Campaign summary of Preemptive Justice, set in the World of Kiynan (5E compatible, based on Wizard of the Coast’s SRD 5.2.1).
The party began by turning their attention to the captured assassin from the attack on Ilara’s cottage. They knew the visions had already led them to two attempted murders, and they were determined to uncover who was orchestrating them before more blood was spilled.
Under questioning, the assassin revealed the name of her master: Gerod the Black, a powerful Sorcerer within House Spite. According to her, Gerod believed that forbidden magic posed an existential threat to Ornish society. He feared that such powers, if left unchecked, would spread beyond anyone’s ability to control and eventually tear Ornland apart. Acting in secret, Gerod had begun hunting down those who displayed signs of forbidden power before they could influence others.
The interrogation exposed a deeper truth. The assassin admitted that she knew that Ilara was not a magician, nor had she committed any crime beyond attracting attention. Yet the assassin remained convinced that eliminating people like Ilara was necessary. The conversation also revealed that Gerod was operating without the full knowledge of House Spite’s ruler, Mistress Sylenna the Black, and that factions within the House disagreed about his methods.
The party offered the assassin a chance to walk away. If she abandoned her mission against Ilara and disappeared, they would let her go free. She refused. Reporting failure to Gerod was, in her eyes, a fate worse than death. Faced with that answer, Oren ended the discussion by injecting her with acid, carrying out the execution himself.
Before departing, the party warned Ilara that House Spite would eventually send others after her. Bitoh encouraged her to flee while everyone still believed she was dead and even provided her with gold to help her escape. With no better options, Ilara agreed to seek refuge with family elsewhere.
With the weaver’s vision resolved, only one remained.
The final vision showed a ragged preacher kneeling before a humble shrine, surrounded by devoted followers. The party knew that somewhere in Castle Malice another execution was being prepared.
Their search led them into the city’s poorest districts. Here, the scars of war were still visible in every cracked wall and ruined building. People lived in fear, speaking cautiously and avoiding the attention of House Spite’s patrols. Progress was slow until Bitoh offered wine to several of the locals, loosening tongues enough for rumors to emerge.
Those rumors pointed toward a secret congregation hidden among the ruins. The preacher was said to worship Orn of Many Faces, specifically an aspect known as the Nurturer. More importantly, he preached something considered deeply dangerous within House Spite: love.
The discovery transformed the investigation. The party began finding subtle symbols carved into walls and alleyways, signs left behind by worshippers to guide one another to secret gatherings. Following these clues through the ruins, they eventually found a concealed entrance beneath a collapsed building.
Before entering, they prepared carefully. Shep suggested that they use the word “Singapo” as a code phrase if anyone suspected they were being influenced by magical emotions or supernatural charm. The others agreed, and with that safeguard in place they descended into the hidden sanctuary.
Below they found a small congregation gathered around a simple shrine. At its center stood Aric the Devout, a humble-looking preacher who welcomed them openly. He spoke passionately about compassion, community, and the power of love to overcome the bitterness that defined life under House Spite. His followers listened with genuine devotion, many clearly finding comfort in his message.
Aric explained that his movement offered people an alternative to the hatred and compliance enforced by House Spite. He believed love could heal the wounds that generations of oppression had inflicted on the people of Castle Malice. The party questioned him carefully, probing both his beliefs and his plans for the future.
At first, Aric seemed sincere. Yet as the discussion continued, subtle cracks began to appear. The more he spoke about his growing congregation and the future he envisioned, the more the party noticed something beneath the surface. Behind the language of love and acceptance lurked ambition. There were moments when his concern for his followers felt less genuine than it first appeared, as though his movement might ultimately serve his own desire for influence.
Before they could explore those doubts further, the vision came to life.
The cellar door was flung open as Sorcerers of House Spite entered alongside armed guards. Their leader condemned Aric and his followers for practicing forbidden magic and announced that judgment had come.
The party had anticipated an attack and reacted immediately.
The battle unfolded on two levels. In the foreground, the party fought directly against the Sorcerers. In the background, the congregation clashed with the guards in a desperate struggle for survival, creating chaos and pressure around the main fight.
Shep transformed the battlefield, causing jagged growths to erupt from the ground and tear at anyone trying to advance. Ethane followed with a devastating wave of fire that engulfed the attackers before they could properly organize themselves. Oren struck with equal precision, opening the battle with a powerful musket shot before unleashing his alchemical creations against the enemy. Bitoh charged forward without hesitation, throwing himself directly into the center of the fight and forcing the Sorcerers to deal with him immediately.
The enemy responded with terrifying magic. Freezing winds swept through the sanctuary. Dark tendrils emerged to ensnare the party. Ice and cold became recurring themes as the Sorcerers attempted to lock down the battlefield and regain control.
Bitoh repeatedly disrupted their efforts, forcing his way into melee and breaking their concentration. Shep balanced battlefield control with healing, keeping his companions standing despite the constant magical assault. Oren adapted to every complication, combining engineering, alchemy, and marksmanship to exploit weaknesses as they appeared. Ethane unleashed overwhelming magical firepower whenever an opening presented itself.
Meanwhile, the fighting around them continued to rage. Congregation members battled guards throughout the sanctuary, and the shifting struggle constantly threatened to spill into the heroes’ own fight.
Slowly but surely, the Sorcerers lost ground. One fell. Then another. By the battle’s end, the execution had been prevented and Aric still lived. The congregation had suffered losses, but they had survived the purge that House Spite had intended to carry out.
Most importantly, the party managed to take one of the enemy Sorcerer Assassins alive. As the battle reached its conclusion, Shep ensnared the assassin in a magical web, leaving the captive restrained and unable to escape.
The sanctuary was safe—for now. Gerod the Black’s conspiracy had been dealt another setback. With a living Sorcerer Assassin in their custody and growing evidence that powerful forces within House Spite were moving in secret, the party found themselves closer than ever to the heart of the mystery.
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