🗓 Session 6 – 👑⚔️ The Coronation

📅 Date of Session:

2025/08/10

The party’s haunted manor bastion layout is as follows:

Entryway: Leads directly north into a large library, split between Zane’s arcane and historical collection (recently restocked from across the city) and Nelvax’s more general and political collection.
Arcane Study: Located further north past the library, serving as Zane’s primary magical workspace.
East Wing: Contains the bar, kitchen, and dining room. Behind them lies the garden, which opens onto a stone courtyard.
West Wing: Houses two workshops and the storehouse.
Northwest Outbuildings: Detached but connected via the courtyard — the Smithy, Armory, and Barracks.
Bastion Workers: Each facility may have dedicated workers, who typically remain in the bastion unless special permission is granted to accompany the party.

![Oathbreaker Bastion Layout](/img/user/99 media/Oathbreaker_Bastion_Grid.png)

Lord Signmonder appears deeply troubled, scanning the room constantly. His closest guard Gregory (a Redcloak) is the only one known by name or face.
He voices concerns about the coronation and the wavering loyalty of the kingdom’s soldiers, gripping his sword as if expecting an immediate attack.
The party formally accepts 500 gp each to serve as additional guardians during the coronation. Their orders: keep close to Signmonder and maintain peace.
Preparations are made:
- Zane uncovers a hidden passage to the west entrance, capable of bypassing several guarded entry points.
- Nelvax learns Queen Alyssa died of sickness just before the king began courting the new queen.
- Zane and Xaniver give facility orders before resting.

The grand hall shimmers with filtered sunlight, towering pillars, a vaulted ceiling, and a blazing phoenix emblem of the king’s line above the silver-brazier-lined dais.
Nobles, knights, merchants, and priests crowd the hall, gardens, and courtyards; the air hums with tension.
Signmonder’s knuckles whiten on his sword until Xaniver casts Suggestion, persuading him to relax his grip.
Princess Athena sits in finery, Queen Larwencia beside her.
Ceremony begins:
- A Tower cleric crowns Athena with a chant in an ancient tongue.
- Larwencia translates: “We gather to see the king’s blood renewed…”
- The crown warps to pale bone—thunder rattles the windows.
- Athena transforms into a ragged green-skinned creature with crossed eyes, her voice echoing unnaturally:
  “Subjects of Aglerion… the age of weakness is over…”
- Divine magic is denounced, arcane casters ordered to swear blood oaths, and decrees are declared:
  - Wine must never be served cold.
  - Bread must be sliced diagonally.
  - All temples are closed.
  - All divine magic is forbidden.
  - All wealth belongs to the crown.
  - Unauthorized healing is treason.
  - The Tower serves the queen directly.
- Loyal knights are offered power or torture; those who kneel twist into armored werecreatures.

The hall erupts into battle and panic:
- Wereknights breathe fire into the fleeing crowd.
- Loyalists rally to Signmonder, protecting clerics and civilians.
- Cultists and corrupted knights outnumber the loyalists.
- Some corrupted soldiers hesitate when Harlekk appeals to their old loyalties.
The mission becomes simple: survive and escape.

Round 1

Zane takes to the air with Winged Boots, intimidating foes. An errant crossbow bolt wounds him (–12 HP). A cleric heals him for +8 HP.
Harlekk sways hesitant converts, winning two wereknights to their side, and grants temporary HP to allies (nearly “a train’s worth”).
Voss protects Signmonder’s group, felling an enemy but is overwhelmed by the crowd, knocked prone and trampled (–7 HP).
Xaniver boosts his spell DC and unleashes a lightning ball on the dais (20 lightning damage), dropping two wereknights. The queens stand unharmed, smiling.
Nelvax clears a path, ignoring an elderly noblewoman pinned by a chandelier to focus on strategy.

Round 2

Zane blasts a wereknight into the gate twice, killing it and splintering the gate. He shouts: “I’ll try to open a path for you!”
Harlekk incapacitates a foe with Tasha’s Hideous Laughter: “Do you need a map to get to this battleground?”
Nelvax casts Fear, triggering a stampede and mass crush event against the gate.
Xaniver Fey Steps toward the exit—only to be teleported back by Athena. Larwencia’s touch scorches him with searing pain.
Voss is helped up and healed (4 HP) by a knight of the crown.

Round 3

Zane’s eldritch blasts partially connect with Athena, though she shrugs most off.
Harlekk covers the queens in a Fog Cloud and inspires Nelvax.
Nelvax uses Step of the Wind, Jump, and acrobatics to catapult through the crowd toward the vanguard.
Xaniver Thundersteps away (damaging the queens again), then Fey Steps another 30 ft. Still, Athena whispers a word—Power Word Kill—and Xaniver dies instantly despite Zane’s failed counterspell.
Voss searches desperately for a diamond to cast Revivify but finds none. He instead lifts Xaniver’s body, determined to carry him out.

The gates are forced open as the crowd surges out.
Survivors duck into multiple side streets to evade pursuit before Signmonder leads them to the Lucky Leap Tavern.
The party ends the session battered, grieving, and with one companion fallen.

“I’ll try to open a path for you!” – Zane
“Do you need a map to get to this battleground?” – Harlekk

Determine how to restore or honor Xaniver.
Learn more about the Coven and the queens’ transformation.
Decide whether to reveal the truth about the coronation to the people of Aglarion.

The Coven – A shadowy group of nobles revealed as allies of Queen Larwencia and transformed Princess Athena.