Conquest of the Gorgon Coast: Session 1 - Isla Santa

What follows is a play report for my "Conquest of the Gorgon Coast" game, playing with dear friends: Peter, Finn, Cid, and Will. It makes use of the random tables for Spoils of the Gorgon Coast, as well as randomizers cut and expanded on for the zine supplement: The Ashen City. 

The Titular Region for my Campaign, Randomly Generated.

The Set-Up

In service to the Inheritor; Eschtopheles Gorgoni-Rex, the Heir of Chalices; several mercenary factions have entered in a pact with one another to ensure victory against the other war hosts now present on the Gorgon Coast.

The Knights Glantisant, those who pursue the Questing Beast, swore their swords and restless pursuit to the cause.  The White Tower Aspirants, those who seek the mantle of the divine through vile arcane rites, sought to place the Inheritor upon the Blackened Throne for their own wicked reasons.  The Lonely Few sent some of their own cursed lot to supplement others, survive them, and collect their payment; and the Knights Panther who wished to earn favor by slaying monsters of renown.

The Party

• Galban Ferragamo, a veteran from the Knights Glantisant with a snaggletooth grin. Played by Will. 
• Eridian the Heron, the cabalist of the White Tower Aspirants who is bound to apocalyptic ruin. Played by Peter. 
• Zaira Dominitus, a displaced dastardess of the Lonely Few, cursed to live while others die. Played by Cid.
• Pike of the Ashen City, an outcast who lost their fellows in the Ruins of the Old Empire. Played by Finn.

How did the session go?

Well, the party did some...unexpected things.

Former Penal Colony

They landed on Isla Santa at night, snuck through the grapefruit orchards and then split into two groups: Pike, Galban, and Ziara went one and Eridian the Heron, pain in the ass he is; went the other way. Galban & Co snuck into the city proper, whilst Eridian set up a bear trap and killed a hog. Galban & Co were able to win the affections of some townsfolk who  awoke in the middle of the night to hear a hog having death screams. Eridian was cold-cocked and taken off to a rock on the edge of the island to be whipped and tortured.

Galban & Co found out stuff about the island; namely it was run by a Sebastorii who works for the Hand of Virtue and who employs the Nacre Shield out of Hagios Golgo. They gained good reason to think the Degenerate Heir they were looking for was prisoner in the Sebastorii's villa.

In the morning, Eridian awoke, was subjected to a Chalice blooding, and not enjoying that at all; cast forth terrible flames from his open wounds which incinerated the Centurion tormenting him and sending the lesser Nacre Shield to flee, forming a mob and getting the Sebastorii in person. Galban and Pike investigated the "screams on the rock" which led them back to Eridian, whilst Ziara went to the villa with the guard as Galban's "herald."

As the mob formed in town, Galban & Pike rigged the rocks to look as though a terrible battle had taken place; freed Eridian, and then threw all his equipment into the ocean. Eridian dressed in the dead Centurion's armor and was then told he'd be thrown in the ocean too. Eridian jumped in the ocean, hurt himself, and started swimming towards the Villa. Meanwhile, Ziara noticed strange interbreeding of tea and poisons in the villa gardens and made a poor representative of herself to Sauvon Rochenne, the Sebator of Isla Santa. She managed to forestall him long enough that when he arrived to see Galban & Pike's plan, he believed it for the most part. Ziara doubled back to scope out the villa as Eridian climbed up the rocks, wounded and mangled but alive. They infiltrated the villa, posing as a wounded Centurion and a hired hand.

Galban and Sauvon barbed words for a bit, with Galban claiming as a member of the Knights Glantisant, he pursues all manner of terrible beasts and the one who "had cast fire out its backside" was known as The Heron (Eridian's nickname). Sauvon wasn't buying it fully, but Galban claimed that it might have made nests and laid eggs everywhere. It is very dangerous. Sauvon demanded proof and one day to clear out the infestation, to which Pike and Galban agreed.

Eridian and Ziara broke into the villa's basement, with Eridian mangling his hand with eldritch flame while trying to open a door--which ZIara just bashed the lock off of. When they reached another door, Ziara ran Eridian through with her sword; as he was near death, intolerable, and The Lucky Few have a reputation to uphold. She convinced secondary guard (including one who was torturing Eridian earlier) that the Heron was an infectious strain of monsters, and then she asked if he had cleansed himself today. The guards got into an uproar on cleanliness and began to abandon their post. Ziara snuck in further and stole wine.

Things got hectic, the mob dispersed, and Sauvon returned to the villa. After a time, Galban and Pike went as well to find their companions, only to witness most of the Nacre Shield believed the Heron to be a parasite strain. Playing off lowered morale, Galban and Pike offered their battlefield surgery skills; butchering every officer with well-rolled criticals and terrible violence. Once they had killed off the rival freeblades save for a single one, they ascended the villa's lone tower to take Sauvon as hostage and loot his place.

Eventually, the three remaining party-members went into the dungeon, liberated Augustinius Gorgoni-Rex; a long-imprisoned Degenerate Heir and scholar of teas and poisons. They sacked the villa, stole many portraits and a few notable treasures of noble fancy; before heading off to their boat to sail to Fallen Taurochtalia; to deliver the heir to a contact, receive new orders, and enjoy their profits.

Augustinius is thankful to the party and owes them a kindness, though he's been marked of the Basilisk Strain and cast down from station. The Inheritor of the Sallow Sea hates the Nacre Shield and might do kindly with the party in the future for humiliating them. The Inheritor of the Hand of Virtue will act against the party and their master for having sacked Isla Santa.

Aftermath

Everyone save for Eridian, who died, was able to gain about 12XP; and we're doing level-ups on the 10s for sake of longevity. It was an overwhelming success for the party, though the actions will have long consequences. Eridian's superiors serve the White Wizard after all. Eridian's player is making a new character, archetype not yet known; but she is an Engineer specialist for the Cabal of the Shattered Eye mercenary group.

Next Session

The party makes their way to Fallen Taurochtalia, to sell their plundered wares, seek out their employers, engage with contacts, and potentially plunder the periphery of the Ashen City or one of the fallen empire's notable sites of horror. Knowing the party, they'll likely just get involved in petty thuggery, shanghai shenanigans, and gambling. 

As we game in arduous times, it is a reprieve and a comfort to have fun as I have had this night.