TBC DND - The Story Thus Far
Jul 12, 2014 16:22:30 GMT
Post by Dipshit on Jul 12, 2014 16:22:30 GMT
Each week on Sundays, several TBC members gather to play a virtual DND game. The current roster is myself (DM), Poli as player and backup/co-dm, and Sniffage, Walrus, Ovi and TSM as players, with Wiki, Choro and DM as past or irregular players. This thread will chronicle the story as it progresses. This thread is current as of 8/8/14
Part 1:
Part 2
Part 1:
Before the rise of nations, before the birth of worlds, before even the flow of time, there was the void, infinite and eternal, a vast nothingness. At its center lay the Well, the source of all. And from that source emerged the primal god - but this singular form would not last, for even though it was without name, or form, or worship, the primal god was both a part of the void, and contained and shaped the void. As it reflected emptiness, the void reflected it. And as the primal god ruminated upon its own existence, and the nature of its world, thus were born good and evil, and the duality of morality became the duality of existence.
What was emptiness began to reflect this new duality. And as the void split into light and dark, so too the god was split - no longer a single primal god, but instead two gods of good and evil. Each claimed its half of the now sundered void: the Astral Sea, and the Abyss.
But this was not the end of their transformation. Good is not a singular concept, nor a final state. As the new-formed god of light considered the notion of goodness, and the nature of its own existence, more complex notions formed in its mind. Valor, honesty, loyalty, charity, kindness, trust, love. Each became its own virtue, and in the discovery of each, the god broke further into fragments, each fragment becoming a deity in its own right, each claiming a portion of the Astral Sea as its domain. Avandra, Ioun, Erathis, and more, and above them all, the dragon god Bahamut.
The Astral Sea was not the only place that saw these changes. Just as the singular god of good split into various aspects of its own nobility, so too did the god of evil fracture into the various aspects of its own malevolence. Jealousy, deception, greed, tyranny, vengeance, madness: from each a dark god grew. Tiamat, Torog, Bane...and in the darkest depths of the Abyss rose Tharizdun. The gods of light and the gods of dark each claimed their own domains, and the planes were born.
But just as the nature of our existence is neither purely good, nor purely evil, the Astral Sea and the Abyss were not wholly separate. Their edges bled into each other, forming a realm bound neither to darkness nor light.
There, the material plane was formed. Each pantheon expanded into the unexplored material reality, claiming parts for their own, and filling these areas with new life. The portion of the material plane claimed by the Astral Sea became the Feywild, a place of unparalleled beauty and arcane majesty, an eternal paradise where magical creatures roamed an endless forest. The portion of the material world that fell to the Abyss became known as the Shadowfell, a world of endless twilight, where strange and twisted beasts held sway.
In time, the two pantheons claimed virtually all of the material plane. Only a single world remained. Each side tried to claim it as their own, growing increasingly hostile. Words became threats, and threats became calls to action. Throughout creation, the sides of light and darkness had held on to an uneasy truce, but it seemed that all out war amongst the gods was inevitable. But as each side prepared for conflict, Bahamut and Tharizdun met on the surface of this world, and there formed a plan for peace. The world would become the domain of neither light nor dark, join neither the Feywild nor Shadowfell. It would exist on its own, shaped by both pantheons in equal part. Each god laid their part, and filled the world with life in their image. Humans, dwarfs, elves, goblins, trolls, giants, creatures of light and of dark. The land too, was shaped by each - a world formed in equal parts good and evil: Denarim.
But the conflict between light and dark was only delayed, as the peace was doomed to one day fall.
The Well, the source of all creation, lay deep in the Astral Sea, far into Bahamut’s domain. Tharizdun eyed it greedily, for he knew that if he were to control it, he would have power over all creation, and could remake existence in accord with his own twisted desires. One day, without warning, abyssal creatures poured into the land of Denarim. Demons and horrors slaughtered the young races indiscriminately. The gods of the Astral Sea grew outraged at this betrayal, and journeyed to the surface themselves, to put an end to the Abyssal invasion that had threatened the delicate peace.
But the invasion itself was only a ruse. With the gods occupied on Denarim, Tharizdun struck at the heart of the Astral Sea. The lesser celestial beings left behind to guard the Well were swept aside. The fate of all creation nearly changed terribly and irrevocably. But the other Abyssal gods saw his treachery, and knew that if Tharizdun reached the Well, his rule over reality would be complete and unchallenged, and he would have no need for them. Turning against their master, they warned the other gods. Facing the combined might of all divinity, Tharizdun was defeated, mere moments before completing his final goal. Enraged at the betrayal, Bahamut chained Tharizdun’s massive frame to Denarim’s second moon, and cast it deep into the darkest pit of the Abyss. The dark gods returned to their home, to keep watch over the prison of their former master, for they knew that if he ever came free, his first act would be to exact vengeance upon them for their betrayal.
In one final act, the gods drew from the Well a great power, and from it built the Veil, a barrier separating the Abyss from the Astral Sea and Denarim. Tied directly to the Well itself, the stronger the assault against it, the stronger the Veil grows. The more powerful the creature that attempts to cross, the stronger the Veil fights back. So even if he shook off his shackles, not even Tharizdun would have the power to break himself free from the Abyss.
And so Denerim lives on.
Just south of the Wood, near the Karmath-Calbora border, a brief skirmish sparked into a heavier conflict, leading to an impromptu battlefield. Along the battlefield moved five particular individuals. The Wood Elf druid Ravariel (Poli), the Human warlock Samael (Choronzon), the Human blackguard Evelyn (TSM), and two rogues, the Half-Elf Marla (desperatemeasures) and the Halfling Anders (Sniffage). Each was in the area for their own purposes, and knew nothing of the others. An earthquake hit the area, causing the ground just above a network of caves to collapse. Each adventurer fell into the caverns below, and, searching for escape, found the others. They worked together to defeat a bandit camp that had made a hideout of the caves, then found themselves exiting into the Wood.
After vanquishing a few giant spiders, the party encountered a Wood Elf scouting group that threatened to have them executed for trespassing into the Wood. Ravariel convinced her Wood Elf kin that she was ensuring they did not linger, and the elves allowed the party to continue.
Following the path through the woods, the party eventually came to the edge of a small town. There, the guards grabbed Samael, saying that he was being arrested for espionage against the kingdom of Karmath. The remaining party, not wishing their new ally to be executed, launched a rescue mission. Convincing the local guard captain that Samael was in fact a double agent working for Karmath, they secured his release. But as they hurried to escape before their deception was revealed, a strange horror fell upon them. As the sun set, undead began assaulting the town. Zombies roamed the streets, setting upon villagers. The party fought through the undead-infested streets before finding town guards who informed them that the inn was being used as a makeshift shelter and triage area. Finding their way to the inn, the party came across a man who introduced himself as Arturo, a scholar from the nearby province of Tanerin.
Arturo told the party was deeply concerned about the undead attack. He implored the group to travel to Tanerin and warn the Queen of the undead arrival. When the party agreed to set out towards Tanerin, Arturo told them that they did not have time to make the journey the normal way, which could take weeks.
He explained that he was a scholar who had spent years studying the transit stones - ancient stone platforms set into the earth that had the capacity to transport anyone to any other transit stone in the world, instantly. The old Empire used these stones to keep order in a vast imperial territory, but they stopped working more than five hundred years ago, for reasons unknown. This was a major factor in the eventual collapse of the Empire, and the fractured state of the current world.
Arturo went on to tell the party that he believed he had found a way to activate the stones on a one-time basis, but that to do so he needed a particular catalyst. He told them that he had tracked the location of a suitable item to an abandoned fort nearby, but that he was assaulted by strange creatures on his way in. He implored the party to assist him in recovering the catalyst.
Agreeing, the party set out. In the fort they encountered more undead, along with strange autonomous constructs that roamed the halls, attacking aggressively. Deeper into the fort, they came across a human trapped in a cage, about to be set upon by undead. Once the undead were defeated, they released the human, who introduced himself as Tellig, a ranger (Walrus). Agreeing to aid the party as payment for his rescue, but revealing little of himself, Tellig joined the adventure. Fighting through the fort, the party came to a large copper door, guarded by several inactive construct sentries. On the other side of the door, the party encountered an undead figure, the risen body of the fort’s former occupant, a once powerful wizard and scholar. Although the undead was initially aggressive, Ravariel spoke to him, and connected with his last remaining shreds of humanity and sanity, and he willingly gave her what they came for. Evelyn, angered by what she saw as negotiating with an abomination, attacked. The undead wizard casually flung the entire party back out into the hallway and, realizing what he had become, activated the sentries outside, which set upon their former master, now seeing him as an undead threat.
Exiting the fort, the party agreed to remain together at least as long as it took to reach the closest transit stone, and set out towards it.
(note, at this point, the following interlude was not played out in game but written out, to advance the story, this covers the exit to the cave, until the end of the night
Upon arriving at the transit stone, Arturo went to work, but as he did so, the area was set upon by more undead. As the group fought them off, Arturo explained that whoever activated the stone with the catalyst had to remain behind, to ensure it worked properly, and he was the only one who knew how. Imploring the group to warn the Queen, Arturo activated the stone with the party standing on it, leaving himself alone as the undead closed in.
The party arrived instantly outside Tanerin’s capital, the Silver City. Agreeing to find a place to regroup and plan their next step, the party entered the city to be greeted by a dwarf, who introduced himself as Edric (Edlichbury), an invoker of the dwarven god Moradin. Edric stated that he had prayed to Moradin for guidance, and had seen a vision of the party. Believing he should find them and aid them in whatever they needed, Edric had set out to the portion of the city he had seen in his vision, and encountered the party. They shared with him the situation, and he invited them to join him in an inn he knew well.
At the inn, the party began to discuss how to warn the Queen, realizing they could not just walk into the palace uninvited. As they talked, a crazed High Elf Immarel (Wikkiwallana) entered the inn, and began yelling about upcoming doom. The party questioned him about these rantings and the elf shared a vision of an ancient apocalyptic force he believed was coming, raising concerns among the party that these visions might be related to the undead threat they were seeing.
Overhearing the party, a strange cloaked figure approached and informed them that he had a cousin in the palace guard and that he could have them added to the next day’s audience list with the Queen - in return for a future favor. Although hesitant to trust the shadowy stranger, the party reluctantly agreed, unsure of the wisdom of the deal they were making. At this point, Marla, having consumed a fair quantity of ale, wandered off into the street, saying something about wanting to "twerk" on the roof of the palace, Ravariel left to spend the night in the woods outside the city, and Edric and Evelyn, having found they got along rather well, went upstairs to share a room for the night.
The next morning, with Marla nowhere to be seen, the remaining party set out to the palace, found the guard in question, and were let in to see the Queen - with the exception of Evelyn, who stubbornly refused to surrender her weapons before entering, and thus remained outside. After the party shared what they had seen so far, the Queen agreed to investigate, and asked them to speak to her adviser Merivon, chancellor of the Mage’s college. He escorted the party to the college to talk to them further. As they passed through the city, Merivon showed them the plaza in the center of the city, and the grand monument in its center known as the Tomb of the Five Princes, commemorating the foundation of the Empire. In this monument stood statues in memory of the great leaders of the human, dwarven, and elven races who united their peoples in peace. Ravariel seemed especially interested in the statue of the elven prince, Tirindil, who brought the wood elves into the empire, and Merivon noted a resemblance between her face and that of the statue. She also plucked a single golden leaf from the large tree that grows in the plaza as part of the memorial.
As they walked onward, Tellig asked Merivon if he knew anything about any dwarves who may have come through trying to sell what they stole from him. Merivon said that they did pass through, but the college had no interest in the item in question, not knowing what it was. Tellig further asked if he knew where the dwarves went when they left; Merivon informed him that he did not.
Once at the college, Merivon temporarily leaves the party in the courtyard. While there, they overheard a brief argument between two students, one of whom wanted to practice a new spell he found, while the other advised against it. Undeterred, the first student began reading from a spellbook. Samael, having recognized the incantation as a demonic summoning spell, attempted to intervene, but was too late. A pack of small demons manifested in the courtyard, killing the first student and setting upon the other. The party defeated the demons just as Merivon returned
Ushering them to his office, Merivon worriedly explained that demonic summoning shouldn’t be possible, as the college is warded, and that someone must have tampered with the wards. The party asked if this could be related to the undead threat, and Merivon said he thought it could. As they were asking who could be responsible, the party was interrupted by the entry of the same cloaked figure from the bar the previous night.
He revealed himself to be Raundol, a High Elf and the city’s spymaster in chief. He had been following the party since they arrived in the city on what were believed to be the long dead transit stones. He told the party that he had been gathering information on a cult that was last known to have been active in the final days of the empire, many centuries earlier, but recently had seemed to reappear. Raundol stated that he believed that the undead approaching, the tampering of the wards, and the emergence of a centuries old cult were all somehow related.
The party asked what the relationship was, and Raundol said he was not sure. He explained that he had recently sent a group of soldiers to investigate a cave just a short distance outside the city walls that he believed was one place the cult was hiding, but they had not reported in, and were thought to be dead or captured. Raundol reminded the party of the favor they promised, and asked them to investigate, telling them they will be rewarded if they bring back information.
The party agreed, except for Tellig, who said he did not believe this to be his concern, and preferred instead to concentrate on tracking down the dwarves who robbed him. Raundol claimed to have information about Tellig's stolen item, and offered to share it if Tellig stayed and assisted him; Tellig reluctantly agreed. As the party departed, Merivon pulled Samael aside, telling him that the college needed him to pursue his original mission and resume tracking the necromancer he had been hunting when the party first met. Samael assented, and bade the party farewell.
The remaining group of Ravariel, Immarel, Edric, Anders, Evelyn, and Tellig set off to the cave. Inside, they found a critically injured guard, a member of the original reconnaissance party. Ravariel healed the guard, and saved his life. As she tended his wounds, they were set upon by ghouls and a cave ooze, but the party fought them off with the injured guard's help. The guard introduced himself as Bob, and begged the party to help him back to his home, where he could recover, before they continued further. Leaving the cave, the party were set upon by bandits; the ensuing fight was noisy enough to draw some of the cultists out of the cave as well, leading to a three way fight between cultists, bandits, and the party.
Emerging victorious, the party escorted Bob to his nearby cabin. Surprisingly, Raundol appeared, and questioned the party as to why they seemingly had abandoned their mission, reiterating the importance of what he asked them to do. The party agreed to return in the morning, but Immarel, feeling that he is more of use preaching his messages of doom to others, took his leave and headed back towards the city.
The party settled down for the night, but Evelyn, discouraged by the slowness of their progress, and not trusting the remaining party, decided to go out to confront the cultists alone. On her way out, she encountered Raundol, who warned her that she was likely going to her death, but she ignored his warning.
She entered the cave, and was quickly attacked by cultists, many of whom she dispatched. But she was eventually trapped in a dead end by a necromancer, who subdued her with waves of undead and rendered her unconscious. She awakened in a cage, only to hear the cult leader in front of her saying she will be sacrificed. She was told that a figure called the "Destroyer" will return, and with that return, the ancient god of evil, Tharizdun, will be freed from his imprisonment deep within the abyss, and turn the world into eternal darkness.
Evelyn asked if she was to be sacrificed to free Tharizdun, and the cult leader laughed and told Evelyn that she was far too insignificant for that, and her sacrifice would merely help the cult to summon a "distraction" that would sow discord in the Silver City.
Meanwhile, the remaining party, by now consisting only of Ravariel, Tellig, Anders and Edric, awoke to find Evelyn missing. The returned to the cave, and found that it was far deeper than it initially appeared, with many rooms carved out of the rock. Within, they battled many cultists, undead, and enthralled kobolds, and found articles of clothing and other goods that did not appear to belong to the cult members, raising fears as to what may have happened to their rightful owners. Ravariel also picked up several mysterious books, papers, and potions.
Anders crept ahead and informed the party that he had seen several cultists gathered around a strange circle on the ground, apparently involved in some sort of ritual. The party, not wanting to confront so many cultists at once, made use of Ravariel’s powers to camouflage themselves, and slipped past unnoticed.
They came to a room with several statues lining a shallow pool. Realizing that one of the papers they had taken earlier contained instructions on how to activate a hidden portal, they succeeded in doing so, creating a magical doorway in the water, but the statues activated, transforming into flame demons. The party defeated them and jumped through the portal.
Finding themselves in another, larger room, they saw the cult leader standing before a great altar and two cages, containing a small child and their lost party member, Evelyn. They attacked the cult leader, who used magic to take the form of a small dragon. During the fight, Ravariel also changed shape, becoming a large wild cat, but unlike the cult leader, she seemed to do this effortlessly, without magic or ritual. This shocked the remaining party, especially Edric, as they had never seen nor heard of such transformations before. As Anders fatally stabbed the cult leader, she transformed back into her human form, and seemed to whisper of some kind of "alignment" just before expiring.
Ravariel returned to her Elven form and pulled the unconscious Evelyn from her cage, while Tellig rescued the young girl. Tellig and Ravariel tried to talk to her, but quickly determined that she spoke a language none of the party knows. From her clothes, Ravariel guessed the girl to be one of the hill-folk of Tyr, and managed to learn that her name is Sera. Carrying the girl and Evelyn, the party exited through the portal, and retraced their steps to leave the cave. As they contemplated what to do next, guards arrived from the city and told the party they were sent to check on them. They offered the party a quick return to the city. Some in the party tried to question Ravariel regarding her transformation, but she rebuffed their questions.
The party returned to the college and found healers to tend to Evelyn's wounds. While they awaited Raundol, Anders revealed that he had taken the sacrificial dagger from the cult leader, and asked Ravariel to inspect it to see what she could determine about it. Ravariel did so, and returned it, gingerly, She told him that the dagger was enchanted, but with bad magic, blood magic, and that it was dangerous, not something to be used lightly, or at all. The party debated what should be done with such a thing; while they argued, Anders wrapped it in cloth and stowed it away in his pack.
When Raundol and Merivon appeared, the party shared what they had learned, as Evelyn slid in and out of consciousness. Raundol thanked the party, and compensates them for their efforts, while stating that he is concerned about the potential for continued threats. Anders handed Raundol the bundle from his pack and asked him to have it melted down and to have the resulting slag buried somewhere no one would be likely to find it. Raundol agreed, and summoned a guard to have the task done. Raundol then asked them to leave so that he might speak to Evelyn alone for a moment, and rejoined them in the hall afterwards, where he explained that Evelyn was only semi-conscious and babbling, but had managed to recount what the cult leader told her.
The party questioned whether freeing Tharizdun was even possible. Merivon stated that he did not believe so, and the Veil between Denarim and the Abyss would be far too strong. He explained that the more powerful the entity trying to cross the Veil, the more power it would take for it to successfully breach it, and that while it is possible to generate enough magical energy to summon lesser creatures across the Veil, to summon into the world a creature as powerful as Tharizdun would require vastly more power than anyone is capable of wielding. As for what the cult leader meant by "destroyer" or "alignment," neither Raundol nor Merivon claimed to know.
Tellig, concerned for the young girl’s safety, asked Raundol what should be done with her. Raundol summoned an elderly man who spoke Old Tyrian, who spoke to Sera and found out that she was kidnapped when her family's small trading caravan was attacked by the cultists. The translator quietly told that group that from what the girl described, her parents were almost certainly dead, but that she mentioned extended family of some sort back home.
Sad and alone, Sera clung to Tellig, who informed Raundol that she needed to be returned to her people. Raundol told them that he will find out if any caravans are leaving for Tyr within the next few days, and in the meantime, that the girl would be given to the guards for protection. Seeing how the girl had attached herself to him, Tellig instead volunteered to protect her until then. Raundol agreed to this, and Sera seemed content to remain with Tellig.
Tellig then pressed Raundol for the information he was promised regarding the dwarves and his stolen artifact. Raundol revealed that only after the dwarves left did anyone in the city realize what they might have had. As he explained, deep within the mountains of Caelor, far to the west, there was an vast, ancient forge system. Though almost certainly dwarvish, the greatest of the forges were so old that not even the dwarves themselves remembered quite what they were for or how they worked. Ancient runic machines still filled long abandoned caverns, and immensely long shafts stretched deep below the surface, bringing up molten ore to heat them, and many speculated that there were greater forges still undiscovered. Raundol told Tellig that he believed that what he had fished out of Lake Peranur was a piece of that forge system, and that it was likely valuable for research, and worth a large reward if he were to bring it back to the Silver City. He further informed Tellig that the thieves likely traveled to the city of Viga, capital of the island province of Polimaria, and noted that for Tellig to follow them to Polimaria, he would likely have to travel through Tyr himself.
Having nothing further for them to do, Raundol bade the party goodnight, asking them to meet with him tomorrow, by which time he would have news for them regarding transport for the child.
The party parted ways, each spending the night in their own pursuits. (Note: the overviews below are spoilered, as they contain information the individuals players may not know, and the individual CHARACTERS certainly do not. I’m spoilering what happened over the next day so that if the players do not wish to metagame, and know things their characters should not, they can decline to read the spoilers below.)
Ravariel
Edric
Tellig
Evelyn
Anders
The next day, Edric, Anders, Tellig and Ravariel met Raundol at the college. He informed them that there would be a trade caravan leaving for Tyr tomorrow, but that they were unwilling to be responsible for the well-being of a child, and would only take Sera if she had a guardian to accompany her. Edric, Tellig, and Anders promptly agreed to accompany the caravan, but Ravariel hesitated. Ravariel asked Tellig if he will keep the child safe, and he agreed, saying that Sera needs to have his help to get home because her place is with her own kind. Ravariel agreed, and said that her place is also with her own kind. As she turned to leave, some of the party heard her say something like, "...were there any" under her breath. She then departed, headed for the northwest gate and the road back to her home in the Wood.
Raundol told the remaining party members that he would go make the arrangements for them and the still-wounded Evelyn to travel with the caravan to Tyr. He left Edric, Tellig and Anders with the girl, and Sera happily went to play with a tame bunny in the courtyard, which Tellig helpfully if misguidedly offered to catch and skin if she were hungry. As they waited, a young mage came running in, looking terrified. Though he was babbling incoherently, he managed to communicate that he was scrying on the northwest gate to the city when he saw something terrible and bloody happen. He begged the party to go help, saying that he would run and find as many guards as he could, but people were dying in the meantime.
Edric left immediately, but Tellig refused, saying that he needed to watch the girl. The mage informed him that the bunny is not really a bunny, but a magical guardian, and will protect her, and begged him again to help. Tellig grudgingly agreed, and he and Anders run after Edric.
They traveled to the gate to see a large wave of undead attacking, with many dead, both guards and civilians, torn to pieces on the city road. The guards that remained alive were fighting them off, but they were badly outnumbered and clearly overwhelmed. The three of them quickly joined the battle, doing their best to support the city guards. As they were fighting, Ravariel arrived at the gate. Just then, a young half elf from a pack of civilians nearby (Ovi) let out a battle cry, yelled, "To glory!" and charged one of the undead on the battlefield. He was swiftly incapacitated and set upon by zombies.
Watching this scene, Ravariel became visibly pale and shaken, and was momentarily stunned, but came out of it and joined the fight when the others in the group got her attention. They collectively fought off the undead surrounding the half-elf, and Ravariel confirmed that he still lived and healed his more critical injuries. As she was doing so, some small, glowing object fell from one of her pockets onto the wounded half-elf's chest, and seemed to startle her badly before she put it away again.
Edric, too, charged into the fight too eagerly, and was incapacitated and set aflame by the attacks of blazing skeletons. Tellig was forced to fight his way through the fray to stand over the dwarf's body and serve as a human shield to protect him from otherwise-certain death as Ravariel stabilized and healed him. Anders, badly injured, found himself having to resort to flinging shuriken from a distance. After a fierce and draining battle in which many guards perished and all four of the party members present were badly injured, especially the three who got there first, the last of the undead wave was finally defeated. One of the few surviving guards offered his thanks to the party for all their assistance in repelling the undead, and went to fetch other guards with stretchers to carry out the wounded. The half-elf thanked Ravariel for saving him and introduced himself as Gannadir, a bard. Tellig suggested that they all go back to the inn together, and Ravariel, seeing her injured comrades, some of whom would surely have died without her help, agreed, though she looked longingly into the distance towards the Wood one last time. Gannadir cheerfully jumped up to join them as well, but Ravariel chastised him for trying to walk after being so critically injured, and he and the other badly wounded reluctantly consented to be carried into the city on the stretchers.
As the party lay recuperating in the local inn, they were approached by a few guards with orders to take them to the College. Those able to walk refused to go, unwilling to leave injured party members behind. The guards left, but quickly returned with Raundol, now again cloaked and hooded as he was the night they met him. He informed the party that they could either go with him willingly, or be arrested. At the party's request, he had stretchers summoned for those who could not walk, and the party grudgingly agreed to accompany him.
They traveled to Merivon's office, where Raundol revealed that the undead attack should not have been possible, as the city was warded against these sorts of threats. Raundol explained that although he did not think the party intentionally sabotaged the wards, he believed that their arrival so close to the undead attack could not have been a coincidence. Ravariel rebuffed him, pointing out that they went to the city to warn of an undead threat, and it was therefore not surprising that undead were attacking. Raundol responded that this didn't explain the wards failing.
Merivon interjected to point out that the party were the first group to use the transit stones in hundreds of years, and their use might have had unintended effects, including perhaps damage to the city's wards. The party noted that it was Arturo who sent them, and that he presumably perished in a wave of zombies, but nobody actually saw the attack. Ravariel and Evelyn both argued that Arturo had deceived them and was likely an enemy of the Silver City. Despite Merivon's protests that Arturo was not a necromancer, Raundol seemed convinced that Arturo planned the use of the stones to in some way weaken the wards, and attack the city.
Raundol further told the party that the city is closed off until the wards are repaired. After angry protests from the party, he decided that the caravan to Tyr would be permitted to leave, but that he would not spare any guards to accompany it. For the party to leave the city, they would have to agree to safeguard the caravan by themselves, without support from the guard.
The party agreed, and met the caravan at the gate. Upon arriving, they were joined by Gannadir, who explained that he was seeking adventure and thought the people who saved his life would be good folks to find it with, and Maelyn, a young mage who was traveling with the caravan to the city of Falloth for research. The caravan began its long journey and traveled through the day, arriving at an inn along the road known as the Traveler's Rest at nightfall. Upon arrival, Tellig found Sera a room and stood outside to keep watch over the caravan. Ravariel went off by herself to a nearby wooded area to rest in a tree, and was followed surreptitiously by Anders. When she saw him sneaking after her and surprised him, he tried to strike up a conversation and uncover her secrets, while she largely tried to get him to leave her alone. Evelyn got drunk and attempted to seduce Gannadir, who ran to Edric for help escaping her. As Evelyn changed into her "sexy cleric outfit" and Gannadir and Edric tried to fend off her inebriated advances, Anders was approached by Maelyn, who asked to speak with the party in the morning.
Suddenly, a loud scream came from the inn. Tellig, Evelyn, Gannadir and Edric quickly rushed to the main entrance and saw that the inn was being attacked by a goblin raider party. Ravariel, Maelyn and Anders ran back to the inn and joined the fight shortly thereafter.
What was emptiness began to reflect this new duality. And as the void split into light and dark, so too the god was split - no longer a single primal god, but instead two gods of good and evil. Each claimed its half of the now sundered void: the Astral Sea, and the Abyss.
But this was not the end of their transformation. Good is not a singular concept, nor a final state. As the new-formed god of light considered the notion of goodness, and the nature of its own existence, more complex notions formed in its mind. Valor, honesty, loyalty, charity, kindness, trust, love. Each became its own virtue, and in the discovery of each, the god broke further into fragments, each fragment becoming a deity in its own right, each claiming a portion of the Astral Sea as its domain. Avandra, Ioun, Erathis, and more, and above them all, the dragon god Bahamut.
The Astral Sea was not the only place that saw these changes. Just as the singular god of good split into various aspects of its own nobility, so too did the god of evil fracture into the various aspects of its own malevolence. Jealousy, deception, greed, tyranny, vengeance, madness: from each a dark god grew. Tiamat, Torog, Bane...and in the darkest depths of the Abyss rose Tharizdun. The gods of light and the gods of dark each claimed their own domains, and the planes were born.
But just as the nature of our existence is neither purely good, nor purely evil, the Astral Sea and the Abyss were not wholly separate. Their edges bled into each other, forming a realm bound neither to darkness nor light.
There, the material plane was formed. Each pantheon expanded into the unexplored material reality, claiming parts for their own, and filling these areas with new life. The portion of the material plane claimed by the Astral Sea became the Feywild, a place of unparalleled beauty and arcane majesty, an eternal paradise where magical creatures roamed an endless forest. The portion of the material world that fell to the Abyss became known as the Shadowfell, a world of endless twilight, where strange and twisted beasts held sway.
In time, the two pantheons claimed virtually all of the material plane. Only a single world remained. Each side tried to claim it as their own, growing increasingly hostile. Words became threats, and threats became calls to action. Throughout creation, the sides of light and darkness had held on to an uneasy truce, but it seemed that all out war amongst the gods was inevitable. But as each side prepared for conflict, Bahamut and Tharizdun met on the surface of this world, and there formed a plan for peace. The world would become the domain of neither light nor dark, join neither the Feywild nor Shadowfell. It would exist on its own, shaped by both pantheons in equal part. Each god laid their part, and filled the world with life in their image. Humans, dwarfs, elves, goblins, trolls, giants, creatures of light and of dark. The land too, was shaped by each - a world formed in equal parts good and evil: Denarim.
But the conflict between light and dark was only delayed, as the peace was doomed to one day fall.
The Well, the source of all creation, lay deep in the Astral Sea, far into Bahamut’s domain. Tharizdun eyed it greedily, for he knew that if he were to control it, he would have power over all creation, and could remake existence in accord with his own twisted desires. One day, without warning, abyssal creatures poured into the land of Denarim. Demons and horrors slaughtered the young races indiscriminately. The gods of the Astral Sea grew outraged at this betrayal, and journeyed to the surface themselves, to put an end to the Abyssal invasion that had threatened the delicate peace.
But the invasion itself was only a ruse. With the gods occupied on Denarim, Tharizdun struck at the heart of the Astral Sea. The lesser celestial beings left behind to guard the Well were swept aside. The fate of all creation nearly changed terribly and irrevocably. But the other Abyssal gods saw his treachery, and knew that if Tharizdun reached the Well, his rule over reality would be complete and unchallenged, and he would have no need for them. Turning against their master, they warned the other gods. Facing the combined might of all divinity, Tharizdun was defeated, mere moments before completing his final goal. Enraged at the betrayal, Bahamut chained Tharizdun’s massive frame to Denarim’s second moon, and cast it deep into the darkest pit of the Abyss. The dark gods returned to their home, to keep watch over the prison of their former master, for they knew that if he ever came free, his first act would be to exact vengeance upon them for their betrayal.
In one final act, the gods drew from the Well a great power, and from it built the Veil, a barrier separating the Abyss from the Astral Sea and Denarim. Tied directly to the Well itself, the stronger the assault against it, the stronger the Veil grows. The more powerful the creature that attempts to cross, the stronger the Veil fights back. So even if he shook off his shackles, not even Tharizdun would have the power to break himself free from the Abyss.
And so Denerim lives on.
Just south of the Wood, near the Karmath-Calbora border, a brief skirmish sparked into a heavier conflict, leading to an impromptu battlefield. Along the battlefield moved five particular individuals. The Wood Elf druid Ravariel (Poli), the Human warlock Samael (Choronzon), the Human blackguard Evelyn (TSM), and two rogues, the Half-Elf Marla (desperatemeasures) and the Halfling Anders (Sniffage). Each was in the area for their own purposes, and knew nothing of the others. An earthquake hit the area, causing the ground just above a network of caves to collapse. Each adventurer fell into the caverns below, and, searching for escape, found the others. They worked together to defeat a bandit camp that had made a hideout of the caves, then found themselves exiting into the Wood.
After vanquishing a few giant spiders, the party encountered a Wood Elf scouting group that threatened to have them executed for trespassing into the Wood. Ravariel convinced her Wood Elf kin that she was ensuring they did not linger, and the elves allowed the party to continue.
Following the path through the woods, the party eventually came to the edge of a small town. There, the guards grabbed Samael, saying that he was being arrested for espionage against the kingdom of Karmath. The remaining party, not wishing their new ally to be executed, launched a rescue mission. Convincing the local guard captain that Samael was in fact a double agent working for Karmath, they secured his release. But as they hurried to escape before their deception was revealed, a strange horror fell upon them. As the sun set, undead began assaulting the town. Zombies roamed the streets, setting upon villagers. The party fought through the undead-infested streets before finding town guards who informed them that the inn was being used as a makeshift shelter and triage area. Finding their way to the inn, the party came across a man who introduced himself as Arturo, a scholar from the nearby province of Tanerin.
Arturo told the party was deeply concerned about the undead attack. He implored the group to travel to Tanerin and warn the Queen of the undead arrival. When the party agreed to set out towards Tanerin, Arturo told them that they did not have time to make the journey the normal way, which could take weeks.
He explained that he was a scholar who had spent years studying the transit stones - ancient stone platforms set into the earth that had the capacity to transport anyone to any other transit stone in the world, instantly. The old Empire used these stones to keep order in a vast imperial territory, but they stopped working more than five hundred years ago, for reasons unknown. This was a major factor in the eventual collapse of the Empire, and the fractured state of the current world.
Arturo went on to tell the party that he believed he had found a way to activate the stones on a one-time basis, but that to do so he needed a particular catalyst. He told them that he had tracked the location of a suitable item to an abandoned fort nearby, but that he was assaulted by strange creatures on his way in. He implored the party to assist him in recovering the catalyst.
Agreeing, the party set out. In the fort they encountered more undead, along with strange autonomous constructs that roamed the halls, attacking aggressively. Deeper into the fort, they came across a human trapped in a cage, about to be set upon by undead. Once the undead were defeated, they released the human, who introduced himself as Tellig, a ranger (Walrus). Agreeing to aid the party as payment for his rescue, but revealing little of himself, Tellig joined the adventure. Fighting through the fort, the party came to a large copper door, guarded by several inactive construct sentries. On the other side of the door, the party encountered an undead figure, the risen body of the fort’s former occupant, a once powerful wizard and scholar. Although the undead was initially aggressive, Ravariel spoke to him, and connected with his last remaining shreds of humanity and sanity, and he willingly gave her what they came for. Evelyn, angered by what she saw as negotiating with an abomination, attacked. The undead wizard casually flung the entire party back out into the hallway and, realizing what he had become, activated the sentries outside, which set upon their former master, now seeing him as an undead threat.
Exiting the fort, the party agreed to remain together at least as long as it took to reach the closest transit stone, and set out towards it.
(note, at this point, the following interlude was not played out in game but written out, to advance the story, this covers the exit to the cave, until the end of the night
The seven exited the fort to find the sun setting on the horizon, and the horses tied a little ways away where they’d left them. Marla skipped ahead to pet her pony as the others followed behind.
“We seem to be a horse short,” said Arturo, looking over at Tellig.
The ranger cleared his throat. “Actually, that’s fine. I appreciate the rescue and all, but I think I should be going.”
“Not so fast.” Evelyn reached out, grabbing his arm. “I asked you a question, and you’re not going anywhere until I get an answer. What exactly were you doing consorting with undead?”
“Now, now, servant lady, calm down,” Anders poked an elbow into her thigh. “Just because you’re upset you didn’t get to kill that undead all by yourself back there, there’s no need to take it out on this poor fellow.”
“It’s all right,” Tellig looked at his rescuers. “I wasn’t doing any ‘consorting.’ The name’s Tellig. I’m from a little community very far from here. Well, I think so, anyway. I’m not exactly sure where ‘here’ is at this point. I was tracking some folks who stole something from me.”
Anders’ ears perked up at that. “Oh? Took something valuable, did they?”
“I think so. Maybe. Not sure. All I know is, I found something, looked like a piece of metal but carved in a way I didn’t recognize. Must have been sitting at the bottom of the lake for a century or two, but wasn’t rusted at all. Took it to some visiting dwarvish traders for information. They said it was nothing, garbage. I figured if they weren’t offering me anything for it, I’d keep it - it was kind of interesting to look at. Next night, I’m robbed, it’s gone.”
“Shouldn’t have trusted strangers,” Samael said, adjusting his horse’s stirrups. Tellig glared at him, then nodded.
“Yeah, my fault. My people aren’t exactly what you’d call comfortable. We make out what we can fishing and trapping by the shores of Lake Peranur, selling what we don’t need to the occasional passing trader headed to Tharn or Dwendareth, but we’re a long way from anything. Whatever that thing was, those thieves took it from us. If it was useful, we could have used it. If it was valuable, we could have sold it. And they took it, so I’m getting it back.”
Ravariel raised an eyebrow. “Lake Peranur? You have come far.”
“I tracked them halfway through Blackreach, but it got too dangerous to go alone. Hooked up with a group who promised to give me passage. Said they were merchants. Turned out they were slavers. I spent the last six months in that cage.”
“What would slavers want this far east?” wondered Arturo.
“I overheard them talking. They said something about Karmath preparing for a war against Calbora, buying up slave labor to be used as shock troops when the day comes. They were sending me to be sold in Karmath’s capital. Guess they thought I could swing a sword. Last night, they found that abandoned fort and made camp there.”
“So where were these supposed ‘slavers’ when we got there, then?” Evelyn asked suspiciously.
“They heard a noise in the night and went to investigate. Never saw them again. Next thing I know, that cage is being swarmed with undead. Maybe they got ambushed by those undead. Hell, maybe they were some of those undead. And I’d probably be one of them too now if you all didn’t show up when you did.”
“Yes!” exclaimed Anders. “You DO owe us, don’t you? Maybe a share of the proceeds from the sale of that thing of yours, when you find it...”
“Look, I’m grateful and all, but I think my help back there with the constructs and the ooze and the crazy talking skeleton was payment enough. Now, I gotta go. Last I heard, the folks I was tracking were headed towards the capital of Tanerin.”
Marla perked up. “Hey! Tangerine! That’s the place that the guy said we were going!”
Arturo chuckled. “Yes, the Silver City is where we’re going now.”
“Thanks,” said Tellig, “but I travel faster on my own”.
Arturo laughed again. “Not the way we’re traveling, you don’t. We’re heading to one of the old transit stones.”
“The what now?” Tellig scratched his head.
“You’ve heard of the Empire, right? The alliance of races that unified everything from the eastern shores all the way to the World Edge Mountains? The main reason they kept it all together for so long were the transit stones. They’re instant teleportation devices. Doesn’t matter how far apart, doesn’t matter if you could use magic or not.”
“You know,” Samael eyed Arturo, “you never told us how you know all this.”
“I’m a historian. I specialize in studying the final years of the Empire. I’ve spent more than a decade trying to unravel how the transit stones worked -”
“Only a decade, hmm?” Ravariel muttered, glancing sidelong at Arturo. He coughed and continued somewhat more quickly.
“Yes, only a decade, I know that’s not much for your kind, but it’s a fair bit of time for mine! Anyway, I think I figured a good deal of it out. They’re not all entirely dead. If I can tap into some of the residual magic, I can get one to work and send me right to the Silver City. That’s why I’m here - originally I was just trying to see if I could get the stones to work out of academic interest, you know. But when the undead started rising, I realized I needed to get to Tanerin immediately to get the message out. I tried to break into that fort myself to get the gem, but got chased off by the undead, headed to the nearest village to get some help, and - well, you know the rest. Now that we’ve got the gem, we can all head to Tanerin together.”
“Wait just a minute,” said Anders. “Why should we be going anywhere? You’re not my people, and this isn’t my problem.”
“Oh silence, you insufferable midget!” Evelyn snapped. “If the undead are rising, they must be stopped, and I will happily rally the guard!”
“Look,” Arturo said, “I’ll go warn them, Tellig can track down those that stole from him, and anyone else who wants to come can. But the transit stone is still a half a day from here, and it’s not exactly a safe trip with the undead around. I can at least use everyone’s help getting there in one piece. So who’s sticking around?”
“Might as well, headed there anyway,” nodded Tellig.
“To glorious battle against these foes!” Evelyn brandished her sword.
“I have business in Tanerin that could use my attention.” Samael said.
“What the hell, servant lady.” Anders leered up at Evelyn. “I’ll follow you anywhere. I like the view.” He waggled his eyebrows. Evelyn scoffed in disgust.
“Yay!” Marla clapped. “We’re all staying together!”
“Good, it’s settled.” Arturo said. “Tellig can ride with Anders. It’s not like he needs all the room.”
“Watch your shins, pal,” the halfling interjected.
Arturo continued. “We’ll make camp in a few hours, then head out in the morning. We should be there by noon tomorrow. Get your things ready, dress your wounds. We leave in ten minutes. Sound good?”
As the rest of the party gathered their things, Arturo approached Ravariel, who was glancing through the book she had taken from the undead scholar’s desk.
“So, speaking of what we came for, you can give it to me now,” Arturo smiled and held out his hand to Ravariel.
She gazed at him impassively. “Can I, indeed?”
His smile became a bit strained. “Yes, please.”
“Studied for a decade, hmm. Strange how you could learn where to find a stone that’s been locked away with its owner since before you were born, human.”
“Oh. Er. Noticed that, did you?”
She waited.
“Okay, look, yes, there is a bit I haven’t told you. Nothing bad. I have some magic I don’t like to talk about. I can...find things. Like that gem. It’s complicated.”
She kept waiting. He sighed.
“Be suspicious if you like, but those undead are real. Whether you trust me or not, Queen Yvanna ought to be warned. She has the best chance of mobilizing troops to protect people from whatever this is. This amount of undead all at once, something is wrong. If I don’t get there quickly, people will die. Trust me on that, at least.”
She looked him up and down. “Don’t like being tricked. Fine. Take it.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out the red stone. Arturo reached for it, but she pulled her hand back. “You should know, first. I don’t obey you. I’m helping them because they need it. You hurt them” - she nodded towards the rest of the group - “you won’t like what happens next.” Now she smiled, too - or at least she showed her teeth. She dropped the gem into his hand and walked away.
Arturo muttered to himself, “She’s going to be trouble.” He turned back towards the group. “Saddle up! Time to go!”
The crew rode out. A few hours passed in relative silence.
Suddenly, Marla piped up. “Why was the crazy skeleton talking?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” said Anders.
“Him.” She pointed at Tellig. “He said ‘constructs and ooze and crazy talking skeleton.’ Why was he talking? None of the others talked.”
“Actually,” said Samael, “I think I know the answer to that. Did you notice that big brass door? Had all sorts of symbols. It was a spirit trap.”
“What’s a spirit trap?” Anders asked.
“You’re a thief, right?”
“I resent that! I am a procurement specialist!”
“OK, fine, procurement specialist. Well, if someone has something they don’t want…procured, what do they do? They lock it up. Or hide it, right? Or if it’s something very valuable they hire someone to guard it. Or in Eshan’s case, he makes someone to guard it. He had constructs all over the place guarding what he considers valuable: his research.”
“So what does that have to do with his door?”
“Well, if what you’re trying to steal is knowledge, there’s other ways to find it than just walking in and taking it. Some people can astrally project, force their spirit out of their body. They can’t touch anything or manipulate their environment while projecting, but they can see and hear things far away from their body. Others can scry, doesn’t involve soul walking, but the principle’s pretty much the same. Then there’s those who can bind spirits and force them to perform tasks for them.”
“So, again, what’s this have to do with the door?” Anders asked.
“Look at the place. Eshan was paranoid. He filled the halls with constructed guards. It makes sense he’d guard against the spiritual as well as physical. Brass has certain properties against spirits - they have a hard time manifesting through it. You want to secure an area against spirits? Use brass. And with the right symbols etched in, it becomes completely impenetrable to spirits, projections, and scrying attempts. That’s what I saw on the door. I’m willing to bet that under the bricks that whole room was one giant enchanted brass box. Once you close the door, nothing spiritual gets in or out.”
“So,” Marla asked, puzzled, “he could talk because of brass?”
“You heard him - he laid down for a nap and never got up. He closed the door and died in there.”
“He trapped his own soul,” Ravariel murmured.
Samael nodded. “When someone dies, their soul leaves the body. If some force raises the body after, the soul is gone; it’s just an empty husk. No thoughts, no memories, nothing remains of who they were. But Eshan died inside a spirit trap. His soul couldn’t leave, so it remained tethered with the body. When the body rose, that tether remained.”
The group was silent for a few moments. “The door closed when we left,” Tellig said. “He’s still trapped.”
Samael chuckled. “I might have….scratched up one of the symbols on our way out. Destroy the symbol, break the enchantment.”
“He’s free now.” Ravariel nodded. “Good.”
“You seem to know quite a lot about the undead.” Evelyn glared at Samael.
“Of course I do. It’s my job.”
“Heretic!” Evelyn reached for the hilt of her sword.
“Oh, calm down.” Samael held up his hand. “I’m not a necromancer. I hunt them. If the Mage College in Tanerin learns someone is practicing necromancy, or demonology, or is consorting with dark spirits, they place a bounty on his head. I track him down, take his head, and collect.”
“Excellent!” Evelyn exclaimed. “We are on the same side, then! Suffer not the undead to live, or those who raise them!”
Behind her, Anders rolled his eyes.
“Don’t speak for me.” Samael spit. “You do this for the honor and glory of your god. I do it for gold. That’s why I’m out here. I was tracking a particularly nasty necromancer. Followed him all the way west into Calbora. But he got the jump on me. I barely made it out alive, and he escaped back into Karmath. I got hurt pretty bad, had to hole up for a bit. By the time I was healed enough to travel, Karmath had sealed the borders. Nobody was allowed in from Calbora.”
“How’d you get across, then?” Arturo asked.
“I have some connections with a resistance group. They smuggled me across. But they must have had a traitor in their ranks. We got jumped, and I was the only one who made it. Ran into the woods - and then I fell into a cave, and found you all.”
“You WERE the spy!” Marla exclaimed.
Samael laughed drily. “I’m not a spy. I don’t care about any war. I just got seen with spies, and that was enough. Thanks, by the way. I’d still be in that cell if you folks didn’t get me out.”
“Know the feeling,” Tellig nodded. “So do you think your necromancer is responsible for all this?”
Samael shook his head. “Don’t think so. It doesn’t work that way. The bodies of sentient beings house their souls. When the body dies, the soul escapes. The body can then be used as a vessel for other magic. Necromancers fill the vessel with dark magic under their control. They can animate the vessel like a puppet, make it do whatever they want, but it’s not fine control. And the more you raise, the harder it is to control them each individually. Most necromancers can only control one or two corpses at a time, maybe as many as a dozen if they’re particularly talented. But sometimes, if an area is highly saturated with dark magic, the dead can become animated on their own. They don’t have a controller, so they attack whatever comes close. I think this is what we’re looking at here. That, or someone much more powerful than I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s getting dark.” Arturo interjected. “Time to camp.”
********
Evelyn was polishing her sword, muttering prayers under her breath. Arturo and Samael were arguing about the proper application of dwarvish runes, an argument that grew louder as the wine skins grew lighter. Anders had said he needed some “alone time” in his tent while making suggestive gestures at Evelyn. The others succeeded in holding her back when she threatened to cut his “alone time” parts off, and he’d retreated to his tent without further comment. Marla had finished off an entire jug of wine, and was now alternately giggling to herself and singing a song about a wizard’s staff, the lyrics to which she didn’t quite seem to remember beyond “hehe, knob on the end,” all the while making strange gyrations with her hips. No one was paying much attention as Tellig slipped away from the group.
He found her outside the camp, crouched at the foot of an old oak.
“Don’t like the fire?”
“Too much chatter. I'm listening.”
“To what?”
Ravariel shrugged. “Trees. Ants. Wind.”
“Right. So, um, what do they say?”
She cocked her head and looked at him sharply. “Don't ask things you know already. You can hear it. Better than them at least.”
“Yeah. Listen. About that. You said something back there, back with the crazy undead guy? You said something’s gone wrong with the world?”
“Yes. You feel it too.”
“I...no…maybe. I don’t know. Look, sister, you’ve been here a lot longer than I have, and your kind’s a lot more in tune with this sort of thing than mine. I’m just playing in the dirt here. But back there, in the cage? I was sitting and waiting to die, and then it was like the whole world just went…”
“Sideways?”
“Yeah. And I don’t know what it is. There’s no one thing out of place, but something feels wrong. Something TASTES wrong. And it’s crawling up my spine, and I’m trying to shake it, but all I keep coming back to is-”
“Something is coming.”
“Yeah. And it’s going to be big. And it’s going to be ugly. And a lot of people are going to die.”
“So what will you do?”
“I don’t know. I have my own business to take care of in Tanerin. But in the meantime, if something is about to fall on all of our heads, I figure I’m safer with Captain Librarian leading around a total moron, a horny halfling, a fanatical lunatic, an elf who talks to trees, and…whatever the hell Samael is, than I am alone. So if it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to stick around.”
She snorted. “I already have to watch out for -” she mimics his voice - “a total moron, a horny halfling, a fanatical lunatic, and whatever the hell Samael is. One more won’t be too bad, if he's not too much of a fool.”
“Right. Sounds good. At least until we’re all dead.” He yawns.
“Get some sleep, Tellig.”
“Yeah. You too.”
“I don’t sleep.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“We seem to be a horse short,” said Arturo, looking over at Tellig.
The ranger cleared his throat. “Actually, that’s fine. I appreciate the rescue and all, but I think I should be going.”
“Not so fast.” Evelyn reached out, grabbing his arm. “I asked you a question, and you’re not going anywhere until I get an answer. What exactly were you doing consorting with undead?”
“Now, now, servant lady, calm down,” Anders poked an elbow into her thigh. “Just because you’re upset you didn’t get to kill that undead all by yourself back there, there’s no need to take it out on this poor fellow.”
“It’s all right,” Tellig looked at his rescuers. “I wasn’t doing any ‘consorting.’ The name’s Tellig. I’m from a little community very far from here. Well, I think so, anyway. I’m not exactly sure where ‘here’ is at this point. I was tracking some folks who stole something from me.”
Anders’ ears perked up at that. “Oh? Took something valuable, did they?”
“I think so. Maybe. Not sure. All I know is, I found something, looked like a piece of metal but carved in a way I didn’t recognize. Must have been sitting at the bottom of the lake for a century or two, but wasn’t rusted at all. Took it to some visiting dwarvish traders for information. They said it was nothing, garbage. I figured if they weren’t offering me anything for it, I’d keep it - it was kind of interesting to look at. Next night, I’m robbed, it’s gone.”
“Shouldn’t have trusted strangers,” Samael said, adjusting his horse’s stirrups. Tellig glared at him, then nodded.
“Yeah, my fault. My people aren’t exactly what you’d call comfortable. We make out what we can fishing and trapping by the shores of Lake Peranur, selling what we don’t need to the occasional passing trader headed to Tharn or Dwendareth, but we’re a long way from anything. Whatever that thing was, those thieves took it from us. If it was useful, we could have used it. If it was valuable, we could have sold it. And they took it, so I’m getting it back.”
Ravariel raised an eyebrow. “Lake Peranur? You have come far.”
“I tracked them halfway through Blackreach, but it got too dangerous to go alone. Hooked up with a group who promised to give me passage. Said they were merchants. Turned out they were slavers. I spent the last six months in that cage.”
“What would slavers want this far east?” wondered Arturo.
“I overheard them talking. They said something about Karmath preparing for a war against Calbora, buying up slave labor to be used as shock troops when the day comes. They were sending me to be sold in Karmath’s capital. Guess they thought I could swing a sword. Last night, they found that abandoned fort and made camp there.”
“So where were these supposed ‘slavers’ when we got there, then?” Evelyn asked suspiciously.
“They heard a noise in the night and went to investigate. Never saw them again. Next thing I know, that cage is being swarmed with undead. Maybe they got ambushed by those undead. Hell, maybe they were some of those undead. And I’d probably be one of them too now if you all didn’t show up when you did.”
“Yes!” exclaimed Anders. “You DO owe us, don’t you? Maybe a share of the proceeds from the sale of that thing of yours, when you find it...”
“Look, I’m grateful and all, but I think my help back there with the constructs and the ooze and the crazy talking skeleton was payment enough. Now, I gotta go. Last I heard, the folks I was tracking were headed towards the capital of Tanerin.”
Marla perked up. “Hey! Tangerine! That’s the place that the guy said we were going!”
Arturo chuckled. “Yes, the Silver City is where we’re going now.”
“Thanks,” said Tellig, “but I travel faster on my own”.
Arturo laughed again. “Not the way we’re traveling, you don’t. We’re heading to one of the old transit stones.”
“The what now?” Tellig scratched his head.
“You’ve heard of the Empire, right? The alliance of races that unified everything from the eastern shores all the way to the World Edge Mountains? The main reason they kept it all together for so long were the transit stones. They’re instant teleportation devices. Doesn’t matter how far apart, doesn’t matter if you could use magic or not.”
“You know,” Samael eyed Arturo, “you never told us how you know all this.”
“I’m a historian. I specialize in studying the final years of the Empire. I’ve spent more than a decade trying to unravel how the transit stones worked -”
“Only a decade, hmm?” Ravariel muttered, glancing sidelong at Arturo. He coughed and continued somewhat more quickly.
“Yes, only a decade, I know that’s not much for your kind, but it’s a fair bit of time for mine! Anyway, I think I figured a good deal of it out. They’re not all entirely dead. If I can tap into some of the residual magic, I can get one to work and send me right to the Silver City. That’s why I’m here - originally I was just trying to see if I could get the stones to work out of academic interest, you know. But when the undead started rising, I realized I needed to get to Tanerin immediately to get the message out. I tried to break into that fort myself to get the gem, but got chased off by the undead, headed to the nearest village to get some help, and - well, you know the rest. Now that we’ve got the gem, we can all head to Tanerin together.”
“Wait just a minute,” said Anders. “Why should we be going anywhere? You’re not my people, and this isn’t my problem.”
“Oh silence, you insufferable midget!” Evelyn snapped. “If the undead are rising, they must be stopped, and I will happily rally the guard!”
“Look,” Arturo said, “I’ll go warn them, Tellig can track down those that stole from him, and anyone else who wants to come can. But the transit stone is still a half a day from here, and it’s not exactly a safe trip with the undead around. I can at least use everyone’s help getting there in one piece. So who’s sticking around?”
“Might as well, headed there anyway,” nodded Tellig.
“To glorious battle against these foes!” Evelyn brandished her sword.
“I have business in Tanerin that could use my attention.” Samael said.
“What the hell, servant lady.” Anders leered up at Evelyn. “I’ll follow you anywhere. I like the view.” He waggled his eyebrows. Evelyn scoffed in disgust.
“Yay!” Marla clapped. “We’re all staying together!”
“Good, it’s settled.” Arturo said. “Tellig can ride with Anders. It’s not like he needs all the room.”
“Watch your shins, pal,” the halfling interjected.
Arturo continued. “We’ll make camp in a few hours, then head out in the morning. We should be there by noon tomorrow. Get your things ready, dress your wounds. We leave in ten minutes. Sound good?”
As the rest of the party gathered their things, Arturo approached Ravariel, who was glancing through the book she had taken from the undead scholar’s desk.
“So, speaking of what we came for, you can give it to me now,” Arturo smiled and held out his hand to Ravariel.
She gazed at him impassively. “Can I, indeed?”
His smile became a bit strained. “Yes, please.”
“Studied for a decade, hmm. Strange how you could learn where to find a stone that’s been locked away with its owner since before you were born, human.”
“Oh. Er. Noticed that, did you?”
She waited.
“Okay, look, yes, there is a bit I haven’t told you. Nothing bad. I have some magic I don’t like to talk about. I can...find things. Like that gem. It’s complicated.”
She kept waiting. He sighed.
“Be suspicious if you like, but those undead are real. Whether you trust me or not, Queen Yvanna ought to be warned. She has the best chance of mobilizing troops to protect people from whatever this is. This amount of undead all at once, something is wrong. If I don’t get there quickly, people will die. Trust me on that, at least.”
She looked him up and down. “Don’t like being tricked. Fine. Take it.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out the red stone. Arturo reached for it, but she pulled her hand back. “You should know, first. I don’t obey you. I’m helping them because they need it. You hurt them” - she nodded towards the rest of the group - “you won’t like what happens next.” Now she smiled, too - or at least she showed her teeth. She dropped the gem into his hand and walked away.
Arturo muttered to himself, “She’s going to be trouble.” He turned back towards the group. “Saddle up! Time to go!”
The crew rode out. A few hours passed in relative silence.
Suddenly, Marla piped up. “Why was the crazy skeleton talking?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” said Anders.
“Him.” She pointed at Tellig. “He said ‘constructs and ooze and crazy talking skeleton.’ Why was he talking? None of the others talked.”
“Actually,” said Samael, “I think I know the answer to that. Did you notice that big brass door? Had all sorts of symbols. It was a spirit trap.”
“What’s a spirit trap?” Anders asked.
“You’re a thief, right?”
“I resent that! I am a procurement specialist!”
“OK, fine, procurement specialist. Well, if someone has something they don’t want…procured, what do they do? They lock it up. Or hide it, right? Or if it’s something very valuable they hire someone to guard it. Or in Eshan’s case, he makes someone to guard it. He had constructs all over the place guarding what he considers valuable: his research.”
“So what does that have to do with his door?”
“Well, if what you’re trying to steal is knowledge, there’s other ways to find it than just walking in and taking it. Some people can astrally project, force their spirit out of their body. They can’t touch anything or manipulate their environment while projecting, but they can see and hear things far away from their body. Others can scry, doesn’t involve soul walking, but the principle’s pretty much the same. Then there’s those who can bind spirits and force them to perform tasks for them.”
“So, again, what’s this have to do with the door?” Anders asked.
“Look at the place. Eshan was paranoid. He filled the halls with constructed guards. It makes sense he’d guard against the spiritual as well as physical. Brass has certain properties against spirits - they have a hard time manifesting through it. You want to secure an area against spirits? Use brass. And with the right symbols etched in, it becomes completely impenetrable to spirits, projections, and scrying attempts. That’s what I saw on the door. I’m willing to bet that under the bricks that whole room was one giant enchanted brass box. Once you close the door, nothing spiritual gets in or out.”
“So,” Marla asked, puzzled, “he could talk because of brass?”
“You heard him - he laid down for a nap and never got up. He closed the door and died in there.”
“He trapped his own soul,” Ravariel murmured.
Samael nodded. “When someone dies, their soul leaves the body. If some force raises the body after, the soul is gone; it’s just an empty husk. No thoughts, no memories, nothing remains of who they were. But Eshan died inside a spirit trap. His soul couldn’t leave, so it remained tethered with the body. When the body rose, that tether remained.”
The group was silent for a few moments. “The door closed when we left,” Tellig said. “He’s still trapped.”
Samael chuckled. “I might have….scratched up one of the symbols on our way out. Destroy the symbol, break the enchantment.”
“He’s free now.” Ravariel nodded. “Good.”
“You seem to know quite a lot about the undead.” Evelyn glared at Samael.
“Of course I do. It’s my job.”
“Heretic!” Evelyn reached for the hilt of her sword.
“Oh, calm down.” Samael held up his hand. “I’m not a necromancer. I hunt them. If the Mage College in Tanerin learns someone is practicing necromancy, or demonology, or is consorting with dark spirits, they place a bounty on his head. I track him down, take his head, and collect.”
“Excellent!” Evelyn exclaimed. “We are on the same side, then! Suffer not the undead to live, or those who raise them!”
Behind her, Anders rolled his eyes.
“Don’t speak for me.” Samael spit. “You do this for the honor and glory of your god. I do it for gold. That’s why I’m out here. I was tracking a particularly nasty necromancer. Followed him all the way west into Calbora. But he got the jump on me. I barely made it out alive, and he escaped back into Karmath. I got hurt pretty bad, had to hole up for a bit. By the time I was healed enough to travel, Karmath had sealed the borders. Nobody was allowed in from Calbora.”
“How’d you get across, then?” Arturo asked.
“I have some connections with a resistance group. They smuggled me across. But they must have had a traitor in their ranks. We got jumped, and I was the only one who made it. Ran into the woods - and then I fell into a cave, and found you all.”
“You WERE the spy!” Marla exclaimed.
Samael laughed drily. “I’m not a spy. I don’t care about any war. I just got seen with spies, and that was enough. Thanks, by the way. I’d still be in that cell if you folks didn’t get me out.”
“Know the feeling,” Tellig nodded. “So do you think your necromancer is responsible for all this?”
Samael shook his head. “Don’t think so. It doesn’t work that way. The bodies of sentient beings house their souls. When the body dies, the soul escapes. The body can then be used as a vessel for other magic. Necromancers fill the vessel with dark magic under their control. They can animate the vessel like a puppet, make it do whatever they want, but it’s not fine control. And the more you raise, the harder it is to control them each individually. Most necromancers can only control one or two corpses at a time, maybe as many as a dozen if they’re particularly talented. But sometimes, if an area is highly saturated with dark magic, the dead can become animated on their own. They don’t have a controller, so they attack whatever comes close. I think this is what we’re looking at here. That, or someone much more powerful than I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s getting dark.” Arturo interjected. “Time to camp.”
********
Evelyn was polishing her sword, muttering prayers under her breath. Arturo and Samael were arguing about the proper application of dwarvish runes, an argument that grew louder as the wine skins grew lighter. Anders had said he needed some “alone time” in his tent while making suggestive gestures at Evelyn. The others succeeded in holding her back when she threatened to cut his “alone time” parts off, and he’d retreated to his tent without further comment. Marla had finished off an entire jug of wine, and was now alternately giggling to herself and singing a song about a wizard’s staff, the lyrics to which she didn’t quite seem to remember beyond “hehe, knob on the end,” all the while making strange gyrations with her hips. No one was paying much attention as Tellig slipped away from the group.
He found her outside the camp, crouched at the foot of an old oak.
“Don’t like the fire?”
“Too much chatter. I'm listening.”
“To what?”
Ravariel shrugged. “Trees. Ants. Wind.”
“Right. So, um, what do they say?”
She cocked her head and looked at him sharply. “Don't ask things you know already. You can hear it. Better than them at least.”
“Yeah. Listen. About that. You said something back there, back with the crazy undead guy? You said something’s gone wrong with the world?”
“Yes. You feel it too.”
“I...no…maybe. I don’t know. Look, sister, you’ve been here a lot longer than I have, and your kind’s a lot more in tune with this sort of thing than mine. I’m just playing in the dirt here. But back there, in the cage? I was sitting and waiting to die, and then it was like the whole world just went…”
“Sideways?”
“Yeah. And I don’t know what it is. There’s no one thing out of place, but something feels wrong. Something TASTES wrong. And it’s crawling up my spine, and I’m trying to shake it, but all I keep coming back to is-”
“Something is coming.”
“Yeah. And it’s going to be big. And it’s going to be ugly. And a lot of people are going to die.”
“So what will you do?”
“I don’t know. I have my own business to take care of in Tanerin. But in the meantime, if something is about to fall on all of our heads, I figure I’m safer with Captain Librarian leading around a total moron, a horny halfling, a fanatical lunatic, an elf who talks to trees, and…whatever the hell Samael is, than I am alone. So if it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to stick around.”
She snorted. “I already have to watch out for -” she mimics his voice - “a total moron, a horny halfling, a fanatical lunatic, and whatever the hell Samael is. One more won’t be too bad, if he's not too much of a fool.”
“Right. Sounds good. At least until we’re all dead.” He yawns.
“Get some sleep, Tellig.”
“Yeah. You too.”
“I don’t sleep.”
“Of course you don’t.”
Upon arriving at the transit stone, Arturo went to work, but as he did so, the area was set upon by more undead. As the group fought them off, Arturo explained that whoever activated the stone with the catalyst had to remain behind, to ensure it worked properly, and he was the only one who knew how. Imploring the group to warn the Queen, Arturo activated the stone with the party standing on it, leaving himself alone as the undead closed in.
The party arrived instantly outside Tanerin’s capital, the Silver City. Agreeing to find a place to regroup and plan their next step, the party entered the city to be greeted by a dwarf, who introduced himself as Edric (Edlichbury), an invoker of the dwarven god Moradin. Edric stated that he had prayed to Moradin for guidance, and had seen a vision of the party. Believing he should find them and aid them in whatever they needed, Edric had set out to the portion of the city he had seen in his vision, and encountered the party. They shared with him the situation, and he invited them to join him in an inn he knew well.
At the inn, the party began to discuss how to warn the Queen, realizing they could not just walk into the palace uninvited. As they talked, a crazed High Elf Immarel (Wikkiwallana) entered the inn, and began yelling about upcoming doom. The party questioned him about these rantings and the elf shared a vision of an ancient apocalyptic force he believed was coming, raising concerns among the party that these visions might be related to the undead threat they were seeing.
Overhearing the party, a strange cloaked figure approached and informed them that he had a cousin in the palace guard and that he could have them added to the next day’s audience list with the Queen - in return for a future favor. Although hesitant to trust the shadowy stranger, the party reluctantly agreed, unsure of the wisdom of the deal they were making. At this point, Marla, having consumed a fair quantity of ale, wandered off into the street, saying something about wanting to "twerk" on the roof of the palace, Ravariel left to spend the night in the woods outside the city, and Edric and Evelyn, having found they got along rather well, went upstairs to share a room for the night.
The next morning, with Marla nowhere to be seen, the remaining party set out to the palace, found the guard in question, and were let in to see the Queen - with the exception of Evelyn, who stubbornly refused to surrender her weapons before entering, and thus remained outside. After the party shared what they had seen so far, the Queen agreed to investigate, and asked them to speak to her adviser Merivon, chancellor of the Mage’s college. He escorted the party to the college to talk to them further. As they passed through the city, Merivon showed them the plaza in the center of the city, and the grand monument in its center known as the Tomb of the Five Princes, commemorating the foundation of the Empire. In this monument stood statues in memory of the great leaders of the human, dwarven, and elven races who united their peoples in peace. Ravariel seemed especially interested in the statue of the elven prince, Tirindil, who brought the wood elves into the empire, and Merivon noted a resemblance between her face and that of the statue. She also plucked a single golden leaf from the large tree that grows in the plaza as part of the memorial.
As they walked onward, Tellig asked Merivon if he knew anything about any dwarves who may have come through trying to sell what they stole from him. Merivon said that they did pass through, but the college had no interest in the item in question, not knowing what it was. Tellig further asked if he knew where the dwarves went when they left; Merivon informed him that he did not.
Once at the college, Merivon temporarily leaves the party in the courtyard. While there, they overheard a brief argument between two students, one of whom wanted to practice a new spell he found, while the other advised against it. Undeterred, the first student began reading from a spellbook. Samael, having recognized the incantation as a demonic summoning spell, attempted to intervene, but was too late. A pack of small demons manifested in the courtyard, killing the first student and setting upon the other. The party defeated the demons just as Merivon returned
Ushering them to his office, Merivon worriedly explained that demonic summoning shouldn’t be possible, as the college is warded, and that someone must have tampered with the wards. The party asked if this could be related to the undead threat, and Merivon said he thought it could. As they were asking who could be responsible, the party was interrupted by the entry of the same cloaked figure from the bar the previous night.
He revealed himself to be Raundol, a High Elf and the city’s spymaster in chief. He had been following the party since they arrived in the city on what were believed to be the long dead transit stones. He told the party that he had been gathering information on a cult that was last known to have been active in the final days of the empire, many centuries earlier, but recently had seemed to reappear. Raundol stated that he believed that the undead approaching, the tampering of the wards, and the emergence of a centuries old cult were all somehow related.
The party asked what the relationship was, and Raundol said he was not sure. He explained that he had recently sent a group of soldiers to investigate a cave just a short distance outside the city walls that he believed was one place the cult was hiding, but they had not reported in, and were thought to be dead or captured. Raundol reminded the party of the favor they promised, and asked them to investigate, telling them they will be rewarded if they bring back information.
The party agreed, except for Tellig, who said he did not believe this to be his concern, and preferred instead to concentrate on tracking down the dwarves who robbed him. Raundol claimed to have information about Tellig's stolen item, and offered to share it if Tellig stayed and assisted him; Tellig reluctantly agreed. As the party departed, Merivon pulled Samael aside, telling him that the college needed him to pursue his original mission and resume tracking the necromancer he had been hunting when the party first met. Samael assented, and bade the party farewell.
The remaining group of Ravariel, Immarel, Edric, Anders, Evelyn, and Tellig set off to the cave. Inside, they found a critically injured guard, a member of the original reconnaissance party. Ravariel healed the guard, and saved his life. As she tended his wounds, they were set upon by ghouls and a cave ooze, but the party fought them off with the injured guard's help. The guard introduced himself as Bob, and begged the party to help him back to his home, where he could recover, before they continued further. Leaving the cave, the party were set upon by bandits; the ensuing fight was noisy enough to draw some of the cultists out of the cave as well, leading to a three way fight between cultists, bandits, and the party.
Emerging victorious, the party escorted Bob to his nearby cabin. Surprisingly, Raundol appeared, and questioned the party as to why they seemingly had abandoned their mission, reiterating the importance of what he asked them to do. The party agreed to return in the morning, but Immarel, feeling that he is more of use preaching his messages of doom to others, took his leave and headed back towards the city.
The party settled down for the night, but Evelyn, discouraged by the slowness of their progress, and not trusting the remaining party, decided to go out to confront the cultists alone. On her way out, she encountered Raundol, who warned her that she was likely going to her death, but she ignored his warning.
She entered the cave, and was quickly attacked by cultists, many of whom she dispatched. But she was eventually trapped in a dead end by a necromancer, who subdued her with waves of undead and rendered her unconscious. She awakened in a cage, only to hear the cult leader in front of her saying she will be sacrificed. She was told that a figure called the "Destroyer" will return, and with that return, the ancient god of evil, Tharizdun, will be freed from his imprisonment deep within the abyss, and turn the world into eternal darkness.
Evelyn asked if she was to be sacrificed to free Tharizdun, and the cult leader laughed and told Evelyn that she was far too insignificant for that, and her sacrifice would merely help the cult to summon a "distraction" that would sow discord in the Silver City.
Meanwhile, the remaining party, by now consisting only of Ravariel, Tellig, Anders and Edric, awoke to find Evelyn missing. The returned to the cave, and found that it was far deeper than it initially appeared, with many rooms carved out of the rock. Within, they battled many cultists, undead, and enthralled kobolds, and found articles of clothing and other goods that did not appear to belong to the cult members, raising fears as to what may have happened to their rightful owners. Ravariel also picked up several mysterious books, papers, and potions.
Anders crept ahead and informed the party that he had seen several cultists gathered around a strange circle on the ground, apparently involved in some sort of ritual. The party, not wanting to confront so many cultists at once, made use of Ravariel’s powers to camouflage themselves, and slipped past unnoticed.
They came to a room with several statues lining a shallow pool. Realizing that one of the papers they had taken earlier contained instructions on how to activate a hidden portal, they succeeded in doing so, creating a magical doorway in the water, but the statues activated, transforming into flame demons. The party defeated them and jumped through the portal.
Finding themselves in another, larger room, they saw the cult leader standing before a great altar and two cages, containing a small child and their lost party member, Evelyn. They attacked the cult leader, who used magic to take the form of a small dragon. During the fight, Ravariel also changed shape, becoming a large wild cat, but unlike the cult leader, she seemed to do this effortlessly, without magic or ritual. This shocked the remaining party, especially Edric, as they had never seen nor heard of such transformations before. As Anders fatally stabbed the cult leader, she transformed back into her human form, and seemed to whisper of some kind of "alignment" just before expiring.
Ravariel returned to her Elven form and pulled the unconscious Evelyn from her cage, while Tellig rescued the young girl. Tellig and Ravariel tried to talk to her, but quickly determined that she spoke a language none of the party knows. From her clothes, Ravariel guessed the girl to be one of the hill-folk of Tyr, and managed to learn that her name is Sera. Carrying the girl and Evelyn, the party exited through the portal, and retraced their steps to leave the cave. As they contemplated what to do next, guards arrived from the city and told the party they were sent to check on them. They offered the party a quick return to the city. Some in the party tried to question Ravariel regarding her transformation, but she rebuffed their questions.
The party returned to the college and found healers to tend to Evelyn's wounds. While they awaited Raundol, Anders revealed that he had taken the sacrificial dagger from the cult leader, and asked Ravariel to inspect it to see what she could determine about it. Ravariel did so, and returned it, gingerly, She told him that the dagger was enchanted, but with bad magic, blood magic, and that it was dangerous, not something to be used lightly, or at all. The party debated what should be done with such a thing; while they argued, Anders wrapped it in cloth and stowed it away in his pack.
When Raundol and Merivon appeared, the party shared what they had learned, as Evelyn slid in and out of consciousness. Raundol thanked the party, and compensates them for their efforts, while stating that he is concerned about the potential for continued threats. Anders handed Raundol the bundle from his pack and asked him to have it melted down and to have the resulting slag buried somewhere no one would be likely to find it. Raundol agreed, and summoned a guard to have the task done. Raundol then asked them to leave so that he might speak to Evelyn alone for a moment, and rejoined them in the hall afterwards, where he explained that Evelyn was only semi-conscious and babbling, but had managed to recount what the cult leader told her.
The party questioned whether freeing Tharizdun was even possible. Merivon stated that he did not believe so, and the Veil between Denarim and the Abyss would be far too strong. He explained that the more powerful the entity trying to cross the Veil, the more power it would take for it to successfully breach it, and that while it is possible to generate enough magical energy to summon lesser creatures across the Veil, to summon into the world a creature as powerful as Tharizdun would require vastly more power than anyone is capable of wielding. As for what the cult leader meant by "destroyer" or "alignment," neither Raundol nor Merivon claimed to know.
Tellig, concerned for the young girl’s safety, asked Raundol what should be done with her. Raundol summoned an elderly man who spoke Old Tyrian, who spoke to Sera and found out that she was kidnapped when her family's small trading caravan was attacked by the cultists. The translator quietly told that group that from what the girl described, her parents were almost certainly dead, but that she mentioned extended family of some sort back home.
Sad and alone, Sera clung to Tellig, who informed Raundol that she needed to be returned to her people. Raundol told them that he will find out if any caravans are leaving for Tyr within the next few days, and in the meantime, that the girl would be given to the guards for protection. Seeing how the girl had attached herself to him, Tellig instead volunteered to protect her until then. Raundol agreed to this, and Sera seemed content to remain with Tellig.
Tellig then pressed Raundol for the information he was promised regarding the dwarves and his stolen artifact. Raundol revealed that only after the dwarves left did anyone in the city realize what they might have had. As he explained, deep within the mountains of Caelor, far to the west, there was an vast, ancient forge system. Though almost certainly dwarvish, the greatest of the forges were so old that not even the dwarves themselves remembered quite what they were for or how they worked. Ancient runic machines still filled long abandoned caverns, and immensely long shafts stretched deep below the surface, bringing up molten ore to heat them, and many speculated that there were greater forges still undiscovered. Raundol told Tellig that he believed that what he had fished out of Lake Peranur was a piece of that forge system, and that it was likely valuable for research, and worth a large reward if he were to bring it back to the Silver City. He further informed Tellig that the thieves likely traveled to the city of Viga, capital of the island province of Polimaria, and noted that for Tellig to follow them to Polimaria, he would likely have to travel through Tyr himself.
Having nothing further for them to do, Raundol bade the party goodnight, asking them to meet with him tomorrow, by which time he would have news for them regarding transport for the child.
The party parted ways, each spending the night in their own pursuits. (Note: the overviews below are spoilered, as they contain information the individuals players may not know, and the individual CHARACTERS certainly do not. I’m spoilering what happened over the next day so that if the players do not wish to metagame, and know things their characters should not, they can decline to read the spoilers below.)
Ravariel
Choosing not to spend the night within city walls, Ravariel headed to the wooded area outside. She climbed a tree and lay there, inspecting a carved wooden brooch she found in the cave, when she was approached by another elf. The elf told Ravariel that he is a gardener for the city, responsible for tending to the tree that grows in the Tomb of the Five Princes, from which she had earlier plucked a leaf. He told Ravariel that the tree only lets those it trusts take its leaves, and that she must have an affinity with it. However, the gardener revealed that he had recently found a few brown, withered leaves on the ground, which concerned him as the tree responds to the health of the world - if it is beginning to have leaves wither, he explained, this may indicate something very wrong is happening. He told Ravariel he had sought her out as a fellow druid, and one who had an affinity with the tree, to give her this warning, as she may understand.
At his request, they journeyed to his private garden in the city, which appears far larger inside then out. There the gardener revealed himself to be a wood elf named Vorimald, a name Ravariel recognized from her youth as Vorimald the Peacekeeper, who was said to have been almost single-handedly responsible for preventing a terrible war between Ware and Edinna many years ago. Ravariel asked Vorimald why he brought her there, and Vorimald explained that the great tree he tends occasionally drops acorns, which he plants around the Silver City to bring a little more of the beauty of the Wood to the land. One of these offshoot trees had unfortunately been struck by lightning and felled, but he had kept its wood, and he offered Ravariel a sturdy piece of the split trunk, telling her she can make a new staff out of it, as hers had been cracked in the last battle.
Recognizing the generosity of the gift and the fineness of the lightning-scarred wood, Ravariel accepted, but questioned why he would give a stranger such a thing. Vorimald told her that he was concerned for the future, for he feels sure that something dangerous is coming, and he believed she may play a part in stopping it. Ravariel brushed this aside, and said that she is of little importance to the world and had already done her part, and that she planned to return to the Wood. As she left, planning to return to the land outside the city and begin carving her new staff, Vorimald asked her to consider what may happen to the rest of the group, and to the world as a whole, if she is not there to protect them.
At his request, they journeyed to his private garden in the city, which appears far larger inside then out. There the gardener revealed himself to be a wood elf named Vorimald, a name Ravariel recognized from her youth as Vorimald the Peacekeeper, who was said to have been almost single-handedly responsible for preventing a terrible war between Ware and Edinna many years ago. Ravariel asked Vorimald why he brought her there, and Vorimald explained that the great tree he tends occasionally drops acorns, which he plants around the Silver City to bring a little more of the beauty of the Wood to the land. One of these offshoot trees had unfortunately been struck by lightning and felled, but he had kept its wood, and he offered Ravariel a sturdy piece of the split trunk, telling her she can make a new staff out of it, as hers had been cracked in the last battle.
Recognizing the generosity of the gift and the fineness of the lightning-scarred wood, Ravariel accepted, but questioned why he would give a stranger such a thing. Vorimald told her that he was concerned for the future, for he feels sure that something dangerous is coming, and he believed she may play a part in stopping it. Ravariel brushed this aside, and said that she is of little importance to the world and had already done her part, and that she planned to return to the Wood. As she left, planning to return to the land outside the city and begin carving her new staff, Vorimald asked her to consider what may happen to the rest of the group, and to the world as a whole, if she is not there to protect them.
Edric
As he was returning to the inn for an ale, Edric was approached by dwarven priests from the temple of Moradin, who asked him to accompany them back to the temple. Once there, Edric met with the temple's high priest and the diplomatic envoy to Tanerin from the dwarven kingdom. They tell Edric that they are aware that the transit stones were made to work once, and inform Edric that those stones were the key to holding the Empire together, hundreds of years ago, but now the secrets of creating and operating the stones has been lost to history.
The diplomat suggested to Edric that the party may have secrets to reactivate the stones, as they are the first and only ones to successfully use them since the Empire collapsed.
The dwarves then asked Edric to stay close to the party, integrate himself with them, and learn their secrets, for if the dwarves could figure out how to repair or replicate the transit stones before the other races did, then perhaps they could reform the Empire, but this time with the dwarven race as the dominant power in the Empire, rather than the humans of the past. Edric agreed to this, and also informed them that he finds Ravariel suspicious and that she seems to have the power to change forms somehow. He then returned to the inn and slept the rest of the night.
The diplomat suggested to Edric that the party may have secrets to reactivate the stones, as they are the first and only ones to successfully use them since the Empire collapsed.
The dwarves then asked Edric to stay close to the party, integrate himself with them, and learn their secrets, for if the dwarves could figure out how to repair or replicate the transit stones before the other races did, then perhaps they could reform the Empire, but this time with the dwarven race as the dominant power in the Empire, rather than the humans of the past. Edric agreed to this, and also informed them that he finds Ravariel suspicious and that she seems to have the power to change forms somehow. He then returned to the inn and slept the rest of the night.
Tellig
Tellig spent the night watching over Sera, and managed to sleep more or less uneventfully. He was awoken early in the morning by some city guards, who tell him, through the door, that they have been ordered to escort him to the barracks. Tellig agreed only because they brought the translator to watch over the girl while he is away. The ranger was taken to meet a woman named Ashe, the captain of an elite group of archers who function as both support and ranged assassination for the Silver City. She told Tellig that she had been authorized to give him better equipment to aid him in his quest to recover the artifact, as the city has an interest in seeing it recovered, in exchange for his promise to return there with it when he recovers it. He agreed, and she asked him to consider working for her when he returned, as they always have need for good archers. Tellig told her that once he finds the dwarves and gets his revenge, he is going home.
Evelyn
Evelyn returned to the temple to pray for guidance, feeling lost, wondering if her god had abandoned her, and questioning why the Raven Queen would send this group of fools to her rescue. Raundol appeared, and informed Evelyn that he still had work for her to do. He told her that he, like she, was a pragmatist, willing to do what is necessary, rather than what is good. He stated that he still had important work for the party to do in Tyr, and he imagined that Tellig, Edric, and Anders would go, but doubted Ravariel would join them. Raundol also told her that in order to survive the journey, and the coming work, they would need someone like Evelyn, a pragmatist willing to do whatever it takes in order to succeed. He asked her to stay with them and act as their center, keeping them on task, as well as their bodyguard, and his eyes and ears within the group. Despite her distaste for the group, Evelyn recognized Raundol as a kindred spirit and a leader she would willingly follow, and she readily agreed.
He thanked her, but also warned her that her zealotry could cloud her judgment. He cautioned against acting rashly, and told her to think with a clear head in the future. Raundol then returned her sword, which had been found in the cultists' den, now with strange enchantments the cult leader had apparently added, allowing her to focus fear in her enemies. He told her that her armor had been lost, but he ordered a new, better set to be delivered to her room.
As he left her to her prayers, he made an offhand comment, repeating words she had thought to herself, but not said aloud - and letting her know that it was Ravariel, whom she despises, who rescued her from the cultists' cave. Realizing he had read her thoughts, Evelyn questioned how much of what he said was sincere, and how much was calculated to win her over. Regardless, she found herself with renewed faith in her god and renewed vigor to serve her new lord.
He thanked her, but also warned her that her zealotry could cloud her judgment. He cautioned against acting rashly, and told her to think with a clear head in the future. Raundol then returned her sword, which had been found in the cultists' den, now with strange enchantments the cult leader had apparently added, allowing her to focus fear in her enemies. He told her that her armor had been lost, but he ordered a new, better set to be delivered to her room.
As he left her to her prayers, he made an offhand comment, repeating words she had thought to herself, but not said aloud - and letting her know that it was Ravariel, whom she despises, who rescued her from the cultists' cave. Realizing he had read her thoughts, Evelyn questioned how much of what he said was sincere, and how much was calculated to win her over. Regardless, she found herself with renewed faith in her god and renewed vigor to serve her new lord.
Anders
After strolling away from the rest of the group, Anders heard cries for help coming from an alleyway. As he went to investigate, he was grabbed, blindfolded, and thrown on a hay cart. After zigzagging around the city for a while, the cart finally stopped, and he was dumped into a cellar where he met a woman claiming to be the head of the Silver City Thieves' Guild. She told him that she was concerned he may have been operating without her blessing, and that he must now do a task for her, or be killed. For this task, she wished Anders to procure an item locked away in a certain wealthy merchant's mansion. If he did so, he would be allowed to operate in the city with her blessing and protection - provided she received her cut of any work he did, of course. He agreed, and was given the address of the mansion, and was then blindfolded, moved around the city, and dumped again.
Incensed at the threat to his life, Anders sought out Raundol, waking him in the middle of the night. He asked what Raundol knew about the Thieves Guild and was told that he knew very little, as he had not yet been able to have them infiltrated. Anders shared what had happened, and Raundol asked him to go through with the task the guildmaster had set, so that he could have a man on the inside. Raundol promised him that he could ensure that the city guard would not go near the house, so that Anders would only have to contend with the merchant’s private security, and that he would not be arrested for the theft as long as no one was killed. Anders agreed and arranged a rendezvous with a member of the Thieves Guild outside the house.
Anders infiltrated the mansion, and, using a combination of stealth, sneak attacks, and some powerful narcotics given to him, managed to get to the basement, incapacitate the guards and dogs, find the object - a statue of a black bird - and escape, without killing man nor beast. He made it back to the inn, where the leader of the Thieves' Guild was waiting for him. She took the statue from him and rewarded him with a halfling-sized set of magical leather armor, saying that the last of her "little ones" who used it did not need it anymore, on account of him being caught and hanged. She thanked Anders, and promised him more work in the future.
Incensed at the threat to his life, Anders sought out Raundol, waking him in the middle of the night. He asked what Raundol knew about the Thieves Guild and was told that he knew very little, as he had not yet been able to have them infiltrated. Anders shared what had happened, and Raundol asked him to go through with the task the guildmaster had set, so that he could have a man on the inside. Raundol promised him that he could ensure that the city guard would not go near the house, so that Anders would only have to contend with the merchant’s private security, and that he would not be arrested for the theft as long as no one was killed. Anders agreed and arranged a rendezvous with a member of the Thieves Guild outside the house.
Anders infiltrated the mansion, and, using a combination of stealth, sneak attacks, and some powerful narcotics given to him, managed to get to the basement, incapacitate the guards and dogs, find the object - a statue of a black bird - and escape, without killing man nor beast. He made it back to the inn, where the leader of the Thieves' Guild was waiting for him. She took the statue from him and rewarded him with a halfling-sized set of magical leather armor, saying that the last of her "little ones" who used it did not need it anymore, on account of him being caught and hanged. She thanked Anders, and promised him more work in the future.
The next day, Edric, Anders, Tellig and Ravariel met Raundol at the college. He informed them that there would be a trade caravan leaving for Tyr tomorrow, but that they were unwilling to be responsible for the well-being of a child, and would only take Sera if she had a guardian to accompany her. Edric, Tellig, and Anders promptly agreed to accompany the caravan, but Ravariel hesitated. Ravariel asked Tellig if he will keep the child safe, and he agreed, saying that Sera needs to have his help to get home because her place is with her own kind. Ravariel agreed, and said that her place is also with her own kind. As she turned to leave, some of the party heard her say something like, "...were there any" under her breath. She then departed, headed for the northwest gate and the road back to her home in the Wood.
Raundol told the remaining party members that he would go make the arrangements for them and the still-wounded Evelyn to travel with the caravan to Tyr. He left Edric, Tellig and Anders with the girl, and Sera happily went to play with a tame bunny in the courtyard, which Tellig helpfully if misguidedly offered to catch and skin if she were hungry. As they waited, a young mage came running in, looking terrified. Though he was babbling incoherently, he managed to communicate that he was scrying on the northwest gate to the city when he saw something terrible and bloody happen. He begged the party to go help, saying that he would run and find as many guards as he could, but people were dying in the meantime.
Edric left immediately, but Tellig refused, saying that he needed to watch the girl. The mage informed him that the bunny is not really a bunny, but a magical guardian, and will protect her, and begged him again to help. Tellig grudgingly agreed, and he and Anders run after Edric.
They traveled to the gate to see a large wave of undead attacking, with many dead, both guards and civilians, torn to pieces on the city road. The guards that remained alive were fighting them off, but they were badly outnumbered and clearly overwhelmed. The three of them quickly joined the battle, doing their best to support the city guards. As they were fighting, Ravariel arrived at the gate. Just then, a young half elf from a pack of civilians nearby (Ovi) let out a battle cry, yelled, "To glory!" and charged one of the undead on the battlefield. He was swiftly incapacitated and set upon by zombies.
Watching this scene, Ravariel became visibly pale and shaken, and was momentarily stunned, but came out of it and joined the fight when the others in the group got her attention. They collectively fought off the undead surrounding the half-elf, and Ravariel confirmed that he still lived and healed his more critical injuries. As she was doing so, some small, glowing object fell from one of her pockets onto the wounded half-elf's chest, and seemed to startle her badly before she put it away again.
Edric, too, charged into the fight too eagerly, and was incapacitated and set aflame by the attacks of blazing skeletons. Tellig was forced to fight his way through the fray to stand over the dwarf's body and serve as a human shield to protect him from otherwise-certain death as Ravariel stabilized and healed him. Anders, badly injured, found himself having to resort to flinging shuriken from a distance. After a fierce and draining battle in which many guards perished and all four of the party members present were badly injured, especially the three who got there first, the last of the undead wave was finally defeated. One of the few surviving guards offered his thanks to the party for all their assistance in repelling the undead, and went to fetch other guards with stretchers to carry out the wounded. The half-elf thanked Ravariel for saving him and introduced himself as Gannadir, a bard. Tellig suggested that they all go back to the inn together, and Ravariel, seeing her injured comrades, some of whom would surely have died without her help, agreed, though she looked longingly into the distance towards the Wood one last time. Gannadir cheerfully jumped up to join them as well, but Ravariel chastised him for trying to walk after being so critically injured, and he and the other badly wounded reluctantly consented to be carried into the city on the stretchers.
As the party lay recuperating in the local inn, they were approached by a few guards with orders to take them to the College. Those able to walk refused to go, unwilling to leave injured party members behind. The guards left, but quickly returned with Raundol, now again cloaked and hooded as he was the night they met him. He informed the party that they could either go with him willingly, or be arrested. At the party's request, he had stretchers summoned for those who could not walk, and the party grudgingly agreed to accompany him.
They traveled to Merivon's office, where Raundol revealed that the undead attack should not have been possible, as the city was warded against these sorts of threats. Raundol explained that although he did not think the party intentionally sabotaged the wards, he believed that their arrival so close to the undead attack could not have been a coincidence. Ravariel rebuffed him, pointing out that they went to the city to warn of an undead threat, and it was therefore not surprising that undead were attacking. Raundol responded that this didn't explain the wards failing.
Merivon interjected to point out that the party were the first group to use the transit stones in hundreds of years, and their use might have had unintended effects, including perhaps damage to the city's wards. The party noted that it was Arturo who sent them, and that he presumably perished in a wave of zombies, but nobody actually saw the attack. Ravariel and Evelyn both argued that Arturo had deceived them and was likely an enemy of the Silver City. Despite Merivon's protests that Arturo was not a necromancer, Raundol seemed convinced that Arturo planned the use of the stones to in some way weaken the wards, and attack the city.
Raundol further told the party that the city is closed off until the wards are repaired. After angry protests from the party, he decided that the caravan to Tyr would be permitted to leave, but that he would not spare any guards to accompany it. For the party to leave the city, they would have to agree to safeguard the caravan by themselves, without support from the guard.
The party agreed, and met the caravan at the gate. Upon arriving, they were joined by Gannadir, who explained that he was seeking adventure and thought the people who saved his life would be good folks to find it with, and Maelyn, a young mage who was traveling with the caravan to the city of Falloth for research. The caravan began its long journey and traveled through the day, arriving at an inn along the road known as the Traveler's Rest at nightfall. Upon arrival, Tellig found Sera a room and stood outside to keep watch over the caravan. Ravariel went off by herself to a nearby wooded area to rest in a tree, and was followed surreptitiously by Anders. When she saw him sneaking after her and surprised him, he tried to strike up a conversation and uncover her secrets, while she largely tried to get him to leave her alone. Evelyn got drunk and attempted to seduce Gannadir, who ran to Edric for help escaping her. As Evelyn changed into her "sexy cleric outfit" and Gannadir and Edric tried to fend off her inebriated advances, Anders was approached by Maelyn, who asked to speak with the party in the morning.
Suddenly, a loud scream came from the inn. Tellig, Evelyn, Gannadir and Edric quickly rushed to the main entrance and saw that the inn was being attacked by a goblin raider party. Ravariel, Maelyn and Anders ran back to the inn and joined the fight shortly thereafter.
Part 2
