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--- game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:adventure_journal [2025/08/23 14:12] – [Killing the Iron Taviah. Again.] Bryan Stephens
+++ game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:adventure_journal [2025/12/01 21:53] (current) – [Ergahas] Bryan Stephens
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The farm itself is walled off with two gates. The main gate has a trapped zombie. Looking inside, zombies are milling about, undirected. Zaheri and Blake decide to go through the side gate. The gate seems to have slammed shut on a poor soul, perhaps one of the Lady’s crew. He stays quite dead as Sebastian easily deactivates the mechanism of the trap and opens the gate. The corpse has a satchel with a [[https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=81|lessor antiplague]] and some sort of gray paste. Zaheri takes these and the group moves into the farm itself. They walk between four silos, one with its grain spilled out. Sebastian and Tsekani notice that the grain is tainted with //Brian Grit// which causes headaches but not much else. It seems an odd way to poison grain. Zaheri asks Tumbly for his crossbow and loads it.
-The group does not get much chance to puzzle over this as they hear a distorted whinny of a horse and turn to see a zombie horse and two zombie hounds approaching. Blake runs forward and block the horse from moving forward between two wagons. The hounds leap over. Blake and the horse fight it out, with the zombie striking him badly. The hounds leap forward, one on Tsekani and one against Blake. Finding the skeleton has no meat, it moves forward. Sebastian uses his short bow while Zaheri fires his crossbow. Tsekani takes traditionally monk approach and beats the hound with his fists. Sebastian uses his battle medicine on the monk, while Zaheri keeps firing at the foes while Blake is forced to step back. Sebastian moves to heal her with //oil of unlife//, and the last of the creatures fall. The group wonders at what is going on.
+The group does not get much chance to puzzle over this as they hear a distorted whinny of a horse and turn to see a zombie horse and two zombie hounds approaching. Blake runs forward and block the horse from moving forward between two wagons. The hounds leap over. Blake and the horse fight it out, with the zombie striking him badly. The hounds leap forward, one on Tsekani and one against Blake. Finding the skeleton has no meat, it moves forward. Sebastian uses his short bow while Zaheri fires his crossbow. Tsekani takes traditionally monk approach and beats the hound with his fists. Sebastian uses his battle medicine on the monk, while Zaheri keeps firing at the foes while Blake is forced to step back. Sebastian moves to heal him with //oil of unlife//, and the last of the creatures fall. The group wonders at what is going on.
 |Game Date|04/13/2023|
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 Feeling they need to press one, the group surprises the three zombies and easily takes them down. Moving the crates, they find the well for the facility and the only remaining zombie charge hand, Sifegtk, whom they rescue. He tells a tale of the farm being attacked for no reason. He knows nothing of grain being tainted, and can only say he was been in the well for days.
-The group decides to take out the zombie cow. Zaheri suggests that he and Sebastian climb a roof and attack at range while the other two move in. They go all out, but the cow is dangerous. It lands a critical attack on Blake who collapses to absorb the damage. Before she reassembles, the undead beast is dead. Tsekani just manages to pull a magical scythe imbedded in the corpse from it. They group retreats to the cave, avoiding three zombie workers who have bashed their way out of a holding area. Zaheri spends three fruitless hours trying to heal Blake, and they resort to the //oil of unlife// from Sebastian. After a full rest, Zaheri awakes inspired. The mage pulls bones from the dead zombies in the cave and expertly stiches the still wounded Blake to full health. They easily kill the three zombies, and Sifegtk is able to control the other two. The group departs, still unsure of exactly what happened.
+The group decides to take out the zombie cow. Zaheri suggests that he and Sebastian climb a roof and attack at range while the other two move in. They go all out, but the cow is dangerous. It lands a critical attack on Blake who collapses to absorb the damage. Before he reassembles, the undead beast is dead. Tsekani just manages to pull a magical scythe imbedded in the corpse from it. They group retreats to the cave, avoiding three zombie workers who have bashed their way out of a holding area. Zaheri spends three fruitless hours trying to heal Blake, and they resort to the //oil of unlife// from Sebastian. After a full rest, Zaheri awakes inspired. The mage pulls bones from the dead zombies in the cave and expertly stiches the still wounded Blake to full health. They easily kill the three zombies, and Sifegtk is able to control the other two. The group departs, still unsure of exactly what happened.
 ==== Klaiming Kellok Manor ====
@@ Line 923: / Line 923: @@
 With that, the group looks to an uncertain future. They will ride through Greydirge on their way back. A new adventure awaits.
+====== 10 Aristocrats of Blood======
+|Campaign Dates| Lamashan 05/15-25 4723|
+|Game Date|5/15/25|
+{{:game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:places:mechitar.jpg?400|}}
+==== Partings and Travels   ====
+{{ :game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:npcs:sayena.png?200|}}
+It ends up not quite mattering what Dregdat and Osric wish, because Seldig takes them along on his errands. This leaves Zaheri, Sebastian, Blake to answers the summons. It is a week’s ride to the capital of Mechitar. Zaheri uses //sending// to update both Berline and Hanst of their movements. Berline responds with delight and, cryptically, about a new face. Berline warns them to gather evidence before passing along their accusations. However she does note //I for one believe it. Kemmnebi cannot be trusted//.
+//”I miss Tsekani,”// Zaheri notes. //”Even if he kept calling me ‘kid’ and was silent all the time. I miss is presence.”//
+//”He was interesting to have around,”// Sebastion agrees. Blake only lets out a characteristic grunt.
+The travel is not hard. Zaheri summons food and drink each day for the humans. They stop mid-day during the highest heat, and to give Blake time for the mild torpor that undead seek, often during the day. Their mounts see perfectly fine in darkness, as does Blake, so he leads them into the evenings, before they make camp for the night, Blake taking the watch while the humans sleep.
+Zaheri feels an urgency to meet with Geb, but is not sure about how to tell him about Kemmnebi. He also looks forward to seeing his mother.
+==== Meetings in Mechitar ====
+As the capital of Geb and the nation’s second-largest city, Mechitar serves as the backdrop for many of the most significant and history-changing decisions affecting the nation. Though Geb himself holds court within the massive citadel known as the Cinerarium, he has a general disinterest for details he considers beneath him and is more obsessed with Nex’s possible return. Thus, he leaves the daily oversight and operations of his nation to his conclave of approximately sixty powerful necromancers and personal apprentices known as the Blood Lords. Led by Chancellor Kemnebi (the very person the group now suspects of treason), the Blood Lords govern interactions between the quick and the dead. This includes adjudicating disputes, passing laws, protecting the nation’s citizens from harm, warding against supernatural threats, and furthering the nation’s interests both domestically and abroad.
+Unfortunately, isolating such immense power within a small but influential group of nobility creates opportunities for great unrest and division, as many Blood Lords perpetuate their own agendas by leveraging the vast resources at their disposal instead of serving their nation’s people. Though Blood Lords are prevented by law from directly harming one another, they often orchestrate devious plots against their adversaries to acquire more power or weaken another Blood Lord’s grasp on a particular asset or sphere of influence. After the departure of Arazni, dissension among Blood Lords has intensified, leading many to undertake clandestine actions to undermine their colleagues and improve their standing in the eyes of the ghost king.
+{{:game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:npcs:screenshot_2025-11-20_204033.png?300 |}}
+Arriving at the city gates, the three are met by members of the city guard, the Bellator Mortus, a legion of subordinate necromancers, graveknights, skeletons, zombies, ghouls, and ghasts. Zaheri immediately identifies himself and companions as having been summoned to an audience with Geb. The guards seem unimpressed, but tell them to meet with Dizonn Dizuul at the Cinerarium. The group enters the city and Zaheri leads the party to the home of his mother, Sayena Greysong. Sayena greets them with some sense of delight. At least, as much as a lich can have. She has been following Zaheri’s rise, and as a Blood Lord herself, seeks this for her offspring if he can prove himself. She offers the men housing in the quick part of her estate, and gives Blake a decent cell suited for the needs of an undead. She even arranges for a Bonesmith, to come and use his wares to help repair and replace damage to the warrior skeleton.
+The next day it is time to head to the Cinerarium and petition to meet with Geb. Zaheri is offput. It seems ridiculous to him to be expressly summoned and then go through intermediaries. However, he knows this is the way of the nation. Geb rarely sits upon the throne at the high court’s heart. Instead, Dizonn Dizuul a Grand Marshel Mummy, receives the petitioners and determines if their concerns warrant Geb’s time, if they can be handled by a lower-ranking member of the ghost king’s court, or if they should be dismissed out of hand. Very few earn the right to speak to Geb personally, as she directs most to one of a dozen smaller administrative offices accessible by doorways lining the high court’s walls.
+The high court is packed with visitors both living (known as the quick) and undead. Normally, petitioning Geb’s court requires navigating several layers of bureaucracy, but once the Zaheri makes it clear they received a personal request by means of a //sending// spell, they’re allowed to advance to the front of the line immediately.
+Dizonn Dizuul is the one who cast the spell, but she is not alone. Another towering mummy is in the room. Zaheri drops all pretense and rushes forward, arms outstretched to clasps the arms of the figure.
+{{ :game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:characters:tm1.png?400|}}
+//”TESKANI!”// he shouts, a broad smile upon his face. The mummy nods and claps Zaheri’s arms in friendship. The necromancer feels the moisture being pulled from his hands. Teskani chuckles as Zaheri pulls back .
+//”It is good to see you.”// comes a different voice. It is still the rumble of his human form, but now with the sound of the desert wind behind it.
+Zaheri remembers himself and returns to his courtly manners.
+//”I celebrate your Ascension.”//
+//”If that is what you want to call it.”//
+There will be time to catch up later. They turn their attention to Dizonn. Zaheri is easily able to impress Dizonn with his charm. She is less hostile than she normally would be.
+//“Look, my schedule is full and I assume the same of yours, if you are to become the nation’s newest Blood Lords, you all must prove yourselves before receiving an audience with Geb. It is my duty to ensure that subjects who approach the ghost king remain true in their allegiance and admiration for both ruler and nation. And what better way to prove one’s devotion than a processional?”// she muses with a leathery smile.
+Dizonn invites the four out to the office’s balcony, which affords a glorious view of the Cinerarium plaza. There, four processionals are in progress, led by revelers who make their way around the open plaza surrounding the central tetrahedron. Each processional is a display orchestrated and performed by citizens of Mechitar who, along with the Celebrants, declare their support of the nation. The processionals exude varying degrees of extravagance, including some combination of elaborate costumes, somber dirges or uplifting paeans, and carefully crafted props. The more impressive a processional, the larger the crowd of delighted onlookers it draws. Processionals that draw the largest crowds tend to be regarded as the greatest successes.
+//”SO, you will organize a processional in honor of Geb. And don’t get any ideas about any interference with the others. It could go against tradition precludes.”// Again with he leathery smile, //”To truly succeed, a processional must outshine the competition on its own merits without resorting to sabotage.”//
+With that they are dismissed.
+==== Processional: Geb Victorious – The Quick and the Dead, One Nation ====
+{{:game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:things:processonal.jpg?250 |}}
+The reunited friends head to Sayena’s home and Tsekani is given a room. The four catch up, with Tsekani learning what they have been up to, and his telling of the story of [[game_systems:Pathfinder2e:Blood_Lords:characters:Tsekani:Mummification| what happened]] to him.
+After a rest, they set about creating their processional. Zaheri, ever the patriot, suggests that theme. This is **not** something the rest even want to do, so they are happy to let Zaheri take the lead.
+Zaheri enlists the help of this mother’s household for the parade, much to her amusement, and they all look to recruit others from the city. The assembled krewe stages a patriotic processional in Mechitar’s Cinerarium plaza, casting Geb the King and the Nation of Geb as eternally triumphant against a hostile world. Rather than glorifying horror for its own sake, the display frames Nex’s ancient slaughter as the crucible that forges Geb’s undying strength, with each new attack and plague turned aside by the united might of the Quick and the Dead. The centerpiece of the parade is a towering float: a rolling black-iron platform bearing a stylized skull-throne of Geb, flanked by sculpted bone ramparts and burning braziers that shed ghostlight over the crowd, while spectral illusions of foreign armies and plagues break and dissolve against the walls. Sebastian narrates scenes of Nex’s hubris and foreign envy, while Zaheri weaves necromantic pageantry that shows spectral images of Geb and ancient champions watching over the plaza. Blake leads a disciplined phalanx of skeleton soldiers, that repeatedly forms a living wall around clusters of living citizens, and Tsekani marches at the head of mixed living guards and undead guardians, embodying the message that Geb needs both breathing defenders and tireless dead to endure.
+The final tableau centers on the companion’s most recent victory: a stylized “plague turned back,” with actors playing the afflicted, ghostly wisps of infection being bound and snuffed out, and each of the four stepping forward in turn as their roles are proclaimed—Sebastian as the sharp mind that uncovers the threat, Tsekani as the shield of the living, Blake as the brutal arm that crushes the saboteurs, and Zaheri as the necromancer who turns death itself against the disease. The processional ends with Quick and Dead standing together before the Cinerarium, banners raised and voices chanting praise to Geb the ghost-king, making a clear declaration of loyalty to both ruler and nation.
+Apparently this was more than enough. Within a half hour of its completion, Dizonn contacts Tsekani via a //sending// spell:
+//Geb will see you an hour after the next sundown—meet me in the high court and I will escort you to him.//
+==== Meeting with Geb the King ====
+{{:game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:npcs:screenshot_2025-11-20_213142.png?200 |}}
+They meet with Dizonn who tells them of the success of their performance. She escorts the characters to Geb and remarks while traveling that, //“Geb is busy, but he’s made time to receive you nevertheless. He won’t be alone. Another... visitor... will also be in attendance.”// It is obvious to Sebastion that Dizonn doesn’t approve of the visitor, whoever they are. Eventually, the characters arrive at a small lecture hall on an underground level of the Cinerarium. Five rings of benches sit empty in the semicircular balcony above the central pulpit, where two figures engage in conversation at a large metal table.
+As they approach, Geb pauses to greet them, mentioning that Seldeg as spoken highly of them. He has each of them introduce themselves and then he introduces his guest. He mentions the politics of the day, and wonders if the nation should still send tribute to another. Zaheri steps forward with a speech
+//”The world is always aligned against Geb. The nation of Nex moves, and we have already stopped a plot to poison a city. Geb must maintain its alliance with so powerful a being as Kortash Khain and Nemret Noktoria.”//
+Geb simply smirks,
+{{ :game_systems:pathfinder2e:blood_lords:npcs:screenshot_2025-11-20_213136.png?200|}}
+//”Such speechmaking will serve you will as a Blood Lord. But, as new Blood Lords, you will need to develop your statecraft. It is not all speechmaking. You are to be commended for your efforts and success in the service of Geb.”//
+He tells them Dizonn will escort them to their quarters outside the Cinerarium. They also each have a bloodclaim, that is, a request for a single item of value from the vaults. This will be delivered to them at their quarters. Before they leave, Geb stops them and asks them to be an escort and honor guard for Kortash Khain while he is here. While Khain does not look pleased he taps his finger on the corpse next to him and its speaks,
+//”Seek me out once you have settled into your new quarters. I will want to get to know you.”//
+After this, Dizonn leads them out with congratulations and warnings. Dizonn warns them all that all Blood Lords are forbidden from direct conflict with one another. Blood Lords can manipulate and deceive other Blood Lords, but if such machinations become public knowledge these actions could result in disgrace, exile, or even execution. Actual combat between Blood Lords often results in the destruction of both offenders, so Blood Lord characters should avoid such confrontation at all costs She also notes they will have to prove themselves. //”Blood Lords come and go”//.

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