Session 04

📍 Location

The road north from Silt Side toward Kurn, a nearby oasis, and finally Kurn itself.

⚔️ What Happened

The session opened with the party leaving Silt Side and joining a small House Azeth caravan hauling metal north toward Kurn.

During the first couple of hours on the road, the party had time to mingle with the caravan crew and get a sense of the people they were traveling with. Most notably, Sali Vethran spent time speaking with Gale. As House Azeth’s junior factor and record-keeper for the convoy, Sali shared information about the wider region: the instability around Kurn, the danger of the roads, and the broader pressure being placed on trade and settlements by the ongoing raids.

Later, the convoy was caught in a massive supernatural storm: part sandstorm, part silt collapse, part haunting. The desert floor began to break down into unstable silt while lost souls and wraith-like spirits attacked the caravan through the storm.

The party successfully navigated the convoy through the danger and survived the hazard, but the caravan suffered a serious loss: Isket Vorn, the elf scout, was swallowed by the silt and died during the chaos. Taji then guided Isket’s soul, along with the restless wraiths, into the afterlife so they could find eternal rest.

During the storm, the brands on the party’s skin began to burn — intensely, beyond anything before. They had crossed a distance threshold from Eldaarich. The brands are not just marks of ownership: they are the slave brands the party received when they were captured early in the campaign, and they are a leash. The further the party travels from the city, the more the brands will torment them, every day, growing worse with distance.

After escaping the storm, the survivors reached a nearby oasis. There they rested, healed, and recovered from the ordeal before continuing north.

Upon arriving at Kurn, the party split their immediate plans. Sali Vethran headed to the House Azeth Emporium in the city to handle trade business — but before parting ways, he offered to dig into what the Great Library might hold on the subject of brands and how to suppress or remove them. In the meantime, the party made their way to Marek’s shop to rest, regroup, and wait.

🏃‍♀️ TL;DR

• Departed Silt Side with a small House Azeth caravan heading north toward Kurn.
• Spent the first hours of travel mingling with the caravan crew.
• Sali Vethran spoke with Gale and shared regional information about the road, Kurn, and surrounding instability.
• Survived a massive storm hazard where sand, silt, and lost souls assaulted the convoy.
• The caravan lost Isket Vorn, the elf scout, who was swallowed by the silt and died.
• Taji guided Isket’s soul and the restless wraiths into the afterlife for eternal rest.
• During the storm, the brands began burning violently — they crossed a distance threshold from Eldaarich.
• The brands will cause daily suffering that worsens the further they travel from the city.
• Rested and healed at a nearby oasis.
• Arrived at Kurn. Sali Vethran headed to the House Azeth Emporium and offered to research the brands via the Great Library.
• The party regrouped at Marek’s shop.