3/22/16 Virtues Session 37: The Other Guys 2

Veteran's Redoubt

Veteran's Redoubt had long served as Emmerdin's first line of defense against the mountainous border of Bouvaldia as well as first warning against frequent monstrous threats provided by the native orcs and giants.  The grounds of the Redoubt are littered with broken blocks of worked mountain stone. The main garrison house still stood, carrying visible wounds from years of attacks as well as The Sundering.

Veterans Redoubt was considered the extreme western edge of Emmerdin and as such the most dangerous place in the Duchy.  It was in fact a sort of sick joke that the Redoubt was named Veterans, because anyone who lived there was a survivor and therefore a veteran of one type of battle or another. For the last several years Veteran's Redoubt served as the base of operations for The Order of the Lynx, a reward of questionable merit from the previous Duke of Emmerdin for services rendered.

When The Other Guy Followers arrive, they are positioned behind the rectangular broken remains of a former building and a large battle is taking place between The Order of the Lynx and a company of Orcs.   The Lynx are barricaded in the main garrison while the orcs having moved in two large pieces of unique siege equipment.  Not far from the siege machinery another group of Orcs surround the Redoubt's well, their sorcery causing the waters to froth, boil, and bubble.

3/16/16 Virtues Session 36: The Other Guys 1

Raelyn Cromartie

Rograr Anvilstriker, a dwarven monk from the monastery. Darinia Ononia, the comely cavalier half-elf woman who comes mounted on a great elk. The dwarf Heneregard Firecaster, best friends with Barit Coinmail and former waiter now warpriest of the Builder. Raelyn Cromartie the beautiful human sorcerer and Shade Fletcher a man who lurks in the shadows with his bow and fletchings.

Our mission was to travel with the 'lost' halfling knight of the Lynx Palicia through the passes and terrain between Boulvaldia and Emmerdin Pac Napiay to open a dialogue with the knighthood as our overall function were as emissaries spreading word of recent events and Admiral Melandrach Olithir's formal bid for Duke of Boulvaldia.

Two days into our travels, as Palicia leads us through the varied rocky landscape we happen across an expanding sinkhole occupied by hostile pony-sized ants. These ants, some of which flew, proved especially tricky on the difficult terrain along with their hive-mind and penchant for grappling opponents.

We dispatched the queen scattering the colony to the hills. We recovered some treasure from the colony's past victims and continued our slow climbing travel for two more days. Palicia proved very valuable and resourceful in avoiding the 'swamps' and tricky paths passing old strongholds along the way.

Entrance into Emmerdin was met with literal style as many grand and detailed etching as well as stone carvings marked our entrance into the duchy. Finally, after another day of travel we encounter sounds of battle that foreshadowed our discovery of the order of the Lynx locked in mortal battle with orcs and dark engineers.

It is here we begin next session.

03/09/16 Tragidore Session 17: The Fall of the Cult of the Dragon

At long last the heroes of Tragidore seem to have caught up with the vile and elusive cult. After Yontryl of the Iron Hand revealed the secret passage; something she learned after 'questioning' the three captured cultists from Darnarest's tower. The passage's exit was fashioned into a memorial for an unidentified elven spell-danger, but was in fact a secret exit the Elven Royality used in wartime; a physical retreat due to the mythal restrictions on magical travel. After powering through the resident haunt the heroes were successful in locating the secret passage.

The narrow escape linking Castle Cormanthor with the Polyandrium was dark and ancient; it had a shallow trough that led to regular grates low along the walls for both air and excessive rainfall. The passage was not straight but turned and curved, descended and ascended; presumably to account for elven city buildings above. About a half hour into the delve the heroes encounter a turn in the passage and a cave-in which was quickly cleared with the help of four summoned small earth elementals.

After bypassing the collapsed tunnel the heroes could begin to feel the welling of energy like slowly walking into crashing waves of a magic ocean. With each wave, random wands and staffs were recharged of some of their lost magic as darkvision potions were spontaneously reconstituted. Magic rippled down the walls like light reflected off a pool of water as the first sounds of voices were could be heard. These were exclamations to a higher cause and proclamations to their dragon masters.

Midnight

Following the passage around one final series of curves the heroes find that the escape passage comes up under a grand throne. A gilded grate under the throne's seat faced out on a cavernous audience chamber. The ceiling featured the elven pantheon looking down upon the elven races depicted in historical scenes on the chamber's walls. The floor featured tiled geometric designs focusing that converged on a swirling pool of raw magic. A black oily substance congealed like stains of blood in spots along the surface. Clearly visible through the thin delicate mesh were four cultists ceremoniously removing magical armor and clothing and casting them into the pool of radiance- all save for their iconic draconic masks and a single weapon; however they were not the only individuals present, the frightful presence of dragons could be felt if not immediately seen.

After disrobing stood a masked man holding a magical sword and plain unadorned shield, this was Ellis Giraud; another masked man, this one a naked spellcaster with locks of white hair and a familiar staff- the Dragonservant Holgast Raiserik; a masked nude woman with scarlet hair and a flaming longsword- the Blood-drenched Antipaladin Luersa; and finally to the right of the woman- a raven haired girl with an uguly vile mask but with skin as white as snow- Midnight.

Opposite these four, unseen until the heroes acted, were two dragons: Palasiraks and Dagaronzie, the half-dragon Marjon and three dragon-kin.

Upon seeing this creature the heroes' memories came back in a flood. Events from the Time of Troubles come back as everyone remembers how Dagaronzie evaded them throughout the year but, as fate would have it, the dragon has finally been confronted and the heroes become fully restored to tenth character level.

As the last drop of dragon blood fell, the sun crested the horizon and dropped its warm radiance across Myth Drannor ending the Cult of the Dragon's plans for the Pool of Radiance.

---

Somewhere in dark room and an unknown amount of time later Holgast Raiserik opened his inhuman eyes. Eyes that no longer saw things in normal light spectrum; instead the archmage could see deep into the heat spectrum- he had the dragonsight. Furthermore he felt that his arms and legs were different, lighter and quicker to obey the mental commands of his nervous system. Holgast smiled as he regarded his scaly skin and his new body- everything had worked perfectly. 

Journal of Marcus Wands: Myth Drannor

1 – Cormanthor Castle. The castle is completely intact, but Jared and I found it an impregnable stronghold of devils and gargoyles.

2 – Speculum. This old mages' hall is in disastrous condition. Our attempts to descend into the hall met with attacks from devils and ghastly a mutation of a mind flayer. We vacated the are immediately. 

3 – House of Song. The old Oghma temple is largely intact, but we had no time to research it. Strange music emanated from the temple at times. We have noted it for our next expedition.

4 – Tyrintar's Hall. This building is haunted by the undead. The central banquet hall still is relatively intact, but undead dine there.

5 – Irithlium. The walls of this old hall of magic still stand, and the dungeons beneath its ruins may have potential, but a curse affects mages here. Regardless of what precautions we take, we suffer severe headache and fall unconscious in this area.

6 – Tyryl Towers. The upper parts of this school were mostly blasted away in the Battle of the Army of Darkness, however, the two westernmost towers still stand. These are to be avoided at all costs. They are haunted and guarded by some sort of magical ghost. Much of the subterranean area of this school of wizardry remains intact, but the old lich of the school, Azimer, is too temperamental and insane. Somehow, he decided we were allies of the missing prince of Scardale, Lashan, and he beacame quite determined to destroy us, succeeding to some extent. We were forced to flee. The next expedition should be prepared to destroy this lich, so that we can conduct our research properly.

7 – Shaundakul's Throne. There is evidence that this temple honored a forgotten god Shaundakul. We were unable to tell whether he was an elven or human god, but we suspect the latter.

8 – Dragondark Tower. The upper levels of this school of wizardry were completely destroyed, but there are signs that lower levels still may be reachable with proper equipment.

9 – Windsong Tower. The walls of the greatest of Myth Drannor's wizard schools still stand, but whatever is to be found is underground. We entered these levels and found them highly intact but also filled by a pervasive, sickly magic that tried to draw us inwards and succeeding in winning some of us, who did not return again.

10 – Ursplindaar. This library doubtless held knowledge that was priceless, but everything that is on this site was blasted away, and we found no trace of it.

11 – Sanctorioum. This great library too has vanished beyond all trace.

12 – Incanistaeum. This was our one success. The upper levels of this great school of magic are partially intact but have been emptied of all treasure. We did succeed however in searching the first underground level, and this was the source of most of the magic returned to Waterdeep from this expedition.

13 – Tower of the Hand. The temple to Azuth may house lost Myth Drannor's greatest magical treasures, but as far as we can ascertain, the temple has vanished completely.

14 – Hall of the Guild of Naturalists. The eastern face of the hall has been blasted away, but the remaining walls still stand intact. However, this structure would more rightly be called the Hall of the Guild of Stirges. We turned back.

15 – Glyrryrl's Pool. This area too is completely mage cursed.

16 – Thelenaeum. The old hall of mage philosophers may indeed prove to be another great discovery. The upper level is fully destroyed but the subterranean entrance seems to have been fully protected by rubble. We descended a ladder in a shaft some two hundred feet and checked the beginning rooms. We had the impression the Thelaneum has been genuinely abandoned since the fall.

17 – Lathander's Farm. This colony of purposeless monk-priests seems to have set up a protective zone around its settlement that keeps devils out. We sought no contact or strife with the Morning Lord's priests – this time.

18 – Burial Glen. This is a doubly dangerous area. Undead haunt it by night, devils steal tombstones and drop them upon your head by day.

03/02/16 Tragidore Session 16: Plots Revealed

Indrith Shalla- Priestess of Lilith

The heroes from Tragidore came into the ruined House of Song, an old theater-temple to Oghma, to find five robed humanoids gathered at the five points of a pentagram sketched on the theater’s floor. The diversion, for that is what it was, had luke-warm success but at the end of the session the heroes, with the help of Yontryl Amatar, defeated the secret priesthood of Lilith.

Along with helping Yontryl recover the Key of Irithlium, the heroes captured Orbakh’s Bone Mantle and Ivory Scepter; Shamoor’s Mirror Mask; and Salvarad’s Winged Mask, as well as ledgers, journey books, and correspondence that reveals the threads and machinations of this sect of Lilith faithful.

Much of the Cult of the Dragon’s plan has been plotted behind the scenes by Lilith’s Priesthood including the preiesthood's current location the House of Song where the Lilith faithful practice their dark arts. For over a year the Lilith Priesthood solved for many of the Mythal’s magic limitations with metamagic components save for necromancy and the creation of undead within Myth Drannor.

Capitalizing on weakened and disorganized faiths in the aftermath of the Time of Troubles, the new Priesthood of Lilith (formerly Shar, goddess of night and loss) facilitated a way for the Cult of the Dragon to move art and magic excavated during the Endeavor through Aurora’s mercantile exchange  through Waukeen contacts and associations. 

The goal for Velsharoon’s clerics for the Cult is to taint the Mythal to overcome the restriction on creating undead so that the Cult of the Dragon may raise an undead dragon if Dagaronzie does not survive the Immersion (see contingency plan); but the Lilith Priesthood have lied to the Cult and the clerics of Velsharoon and hoped to eventually betray the Velsharoonites including the Supreme High Dragonservant. 

The Immersion Ritual, is a kind of magical baptismal rite; it immerses certain key Cult individuals into a Pool of Radiance, made exponentially more powerful by the sacrifice of hundreds of magical items over the coarse of the Endeavor, so that Cult of the Dragon may operate unrestricted in the Mythal- if they survive. This too was a lie for the Priesthood of Lilith, for they have successfully overcome the Mythal's ban on certain magic on their own; however there remains an untested theory in regards to the creation of an undead dragon. 

We pick up next week after your two hour rest in a rope trick with Yontryl, as promised, leading you to the secret passage to Castle Cormanthor. 

Castle Cormanthor

Journal of Marcus Wands: The Mythal

Marcus Wands

"A mythal is a powerful magical effect created by a group of spellcasters to protect and ward a large area with numerous powerful enchantments. The earliest mythals were created by a circle of High Nethereese Mages; a creation that sometimes required the willing sacrifice of the lead caster's life, a result that lead to the first mythal's being named after its creator. Mythals could permanently alter The Weave to create an area wherein the normal rules of magic no longer applied. A typical mythal prevented certain schools of magic from being employed while empowering others. It could restrict access to the warded area to certain classes of beings. In addition, many mythal characteristics corroded over time, and if not maintained could become corrupted.”

The following are notes and observations my associate, Jared Mallred and I employed on magic and its behavior in Myth Drannor during our ten-day survey; to explore the lost elven city at great personal risk and plumb the Mythal’s secrets…

Jared Mallred

In past experiments never could I nor Jared magically divine Myth Drannor, the Mythal defeats all such magical scrying, as well as attempts to magically transport ourselves to the city without the aid of a gate which is exactly how we arrived at this ancient and magical ruined city.

Pleasant as the climate is it only makes this haunted city, still at one with the forest, that much more surreal. Haunts, some malign- while the majority are ‘mythal echoes’ of the souls who lived and died here.

Light spells are enhanced somehow lasting twice as long as normal creating dim illumination in even the darkest of nights while glammers, patters, phantasms and shadows fail completely.

Our early tests indicate an ease in summoning and calling spells but due to the thin planar fabric in and around Myth Drannor, spells within these schools will more likely than not produce undesirable results. Although abjurations produced better than expected measurements by all accounts.

Some observed continuous spell-like effects during our brief survey include: feather fall, resistance to fire 5, ward-like spells seem to be permanent once laid, furthermore spells from the fire sub-school always have their energy type changed to cold.

In addition, Mallred and I can happily confirm natural occurrences of Blueglow Crystals and their recuperation properties; whether these crystals have the ability to cure feeblemindedness, disease or remove insanity remain untested.

Low magic spell effects seem to be unaffected from magical surges but plant-affecting spells always surge with magical energy to create chaotic results.

Successful Tests: recharged a wand and a staff, language-based spell restriction are lifted,

Unsuccessful Tests: Animate a dead corpse, spontaneously enhance a spell with metamagic, recharge a necklace of fireballs. Charm enchantments and compulsion experiments were inconclusive and has likely destroyed Jarred and I’s working relationship forever. 

02/17/16 Tragidore Session 15: A Familiar Stranger

Our session began with combat; when after investigating Lyssic's crypt’s antechamber the guardian statues moved to intercept the hero’s trespassing- in the same manner in which these stone sculptures bludgeoned the Blackrock Company to death. Each successive combat round brought out increasing dangerous cultists starting with a quintet of fast zombies, many of which fell almost immediately after Alaric channeled positive energy.

 

Yontryl Amatar 

Next a familiar group of masked cultists follows on the heels of the zombies; familiar because they wore the usual molded leather masks, masterwork dragon-claw bracers, minor magical cloaks, and amulets. After that Nevessam and Zilvereen enter the fray with a failed death attack and magical necromantic rays. Soon it was down to only one guardian statue, an unseen caster (Nevessam) and two masked cultists who would fight to the death, but when Wendel rounded the corner to find the unseen Nevessam, Wendel saw Yontryl delivering the killing blow to the cult spellcaster.

Soon, after combat and the water settled, the heroes of Tragidore gathered treasure, recovered the Divine (Spark) Scarab, and identified the bodies in the water. The remains, obviously overwhelmed by the dangers in Lyssic’s crypt, were bloated from a week decomposing in the shallow antechamber water; these were Sanford Stubblemane, Elad Edals, Delia Navamir, and Themian Ailduin. These last two brought a hereto unseen rage out of the beautiful woman. It was then Yontryl finally explained the truth of who she really was.

She is not a Knight of Myth Drannor, but a ‘Stranger’ – individuals in Bordane’s Iron Clergy who infiltrate organizations and churches in advance of the priesthood of Lilith who prey on weakened organized institutions in the aftermath of the time of troubles. Yontryl’s main objective was to keep the tome: The Key of Irithlium out of the hands of the Church of Lilith (Shar). She attempted to keep the tome at Trinity Church, but after attempting to find a suitable ‘bearer’ she conceded to carry the book herself; in that, she would eventually fail.

The Blackrock Company too served the Iron Lord Bordane but waged their conflict against the cult of the dragon directly; they died in service to the Iron Hand. Yontryl asks the heroes to fight with her against the Lilith Priesthood and retrieve the Key of Irithlium, and she would then show the heroes a secret passage under Castle Cormanthor (where the cultists organize their plans).

 

House of Song

Not an hour after the heroes first stepped foot into Lyssic’s Crypt the heroes left for the House of Song, an old temple to Oghma in Myth Drannor. When talk wandered to the kids, Yontryl explained she witnessed them freeing the last pen of slaves before they headed to the shrine to Mystra and the portal back to the Tragidore region.

Venturing closer to Myth Drannor the heroes could feel the power of the city’s Mythal similar an electrical static charge, but when they saw the tangle and maze-like features of Myth Drannor they were thankful for the possibility of a secret way to the Cult of the Dragon. Yontryl explains that Lilith Clerics, to keep dragon cultists away, lied that there was a magic dead area surrounding the ancient temple. The former temple of Oghma was round and domed with scores of skeletons ringing the structure where gargoyles once stood sentinel; flying about were two Erinyes, handmaidens of Lilith, who spotted the heroes once they closed the distance between the safety of cover and the ruined temple.

We pick up next week with the heroes entering the House of Song. 

Message from the First Cleric

Nevessam

Nevessam-

With all respect nobleman, you must break the seal on the Crypt of Rothilion as soon as possible. The Dragonservants grow anxious; furthermore, I have been told by Luersa that the contingent phylactery has arrived for the ceremony should all else fail; her obsession with Midnight grows with each passing day. We shall soon have our hands on the items within the Irithlium so we may include them in the Immersion ritual. Take care that you acquire the Divine Scarab soon or Dagaronzie will be displeased - I doubt she would suffer well a second major setback in such short of time- not after Waterdeep; not to mention you will earn the enmity of the High Dragonservant. Oh, and I'm planning on putting a disease on that animal that Ryngoth treasures so much, I personally will not watch an ANIMAL benefit after a year of work and research.

First Cleric,

-Shamoor Emeny

02/17/16 Tragidore Session 14: Kesefehon and Lyssic’s Crypt

It is two in the morning when we rejoin the Heroes of Tragidore after their hostile sweep through the Crypt of Orbakh; having gathered treasure and propping the guard out front complete with props to make it seem nothing was amiss where the ‘Beautiful Flower’ spawned untold copies of the same man (Naergoth) from before the fall of Myth Drannor.

From this crypt, adjacent to the Tower of Bones, the heroes plotted out three possible ways to the Crypt of Kesefehon where they learned (from multiple sources) that the Everflame wards were assigned.

One possible route passed close to a tomb of noblewoman where an alert sentry kept a watchful eye over the cult’s slaves. The second path that appeared clear would take the heroes close to a clearly haunted memorium that stands to honor the brave elves, humans, and dwarves who fell in the defense of Myth Drannor. The last route and most northern brought the heroes close to the tomb of a once popular performer and orchestrator that is also being used as a slave pen; nevertheless the way appeared clear.

What the heroes didn’t know was this route was also close to Lyssic’s Crypt (where the Blackrock Company disappeared). While attempting to sneak idly by using the cultist’s favored garb the heroes were hailed by Daniel a masked cultist accompanied by two zombies. After a brief exchange Daniel ordered the heroes to follow his two zombies into Lyssic’s Crypt and kill the trespassers.

After watching the zombies disappear into Lyssic’s Crypt and Daniel back to his post, the heroes continue toward their goal of finding the Everflame lads and ladies.

The Crypt of Kesefehon was typical for an elven hero, wolf stylized motifs and artistry adorned every detail. After defeating several glyphs of warding, spear traps, and poisonous gas, the heroes finally find the seven young men and ladies unconscious and in a measure of old stale water. As Zadrian commenced the rescue effort, Cadthronn and Arne hear a death scream from back up the ruins.

Knowing it was not the glyphs going off again Cadthronn and Arne decide to investigate, while one by one the kids are being brought up from the poisonous gas and then healed with positive energy by Wendel and Alaric.

Back at the statue room Cadthronn and Arne discovered a previously undiscovered secret door was now open and from it issued horrible transformative wails from Daniel who was now a mummy under the control of Kesefehon- a mythic mummy. The battle composed of five burning mythic skeletons and Kesefehon who killed and turned Daniel into a mummy, summoned a sandman who in-turn brought forth five sand-formed skeletons.

Kesefehon

After the battle and after the Everflame wards were rescued, the heroes recovered the Staff of Visions, Resonating Breastplate +2, and a Keen Longsword +1 Mythic Bane.

Garret Kordova

Gracia Kordova

Helmo Gundwynd

Mura Gundwynd

Jinter Elmaran

Kaarle Van Richten

Rainey Solerer

The following information was also obtained from the young adventurers… One of the cultist’s main plan is to taint the mythal somehow- they are very near the completion of their plans. Some of the cultists started to demonstrate draconic traits ‘scale-touched’. Many of the cultists fear the undead presence felt in Rothilion’s Crypt. And finally the center of cult of the dragon activity is in and around Castle Cormanthor in the ruins of Myth Drannor.

Helmo and Mura assure the PC heroes they are, with the benefit of the aids, confident they can follow the back trail to the Tower of Bones and the shrine portal home beyond. The heroes utilize a scroll of rope trick outside Lyssic’s Crypt to rest and recover before looking for the Blackrock Company.

Eight hours later, during which Alan only sees the back of two zombies walking then disappearing into the darkness of the crypt, the heroes emerge and forage into Lyssic’s Crypt.

Lyssic's Antechamber

Following a path of destruction, presumably left behind by the Blackrock Company, the heroes come across a secret alcove where First Light is discovered. After completely searching the area the heroes hear the scratchy snarls of zombies on the approach and a feted smell coming from down a set of stone steps directly across from the secret alcove.

Hidden from undead the hero’s traverse the stairs to an antechamber filled with about two feet of water. Under a fifteen foot ceiling the three other walls have doors- two wooden doors on the flanking walls and a stone door directly across the stairs; at each side are two large statues of soldiers, one human and the other elf. Floating in the water are the remains of the four pulverized individuals: two human and two half elves- one of which is female. But just as all this was being discovered the two soldier-statues begin to move menacingly toward the party.

We pick up in Lyssic’s antechamber and combat.