Tales from Etheraz: 2/21/26 Dungeon Crawl recap

Greetings, enablers, enthusiasts, and embezzlers! 

I, ATLAS THE BARD, bring news of more escapades from the group of adventurers known as the “PC Party!” These brave folks have been travelling Arancis, fighting monsters, and working to improve the dismal state of the region. I have received a letter from Kyran, the party leader and alchemist, updating me on their shenanigans, and I shall report to you, dear reader, of the hope they bring with their (mostly) magnificent deeds! 

[Transcript: Hello Atlas,
We’ve gone through Warg’s Tooth Pass and made it to Niv’s Fort. She wasn’t very happy with us. Fair considering we left her to deal with all the hollowed alone but once we explained the situation she agreed to help us. I talked to her soldiers for a bit, they seemed nice enough, at least for Blakka. One of them, the alchemist, gave us some potions. Which was helpful, especially given our limited supplies. Niv asked us to help her set up barricades and kill hollowed.
   ASTE was acting strange, he always is but this time it was more than usual. Probably has something to do with being back in the Eiravale, can’t imagine he has a lot of good memories of this place. Ez was acting weird too, I think I saw them fighting at some point, don’t know what that was about.
   We managed to get the barricades pretty far forward and take out a decent amount of hollowed. I think it went about as well as it could have. We’re continuing north with Niv and her soldiers. We will have to face Myr Galdur again. I don’t think I’m ready but I don’t have much choice. I just hope at least some of us make it out alive.
-Kyran Greyling]

Last I heard from the party, they were traveling up North to meet with Commander Niv of House Blakka, a secret ally within House Blakka towards the Coalition. But, to do so, the party had to fight through hordes of everyone’s favorite-least-favorite horrifying monster: the Hollowed!! That’s right, we had some classic Hollowed slaughter (feels kind of comforting to return to, right? Better the devil you know…) But, unfortunately, this terrifying moment of battle wasn’t all fun and games. As the party passed towards Bradvlad path, where Niv is stationed, they passed through what looked like an old Blakka prison area, stained with old blood and hosting chains on the wall. The sight of such a grisly scene seemed to affect one member of the party in particular: A.S.T.E., a former Blakka soldier turned Coalition fighter, who, upon seeing such a horrid place, seemed haunted and distant. (I heard reports that he discovered a sword split in two in the cell, and after taking it, acted stranger than his already rather strange self. Odd…) 

The party fought their way through the Hollowed to where Commander Niv and her soldiers were holding the line at Bradvlad Pass. Since they had been stationed there for the past two years, they’d been fighting endless battles against the Hollowed daily, desperately trying to keep the area secure and in control. Niv was not super pleased to see the party for the first time in two years, accusing them of abandoning her to fight against the Hollowed ALONE. How DARE they!! (Even though they were fighting other evil forces and also trapped in a mystical, arcane Vault for a few months. Still, how DARE they!!) Notably, Niv told her soldiers that this group of mysterious strangers was a traveling mercenary company, not members of the Coalition, keeping their real identities hidden. Though she was willing to work with the Coalition to fight against the Lord Commander, her soldiers likely would be significantly less excited about that plan. 

Now that the party was here, Niv needed to request their assistance: though her soldiers fought valiantly, numbers weren’t on their side. Calculations reported an incoming wave of Hollowed, and she needed the party to kill them. Bad news? There were a lot of them. Good news? CATAPULT!! That’s right, Niv had a CATAPULT and oh boy was she ready to use it. The party just needed to figure out where to station it to best defend their station, and BOOM, Hollowed on fire. It certainly wouldn’t be easy — if the Hollowed were easy to kill, the problem would’ve been solved years ago — but through the party’s teamwork and combat experience, it certainly wasn’t impossible. 

The party lined up their barricades to protect them from the Hollowed and readied the catapult. It would take a few minutes of constant preparation to ready the catapult, so in the meantime, someone had to fight the Hollowed. The party split their resources, with the fighters stepping up to the front lines to hold off the swarm, while the crafters held back to prep the catapult. The Hollowed? HUNGRY. Wanted HUMAN BLOOD. Wanted the BLOOD OF CHILDREN. One party member, Kuzo, was mercilessly hunted by the Vorvolaki, who seemed to target him in particular. Strange! I wonder which Gods he annoyed for that to happen? The catapult could do massive damage, yes, but there were a LOT of Hollowed… Would the party be able to hold out against the endless waves? And, the catapult wasn’t exactly easy to man. Party member Lee lost his shoe to the ‘pult (somehow?) but managed to recover it and escape unscathed!

Meanwhile, A.S.T.E. (remember him from earlier?) turned on his friends, fighting Ez, his longtime friend and ally, despite desperate pleas from others to stop. He didn’t quite seem to be in his right mind… With the party fractured and confused, would the Hollowed surge ahead, finally claiming victory and taking Bradvlad Pass for themselves? 

Luckily, the party’s determination, prowess, and ENORMOUS CATAPULT turned the tide of the battle!! With one last desperate surge, the Hollowed lunged for the barricade, only to get decimated by a hurling rock of flame and destruction. The party reigned victorious once again!! Thankful for their help, Commander Niv agreed to host the party at her camp and have her soldiers train them for the task ahead (provided they keep their identities as Coalition a secret…) 

Readers, this is where my report ends, but fear not: there are many more adventures ahead! Bradvlad Pass is filled with intrigue, and Niv’s camp is stuffed with suspicious soldiers. What will the party learn in the days ahead, and will they keep their identities a secret? Only time will tell… Until then: fight together, or die alone. 

Signed,
Atlas the Bard