
• Mishra was a travelling apothecary serving the Priestess who, when the camp was disbanded, sent the sorcerers each to their own hiding spots, protected their secrets, and visited on occasion

In the morning, we left for Old Town, fairly certain the Rustler's gang was headed there too. Along the way, we found the Queen's Wood growing over the road, a sure sign of danger. And in fact, the four survivors of the gang who killed Angus attacked us.

During the battle, Endra was saved from certain death by the timely intervention of the Queen's Wood itself (High Druid benefit). And Fluffy was killed but resurrected when Artemis prayed desperately to the Priestess (Lich King benefit). And so we prevailed. We tried negotiating with the deadly half orc leader after killing the other three, but he refused to surrender so Raxus smote his head from his body.

Level up to 2.

2024-04-25 # 02: Arvax & Endra the Cursed

The soldier, Georg, was a low-level thug who told us about his crew's camp outside of town. On the way there, we encountered Arvax - a dragonic of the Shadow Syndicate who's been jealous of Raxus since Raxus was promoted to Doku Death Shadow's guard and Arvax wasn't.

Arvax demanded the magic item Endra carried, looted from The Cursed in last session's fight. But when Endra threw it on the ground at Arvax's feet, its cocoon of vines split open and, showing itself as a shillelagh, called to Endra. She snatched it up and took on the curse. Arvax signaled archers and had Georg killed. Then I called the archers off with an icon benefit with the Prince of Shadows - complicated! Arvax and his kobold crew attacked but we overwhelmed them easily. We let them flee, all but one dead kobold.

At Dapper Dan's camp outside of town, we negotiated with the crew. Bobby gave leader, Lucas, papers for the crew to get work with his mom in the Intrepid Hills. Then we sailed to Queensgate on our way to find Mishra - an old associate of Keef the innkeep, who runs a safehouse in Old Town.

Other info:

• The Prince of Shadows wants his Lightning Greaves back.
• Dapper Dan's crew was sent from Shadowport by Richard Scrotes. They would meet him at the fountain at sunrise, then be blindfolded and taken to Nolak.

2024-04-18 # 01: Dapper Dan is dead

Killed Dapper Dan's crew when they came for Keef the innkeep. Keef's real name is Glunch. He's a sorcerer forced by Priestess and other icons to curse magic items in the old camps. The Lightning Greaves were too powerful to curse. Nolak is working with the Prince of Shadows and is after the Greaves. Keef doesn't know where they are. Our plan:

• interrogate soldier we captured
• find Nolak in Shadowport and steal his cypher book
• find the Lightning Greaves
• bring Keef with us

I used three icon benefits to connect with Brother Moors, of Sister Calcetta's order; the brother gave Raxus info on Nolak, kept the Shadow Syndicate out of the way, and gave two runes. Also Doku Death Shadow has a complicated relationship with the Prince of Shadows.

2024-04-11 # 00: Rustlers hassle Keef

Well-dressed man (Dapper Dan) with an eye-patch who works for Nolak - leader of the Rustlers, a ruthless and effective magic item hunting gang from Horizon/Red Wastes - shook down Keef the innkeep and will be back tomorrow.

History

The Archmage, hungry for power and control, tried to summon the Plane of Light - a chaotic place of powerful elemental beasts and energy - with arcane items and artifacts. But Titansbane gave their lives to stop him. After their costly victory, an icon set up camps to collect and decommission the vanquished Archmage's arcanities. Now the Plane of Light hangs visibly in the heavens. Arcane magic and arcane magic users are rare; no schools of magic remain. The old camps are abandoned. Competing gangs clash over magic items. Also, Broodkin Riven, so innocent.

13th Age 1e Matt's Fallen Magic Campaign

Notes ^^^