Icrontic Detroit D&D: The Chronicle
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
in Gaming
A couple of people have asked for a chronicle of our upcoming D&D adventures from the local game that @Sazboom will be running at ICHQ once a month, so I'm going to make this thread for a continuing chronicle of our story.
The game will take place once a month here and we have started to get our character background stories written, so we'll begin with that. The first game night is this coming Friday.
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Here's the story of my character, Alawaka (sorry for the novella). Alawaka is a LN Water Genasi Paladin.
(And apparently I found Vanilla's comment size limit. I'll have to break this into three parts)
The Tale of Alawaka
Part I: The Gift From Above
As with many tales in the Forgotten Realms, stories wild and fantastical often mingle with the mundane and humdrum; but everyone knows that the truth can usually be found somewhere in between.
So it goes with this one. As it is told, a genie known as a "Marid" from the mythical Elemental Plane of Water found herself visiting Faerun. For reasons unknown, she took as a mate a simple sailor; a man who knew not what twist of fate had brought him to this bizarre union.
The Marid had her way with the Man and then disappeared. He wasn't sure it had even happened, and his shipmates began to whisper that he was cursed and that doom would befall him; that man should not consort with gods.
Some months later the ship was sailing the Sea of Fallen Stars; a standard trade run between the port of Procampur, avoiding the Pirate Isle, and on to Westgate.
The night was clear and starry and the sailor was on deck, admiring the night sky during his turn at the watch. The sea was calm and clear. Suddenly, with no warning, the water began to rise in a silent tendril. The ship remained steady but the tendril of water approached him directly. He was rooted with fear. The tendril carried an object and as it got closer he could see the object was in the shape of an infant.
The tendril slowly lowered the infant to the man and he instinctively held out his arms. The water bubble holding the child slid away, briefly touching the sailor's hands. The water tendril, despite the coldness of the Sea, was warm to the touch. As the water slid away, depositing the infant in the man's outstretched hands, the baby took a gulp of air and began squalling. The tendril rapidly receded and went back into the water with nary a sound.
The baby was blue. The sailor, a simple man from the Dragon Coast, had no idea what to do. He quickly clamped his hand over the baby's screaming mouth lest the Captain awaken. He was terrified.
Convinced that the baby was dying to lack of breath, he glanced around and noticed that no alarm had been raised, that nobody seemed to be aware of the events taking place on the deck. He wasn't sure if he wanted help or if anybody would believe what happened. He started to fear that he would be blamed for the inevitable death of this bizarre creature.
He panicked.
He tossed the infant overboard, heard a splash, and then blessed silence descended upon him. He was shaking with fear.
Moments later another sailor came around from the other side of the deckhouse.
"You hear something?"...
"N...no. Not a thing."
The Tale Of Alawaka
Part II: The Gift From Below
Life with the Merfolk was a good, simple life. There were animals to be raised and fed, crops to be harvested, and repairs to be made. The Sea was bountiful and Eeodar was kind to those who worshiped him.
The beauty of young children is that they are blind to vast differences; as long as a child can play with another one, a few simple questions put aside all differences with a shrug. When a child from the village encountered young Alawaka, he would inevitably glance at his bizarre tail: Two legs ending in slightly webbed human feet. He would ask, "Why is your tail like that?" and the answer would come: "I don't know. It just is..." and since he could swim and play and keep up with the other kids, that was the end of that.
When he was older he asked his parents, "Why don't I have fins and a tail? Why don't I look like you?" they knew in their hearts that the end was coming all too soon; the child that literally dropped into their lives from above would have to be told the truth.
The child grew. His parents explained to him that he was a human and what that meant. "But how can I be human? They're not blue. They can't breathe water!"
The honest truth was, they weren't quite sure themselves. Magic? Touched by the gods? They were simple seaweed farmers. Even the shaman wasn't sure. When the child arrived, the whole village prayed to Eeodar for an explanation, but none came.
"Alawaka, you are one of us. You were a gift from Eeodar. You came from above. We raised you. We love you."
Alawaka never felt like anything other than one of the Merfolk; until the day his parents decided he needed to see the world above and become a part of it.
Merfolk of the Sea of Fallen Stars had good relations with those in Procampur and often traded with them. So it came that Alawaka's parents decided to find a human mentor for their obviously human child. He needed to learn skills with arms, the Common tongue, and how to live in the human world because they knew he would be a part of it. At first, Alawaka was not excited but when he met the man who would teach him combat skills, language arts, and the human method of sailing, he became excited to learn.
Torvek became as a second father to young Alawaka. Within a year he was fluent in the Common tongue of the human cities and a fair hand with a blade. His strength was considerable, being that he spent his young days help his parents on his farm and, well, water is thicker than air. When he was "above", as he came to refer to it, he felt free and light as a feather. He could lift far more than other kids his age and what most considered heavy labor to him seemed a simple chore.
He occasionally visited his parents back home but started to feel roots in both worlds. His Uncle Torvek was a kind and fair figure in his life and he began to see his parents as the simple folk they were. He knew that the world above was much more cosmopolitan than the Sea and began to develop wanderlust; seeing all the difference races and creatures of the big city only served to fuel the fire.
Time passed and Alawaka became a young man. His visits home were fewer and further between.
Then, one evening, Torvek stormed into the small house they shared.
"Alawaka!" he shouted. "Where are you?"
Alawaka came out from his room. Seeing Torvek in such a state was very rare, as he was always a kind and even-tempered man.
"Uncle, what is it? What's got you in such a state?"
"Sit down, boy. Sit down and calm yourself. Breathe deeply for what I am about to tell you is going to be very difficult to hear."
Terrified at Torvek's ominous words, he sat. He breathed deeply.
"Boy, I heard a nasty rumor this evening in the tavern. Three mermen and a mermaid washed ashore. They had been dead for some time. The condition of their bodies was in a bad way. Some looked into it and discovered more bodies along the coast. Now, there's nothing saying what happened but I thought you should know that there's a lot of talk of Naga in the Sea and this is a bad portent. Merfolk bury their dead as we do. There's no reason but a foul one for a Merfolk to rise up and wash ashore."
Breathing heavily, and with a deep sense of dread in his heart, Alawaka's skin flushed dark blue.
"Uncle, you know..."
"Now pipe down, boy. I know what you're about to say and I'm telling you now that I'm not going to be the one to stop you. You're old enough and handy enough to protect yourself. I know what this means and I wanted you to hear it from me rather than on the streets. I told you because I'm prepared to let you go see what's about. Go check on your folks. Go see to their health. I know you'll get down there and find everything in order. I'm sure it has nothing to do with your home."
"Yes, Uncle. Thank you." He leaped from his chair.
He quickly gathered his possessions, threw on his travel clothes, grabbed his blade, and nearly ran out the door that very moment before stopping in front of Torvek again.
"Uncle. Thank you. For everything."
Torvek nodded with a grim face. They embraced and then Alawaka was out the door.
The Tale Of Alawaka
Part III: The Paladin
He didn't quite remember the journey down to his village. He imagined that he must have looked like a madman; a blue man running ragged through the streets and alleys of Procampur, reaching the docks, and diving off directly into the harbor.
Now, as Alawaka sat amidst the carnage of what was once his home, despair was close to overtaking him. He had no idea what to do, where to go, or who to blame for the chaos and madness that surrounded him.
Finding his childhood home destroyed was not the worst of it. Finding no trace of his parents was, in some ways, probably a blessing, but it left him with the kernel of unwanted and unwelcome hope. He was smart and worldly enough to know the truth but the fact that he didn't see his parents' bodies with his own eyes made him want to continue believing that they had somehow escaped where nobody else had.
He sat on a piece of stone, weeping. The corpses of his parents' farm animals set him off on a wave of gut-wrenching sadness, even as he become numb to the dozens of Merfolk bodies floating about. The carnage was thorough and complete, but seeing the innocent octopi, fish, and oysters of his parents farm destroyed was too much to bear. Why was this done? Why kill the animals?
He stared with dead eyes at the strings of kelp hung from the latticework of his garden when suddenly they parted and a face could be seen through the strands.
"A.... Alawaka...?"
Alawaka couldn't believe it. A survivor.
"Alawaka, I cannot believe my eyes. It is you, come from above again. Sure a sign from Eeodar as any there ever was. Oh... oh.... I..."
The elder broke down even as Alawaka leaped up to comfort him. He held the old man as he shook with grief. He had so many questions but couldn't bring himself to begin asking them.
"Grandfather Sadooin, please. I must know. My parents. What happened here?"
Sadooin, who was one of the Elders and one of the Eeodar priesthood, shook his head. Alawaka felt a new wave of despair wash over him.
"They're... They're all dead, my son. All of them. I survived by sheer luck and with the sure blessing of Eeodar. The Naga. The Naga. Why...?" and he broke down again.
The Naga.
Elder Sadooin suddenly straightened his body and all vestige of despair and grief fell away. He became ramrod straight and with terrifying strength gripped Alawaka's shoulders.
"You. You are chosen. It is the word of Eeodar. You are our spear. You are our blade. You will be our vengeance. You must do this! You must!"
"I... I must...."
Sadooin wouldn't let him speak.
"Listen to me, boy" he shrieked. Alawaka was terrified. It was as if Sadooin's body was possessed; his entire voice and demeanor changed. He could swear his eyes even changed color.
"Listen well and nary a word speak. You are my chosen. You will seek out those that did this. You will be the wrath of these good people. You will be the terror of these good people. You will be the tears of these good people. You will be every man, woman, and child in this good place and you will remind those that did this that today they made a grave mistake. They have defiled Eeodar's own and thus they have defiled me. You will find them and destroy them. You can walk amongst men and swim amongst those of the sea alike. Your path begins above. You will do this in my name, Eeodar. You, Alawaka, I name my Paladin. Vengeance is ours."
Shivering with uncontrollable fear, Alawaka stood and watched as Sadooin's grip loosened. The light in his eyes went out and he slumped. He began to float away. The elder was dead.
Next up we have @J 's character, Ox, who is a Dragonborn Fighter.
The Tale of Nydestorm Oxplossion
Nydestorm Oxplossion or, “Ox” as many people call him, is a Dragonborn decedent of the Blue Dragons. As his name implies he’s from the Northern Nydestorm Clan and born to a powerful Elder. The Nydestormians are proud group of Dragonborns who’s have trained some of the best fighters in the land and any mention of their army brings fear to potential foes.
Once when Ox was a child he let loose a mighty sneeze and out came a lightning bolt that hit several Oxen in the Nydestormian cattle fields. Exploded them into bits and mentally injuring the rest of the heard. The explosion of these beast gave Ox his name and since then things have been rough for the young Dragonborn.
As he grew, he was trained to be a fighter. He is a deadly with a sword as he is with a cross bow and was becoming a very skilled Nydestormian soldier. However, Ox never felt quite right with his clan. They were very conservative and anyone who went against the clans strict standards was quickly dealt with.
This was a source of anxiety for the young one. You see, he found himself with homosexual tendencies and as time went on hiding those tendencies was beginning to be very difficult. All this came to a head when he was caught with another male giving wing massages and painting each other’s claws. The clan chieftains where furious and sentences both Dragonborns to death. Ox’s father pleaded with council to spare his child. And as a sign of respect for the Elder, Ox was spared, but was forced into exile.
Living alone for the first time is rough for a Dragonborn. He long for a new clan to call his own and not be cast aside for being different. He lived in the western woods for a while before gaining the confidence to show his face is town. There he waits, looking for adventure, freedom and some friends to enjoy life with.
Now for @jhive 's character, Varlo Canta, a monk.
The Tale of Varlo Canta
Geraldt lifted the floppy hat from his head and shooed away the crowding sweat. Fate had taken much from him, but at least he had his hat.
He cringed as he heard the shouts erupt, dropping the empty beggar’s can that was the source of his scarce meals. Just another day in the roughs, he thought, watching the unkempt fella spring from the corner, quickly weaving his way through the market. A nearby guard observing the commotion moved in to intercept the shaggy man.
Scanning the market, the beggar shifted the hat on his head, cursing the lousy fool for scaring away his potential patrons. His attention snapped back to the spectacle when three rapid cracks shocked the air. Geraldt was rewarded with the spectacle of a flying guard with blood arcing from his nose. The man tucked a pair of dueling canes behind his back and slid into the nearby alley, ejecting an elderly man in his place. The pursuing mob filed into alley, parting around the ancient man who leaned on his cane, shaking his fist.
Varlo Canta shuffled his way towards one of the market stalls and feigned interest in the wares. He glanced back through the alley and smirked as his tails chased a ghost. He stretched out the muscles in his face, and straightened his posture. Tucking his dueling cane behind his back, he retrieved a rag and wiped the dust from his face. Back to my handsome old self, he thought, shrugging off the remainder of his disguise.
He turned away from the merchant's table and stopped. A beggar sat, staring at Varlo with his mouth hanging open in shock. Not every day you see a man get back forty years I bet, Varlo chuckled. Varlo walked over to the man. “Nice hat. trade you.” He said. “It’s my lucky hat, my favorite”, the beggar replied. Varlo reveled in the beggar's accent: a wonderful sample what the roughs have to offer. He took the hat from the man’s head, and dropped the golden trinket in the tin cup by the beggar’s feet. “It’s my lucky hat, my favorite”, Varlo said, perfectly replicating the characteristic accent, and sauntered off.
Nicole's gnome warlock, as-yet-unnamed. The little shit.
And played by @DaveMurr
The Tale of Toadstool
Meet Toadstool, a half-elf rogue thief with a talent for burglary and spying, Toadstool has lived the solitary life since he was orphaned at a young age. With no memory of his parents or where he came from, Toadstool has moved from city to city offering his thieving skills to the highest bidder. Not shy from lifting valuables whenever the opportunity presents itself, he has earned a minor reputation with various magistrates and city guards. Now labeled as a criminal, Toadstool is often in disguise to help conceal his true identity. Often seen wearing his favorite trinket, a cracked alabaster mask, Toadstool often speaks about losing something important to him, and how one day he will steal it back. His real name is rarely shared, and he responds only to the nickname that was given to him by the other children of the orphanage he grew up in. It is not clear if this name is s reflection of the musty mushroom like smell that travels with him, or the fact that he is rather short for a half-elf. Regardless, Toadstool will gladly make a friend before making a fight, and he looks forward to gathering enough coin to buy his way out of anything.
Game starts tonight!
Seven adventurers were called; each carried a mysterious gem. Each of them was told to bring it to a certain bar in the city of Dagger Falls
A warlock, a paladin, a warrior, a monk, a thief, a druid, and a bard; all strangers. All called to a bizarre tavern with no idea of what was to befall them.
It started in that tavern (doesn't it always) and before the night was over, these seven intrepid adventurers found themselves battling a massive undead Naga, countless skeletal warriors, and a troop of angry goblins while trying to protect a matronly elven priestess as she performed a ritual to her gods. As endless waves of enemies continued to hammer away at the unlikely team, death seemed inevitable. First one, then another, and the priestess herself all fell to the neverending onslaught.
Then, a miracle. Just when things seemed hopeless, the priestess' ritual completed and a mysterious sphere of light descended upon the group as they huddled to face their doom together. Suddenly, all were transformed into birds and a hasty escape was made.
Miracles indeed.
See you in a month for the next chapter!
Not readily apparent in these pictures was
Thanks to all that could join the game. It was an amazing time.
I'm as good at rolling IRL as I am in WoW. RNGs hate me.
Kethra's house in the woods
Elminster doesn't like you.
Elminster is kinda a dick. Ever since he lost his mojo and his goddess dumped him for another grey-hair, he's been hell to live with
Going to try to post all the summary/story parts of the game so far. It looks like we're missing stuff from the beginning
What Volo's Travel Guide says about the port city of Hlondeth
Known as the “City of Serpents”, "Home of the Yuan-ti" and the “Jewel of the Vilhon,” Hlondeth is one of the busiest port cities in the Reach. It accepts goods for transport into the lower half of Turmish and for caravans heading west into the Shining Plains. It is a very organized and efficient citystate. The architecture of the city sets Hlondeth apart from the other cities in the Reach. Its tall, graceful arches and coils of emerald-hued stone give the city a look unlike anywhere else. At night, its large stone buildings are illuminated by a combination of natural elements and magical lighting, causing the city’s skyline to reflect off the calm waters of the Vilhon. Hlondeth has no stairs in its architecture; ramps and poles allow the yuan-ti easier access to the buildings.
Anyone who travels the Vilhon Reach should visit here at least once, twice if you have the time. Despite its dark and evil reputation Hlondeth is a city that prospers on its trade with surrounding nations. Of course, I can’t recommend the Slithering Serpent Inn enough —their black adder stew is delicious.
Recap
Docked at the strangely empty sea port of Hlondeth, the Dancing Emeris is greeted by a hurried man carrying a small chest for the Captain. 'We will leave once we are resupplied and I finish my trade here' Fazil says. Meanwhile Varsha gives Red a cryptic reading from her Tarot deck.
Around noon the party is visited by a group of the locals, snake people called Yuan-ti, lead by Lady Dediana Examinos, a beauty by human standards if not for the four arms and snake lower half. She asks that the party stay on the board and not involve themselves with the civil war in the city between her people and radical cult members lead by her son , Dimitri.
Later Dimitri, a strikingly good looking human with green eyes, visits the boat to ask that the party stay out of the conflict. money is offered and accepted.
As the ship prepares to set sail the group discovers that Varsha has left the boat and taken the cup with her. Ketria (Sarah) searches the city in owl form while Red rides Deepgrowl. They track her to a large courtyard. The crew is assembled to investigate when they hear terrifying mechanical musical as a 40 foot doll lumbers into the square.
The crew is gripped with fear from the abomination as the music takes hold until Torlik (Gil) casts silence on the creature. Alawaka strikes true again and again with blessing from his god while Ketria cast spiderclimb to reach Varsha trapped in the doll's pocket. The doll, now silenced, turns to crushing the party in its strange hands, grabbing Red. Not seeing Red in its grips, Ox lights the doll on fire burning them both.
After the fight, the party discover themselves surrounded by glowing eyes in the dark. They are lead by a Yuan-ti to a high spire and eventually met by Dediana who asks the group to 'talk' her son out of this war. Faced with little choice, the crew agrees and is led to a set of secret tunnels that are promised to surprise the prince at his current location under the city.
Within the seemingly random twists and turns the group faced giant sewer worms and Lavabears. With a prayer of thanks to his god, alawaka reveals a secret passage down to be explored next time
Recap
Deep beneath Hlondeth, the party explored the lower structures of an old temple. After hours of wandering, they found themselves on the wrong end of a pit filled with snakes. Two columns stood in the center of the pit, at equal height to the ledge on which they stood. The far side of the pit was much higher and very smooth.
The druid (Sarah) sparked a spell of spider climb to overcome this simple trap. But not before the Paladin Alawaka (Brian) leaped onto a column with zeal. Unfortunately for him that column sank quickly to the floor as the other column rose in equal distance. Snakes swarmed him eagerly. It was now to Red the warlock (Nicole), Thorix (Gil) and Ox the Fighter (Jeff) to each save the day by each of them jumping heroically and ineptly toward the column, missing and falling into the pit. At this point the druid drops to the column from above but lacks the weight to lift the now surrounded Alawaka from the pit floor. Instead she lowers a rope for the rest. Brave plans were formed as Thorix tried to climb the rope and fails (natural 1), Ox throws the Gnome up the side, but only makes it half way (Natural 2), and Alawaka steps off his column, sending the druid to the pit. Somewhere in the distance a upbeat saxaphone plays a comedic gig. Toadstool (Dave), mortified and embarassed by association, saves the day with a well placed arrow and rope shot to the other side.
Further down the tunnel the crew find a passage to a sunken temple to an ancient snake god. From within they hear a conversation outlining the gathering of the components for the Globus Cruciger by Dimitri in order to become a Wyrm Whisperer in the Cult of the Dragon (Which he calls the Brotherhood of the Secret Hoard). One of the items was recently retrieved from the Everburn isle. Another is the cup, which they will gather from your corpses when they sink your boat. The last piece is in the Calimshan desert in the Shrouded Vale. Dimitri is discussing this with a Yaun-ti named Amir and a Veiled woman named Rohini.
The party does their utmost to get into position while Ox tried to distract dimitri with offers of joining the Cult. A fight breaks in the end and most of the party makes great contributions to the glory of their mission. Alawaka, however, 'decides' the middle of a battle is the perfect time to put his moves on this mysterious woman, kissing her deeply. This does not end well for the Genasi, but fortunately he survives his infernal kiss with a Succubus.
With the fight over the crew return to Dediana in Hlondeth. She offers aid, healing and her blessing to continue. The group takes respite at a manor house but someone nags at Alawaka's memory. He finally recalls a mention of the boat being in danger. He and Toadstool inspect the boat with the help of Sea-scar, First of Equals. To their fortune, they do discover a keg of black powder wired to a red glassy stone. They remove the stone and dump the keg overboard. Fazil asks for the stone to examine it.
With the morning upon them, the crew eats and sets sail for the distant great port city of Calimport.
Recap
The band set out for Hlondeth at the blessing of the queen into Vilhorn Reach and south through the straights of the Nagawater and along the Nagaflow. A cut canal in the plains took the boat to Innalarth and into the Lake of Steam.
Here the crew learned of a portion of Reds past as they past the burning mountain island of Everburn with the buried remains of Trogdor on its shores. Red made a promise to himself## to one day return.
On past the Lake of Steam the boat carried them to the Shining Sea and on to Calimport, capital of the Calimshan, largest port in the world.
Eager to explore, the group disembarked and split up. Kethra made her way to the Herbalist to learn of the local plants. Ox and Alawaka went shopping for new armor and weapons. Vorlo wandered the city learning the local's ways and customs. Varsha followed Varlo. Red followed Varsha.
Mysterious observers followed the adventurers through the city trying to remain unseen. Red restrained his lurker through a mage hand to the turbin and scared him with promises of nasty outcomes if he didn't bring him to the boy’s mistress.
Red and Varsha followed the thin skulking figure as he led them through the city. A walled section with guards loomed before them. Their captive lead the duo under the arch past the men with assurances that the two were members of the opera. Inside Red found a large palace and learned that he was now conscripted into a performance at the behest of the Sheik. Vorlo stepped out of the crowd from which he blended perfectly, noting Red’s passing into the walled complex, and left to find the others
Meanwhile the other members gathered with Vorlo to find Red. Armed and armored but also disguised in expert fashion by Vorlo to look as members of a musical troop. Entrance to the palace was easily achieved with a few coins and a believable lie about the opera.
While inside the band reunited in a mix of relief and confusion. What had they fallen in with? As if by hand of fate, the band found themselves swept up into the commotion of the entertainers around them. Red found his place, daring anyone other than Varsha to make fun of his dress. The others took up instruments and made way to the pit in confused hope to remain unobserved. Too much was now at stake, they would all have to see this show through.
The Master of the Stage presented the opera players to the Sheik and his guests and thanked him for his donation of 30 slaves to be sacrificed to the cause. On with the show as he presented
The Boy who Threw a Stone on Ice
Ox and Alawaka held down the percussions with near competence as Toadstool filled the hall with his haunting cello. But the standout star of the night was Red. Not a dry eye was left in the house as he capped the performance with his baritone aria compelling the broomsmen to ‘sweeeep, sweeeeep, sweeeeeeeeeeeeeep’. Truly a magical night for all in attendance.
After the show a member of the audience requested a private performance. Gathered away from the rest, his patron revealed herself to be Rohini the Succubus. She applauded the troop on their skill in a mocking tone and offered the hospitality of the Sheik for the night. ‘Tomorrow’ she said ‘We ride into the desert for the Shrouded Vale’
Landing in Baldur’s Gate - Recap
The undercrypt of King Ty’in was a scattered cellar of pallic shaped stone pillars. ‘Dicks, dicks everywhere’ Redd said to Alawaka.
Under one of these shafts lay the remains of the King in Yellow, ancient beyond time, powerful undead, and displeased at the disturbance. The shambling mummy met the paladin first with a flury of blows. Fortunately his faith protected him from the curse of the rotting fists, kneeling low but refusing to go down. Next was Kethra with a flowing sphere of fire. The Mummy rebounded with a stunning wave of necrotic energy; Ox and Kethra were disabled. Redd blasted away at the desiccated corpse with eldrich bolts while Alawaka found purchase with his magical sword. The mummy drank deeply from a Canopic Jar and regained health while Ox recovered enough to light the mummy on fire with oil, damaging it greatly. The mummy howled in pain, calling forth dust devils in defiance of fate as it fell from more bolts of energy, slashes of blade and balls of fire. The dust devils put up a struggle but without their master, their hearts were not in the fight.
With the king destroyed, for now, the temple crumbled again into the sand, leaving the contents of the tomb exposed to the desert winds. Two chests carried treasure for all that were present. Additionally a Book and an Urn were recovered.
Looking about, Redd made a troubling discovery. Varsha was not amongst you. In his back the deck lay with one card on top. A message in red lipstick read ‘Have the girl, meet you in Candlekeep, bring the book XOXO kissmark’
The crew retreated from the sands of the desert and back to the city of Calimport where the ship awaited. No time was lost to set sail, as Varsha’s life depended on their arrival in Candlekeep soon.
Two weeks more passed at sea as the ship rounded to horn of the continent and made north. With slow but deliberate movement it made its way north to the harbor of Baldur’s Gate, only to find that their ship was one of thousands in the water before the city.
‘Refugees are crowding the streets’ calls the dock worker. Armies have invaded the Sword Coast. Men and monsters pillage the towns and villages of the coast sending weath north to Luskan and south to Amn. The party needed to travel the roads to Candlekeep thorugh the danger. But first they needed some help with some magic items
The Giant Smoking Pot was the Gate’s premiere Wizard's hangout and this was the destination for the group. But to get there they needed to wade through the city’s overcrowded streets. A thief was chased through the crowd to be captured and almost executed if not for Alawaka’s intervention. An overly drunk patron tried to walk out on their tab almost dragging the party into a fight. Eventually they made it to The Giant Smoking Pot and it was everything they expected. Smoke roiled out the open door. Through the haze were wizards of all varieties playing chess, reading books, and smoking giant pipes. One wizard, Danforth, agreed to identify some equipment. Of the all items identified, one was proven to be an sentient bag of cremation dust named Edward ‘Dusty’ Darbak.
Afterward the team found a tavern they could stay at which might have a guide. The Three Keg salon wasn’t as crowded as others they had seen, mostly due to the high cost. Fortunately the party found assistance in a ranger named Samson the Red who agreed to escort them to Candlekeep safely. While waiting for the guide to secure a caravan wagon, a group of drunk sailors gave Ox a run blaming the dragonborn for the issues in the world. Kethra made the bar fight more deadly than anyone was expecting, killing three with a single spell. The rest fell quickly.
It was time to make their retreat with Samson, who was good on his word and lead the team down the road towards the Candlekeep complex. After traveling all night, the team found themselves at the gates of the huge complex. Alawaka offered up the Rackateen book as payment for entry to the library but before they could enter Redd was tackled by a very excited Varsha followed by Mari Drew who asked ‘What items have you brought with you?’
The question on everyone’s mind is, what happened to Rohini the Succubus?
Trouble in Candlekeep - Recap
Two days have passed in the Candlekeep waiting for Mari Drew to meet with the party. She was busy, she said. Her research on the origins of the Triban Crown has been maddeningly complex and it has taken her the months you spent at sea to piece it all together. Now that you are here, she is almost ready, but not quite
In the time you wait, Ox finds a funny man with a pointy hat that is willing to enchant his sword. Or, more accurately, a man is willing to take 400 gold from him and tell him it is enchanted. Redd, meanwhile, spends some time with a ritual of summoning to call a smartass raven to his side, which he names Midnight
Mari Drew is ready and tells you to meet her at night in her room. When you arrive you find candles around a large glyph enclosing the three vessels you discovered on your journey, the urn, the bowl and the cup. She asks for someone to stand in the middle of the circle and wait, promising this won’t hurt she thinks. Alawaka either volunteered or was elected, none argued his selection. She looks out the window to make sure the moon is in the right position, then begins her chanting. Lights float out of the candles and gather in the vessels, making them glow. They begin to melt with a heatless fire into pools of metal. As they do, the liquid metal moves up the legs of paladin. The burning pain was nearly overwhelming but Alawaka held fast, standing as the metal moved to his chest, then his neck, his head and finally above his head, floating in three rings of silver, gold, and platinum. At that moment the candles all went out and Alawaka fell unconscious.
As his friends stood protectively over the Genasi’s body, decorating him with friendly drawing and placing useful things in unusual places, Alawaka’s mind was elsewhere. He stood over the whole of Fearun as a God, the land lay before him as a map on a floor of a room. Above were the constellations in the night sky, though the land was light as if midday. A voice boomed out ‘Who is your enemy?’ With a thought, Alawaka focused on the Naga who destroyed his home. Tiny lights of red lit in the oceans of Fearun, gathered in different locations. He howled in rejoice at the deliverance of his enemies locations. Almost unnoticed was a small gathering of lights around the shore rimmed castle of Candlekeep.
Alawaka revived to share his vision, or at least to praise his god for something his party didn’t really understand. Mary Drew listened to his rantings and knew that finally she had fulfilled her charge and that the Triban Crown worked and would work for her lord, Asmodeus, in his plans to release the Queen of Dragons on the world. ‘Praise to the Lord of the Nine Hells!’ she sang out in her own joy, ‘for the Naga are coming!’ That being the queue for her personal guard, the door burst open and in rushed four monks in Candlekeep robes. Before the team could react, Alawaka and Ox succumb to magic sleep. The odds were not looking good for the party
Redd wielded agonizing blasts at her opponents while midnight flapped about ineffectively. Meanwhile Mari Drew commanded Kethra to sleep while Toadstool pretended to be asleep. All was going as planned for the Asmodai, they would capture the vessel of the crown, deliver him to the Cult of the Dragon, and the cult would use him to locate the key to Tiamat’s cage. That the crown was dangerous and might actually kill the wielder when used was exactly why the stupid waterborn wore it instead of her. Mari had everything worked out. She had not, however, expected a very clever rogue to fire a blunderbuss packed with cremated dead guy into her face, which is why she is now dead.
Toadstool snuck over to Alawaka, lifting the pouch full of Intelligent Sneezing Powder named ‘Dusty’, and packed it into his weapon. He had one shot. He aimed. He fired. A spray of grey ash coated the cleric of Asmodus in a fine dust, causing her to fall over in convulsions of coughing and sneezing. Her concentration broken, Ox and Alawaka were now up again. Ox light a tree blight on fire and shot lightning through two monks. ‘Tell your men to stand back’ Toadstool called to Mari Drew, still wheezing. She spoke in infernal to her men, who all backed away one step. Alawaka took the opportunity to push past a monk and stab at the cleric as she was still down, hoping to end her quickly. However, she had fire still burning in her, and with the accord broken, she redoubled her will and rose.
Mari Drew held Alawaka in a spell and the monks returned to fighting with their powerful fists. Kethra, having spiderclimbed away from the fight, added a flaming sphere to the group. Redd took down Mari with a blast and the rest ran, leaving her down but not dead. An hour later, after a rest, she was revived and questioned. As she revealed her plot to help the Cult return Tiamat to the material plane, a sound of low, deep hum as if of something shutting down came to them through the window. The protective shields around Candlekeep, invisible but ever present to guard the castle against invasion, have fallen. Mari Drew smiled through a blood lined teeth and said ‘The Naga have come’
More Trouble in Candlekeep
The center courtyard of Candlekeep was teeming with bodies, all looking for direction from one man. That man, Walker Kantor Raul, held no official title of leadership in the keep; there were no titles to hold amongst the city of librarians. But as eldest member of the Golden Dawn, he was as close to a military leader as Candlekeep would dare to allow.
“Braids, return with weapons from the store. Staves, clubs, anything sharp”
“Reeds, find lookout positions on the walls and report back to me the movements of the Naga”
“Choirs, get to the platforms and call back the Mythal, we need that dome back if we are to survive the day!”
“You, strangers. I have a job for you” Raul called to the adventurers “I need your help securing the western wall from the invaders”
The party looked amongst those present, a cranky Gnome, a shy elf and a self interested rogue.
“Hmmm, Nah” the wanted to say. They had better things to do than get killed. But as the Keep was surrounded with invaders, this seemed to be their only means of not getting killed.
“Fine.” they chimed with reluctance
At the wall they met three monks standing guard against anything coming over the top. At first they looked that the trio in annoyance.
“We have this section covered, good sirs and ladies. You can guard elsewhere”
However, the team was not interested in guarding. They wanted to take the attack to the enemy. Kethra spider-climbed up the wall with ease, to the amazement of the monks. Redd followed up with a rope dropped by the elf. Varlo, however, was overconfident in his abilities, attempting to show off to the monks by climbing upside down. He fell twice. “Do you perchance have another exit to the outside?” he asked nonchalantly. They led him to the secret exit.
From the top of the wall Kethra could see an invading army approaching. The beachhead was already facing the first wave of naga as they crawled up the rocky slope. Kethra raised her hands to the sky in a plead to the elements themselves, calling forth a lightning storm. White bolts of energy cracked down from the now darkened sky, killing many naga, but not all. They advanced.
Redd hexed his targets and eliminated two naga through blasts of necrotic energy from the top of the wall. But still they advanced.
One naga made it to the wall and began climbing, defying whatever physics kept the snakeman on the ground. Others advanced as well but found their progress impaired by the strangest of difficulties. The magical storm above had rained charged water to the soil, from which instantly grew the oddest shaped bushes. Amongst their leaves and branches were hundreds of dick shaped fruits.
Varlo arrived through the secret tunnel and began stalking the creatures on their ascent. Meanwhile a naga surmounted the wall and attacked the two above. Kethra used her thunderwave to knock it into the air, where gravity took over. Varlo attacked one naga, then another, always moving and finding a new target.
Suddenly Thorak (Gil) appeared in the tunnel, returned from his other duties. He used his warhammer on one them backed away when hit hard in return.
A second naga reached the top of the wall and knocked Redd off the wall just before Kethra knocked it into the air with a thunderwave. Redd landed hard by the feet of the cleric.
Varlo dispatched the last naga with Thorak. The first wave was done. The three monks emerged from the secret tunnel to call them back. More were arriving, but it was time to return to Raul with news. Thorak, Redd and Varlo returned with the monks while Kethra transformed into a bird and pooped on more enemies.
That the keep had a secret tunnel through, or in this case under, the walls was an indication that it abandoned its former life as a stronghold long ago. It was now a library and librarians had more use for free passage than they did for solid defenses. Speaking of passages, whomever dug this one was evidently either drunk and in odd humor at the time. The long shaft started at the base with two round chambers to either side then ran in a gentle arch under the wall and to a tapered end and a very narrow opening. Dug through the centerline of the passage ran a shallow rivulet for water.
The three hurried through the odd tunnel, focused on returning to Raul with a warning of the mass of enemy approaching. They did not expect what happened next.
Each monk had silently fell behind one of the three. In a coordinated attack, the monks stabbed at their target. Redd was alerted of the ambush by her ioun stone. The others were not.
Turning to face what they expected to be monks, each was stocked to discover something else facing them. One faced someone they feared. Another faced someone they loved. Thorak faced someone he respected, a dwarven captain from his days in the service. The captain ordered Thorak to return to his barraks, which thorak did in stunned obedience. Redd wilted before his accusing wife who blamed him on her death. Varlo saw a kindly woman offering him help. Three dangerous creatures tried to take Varlo down first, having removed Thorak and Redd. But Redd regained his control in seeing his wife attack Varlo, and helped in the fight. As the creatures died, the turned into thin dull blue forms on the ground. Doppelgangers.
As Varlo and Redd left the tunnel through the narrow exit, they wondered about how many other creatures were in the library with them.
I will soon type up the tale of ALAWAKA'S GREATEST DAY