The Last Session of Part I

Sorry this was late, but this week has been Hell.

The players arrived at Castellan Keep at 4:30 in the morning. They saw Joseph there, who told the players that the keep is now free of the Snow Apes. The players tell Joseph that more are comming. Right them, Gelu came when with the wizard Darius, the cleric Jeniva, and the Specularum Royal Elven Guard. Gelu told Joseph that he and his men were relieved of duty, and that they are to escape to the boats docked there. Right then, the Snow Apes arrived and began attacking. An Elven Guard lead Joseph and his men to the boats, and the players decided to follow instead of getting involved with the fight. Yes, I am calling them cowards....Anycase, once at the boats, the players waited for about four hours before the Elven Guard and Gelu's crew came aboard. Gelu wasn't very pleased to see them, but he was busy maintaining the Guard. The players talked with Darius who managed to give them a good bit of information. The boats dropped them off at Gnome's Ferry and the players continued north back to Maleik's place. As Elric was the only one who took notes, he was the only one who got paid 500 GP. While Maleik read the notes (which wasn't easy due to Elric's poor hand writtting) the players decided to hang around. Rayne trained in the Battle Axe, Elric trained in the staff. The people who trained them were simple travelers they found in the taverns at Threshold. Maleik then gave the players their next job. The Duke's son head his shearing ceremony and is now traveling the land. As he is not allowed to be protected by the Duke's powers, he is in danger of enemies of Karameikos. Maleik gave the players a potion to give to the Duke's son. He told them that he divined that they could find him in a cabin on the road a bit south of here. They traveled for a while, and reached the house. When they got there, they saw Gelu at the doorway. He stood aside and pointed inside the cabin. When the players went inside, the door close behind them. They could see and old man cooking at the fireplace and a table full of food. The old man told them that the food was for them, and the players dug in. The man talked with the players for a while and told them that they could call him Barus Whitstone. He then dug out a parchment and read out to the players that they have been charge with Grand Treason for:
1) The coruption of a court of law in Threshold to waiver judgement
2) The murder of Steeriana Stilkson
3) The theift of Steriana Stilkson's staff from when she retired from the serive of Baron Kelvin with honors.
4) Taking a part of a false assassination ploy against Hesond Dreti.
5) Aiding in a "charm" spell on the halfing known as Junge Marix, a former Lieutenant in Thyatis during the Decade of Alphatian Terror.
6) Instigating Anarchy against Kelvin guards and provking them to defend themselves.
7) Taking a part of an assassination ploy against Baron Hal
8) Malicous and destructive actions towards Baron Kevlin and his country, which are too numberous to list, and many fall under the laws of the Kelvin Barony.
9) Association with criminals charged with Grand Treason.
The punishment for these crimes is death. The players were informed that the food that they ate was poisoned, and they have about five minutes to make their peace. It took the players a while to realize that this was no joke. They drank the potion that Maleik gave them, thinking that Maleik saw this comming. Turns out, Maleik didn't see this comming, and the potion was poison. The players are double poisoned. Atrem casted locate object in hopes of finding an antidote. He found one out side. The players busted through the door, and casted Hold Person on Gelu. Detelle, who had already casted Haste on every, dropped almost everything he had, and ran up to Gelu. He grapped the potion, drank it, and tossed it to the others. He was about to slit Gelu's throat when he hit with a Hold Person spell from Darius. Barus told them that the antidote worked on one poison, but not both. Before he fell to the poison, Atrem cured himself of the poison, and went to fight Barus. Barus quickly dispatched Atrem. The party was dead.

Or so they thought. Turns out the poison in the food was sleeping potion, and they were alived, but the captives of Barus. The players woke up a few days later in a room with Barus, Darius, Gelu, and Jeniva. Barus tells them that in order to get the players away from Maleik, they had to trick Maleik into thinking that the Duke's son had his shearing ceremony. Barus told the players that he and the other three are Duke Stefan's personal guard. They are not bodyguards, but top level agents that work behind the scenes. Barus then told them what Maleik has been used the players for.
1) The people that the player's "killed" were really monsters disguised as humans. They were setup.
2) The cout case was altered by Court Lord Furmond who worked with Maleik.
3) Maleik had the player's poisoned Steriana with the poition that was given to them. Steriana was an agent trying to keep tabs on Maleik. The staff was a staff given to her, and stealing it would arise political problems.
4) The assassination attempt on Hesond was a setup to arise more poltical problems.]
5) The bones that the players bought from Hesond were the bones of the former King of the Frost Giant. It is believed that Maleik wanted these bones to hide the fact that he killed the King from the Frost Giants.
6) The orb they stole from Steriana's Dungeon was not an orb that was to be attached to the staff. It was a two way communication orb.
7) The players were given a couple pieces of paper when they went to escort the Gnome's Caravan. One piece of paper would charm Junge. The other would cause the Kelvin guards to beleive that the gnomes are not to be trusted.
8) The orb they got from Krakatos was the other half of the two way communication orb.
9) The assassination attempt on Baron Hal was not done by Kelvin Guards, but probably by one of Maleik's friends.
10) The attack on Castellan Keep was probably aided by Maleik.
11) Maleik and the Frost Giant King now have direct contact with each other.

It is believed that Maleik intends turning the land into chaos so that he can march right on in later with the Frost Giants to take over. Unfortunately, they cannot go around trying to tell everyone that they are in danger of the Frost Giants do to everyone's relation with each other. Barus has a seven step plan for the players in which would turn the tide against Maleik.
1) Cause the Goblins east of Specularum to attack. The players will be looking like goblins to aid them in this job. The number of Goblins attacking will have to be a large number.
2) Awaken a Nosferatu east of the Black Eagle Barony. The players will be given a soul gem that will aid them in doing this.
3) Defeat the Goblins attacking Specularum.
4) Put the Nosferatu back to sleep.
5) At this point, the people on the south side of Karameikos should be closer together due to the dangers that they have just face. They can then mount a large army together to attack Threshold and Kelvin, who would unite together when they learn of this attack.
6) Once all the Barons are on the field, the players are to confess to there crimes.
7) Maleik will no doubt attack once he learned that everyone is uniting together. Defeat Maleik and the Frost Giants. The players are to kill the Frost Giant King and Maleik.

The players, after hearing all this, decided that they need a moument to talk all of this over. At the start of next session, it will be the first of Klarmont.