Session VI - Session Notes

These notes are long overdue, as anyone following the thread can see. Again, the timing of the sessions meant we had to skip one session. Then, this session occurred over two weeks ago but a busy set of activities at work and home prevented me from getting it written up on time.

However, today I plan to also post the report from this last Friday's session as well, so I will hopefully be caught up.

This session was a short one. That day was the tail end of a big snow storm here and so people arrived late and left early.

Due to the storm, three new players were originally going to be added that weren't able to show (two of them will show up in next session's notes).

This campaign is intended to be a character-driven sandbox, and I liked the idea of them trying to recruit local help. It also gave me an easy way to throw in a mini-dungeon to fill up the session with (as they said at the session, of course the meeting place will be a monster-infested catacombs they have to clear out first).

The first set of lines about Dion recognizing the keep is an in-joke; I purposely modeled Castellios after a scaled-down version of the keep from Keep on the Borderlands, which the player recognized.

I liked the start of the journey where they actively worked to avoid the enemy patrol and came up with a good plan to get around the dogs tracking them. These kinds of activities are what make for a great role-playing session.

The old barrows wasn't intended to be a very dangerous encounter, but the leucrotta scored a critical hit with its first action. I also felt like they didn't really take advantage of the fact I warned them ahead of time there was something back there.

Still, I did have it run off rather than kill them all (which it could have done) and let them find a healing potion with the coin treasure (not originally planned, but since they got roughed up).

Then I figured, since they let the thing escape, clearly it would be a hillside predator as in many a movie. As a penalty, I had it kill two of the farmers and made them escort the rest home. I was thinking of the movie Silver Bullet for that scene, with the monster darting in and out of the fog. It really worked for a creepy horror-movie like atmosphere I thought.

Finally, I wanted to make sure to let them know the beast would still be out there killing now.

As mentioned in my "translation notes" many a more rutabaga joke was made. It's almost a challenge now to keep coming up with ways to use the running gag. The Gayloria player actually finds them rather disgusting, nearly gagging whenever I suggest a new dish (I myself have never actually eaten one).

Finally, I also acknowledge in the notes that I purposely mess with the Dion player by nearly always giving his ideas to other characters in the write-up and always change him from using a weapon (like he actually does in the session) to doing some crazy, outlandish barehanded attack.

Session VII - Cast of Characters

Dion, the crude barbarian
Chrysostomos, the stoic cleric
Artemisia, the magic-user and scholar
Gayloria, the sapphic fighter

And introducing:

Hector, the marauding centaur
Sharag, the archer centaur

From the Epic Poem, as translated by Prof. Arty Barker, Ph.D.
Session VII - Scene I (of VIII)

After a fresh breakfast of rutabaga omelets, the heroes discuss their plans for how to best prepare for the great battle that evening. While Dion is confident he can take on the entire Xersian army himself, he is concerned about how many of the Hellasian soldiers may die because he cannot be everywhere at once. He wonders if perhaps the group should split up, with him and perhaps one other taking the gate while others attack the archers on the walls.

Artemisia suggests that before getting too deep into the plans they will need to go hunt down the escaped leucrotta. Dion wonders if his companions will be strong enough to fight the beast and still be able to fight the Xersians that evening, but loves the idea of a hunt too much to pass up. When they finish their breakfasts, the heroes head out in search of the creature’s trail.

Session VII - Scene II (of VIII)

Out in the hills near Castellios, two centaurs travel in search of vengeance; a male marauder named Hector and a female archer named Sharag. Scouting ahead, Hector catches sight of a Xersian patrol some ways off in the distance. Eight of the soldiers are on foot, patrolling the area.

Sharag has the two of them move around to come at the soldiers from behind. Despite their large size, the terrain is to their advantage and the centaurs manage to move into position without being spotted.

The archer gets off a shot with her arrow as Hector charges in and hurls his spear. The arrow catches a soldier in the neck while Hector's spear pierces the back of another. Both collapse to the ground as their companions turn in surprise.

Hector continues his charge, attempting to run down one of the soldiers, but the man steps out of the way. Sharag has no better luck with another arrow shot as the Xersians move to counter-attack.

Session VII - Scene III (of VIII)

Some distance away, Dion and the other heroes are in search of the leucrotta's trail when they hear sounds of a battle. Moving in to investigate, the barbarian can see a pair of centaurs fighting a small patrol of Xersians. Even though Chrysostomos is still around the hill taking care of his bodily functions, Dion motions for the others to come closer to see the fight.

Sharag misses with another arrow as Hector crushes in the face of a soldier with a massive kick. Dion tries to assist the creatures by hurling a mighty rock at the Xersians, but the distance is too far. Artemisia, knowing she is too weak to fight the soldiers in melee combat, stays behind Dion for protection as Gayloria slowly advances over the hill towards the Xersians.

The Xersians begin circling Hector, one of them spearing him hard from the flank. Badly wounded, the centaur responds by using his back legs to kick the soldier behind him, badly wounding the man but not killing him.

Three of the Xersians break off and advance towards Sharag. She fires arrows at them and continues to move around, making it difficult for them to reach her.

Gayloria continues to attempt to move in on the soldiers, but her armor weighs her down so much the going is slow. Dion likewise his little luck continuing to chuck rocks at the soldiers. He strongly desires to rush in and attack them by hand, but is fearful of abandoning the fragile Artemisia.

Hector knocks down the injured man attacking him and tramples him. Meanwhile, the Xersians maneuver around to get closer to Sharag. One throws a spear but misses. She responds by charging at the man and running him down, splitting his skull.

With two of the soldiers left and attacking Sharag and only one on him, Hector grabs his spear out of the body of the dead soldier and jabs it straight into the groin of the remaining soldier attacking him, causing the man to collapse in a pool of blood.

Just as Gayloria starts to approach, Sharag moves back and fires an arrow into the chest of a Xersian soldier while the other one makes a run for it. Hector rushes after the man but he heads in the direction of Dion. The barbarian finally gets a good shot off with a large rock, smashing in the face of the remaining soldier.

Session VII - Scene IV (of VIII)

Wary of humans, Sharag trains her bow on Gayloria and commands her to stop. Hector likewise readies his spear at Dion and Artemisia.

Dion, accustomed to dealing with the centaurs in the hills of Epolia, approaches slowly in a friendly manner. He greets the centaurs, announcing the names of himself and his two companions. The centaurs do not return the greeting.

The barbarian tries to explain that they are enemies of the Xersians as well, and starts to detail how a ship is planning to land at dusk for a large battle to drive out the Xersian forces on the island. He tells the centaurs they could use their help.

Hector, speaking in centaur, skeptically asks Sharag why they should help the humans. She is more contemplative, noting that it may be worth it to get their revenge on the Xersians for their tribe. She also notes that it will show the humans the true strength of the centaurs.

To the humans, she says simply that they will help. Hector begins looting the bodies for their spears and money while Sharag fashions some rope to hold the spears on the centaur's back and Artemisia tries to help by binding his wounds.

Around this time, Chrysostomos wanders over the hill and sees the carnage. He wonders what happened. As Gayloria starts to explain about the fight, Hector is quick to note that he and Sharag did almost all of the fighting. Sharag also gets in a snide remark about Gayloria being too encumbered to be of use, but the fighter takes it in stride.

Dion introduces Chrysostomos to the centaurs, with Sharag giving their names in turn. She is clearly condescending to them when she discovers Chrysostomos is not powerful enough yet to call for spells from the gods.

Given the injuries Hector received, the heroes decide it is best to head back to the farm and save hunting the beast for after the keep has fallen, much to Dion's dismay.

When Sharag learns of the creature they are discussing, she pointedly shows her disapproval that they let the beast out, as it was imprisoned in the catacombs for a reason. Dion notes the catacombs was not much of a prison, but that they will be sure to hunt down the beast the next time they find signs of it.

They also discuss the attack on the Xersians that evening. Chrysostomos foolishly wonders if the centaurs can be disguised at horses. Before the equine companions can express outrage, Dion strongly tells the priest that centaurs are a proud race. Sharag notes that she and Hector would be best to attack from range, helping the soldiers storming the beach.

Session VII - Scene V (of VIII)

When the group gets back to the farm, the centaurs keep their distance. Wanting to be polite, they wish to wait to be invited on to the farmer's land before proceeding.

Dion goes ahead to talk to Eustachus. The farmer, spotting the centaurs, asks Dion if they have allied with the local tribe on the island. The barbarian notes that so far they have only met the two of them.

Eustachus reports to Dion that he has spoken to the other farmers and they are nearly ready with the modification to their cart. He also tells the barbarian that he knows the heroes will have a large battle that evening, so his wife has made a specially hearty stew of rutabegas and scallops so they will have their strength.

Dion thanks the man and returns to the others. He asks Sharag about the other centaurs in her tribe. She responds there may be one other, if they can find him and get him to help.

Gayloria is surprised to hear there is only one. As Chrysostomos ponders the reasons why only one other centaur may be willing to help, Sharag cuts him off. She explains that the rest of her tribe was slaughtered by the Xersian invaders; which is why she and Hector are determined to kill them all to the last man, woman, and child.

Seeing it is a troubling subject for the creatures, Dion asks if any other creatures of the woodlands can help. Sharag responds only that if they wish to help then they will show themselves.

Artemisia goes on to explain to the centaurs about the plan to assault the keep. Just before the gates are closed for the evening, they plan to use a rutabaga cart with a hidden compartment to sneak in weapons and assault the troops at the gate, assisted by three farmers who will already be inside the gates with their own, empty cart. Dion also notes that the blacksmith is readying an axe for them as well.

Sharag notes that swords would fit in the hidden compartment better than spears. The group decides to go back and grab the side swords of the dead Xersians as well. In the meantime, they hide the spears under the rutabagas in the shed.

Session VII - Scene VI (of VIII)

After returning from the battlefield, the group loads up the wagon and Artemisia rigs up a rope to quickly release the back of the wagon. She believes a spill of rutabagas could cause a diversion.

Everyone has different theories on the best way to handle the gate. There is discussion on some people going ahead of others, or perhaps staying behind the gate at first. Gayloria even throws out an idea of disguising her and Artemisia as prostitutes.

The original plan is to try and store armor and weapons in the cart, but the linothorax armor is far too bulky. Sharag also questions the wisdom of the approach, noting that there may not be time to get the armor on in the heat of battle. Chrysostomos notes his agreement with "the horse", causing a dirty look from Sharag.

Eventually, the heroes decide to keep their armor on, but under heavy cloaks, while the weapons remain hidden in the cart. The hidden compartment will contain swords for people, but the weapons of Chrysostomos and Gayloria will be mixed in with the rutabagas. Meanwhile, the centaurs will go down to the hills near the beach, keeping themselves hidden until they spot the ship approaching.

Session VII - Scene VII (of VIII)

That evening, the heroes make their way up the mountain. Dion notes the gods have seen fit to challenge them by not providing a thick fog again.

As they approach the entrance, Dion can see the farmers with their cart, now filled with supplies, in position as if they are ready to exit.  One of the farmers spots Dion and gives a knowing nod.

Stepping inside, the Xersian supervisor has the guards examine them. The men easily spot the armor and ready their weapons. The supervisor asks the meaning of coming into the keep armored. Dion mentions the beast roaming the hills but agrees they will remove their armor.

Dion leans on the cart as if to take his armor off as Artemisia slowly gets ready to use her "walking stick".

Dion pulls the rope causing the cart gate to open and rutabagas spill everywhere. Chrysostomos grabs his mace from the spillage but Gayloria steps on a rutabaga and falls to the ground.

The guards move in with their swords to attack Artemisia and Chrysostomos, but the two parry the attacks against them. Dion grabs one of the men from behind, lifts him up, and brings him down over his knee, breaking the man's back.

Artemisia tries to attack the other with her staff, but it is Chrysostomos who scores a hit; he smashes in the head of the man with his mace.

Gayloria stands up just as more guards emerge from the towers. Two of them cut into her. She falls to the ground, badly wounded.

Chrysostomos fends off some of the guards then stabilizes Gayloria as Artemisia and Dion push forward with attacks. The sorceress scores a hit while Dion finishes the man off by twisting his head and breaking his neck.

Meanwhile, the farmers use the javelins from their hidden compartment to make their way towards the tower entrance. They manage to kill one of the soldiers but one of them is killed in return.

Another set of soldiers from across the yard start to head over to assist the tower guards, but the blacksmith Aristedes leaps over the counter of his shop and begins attacking them with his newly-made axe.

Out on the beach, Sharag can hear the battle beginning inside the keep. Rather than wait for the ship to arrive, she decides she and Hector should start firing their bows at the men on the wall now, to avoid them from being able to fire at Dion and his group. Unfortunately, their first shots miss.

Back inside, one of the guards cuts into Artemisia but she responds by crushing his chest with her staff. Dion punches through the skull of another guard as Chrysostomos finishes off a third with his mace.

More soldiers move in to replace the fallen. Dion grabs the arms of the supervisor and rips them both off, showering him in blood. Chrysostomos and Artemisia cut down two of the soldiers. But another slips in and stabs the sorceress in the ribs, causing her to collapse. Dion smashes in the man's skull in response.

Session VII - Scene VIII (of VIII)

With all of the guards near the gate dead, the heroes have a moment to breathe.  The farmers force their way into one of the towers as Dion starts throwing swords out to some of the commoners who have gathered to help Aristedes fend off the soldiers in the yard. He then throws the cart under the gate to block it from closing as Chrysostomos works to prevent Artemisia from bleeding out.

Back outside, Sharag and Hector trade arrows with the archers up along the walls. The centaurs slowly pick off the wall archers with their shots as the Hellasian ship approaches in the distance. But in the exchange, Sharag is hit twice, the second shot downing her. Hector fires off one last shot that kills the remaining archer then drags her off to safety.

Inside, Dion and Chrysostomos pull Artemisia and Gayloria into the tower with the farmers then head over to the larger corner tower as Aristedes and the commoners fight the Xersians in the yard. The blacksmith manages to kill several soldiers but at the expense of several commoners dying as well.

On the beach, the Hellasian ship breeches the shore and the soldiers begin to pour out and fight the beach defenders. A furious battle rages as the Hellasians try to advance towards the keep.

Dion and Chrysostomos kill more soldiers as they make their way to the tower. By now, Aristedes and his men have the soldiers in retreat as they rush back to the fortress at the far end of the keep.

The two men make their way into the bottom of the tower, which is furnished as a small office. Dion spots a weakly scribe hiding behind the desk. He threatens the man but leaves him unharmed, as there is no glory in fighting one so weak.

They then head up to the second floor, finding it to be the living quarters for the supervisor and the scribe. Examining the room, they see they can either exit to the wall ramparts or continue up the stairs to the third level of the tower.

Not wanting enemies to their rear, Dion heads up the stairs to investigate. He finds himself staring at six soldiers getting ready to head down the stairs. He rushes into battle, smashing the skull of one of them with a backhanded fist as he rushes in. Chrysostomos rushes up the stairs to help as Dion throws another of the man out a nearby window to his death.

Back outside, the forces on the beach fight to a standstill, each side taking heavy casualties, but with the Hellasians making some progress up the beach. Inside the keep, Aristedes leads the commoners in a siege of the fortress building. They slowly begin battering down the doors.

The Xersian soldiers in the tower cannot match the whirlwind force of Chrysostomos and Dion. The barbarians kills two men by smashing their heads together as the cleric dispatches a third with his mace. Dion kills the last of the men and the two head back down to the wall ramparts in time to see the Hellasians on the beach breaking through the Xersians and advancing up the hill towards the keep entrance.

Across the yard, they also spot the blacksmith and the other commoners smash into the fortress. The captain of the Xersians advances on Aristedes and the two fight a glorious battle, with Aristedes chopping down the captain quickly with his axe as the other commoners overwhelm the small amount of remaining soldiers.

The battle rages well into the night, with attacks and counterattacks between the forces. Smoke fills the air as the retreating Xersians scourge the surrounding farmlands before heading deep into the hills. But by morning, Castellios is once again a free city of the Hellasians.

Session VII - Translation Notes by Prof. Barker

The fall of Castellios is a favorite story for many. It is the most cinematic of the tales, and instantly brings to mind the large scale conflicts one finds in many films dealing with these subjects. While not the thousands of soldiers fighting in a movie such as Troy, it is still a large enough battle that readers begin to see why these men and women are prized for their heroism.

This chapter begins with the introduction of two new characters (cult favorites Hector and Sharag) as well as setting up the foreshadowing for a third centaur.

Some versions of the story even had a third centaur in the story, often fighting in melee combat alongside the soldiers from the Hellasian ship. Others, such as the Cousins translation, had a centaur largely replacing the blacksmith Aristedes in the story. However, my research indicates that there was no third centaur in this part of the original stories, and that his inclusion was added later to add another interesting character into the mix earlier in the tales.

There has been much controversy over the years about the part of the tale where Dion and Chrysostomos head into the tall tower instead of either heading to the fortress or leading a rear attack on the soldiers defending the beach. Cousins felt it was a terrible waste of tactics and had them storming the beach along with many commoners. Goodhope wanted a more climactic feel to the story and had them storming the fortress, with a cinematic battle between the captain and Dion. And the quick injuries of Sharag, Artemisia, and Gayloria along with putting Hector out of the fight are avoided in both versions. But once again, I am attempting to use the oldest version of the tales rather than the most popular.

I think we in the future have a tendency to forget that the original storytellers didn't have the same sense of genre conventions we assume today, so didn't worry about forcing in large, climactic battles between a lead protagonist and lead antagonist. Nor did they worry overmuch about the military tactical effectiveness. I find it makes perfect sense for the two to make sure there are no archers attacking the beach; keep in mind that in this version the seasoned soldier, Gayloria, is out of commission. I also feel the high casualty rate for the heroes is consistent with the earlier, grittier feel of the tales.

Given the injuries, it comes as no surprise that the next set of tales begins several weeks later, as is quite common in mythology stories after large climactic events.

Session VII - Session Notes

As promised, here are the session notes from last Friday, so now the thread is all caught up to date.

I'm a sucker for big, climactic sessions so I was looking forward to this one.

To start off, I had to introduce two of the three new characters to the campaign (both returning players from my 4e campaign; Hector is played by the kid who had the half-orc warden and later the drow barbarian in that campaign, while Sharag is played by the player who had various characters and ended up with the drow priestess in that campaign). The third player (also from the last campaign, who played the various dwarves) was unable to make it that night due to work.

They wanted to be introduced hunting a Xersian patrol, so that's what I gave them. Unfortunately, Hector got hit by a critical right off, preventing him from doing much fighting in the finale.

There was a lot more discussion about plans that I bothered to put in the notes. The group always has a tendency to go back and forth in planning, changing their minds a dozen times by the end.

The big fight itself was pretty fun, but we ended up pretty quickly with only two of the six players with characters still able to fight. To compensate, the others made rolls for the blacksmith, commoners, and the soldiers on the beach. I regretted not bothering to think up a more interesting mass combat resolution method earlier, so it ended up somewhat a die rolling contest which I didn't particularly love but it kept things moving.  

I was slightly disappointed (as noted in the translation notes) that it ended up somewhat anti-climactic and that the heroes didn't face the big bad himself, but perhaps it worked out for the best.

Next session will be at the normal time but in-game several weeks will have passed and everyone is healed (and at 2nd level finally). The group will need to decide what they want to do next, as there are many ways to go from here.

Session VIII - Cast of Characters

Dion, the crude barbarian
Chrysostomos, the stoic cleric
Artemisia, the magic-user and scholar
Gayloria, the sapphic fighter
Sharag, the centaur archeress

From the Epic Poem, as translated by Prof. Arty Barker, Ph.D.
Session VIII - Scene I (of V)

In the days and weeks that followed the liberation of Castellios, the remaining Xersians were driven out of the surrounding farming hills. Not all the Xersians were killed or captured. The former Castellian supervisor and second-in-command, Salar Manush, was still at large along with the Xersian priest of the Lord of Light, a man named Parastar. They, along with a group of soldiers and acolytes, and the jewel merchant Krysos, escaped the slaughter of the battle and escaped far into the wilderness.

The heroes of the liberation suffered many wounds and took long to recover, with the humans staying at the local inn and the centaurs remaining outside the keep. The experience of the battle gave them all strength, and they used the following days to train to become better warriors, priests, and sorcerers. Chrysostomos was particularly proud to have gained enough favor with the gods that his prayers may be answered.

Knowing the town still faced many threats, Dion and Sharag joined together to train the local men in the art of warfare. Knowing the townspeople were not as powerful as he, Dion joined with the centaur to teach them to use bows to attack from afar. Dion even gave Sharag some fancy arrows he found in the supervisor's tower during the siege, believing them to be magic.

The townspeople were grateful for the assistance, but very concerned about the threats that remained. One man voiced his concern about the Reptilians who live in the swamplands to the south, stating that he heard a new chieftain had grown powerful and was uniting the reptilian clans. Another of the men said he had heard the same, and feared the reptilians meant to try and take over the land.

Others dismissed the reptilian threat. One man was more concerned about the Xersians, believing they had allied with the brigands of the nearby forest. Another was more concerned about the beast that was still roaming the hills and preying on livestock. Yet another of the peasants noted that it was too bad they could not use the powerful weapons and treasures that were said to be in the abandoned stronghold of Mestasteikhanon, but that the place was cursed by the magic of Zolios.

Not being from the island, Dion did not fully understand all that was being discussed. To assist him, Sharag told him all she knew of the island. She explained the island of Traladekios was 150 miles long at its longest point, mostly with shores of high cliffs and only three lowland beach areas – each with a settlement at it.

The island itself is largely hills and mountains, with Castellios situated in an area known as the Farming Hills. Beyond it lies the Beastland Mountains (where she and the centaurs are from), and beyond that is an area known as the Peaceful Hills which was once guarded by two heroes – a warrior named Rhesos and a mysterious sorcerer known as Zolios. The two had a stronghold in the hills known as Mestasteikhanon, but they disappeared many years ago. The peaceful hills are now home largely to clans of satyrs.

Beyond the peaceful hills area is a section of low-lying plains known as the Meadowlands where the great human city of Asylopolis is located along the second beach area. The city is known for having a large fortification known as the Silver Citadel.

The southern portion of the island, according to Sharag, is a large marsh area known as the Swamplands directly south of Castellios. There are said to dwell the reptilian clans. To the northeast of the swamps is a large forest area known as Brigand Forest after the large force of anarchistic free folk who dwell there.

The southern lands across the mountains are remarkably different, being a large desert known as the Drylands, largely empty except for the occasional nomadic tribe of herdsmen. Sharag informs Dion there is a third settlement along the southern coast of the drylands, a coastal town called Stegnolimani. That town is not a Hellasian colony but instead a port town filled with transients, pirates, and merchants of many different ethnicities.

Dion is curious about what other non-humans there are on the island. Sharag notes that the beastland hills are home to clans of Kobalosi, Telchines, and Arachnos, among others. And recently the ratling Skaven have shown up in large numbers as well. She explains that a lot of the clans make their homes in a network of deep caves in the hills referred to by the humans of Castellios as the "Caves of the Unknown".

Later, Dion shares all that he had learned with his fellow companions Artemisia, Chrysostomos, and Gayloria. Chrysostomos suggests they tackle the beast in the hills first, as they are responsible for letting it out (something Sharag still seems annoyed about, though Dion defensively argues the centaurs should have killed the beast themselves instead of allowing it to remain trapped). But the hunt for the beast gets delayed as a messenger appears for Dion and the group, bidding them to come to a celebratory feast in their honor by Aristedes, the town blacksmith recently made Archon of Castellios.

Session VIII - Scene II (of V)

That night, the heroes sat at the head table of the feast. Seated next to Dion was Lochagos Neros. Neros tells Dion he is happy to see him again and was honored to fight beside him and his companions in taking back the keep. He then informs Dion that he and the majority of his men will be leaving in the morning to meet back up with the fleet for the next assault, and that Dion and the other heroes are welcome to join him.

Dion is surprised the Hellasian force is heading out so quickly. He tells Neros about the rumors he heard and that many threats still exist in the area. Neros waves away the barbarian's concerns, explaining that as a soldier his duty is to continue to the next battleground, and that local issues will need to be handled by the locals. But the captain does reassure the heroes that Castellios will not be left undefended – for his former Ouragos, Artemisios, is now Lochagos Artemisios, captain of the Castellian guard. Artemesios, along with several soldiers, have decided to stay and help the area rebuild.

Chrysostomos suggests to Dion that they should stay in the area as well, at least until they can clean up some of the loose ends in the area. Dion, agrees, though again insinuates that he will actually be cleaning up the centaurs' loose ends.

Archon Aristedes then suggests they all stop discussing such grave matters and instead focus on celebrating their victory. He summons one of his pages and has the boy present the group with a chest of treasure with many coins, a jeweled necklace, and a pair of gem earrings. He explains to the heroes that it is their share of the money liberated from the dead Xersians and their sympathizers.

Calling out another servant boy, Aristedes says he has a surprise for Dion. The boy arrives with a fine spear and Xersian scimitar. The archon explains the spear was taken off of the Xersian captain he slew, while the sword came from the watch commander killed by Dion. Both are thought to be magical, though their specific enchantments are unknown. The archon says he would like to keep one of the weapons, and though he would prefer the spear he will let Dion decide.

While normally shunning weapons, Dion feels these magical weapons may finally be of a high enough quality for him to use. After some deliberation, he decides to take the scimitar. Aristedes is happy to keep the spear.

The rest of the evening is spent in eating delicious dishes, though Gayloria is disappointed in the lack of rutabegas. Now that they are not restricted to Eustachus' farm, she knows that rutabegas will be less common to come by.