The Plunder of Lustria

🌿 A16: Why Can’t I Remember — Into the Spine of Sotek The moss came first. Lord Finrian called it a test—Nurgle’s latest attempt to perfect the creeping death. It devoured cities, corrupted flesh, and left only madness in its wake. Fire slowed it but never cured it. “ If you touch it ,” Finrian warned grimly, “ cut that hand off .” Quettza had already fallen, overrun by skaven and worse. The Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes was no longer legend—it was a warning. Even the orcs, once defiant and proud, came to the elven Citadel of Dusk gates seeking sanctuary. Their numbers had thinned, their shamans desperate. Moss had no allegiance. It consumed all. ⚔️ The Broken Sword and the War of the Defiled Before the moss, there was prophecy. A lizard hero once wielded the sacred blade Witherbane in the War of the Defiled , where lizardmen and skaven clashed beneath the chaos gate. But when the alliance fractured, the hero shattered his own sword in defiance of fate. He refused to bel...

⚔️ A15 – Repairing the Sword: From Sea Beast to Cursed Plains Our journey to restore the legendary blade led us deep into the Culchan Plains of Lustria, where ancient runes, royal intrigue, and monstrous threats collided in a whirlwind of trials. 🏝️ Spear Reef Island: The Princess and the Leechworm We arrived at the palace of Princess Aelsabrim Fallenstar, seated beside an ominously empty throne. After formalities, we explained our quest per the great plan from the Slann. How we needed the broken sword fixed to do battle with a demon said to reside in an ancient lizardman city called Quetza . As she looked over the sword, Lemmy showed her the map provided by the lizard Lord Tecciztac. She vaguely recognized the ancient rune language that hadn't been spoken in centuries. “ There is a place in the interior of Lustria where spirits can read these runes. As for the sword, seek my brother Lord Finrian .” To earn her aid, we were tasked with slaying Griselda —a leechworm charm...

[Matt/Lemmy absent] We sailed into New Bechafen under the safety of daylight, hoping to avoid any undead surprises. We didn’t expect the harbormaster to flee at the sight of Ketterlan, our siren companion, nor did we anticipate her scream would leave Count Harkon’s spokesman permanently deaf. But that’s how the day began. 🏰 The Manor of Madness Therador’s bleeding ears were barely behind us when we followed Ketterlan up the hill to the Count’s manor. She strode through the courtyard like a storm, indifferent to the stares of townsfolk. Inside, we found Luther curled on a lounge chair, stacking blocks in eerie silence. Wilhelmina (the girlish persona of Luther) warned us: “ Daddy does not like to be disturbed .” Kruger spotted the broken sword we’d come for, but Wilhelmina claimed it was her doll. A tense negotiation followed. Rufus offered his bastardsword in trade, which she accepted with chilling delight: “ It is a prettier doll with its head still on .” We didn’t wait fo...

[Brian/Tulkir absent]  🌄 Morning in the Shadow of the Count The sun rose over the jungle canopy, casting golden light on a village that should have been silent under the threat of Count Luther Harkon. Yet, the people moved about—washing clothes, tending gardens, repairing nets—as if the vampire’s presence wasn’t a daytime danger. But what choice did they have? Harkon’s undead pirates kept them trapped, their lives a slow bleed. Therador, the count’s spokesman, arrived to escort us through the dense jungle toward the crumbling castle atop the hillock. Along the way, we passed more villagers—lethargic, pale, drained. Walking blood-banks for the count. Luther greeted us in surprisingly good spirits, offering a trade- the shattered four-piece sword we sought in exchange for a task: Capture the siren Ketterlan and bring her to him. His bait? A mirror the siren desperately wanted us to find. It lay in a cave on Spitting Serpent Island , where Luther once heard a voice whisper, “ ...

[Brian/Tulkir, Duane/Dargo absent] Skeggi/Endeavors : Ranulf studied dwarven and elven languages, Lemmy crafted potions, Rufus gathered supplies, while Kruger passed his level-up exams. To complete the lizardman Anomoq ’s task (which involved sailing south to the lizard city of Tlaxtlan to speak to a Slann who has a map to the lost city of Quetta )),  we spent our party funds on a new Carrack-size ship: which meant hiring extra crew. Our final destination: New Bechafen to meet up with the city’s emperor Luther Harkon who has a broken sword needed to battle evil that has taken over the lost city. But to collect the sword, we’d need to do Luther a favor. Great! Nothing is ever easy in this new world. Cast Off : It would be a 2-week sail to New Bechafen , but first we had to stop in Tlaxtlan to seek an audience with the Slann. We anchored our ship and took to rowboats to sail up the river, fighting its currents. We recognized the landscape of our vision where the cow was devoure...

[Tony/Kruger & Geoff/Rufus absent] Your Mission, Should you Accept : Another month on Skeggi when an Empire fleet of 3 galleons and 5 corsairs tied up at the docks. A handful of wizards disembarked: did they not read Ottokar’s flier blaming wizards for all the priests’ deaths?! Dargo sought work as a huffer/stevedore unloading the ships… which gave him opportunity to steal a flag to add to our own boat inventory. Lemmy joined the crew at the bar, buying a round of drinks to loosen their tongues. Turned out they were looking for him anyway, “ Balthazar Gelt wants to hire you .” Lemmy boarded the flag ship to stay away from eavesdroppers as Balthazar's representative confided in secrecy, “ The Empire is tired of the pirates and wants to destroy Port Reaver. But Balthazar needs you to slip into the pirate base first to retrieve an artifact. Years ago, they captured a ship out of Nippon that was carrying a gold-plated skull . We need you and your team to find it before we bomb...