03/09/2023 Virtuous Age Session 39: Return to Fallaciter Castle, Birth of the Gearforged, and Return of The Trollking

We begin this week’s session back on the prime world since the destruction of not one, but two artifacts- SilverSnitch's Legendary Rod and Tiamat's Grand Areana. Purple clouds begin to form above where the characters appear reminding us of the storms from the ziggurat domain. As we escape into the relative comfort of a rope trick is when the storms opens up acid begins to fall like rain.

Aevum talks with Umseki about the cleric they have. The cleric is described as a corrupted high priest of a healer god. Aevum expresses his interest to the soul to offer the high priest a semblance of life for atonement of past grievances if he were to restore life to Kron Trollking. Umseki says the cost maybe more than Aevum expects. 

During their rest period Aevum is awakened with pain and realizes he has been poisoned by Eabrossi’s poisoned touch. (A by product of being in proximity of destroying artifacts) Furthermore Tena believes Aevum has also contracted a disease.

Outside Zaigan flies out to assess the damage from the acid rain. The village is not destroyed but the damage is considerable in a wide swath- although it seems safe to traverse the ground. Just stay out of the puddles. 

The next morning Tena removes the disease on Aevum with an amazing CL check. Tena tries to remove Eabrossi’s poisonous touch and is only successful so for a short duration.

Tena composes a sending: “Fallaciter, Tena of Agamotto, Kron has died we need help bringing him back. Can you assist? We bring another first for you viewing pleasure.”

Fallaciter replies. “Alas I am not currently home but you are welcome at my castle. I will make the necessary arrangements. As for help, there is help around.”

Tena casts her jaunt spell to transport our characters (including Kron's body) to the Elemental Plane of Air.

When we arrive there is a change of sound with the rushing of wind and peals of lighting. A tall blue humanoid stands on a small stage in front of a series of tables where various genie kind sit. We are in some kind of cloud auditorium. The blue skinned individual says in a put-out tone “this is my theater”

We appear with a dead troll that draws a lot reactions. The winds immediately pick up and some of our characters are pushed around. Many genie blame the ‘blue skinned merchant' for trickery. 

Eabrossi attempts to ease the situation as friends of Fallaciter.

A noble genie replies that we are not in Fallaciter’s domain and he is not my enemy today.

The Blue-skinned individual seizes an opportunity and announces our company as potential customers!

Eabrossi attempts to lay down the diplomacy on Karlocke… the blue-skinned merchant and introduces himself by name including his tribe. Karlocke will eventually write everyone’s name as they introduces themselves in a ledger of accounting. 

Masai Lox, the Noble genie, says we are welcome to work out any deals with Karlocke but if we wish to stay here we must call upon him to do so. Eabrossi intuits the noble genie knows details about Eabrossi including what he is and has assessed much of our group. Masai says if we do not come to an agreement with Karlocke we may potentially call upon him, he may have a task for us.

After we get our bearings we see red colored cloud structures in the distance and see what Masai calls The Blaze- a dark castle on a cloud of billowing fire.

Karlocke is an Arcane, a planar gypsy, who after seeing Kron says he has diamonds for sale. He lays them on display with some slight of hand. Eabrossi offers a Blazing Robe to the trader who eagerly agrees to the trade for our choice in diamons. Aevum inquires further about a soul gem and with a flash of trickery replaces the display of diamons with three black opals.

Aevum eventually trades three metamagic scrolls for the 'animated' soul gem and because of the amicable deal the Arcane also provides three secret chest scrolls.

Karlocke cautions us about dealing with Masai but kindly gives us a general direction to Fallaciter.

Expeditiously our characters arrive to Fallaciter’s castle and are met by his servants on the outskirts of his territory. Tena and the characters are taken directly to the Tena’s shrine of Agamotto.

Aevum first attempts transfer the high priests soul into a receptacle with two soul gems so that the priest retains as much as himself possible. Tena prays and offers oils towards creating a ‘new race’.

Meanwhile Kron’s soul is wrested from the awesome presence of his god Stranmas and begins to feel sensation again- the return to the physical world. 

Kron’s resurrection occurs simultaneously while the new gearforged race is created. One man, one machine as the first gearforged is born. Vaalnimore immediately wants to make another gear forged. Aveum is left drained of mythic power. 

When kron comes back he does not gain two negative levels, in fact comes back further blessed by Stranmas and can now appear as a Stone giant or Strom giant when he attains gargantuan size.

This one’s name is Valnimore and is hours NOT days from being independently operational. Priest of Anu back in the day and his domain is Air, knowledge, law and protection.

Kron sincerely thanks his friends one by one and fiercely prays knowing he has the blessing from Stranmas. After, Kron finally tells his friends about Shieldbreaker- a legendary god slayer that had fulfilled it's purpose ancient times was awakened and given renewed purpose when Kron picked it up.  Kron looks at his friends and tells them with seriousness, Shieldbreaker is the weapon that could kill Tiamat.

We are provided rooms and nourishment in Fallaciter Castle, we rest and wake on September 23. Feeling like time is essential we decide to immediately return to our prime world and blindly arrive in a fountain in the middle of a large town. There is a surprised reaction in common and other humanoid races. 

The streets are cobblestone and the structures appear stout. A green fielded gold crown with a red ruby is featured on banners and flags. The land is a rich farmland and the city has four major buildings. There is a lake nearby and a river.

Tena asks what city this is. Zyper is the reply. We are 300 miles north of the rift. We are monsters in a ‘normal’ city. We learn Zypher is the sister city to Five Tower Keep.

Eventually two individuals gather their courage and approach our group. These individuals proclaim to be representatives from Clan Gee. Eabrossi introduces himself including his tribe and an ambassador to King Saxo. They ask if we are from the Rift? Lands nearby. Are we to meet with the Lord Mayor? We agree.

The two begin to lead us towards the civic district of the Zypher. The Town hall proves to be a big and spacious as our characters are led inside. We are not seen by the Lord Mayor but the City Secretary instead who sees us immediately. 

Her name is Louise, a human woman. She was sent to make introductions for the Town leadership. Eabrossi introduces himself and explains our ignorance of Zypher and our accidental arrival.

She accepts our unfortunate circumstance and suggests an individual named Baphamael Grellspit would help us. She promptly gives us directions to Baphamael and we are quickly passed off.

We arrive to Grellspit’s a short time later and come to a two story building with come kind of bird coop on the top, built on a slight hill it seems to sit it higher than other buildings of its height.

A woman answers our knock, takes one look and yells back into the house. She introduces herself as Diala. Eabrossi introduces himself and relays our situation yet again.

Coming out of the door is a tall half elf man dressed in a long jacket with impeccable purple accents. He offers us chairs, drinks, and palaver outside on the porch.

Easbrossi offers marvelous music and sets a great mood. Tena senses Daila and Baphamael are suspicious of something.

Our characters explain our situation quickly and relay our need for an expeditious return to the Rift. He offers a map and some phantom steeds if we can recover his costs.

Seeing the map we are 260 miles north of the Rift. 320-340 miles away from the Ziggurat. Eabrossi offers to fill in incomplete areas of Baphamael’s map- he agrees and they spend time together doing this. Eabrossi also buys ten phantom steed scrolls.

Aevum decides to use the book found in session 6 to discern the closest Embassy to take us to the cloud continent. There are two, the ziggurat and one equidistant to the north.

Tena asks for a private room while Eabrossi works with Baphamael and takes out her crystal ball to find King Saxo. Her efforts is resisted, but that is a good sign. She turns her attention to each one of the dragon knights until she finally is able to focus on one. 

In the presence of this dragon knight Tena sees a half dragon and a very sizable draconic presence that even made the dragons are uneasy. The bulk of the dragon moves and Tena sees the air around the dragon changes and suddenly our girl is filled with trepidation. Tena ends her scrying.

Eabrossi looks on the map for the embassy to the north. It is either in a mountain range or beyond the mountain range. 

Nevertheless we end this week’s session deciding to go east and back to the ziggurat.

02/28/2023 Virtuous Age Session 38: I Have a Bad Feeling About This, Killing the Hydra, and Kron Falls In Glorious Combat

We begin this week’s session in a couple rounds away from the mythic hydra who seems to be charging across the air. On its back are four undead LakeHouse victims including the leprechaun. They are all wearing glowing armor and weapons. They appear to be viciously attacking the hydra creating more heads- it now had seven heads. In addition, Eabrossi notices there are also four incorporeal figures- agents of despair we refer to them as “fallen”.

Kron, growing to gargantuan size for the first time quickly kills the hydra. In our paranoia some of our characters continue to attack fallen the hydra in the following rounds. Aevum’s enervation effects seem to hasten what was already planned for the hydra as it appears to decay and change.

The other enemies, the incorporeal creatures with their ranged bow attacks, the electric bolts, as well as the animated undead leprechaun and friends were more than enough for us. Our characters fought hard and spared little mythic power- we were overwhelmed. 

But in the end of the deadly combat it was darkness spells that defeated any chance of success. Kron falls in the darkness to the empowered undead and our characters start planning an immediate retreat.

Aevum casts a spell and sends Kron’s body 3 miles to the west toward Shadow Hill while the rest of the party flies back out of the planar overlap in retreat and back to our prime material plane and Shadow Hill. 

Meanwhile, Kron’s consciousness appears before an open mountainous area with a vast walled stronghold within. Giant runes built into the walls identifying it and the afterlife realm. In the air a cloud partially obscures an eternal sun. 

Kron is the first of the souls waiting to see Stranmas; a unique soul among giant-kind. Voices praising Stranmas sing out then a bolt of lighting strikes Kron. Kron immediately finds himself before Stranmas and is judged Worthy by the god. A judgement Kron's young soul receives great with honor. 

Stranmas, eager to have a worthy avatar on Earth- as well as a legendary weapon, offers the title to Kron Trollking. Filled with resolve and a longing for his friends (who were likely in peril) Kron declined. "There would be no one to hear of Stranmas should I and my friends fail. We must Stand and be True."  

Back on the prime material plane the other characters retreated into a rope trick to gather their strength. The next day is September 22 where the characters have a couple of options for bringing back Kron. 

Tena: a trip to the elemental plane of air and Fallaciter Castle in hopes of finding something or someone who could help. 

or

Aevum: he happens to have a trapped cleric soul and a recepticle for it in the material world, if he could perform a service and bring back Kron. 

02/23/2023 Virtuous Age Session 37: That Got Their Attention, Still September 21st, and The Exhibition Before The Main Event.

We begin tonight’s session with the wave of magical energy that was released with the destruction of two artifacts. The legendary Rod of Cancellation and Tiamat's Grand Arena of Religious Awakening. The mythic wave of magic had a wide-ranging effect. Five of the cursed pillars released mythic power when destroyed. Weather one individual of a group of five or one zealot fanatic who gave up 5 mythic power points to this purpose, they immediately know something is awry- their mythic power restored. 

Obviously our antics does not go unnoticed.

When we regain our senses after the explosive release of mythic power we see the tower remains but removed from the plane associated with the ziggurat. After long ages past, the tower is now returned to the prime world; older than we remember it. Aevum has assessed an hour has passed, it remains September 21. 

Aevum realizes places like this were displaced during ages past and somehow over time became is mythic place. Aeveum now confirms this tower is from when our world was a demiplane.

We exit the tower and approach the veil to the ziggurat casting protective spells along the way.

When we pass through we are immediately in a storm. Streaks of black or purple color strike out at various points. We cannot see the Laketower house, but we can occasionally make out a large shape near the lake house during the brief flashes of stormlight. Our characters hear the wind and sometimes voices; in our heads is a prayer to Tiamat. Something is telepathically blasting the prayer. (-2 on concentration checks) 

On the SW sandy side there is obviously a sand storm foreshadowing a hazard for when our characters approach near the ziggurat. 

Suddenly the storm stops, seemingly held in time. We are the hit with negative energy. With our vision somewhat restored we see the multiheaded hydra at the LakeTower House including a number of undead- the ones we had fallen. 

However between our characters and the Hydra there are eleven individuals ahead - 4 half dragons and 4 knights of Tiamat, a fencer, a priest and finally ‘The Necromancer’.

Our characters defeat all save for the knights of Tiamat, 3/4 of them staggered for most of the fight and the 4th fucked up pretty bad. 

As we fight we see the undead have mounted the hydra and less than a minute away- two rounds away. 

02/16/2023 Virtuous Age Session 36: Shadow Hill, Tiamat’s Grand Arena and Mythic Tier 4

We begin tonight’s session after a full night’s rest after defeating the opal dragon, Commander and the SilverSnitch.

During the watch Kron and Zaigan witness Binki’s change in behavior and confidence. We wake with our 8^th character level and 3^rd mythic tier now fully realized.

Aevum will takes clues and realize the day is September 22^nd or the 23^rd and slowly we realize we are ravenously hungry. We find out later it is actually the 21st  

Our characters decide to visit the nearby village. Here there are humans, living beside fetchlings, giant blooded races, half orcs and halflings. It appears to be a farming trade village with several small farms are spread out about a half mile.

There aren't any visible weapons among the people, we attract a lot of attention. Two ogre-blooded individuals stumble out of a nearby building with wheel barrels come toward our characters.

Eabrossi waves to them, they approach cautiously. The two apologize (in draconic language) that they were unprepared for our visit. Eabrossi explain we are not who they were expecting. Eabrossi successfully communicates our intentions that we are not a threat.

We get to the beginnings of the village of about a dozen buildings and one longhouse. A couple comes hither.

In common and in the elven language: Welcome to the village of Shadow Hill. Eabrossi responds in kind in both the elven and giant tongue. The woman is named Majorie, and the man named Mak- he seems a bit uncomfortable in our presence. They have been here for about 30 years. 

We ask them some questions. The dragon creatures came about 10 years ago and in the past two years things have intensified.

The couple leads us along a path and a fork in the road; they point out the way to the Halfling village Shelltop. We travel on and explain how we have eliminated the leprechaun.

They explain. Tribue is once a month but the dragon kind return every two weeks- a couple dozen with wagons for transportation of supplies. For the tribute 6 ‘draconians’. Sometimes they take people but most of the time they just come down to exert their authority.

Just as we arrive at the residence/farm Kron gifts Mak with a shortbow and some arrows. A gift, in return for the hospitality of food.

Our characters realize these two are leading us and whatever potential danger we bring, away from the main village.

Our characters admire the property and we are quickly led to the house and invited in.

Eventually a human visitor calls and heads straight for Mak, it is Jack their son. In the back the two argue about the bow. Kron and Aevum follow. Aevum introduces himself and asks about the absence of weapons. Kron and Aevum make fast friends with Jack and Mak. Aevum gifts Jack with a magical bow.

Inside the abode food is being prepped- it’s fish. As the meal process proceeds the atmosphere relaxes and Eabrossi attempts to perform a song. We are asked a lot of disorganized questions about our accoutrements and panache.

Words are exchanged and eventually talk of the Opal dragon comes up. Kron assures them the threat of the Opal dragon has ended. Kron even shows off Shieldbreaker to the shock and awe of all.

We share good good food and drinks  

Eabrossi ask about the names of dragons they have heard of: Ashaq is a name they mention, a three headed one and some humanoid dragon-kind. They mention Tâmtu who came here two years ago and is the one responsible for banned weapons.

Majorie describe a wyrm that blot out the sky. It’s size is incomprehensible and seemingly impossible to run away from. It destroyed their neighbor village Danbury by befouling the very air making it toxic.

A Natural 20 indicates it September 21^st.

Shortly after our meal Kron suggests we head back toward the Zigguarat domain and address the problem of the Grand Arena of Tiamat and use the twice be damned rod of cancellation on Tiamat’s arena-artifact. 

When we leave the village we see 6 draconic humanoids flying towards us. With 3 rounds of prep we easily thwart them and- using the spells we have active, our characters make further haste to the Grand Arena.

We get to the border between planes and pierce the veil into the demilplane. Our characters are met again with severe storms in the Ziggurat domain affecting our senses and slowing our progress. 

We eventually make our way to the area at the back of the ancient tower.

In the Tiamats Grand Arena are the remains of walls that serve as pillars that seem to be the focus of Tiamat symbolism and magic. 

Tena touched the rod of cancellation (the leprechaun’s legacy item) to the pillar and both artifacts are destroyed. 

Our biggest victory yet against evil dragon-kind! Our characters attain our 4^th mythic tier! 

02/09/2023 Virtuous Age Session 35: Lake of Shadow and a Place of our Own

We begin tonight’s session in the giant-sized LakeTower house moments after Kron defeated the opal dragon void dragon spawn of the shadow dragon. After a minute of healing and spell casting our characters hear the organ begin to play up stairs. Our characters cautiously head to the top floor. For Eabrossi the music is fantastic but not performed as well as it could be.

The top floor is found covered in sixty foot radius of deeper darkness, Aevum's daylight spell created a thirty foot radius around him where existing light conditions prevailed. Flying from the darkness our characters encounter a swarm of horrific chatteringskulls, their wailing sounds carrying supernatuarl effects. While battling the skulls, we spy SilverSnitch climbing off the pipe organ high chair. Zaigan and Kron break free from the skulls and deliver their attacks on the Leprechaun. Desperate the SilverFuck uses his Rod of Cancellation to drain Kron’s Earthen Flail and called battle axe of all their magical properties.

SilverSnitch and “Commander” flee from us, down the ornate spiral stairs, and we pursue them. After a long chase Aevum's Chronal Lance slows the hasted pair enough to defeat them before they escape through the fourth floor's portal to the shadow plane. When SilverSnitch the Shadow King dies Aveum finds he is no longer restricted from Necromancy.

Kron and Aevum are now masters of the Lakehouse and islet domain having defeated the Opal Dragon and Leprechan cohort.

Recovered from SilverSnitch

+1 club (Russ), amulet of natural armor +3 (Josh), grey bag of tricks x2day (Binki), metamagic rod reach lesser (Josh), rod of cancellation (Russ), wand of mage armor 42 charges (Butch), wand of memory lapse 30 charges (Butch), wand of shield 42 charges (Josh)

Recovered from the Commander, dressed with markings and Tiamat insignia.

+2 rapier (James), crystal ball (Russ), gloves of climbing and swimming, ring of evasion (Butch), wand of lightning bolt 35 charges 6d6 (Butch), wand of sending 21 charges (Russ), wand of stone skin 21 charges (Josh), wand of whispering wind 13 charges (Josh)

The top floor is dominated by a pipe organ of enormous size where Eabrossi find a book of musical composition containing a new masterpiece. The pipe organ is a sinister looking artifact, its full powers never realized by SilverSnitch.  The Shadow King could only use it to summon creatures from the large skulls that decorated each side of the organ.

Aevum provides phantom steeds that allow us about an hour distance from the planar overlap and the shadows of the LakeTower. And about a quarter mile away is a community and it is very early in the morning. There are several areas to camp or the there’s the village, after some discussion we decide to make camp in a series of low hills and brush.  Our rest isn't interuptted and we will pick up after a long rest. 

01/26/2023 Virtuous Age Session 34: SilverSnitch, The LakeTower, and Death of the Opal Dragon

 

We begin tonight’s session in the giant-sized LakeTower house in hostile pursuit of SilverSnitch.  Our characters step into the fourth floor. Here a large rug, desk with a mysterious mirror on the wall. A strange coral-like wall (ancient dragon scales) obscured the far end of the level, hiding the sources of two blue lights. A strange shadow-well sat ominously in a corner. It was this well where this rooms shadow monsters retreated to. 

We decide to run to the fifth floor. This room reveals itself as a bedroom. At this time our characters hear an organ from an upper floor. The room is magical and contains three dragon skulls, there is a pervasive aura of fear here. 

Continuing up to the next level and the sound of the organ our characters eventually come to a magical are of guards and wards. With this in our path our characters decide to investigate the rooms we passed up below.

In the room with the giant bed, there is giant cutlery and carved initials in the table. The letters KN as if a giant carved them. There is a chest and the bed radiates magic. Eabrossi examines the chest and triggers a trap that unleashes three swarms. The bed also proved to be fun when Kron tested its comfort only to be attacked by a couple of bears.

Retreating back down to the room with the coral-like wall. Here we find a scrying table, the desk with the overturned mirror and the shadow well. The well is about 5’ in diameter and is filled with shadow stuff. There are three drawers in the desk, it does not appear to be trapped. 

Tena and Aevum decide it would be an idea to move the magic mirror over the shadow well. When we move the mirror it reveals papers and works on the desk. 

We find a list of strange words. First five words are scratched and the last is likely a password. One of the drawers contains a black cloth cover for the mirror. In the second drawer are five finely worked old dragon scales and capable of being enchanted. The third drawer has a lot of masterwork expert tools of small sized.

With what we hope is the password for the guards and wards we head back up the stairs to encounter a couple of bodaks. After dispatching the two undead we head up to the guards and wards and state the password. It seems to work and we proceed to the seventh floor.

One section of this room has newish potted plants. Between them is a shadow well. A urn that emanates light. A large semicircle of stone and the lapping of water- a fountain. Large lilly pads are in the fountain but still no organ in sight. 

We continue upstairs.

On the eighth floor we find SilverSnitch, an elf woman, and a sinister individual in the room holding palaver. Five shadows also here the woman is the figure from Ziagan’s fever dream- the Opal Dragon. SilverSnitch is the cohort of the Opal Dragon. 

The battle was fierce. Kron defeats the opal dragon, a void dragon spawn of the shadow dragon.

01/19/2023 Virtuous Age Session 33: The Dracolisk, LakeTower House and SilverSnitch

SilverSnitch the Shadowking

We pick up this week’s session headed to the LakeTower House leaving out of the front of the old tower. The doors to this entrance are relatively new, inside the door frame in draconic “the great corruptor”

From this door the path follows a ridge that overlooks the Rift. Eabrossi casts invisibility as the storm kicks up. Strange and senseless sounds emerge from the grey overcast sky.

When we get to the ‘water’, strange shapes can be barely perceived in what isn’t water but quasi-shadow material. We hear the creature before we see it. From the mist appears a low flying six legged dragon-like creature with dark scales and glistening eyes. On its chest is branded Tiamat’s symbol. The dracolisk. A brand that we suspect grants it certain abilities of all chromatic dragons. Shadows boil in its wake- a shadow demon and a greater shadow. 

Zaigan and Kron kill the dracolisk and our characters are able to ward off the shadow demon and greater shadow after multiple Daylight spells.

Our characters make use of the remaining mythic haste spell and when we get close to the water, we are reminded of what Arcanthorth says about taking things from the Ways. It appears to be water, but it is shadow stuff and not 100% real and also feels like we have entered into somethings domain. There looks to be multiple entrances into the LakeTower House head. Furthermore it is obviously built for giants.

Markings on the LakeTower House are words in the shadowtounge: “Silver Snitch the Shadow King.” The Leprechaun. “What have I done to incur your wrath?” a disembodied magical voice asks.

Eabrossi suggests a palaver. With that the door opens into a room with a table and chairs. There are stairs going up to a larger room containing a rug, couches, tables, and bookcases. Two more curving stairs lead upward.

We see the Leprechaun looking malevolently at us. Eabrossi guarantees our behavior. Our characters notice that all of the Leprechaun’s clothes are shadow material. 

LakeTower House

After a couple of passes with a peace pipe he offers to answer a few questions.

“Who administers the Ziggurat temple?”

Inquisitor Tâmtu.

“Why did they build the temple here?”

He doesn’t know.

“Have they discovered how to operate the artifact?"

He is not at liberty to talk. 

Then he takes off further up the stairs. Kron follows but creatures manifest from the darkness and attack us. There continues to be sense of being watched. Eabrossi attacks with the short sword Valgyre and awakens the legendary sword. 

We end the session here. 

01/12/2023 Virtuous Age Session 32: Bordering the Shadow Plane and Investigating the Tower.

We pick up this week’s session near the ziggurat. Two factors adjust our arrival: there is a time/magic delay and, our characters eventually surmise this region is extra planar. A remnant from a time before the Dawning. The plane overlap is connected to the shadowplane-a primal mythic landscape. 

There are robed individuals in and around the structure. While around the Ziggurat, large spiders, centipedes, and scorpions wander the landscape. 

A perpetual storm hangs over the area armed with rancid gusts of wind. We feel that we are in a domain of the Opal Dragon.

Easily seen hydra lurks nearby as well as possible golems or constructs move about with purpose. The dracolisk, our characters notice, wanders the nearby sands.

Our characters decide to rest in a magical rope trick. A tricky proposition this close to the shadowplane. In the end, sometime later, our characters awake fully rested. Aevum wakes confident this pocket will be here a while. He comes to reason out that time flows differently here.

Our characters decide to investigate the Tower in the distance before tangling with a hydra or dracolisk. When we exit the rope trick we see the storm has intensified.

It is September 19^th.

Our characters emerge from the rope trick and immediately notice differences: the dracolisk is now near the hydra  and there is a fresh row of stone statues with some kind of ceremony in progress. Six units of six medium sized creatures are actively patrolling the area, some of them Kron notices are wereboars. We feel an overwhelming presence from above.

Various paths lead to the Area of Broken Mountain and the Tower. We come to a stop when we find Scelarus’ arcane symbol on a stone. Both Tena and Eabrossi practice spellcasting in the planar environment. Kron defaces the sigil.

Our characters travel on to the rear of the tower and encounter 8 individuals. Some could be members of the rat tribe, some wereboars as well as a flying evil individual who releases a spell from 30’ in the air. (Theophrastus?) This individuals wears jewelry and bears symbols of Tiamat.

We defeat the wererats and wereboars and chase off the devotee of Tiamat. Our characters continue to the Tower. We come to a split in the road. Our characters take the high road. It leads around the tower to an arena decorated with Tiamat iconography. Here we see magic symbols that Tena spends time studying. They are all the same potency sigils that are draconic ‘tiamat’ in nature.

There is a double wide door in the mists of overgrowth of the tower. It is clearly meant for a giant occupant. We passed through and cross the arena. During the crossing each of us are subject to Tiamats sermons. We all avoid the greater curse and when we do Ziagan realizes what happened to his uncle Bishma: he had his religion changed.

Our characters get to a window opening into the tower and enter. Inside the tower we see a partially ruined tower that has been unkept for some time. Built for giants it is easily 6 to 8 stories tall.

On the northern side of each level are ancient maps of the Ways. Theoretical at the time of creation of these maps, whoever worked on it had great knowledge about how they work. It was a study the Ways when it was unbroken. The Rest of the tower is more recent- these notes and such seems to be trying to reverse engineer the function of the embassy on the far side of the ziggurat. 

Their conclusion assumes the embassy works like the ways. This is not exactly the case due to different creators and different magic. We guess Scelarus and possibly Theophrastus stayed here.

We begin a thorough search at the top floor where Scelarus resided. She has items spread about different work stations. The longer we look the more we see her decent into insanity. She assumed Bishma was sent from Tiamat herself. "Theo" was the end of her isolation and a key to her work. We surmise the priesthood of Tiamat are actively looking for the giants embassies to attack the giants using their own ways of travel.

These Tiamat devotees seem confident they have found an embassy and therefore founded a church here. The ziggurat is considered their new temple to Tiamat. There is no mention or consideration of the hydra, basilisk or the pearl dragon.

Aevum realizes his mother Sanguine and Bishma encountered this temple while looking for Embassies. He was turned to the faith of Tiamat she was not  

In Scelarus' belongings Eabrossi finds a wand of freedom of movement (9 charges). Tena recovers a Selective metamagic rod (6^th level). Aevum finds a wand of invisibility (25 charges). Several cold iron daggers. A Lesser Enlarge metamagic rod. Finally, a type 5 neckless of fireballs. Our characters take all her questionable notes.

We eventually make our way down to the second floor. This resident has not been here as long as Scelarus. There are not a lot personal items of this individual instead this level is filled with Tiamat iconography. One of this man's main duties is making Tiamat holy symbols. He seems to be the only sane one in a sea of madness. He does mention the hydra creature and basilisk and to be cautious around them.

We leave the tower and head to the LakeTower in the direction of the Ziggurat.

Lay of the Land

Ziggurat

Embassy

 

Tower

                                                    

Inner Embassy

LakeTower House

          

Artsy Fartsy Map

01/05/2023 Virtuous Age Session 31: Reunion, An Orb of Agamotto, and the Ziggurat

We begin moments after killing Scelarus and it seems Bishma as escaped for the time being. Our characters quickly discuss and decide to first find King Saxo. Aevum casts a divination and in moments is drawn to a lower level of the castle. We begin to hear an increase in noise all about and eventually our characters will hear bells. Kron picks up the body of Scelarus.

Tena spots an air elemental then a whisper asks “is she truly dead?” to Eabrossi and Tena. Eabrossi does not respond while Tena answers with “I did not investigate.”

Our characters move back the way we came. A disembodied voice says: “Don’t make the mistake on not destroying her body. The Race is on to find your Father.”

On the way down the servants passage we hear behind more noise from the chamber we left. Bells continue to sound.

Our characters run into servants to whom Aevum warns them of an imposter King, at this time Istar breaks from our group to spread this news. Eventually we arrive to the ground floor. There is a panic room somewhere. Eabrossi intuits that the entrance of such a saferoom must be in the Thrown, just beyond the council chambers.

A plan formulates while our characters watch minotaur guards escort council members out of the Great Dome. Protected by an invisibility sphere we eventually make our way up the ramp toward the Council Chambers. 

Zaigan runs into something unseen as the rest of us sees a raven fly from direction we are heading to.

When we arrive everything is as Aevum remembers save for the group of minotaur guards actively guarding the Throne Room.

Our characters enact the second part of the plan. Tena casts an obscuring mist spells to distract the guards. One of the minotaur guards stepped up and, using powerful magic, open a new space within the wall. He is obviously unlike the other minotaur guards. 

Eventually our characters sneak past the alerted guards and enter the room where we find the thrown. Magical lights illuminate the area. More noise originates in several areas in the castle. In the chamber are leavings (food/drink) from a council that was alerted of immediate evacuation. 

Back in the council chamber a lone left side guard retreats into the thrown room behind our characters and away from the obscuring mist. Other minotaurs guards move about as Aevum spots markings on the wall: Scelarus’ arcane mark indicating she has poisoned the food here.

Once our characters make it to the Thrown, Eabrossi quickly discovers the way to unlock the Thrown. The thrown lowers to reveal a spiral staircase down to what is a kind of Royal Archives.

Following the sensation of Aevums divination spell, our characters descend to an area of light.

Aevum calls out to his father who responds with a question only Aevum could answer. 

It is a warm reunion and he was quick to confirm he got the warning about Bishma. We tell him about Bishma and his plan. Saxo says he went into hiding.

There are three forces at play: Our side, the militant titans, and the Scions of hell- those dark giants who embrace Tiamat’s rule through the practice of sin.

Saxo has come to believe Sanguine is alive and that Aevum is proof of the royal bloodline in these times. He is unsure of Bishma’s endgame, but our giant enemies wish to capture the Saxo line and present them to the titans.

Because for either side to get what they want they need all three King, Queen, Aevum as sacrifice. We need to find the embassy Sanguine went and find whatever remains of her there: she is two halves, her physical form is gone but her soul is suspended in time and that saving her is also her release.

There is another (planar) way out of here. The King does not intend on fleeing, he assumes he will be captured and not immediately killed.

Aevum enjoys a few final moments with his father. He warns Aevum that the Scions of hell they will not hesitate to kill for the minotaur who want the militant quality of the giants require the saxos for a ceremony for transfer of the royal bloodline. He will give over notes on the militant giants. (+2 or better to a knowledge-based check)

We go to destroy Scelarus’s but her body is gone.

On the sarcophagus in the Royal Archives are the names Malmeros, Kaithor, Skazer, Garthus, Ekxus, Merut, Arvis. Great thinkers and lore keeper from times of old.

We leave with a future in-game question (for this encounter with the King) and mythic components for spell use and legendary item refreshes. And…

Tena: Boots of Escape; Kron: Glove of Storing; Zaigan: Ring of Transposition; Eabrossi: Veil of Fleeting Glances; Aevum: Robe of Blending. The King writes Kron a letter freeing him of all charges of the murder of Talbot.

Not only do we need to survive but warn others that the dragons of sin have infiltrated everything.

There is a large-scale clockwork artifact here. A large version of Aevum’s symbol and has several uses. It was nn orb of Aggamotto.

After an hour, our characters are keen to get to the ziggurat; Tena decides to use her jaunt ability in conjunction with the orb and the newly acquired mythic component. Magic takes us and we appear near an impressive ziggurat and a three headed dragon-like creature. There is sound of water rushing and flyers in the air. We are surrounded by statuary of the poor souls who traveled here before us. 

After the experience Tena believes she is fated to restore Agamotto and believe she will recover all the orbs. In regards to portals and travel magic Tena believes she can potentially manipulate or shut down embassy portals. 

We pick up here next week.