Session 20 23 OCtober 2023 Report

General Summary

EXPERIENCE: Base total is 15,320 with a total of 32 hit dice of enemy defeated.   SUMMARY: Lots of stuff in here. Many of the bigger picture happenings are starting to come into view of the characters. The session began in battle on the docks of the Outlands as the city was being overrun by the orc and ogre army. Two ettins were leading the assault as the characters attempted to buy time for the last ships to be loaded. One of the ettins almost killed Maelstrom, before they were felled by a combination of Mad Dog, Bruenor and men-at-arms. As the ettins fell, the orcs pressed and threatened to overwhelm the characters as the archers fell to orcs who had encircled the remaining men. Mad Dog, almost surrounded by orcs, entered a beserk state. Shady appeared on a nearby rooftop and hurled himself into the onrushing orcs, decapitating several with his daggers as he moved incredibly quickly throughout their ranks. He made his way to Mad Dog and waving his hand, rendered him unconscious just as several hippogriffs, larger than clydesdales, ripped through the lead ranks of the orcs. Elves in shining armor and carrying long lances rode the eagle-headed beasts and using the momentum of their flying mounts, speared the orcs two and three at a time. Initially, panic set in on the orcs. This bought enough time for the last of the ships to pull free from the docks and for a small contingent of hippogriffs to land next to the characters. Maelstrom heard the same voice in his head that had called him to Vilion instruct him to "go with your kinsmen". A tall and well-built elf who appeared to be the commander, told Maelstrom to climb on his mount. They climbed into the air and could see the city burning on both sides of the river as orcs rampaged everywhere. They could also see a contingent of what had to be hundreds of giants wading the river and closing in on the city. Characters left behind everything that was not with them in a fight. The elves flew them west over the Inner Sea for the entirety of the day, eventually landing on the southern beach of a long, skinny island. The commander informed them that they were on the Belts of Ran and that they would spend more than a full day resting the mounts. He introduced himself as Tavareth and it became apparent that he recognized Maelstrom. He behaved arrogantly toward Maelstrom but friendly toward the rest of the party. He is a flight commander of the Vindikreeg, a military unit known for long distance scouting and reconnaissance home based in Monteriabor in the elven kingdom of Sylarbor. He had been in Mariarion on King's business and joined the rescue fleet from that kingdom. He had received instructions to take the characters to meet Kantarius in the city of Goodhome on the island kingdom of Kylos. During the day of rest on the Belts of Ran, Bruenor was frustrated by the degraded effectiveness of his healing spells. As they travelled west again, they caught glimpses of an enormous statue mostly obscured by the fog at the end of the island overlooking dozens of shipwrecks, and they knew they were looking at the famous ruins of Tagearathon. When they reached Goodhome, Kantarius met them in a relatively empty inn near the beach. The characters told him of all that had transpired since last they saw him in Vilion. Kantarius responded in kind, telling the characters after a series of questions that he was a member of the Sons of Freyr, an organization that spanned the kingdoms of men and elves and was dedicated to the defense of the civilized races. Tavareth is also a member. Kantarius explained that he focused on divination and has had visions of a rising evil in the south and the east. He also told them the story of Cilboreth Wyrmslayer, an elf lord from the first elvish kingdom of Darthorion who became a hero of the Dragon and Giant Wars in the ancient times. He believes that his descendent can use the helmet of Cilboreth to defeat the new evil, and he received a vision that he would find that descendant, an elf, in the city of Vilion in the company of Northman and a dwarf. He tells Maelstrom that the fate of the world may depend on his bloodline. The other characters learn that Maelstrom's father was the lord of the northernmost elvish city of Flodgaffel, and that Maelstrom was sent from the city as an infant in face of an overwhelming orcish attack. The elves of Sylarbor still blame Maelstroms family for the loss of the city, the ruins of which are now referred to as Herat and are occupied by orcs and other dark things in the Wastes north of Norgaard. Kantarius took a look at some of the magic things brought from the temple in the Outlands. He said the skull necklace was made by evil, but that evil lived in the axe. He was able to identify the axe, necklace and the potion of restoration. NECKLACE: acts as a horn of blasting. 1 charge per day, recharges at sunset. every time it is used there is a 5% chance of it exploding doing 1d4 damage to the wearer. When worn, the skulls can send a scream blast in every direction, or it can be taken off and held aloft and focused in one direction. When used as a necklace and the command word is said, all creatures within a 15 ft radius must make a saving throw vs paralyze or be stunned for 1d2 rounds. If successful, there is no stun, but all creatures in the radius are unable to hear anything else for 2 rounds. one hit dice creatures who fail the save have a 50% of being knocked unconscious for 1d8 rounds. If held aloft and used as a directional weapon, it has a range of 90 ft for a 45 degree angle in front of the user, for the same effects. it shatters crystal and glass structures within the area of effect for both uses. AXE: In combat it is a +3 axe. Kantarius says the evil "resides" in the axe and he seems quite disturbed by it. POTION OF RESTORATION: This magical fluid was first created by Kenither the Gaunt. Each dose negates the effects of the following spells and powers, restoring the affected creature to its normal state: charm monster, charm person, feign death, forget, friends, haste, hold person, polymorph other, polymorph self, ray of enfeeblement, sepia snake sigil, sleep, slow, stoneskin, strength, and Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter. A polymorphed creature restored by this potion need not make a system shock roll. The liquid also cures blindness and deafness, and restores a crystallized creature and those turned to stone by gaze attacks. The potion can be administered by pouring a dose on the subject or by the creature ingesting it. In either case, it can negate more than one spell. There are 3 doses.   Kantarius is desperate to find something to fight this rising evil, and must travel to Walandarha to warn the priest-king of the purple-robed ambassadors of evil. He tells the characters he has arranged a boat for them to the ruins of Tagearathon in hopes that they can find a weapon relic from the Giant and Dragon Wars left in the ruins, as it was once a great city of elves from Darthorion who disobeyed the god Freyr during the Great Dispersal and had their city buried by a great wave. His hope is that you can find something of use in the ruins of Tagearathon and then meet him in Walandarha. He has sensed a magic stirring in the ancient ruins and hopes it is a tool that can be used against the giant armies that seem to be on the march.