Session ID: [To be added]
Date: [To be added]
Duration: [To be added]
After Sigmund's funeral and the divine confrontation with Cernunnos and Anansi, the party traveled north along the Ebro River toward Alagón. What should have been a simple resupply stop turned into a series of catastrophic failures in operational security, culminating in pursuit by local guards, an ambush by Halfdan the Red, and the shocking reappearance of Mustafah the djinn—whom the party believed dead.
The party departed the funeral site by boat, traveling up the Ebro River with Anansi still possessing Sigmund's corpse. The journey north was tense, with the unwelcome divine passenger treating everything as normal while the party processed both their grief and their supernatural predicament.
They arrived at Alagón, a market town at the confluence of the Ebro and Jalón rivers, intending to resupply before continuing north toward the Pyrenees.
The party split up for the resupply mission, making a critical operational error: Marlin, Jean-Luc, and Axel went into town while Bjorn and Askeladd stayed with the boat.
Jean-Luc and Axel attempted to maintain a low profile while Marlin handled the actual purchasing. At the market, Marlin encountered a grocer who:
The grocer's behavior suggested he was either an informant or would become one very quickly.
Following the grocer's suggestion, Marlin visited the local garrison barracks—a remarkably bold move for a fugitive. He attempted to:
The soldiers were clearly suspicious, and Marlin's visit essentially announced the party's presence to the local authorities.
While Bjorn and Askeladd waited at the boat, a local boy approached them collecting "protection money" on behalf of someone named "Mahmoud."
Askeladd tried to blow the boy off, while Bjorn wanted to be generous and cooperative. After some argument between them, they:
The boy clearly noted everything and left with valuable intelligence about the party's composition and origin.
Recognizing that their situation in Alagón had become untenable, the party departed quickly, heading overland north toward the mountains on a road that grew increasingly rough and isolated.
Hours into their journey north, on the dwindling mountain road, the party finally addressed the Anansi situation directly.
Anansi's Offer: The spider god proposed a bargain, positioning himself as their Homer—the one who would tell their story and ensure it was remembered. He offered to:
This was news to the players, who didn't fully understand the nature of the threats Anansi described.
Bjorn's Prayer: Rather than accept Anansi's bargain, Bjorn offered a humble and sincere prayer asking Anansi to leave them in peace.
The Prayer Worked. Anansi—trickster god, story collector, and possessor of their dead friend's body—simply left. He departed without resistance, without negotiation, without trickery. He left Sigmund's body behind and vanished.
This was witnessed by the boy from town, who had been following and spying on the party. He immediately fled when the supernatural encounter occurred.
Roughly two hours later, guards from Alagón caught up to the party on the mountain road. The authorities had clearly pieced together the party's identity and connection to The Prince Assassination in Zaragoza.
Jean-Luc, supported by Bjorn and Marlin, managed to intimidate or convince the guards to withdraw. The confrontation was tense but seemed to be resolving without violence.
Then Halfdan the Red intervened.
Hidden in a tree overlooking the confrontation, Halfdan shot one of the fleeing guards with a crossbow—presumably to make the party look more violent and criminal, removing any remaining diplomatic options.
He jumped down from his hiding place and confronted the party, particularly Bjorn, engaging in verbal sparring.
Halfdan made his position clear:
The party refused to surrender.
Just as the confrontation with Halfdan reached its breaking point, Mustafah appeared.
The djinn's appearance was shocking to the party for two reasons:
The session ended on this cliffhanger: the party trapped between Halfdan the Red and Mustafah the djinn, with no clear allies and no divine protection.
Axel:
Operational Security Disasters:
These failures essentially announced the party's presence, identity, and rough capabilities to the authorities and their pursuers.
The party is cornered on a remote mountain road between two powerful enemies:
With Anansi gone (taking away potential protection) and their operational security in tatters, the party faces a desperate situation. They have:
The confrontation will determine whether the party can talk, fight, or flee their way out—and whether Mustafah is the solution to their Halfdan problem or a worse threat entirely.