Session XII: Ex Malo Bonum

As Bari fell, Imaros returned to the Material Plane, and immediately a discussion broke out about what the party was to do next. Placing Bari's robes, sword, helm, and amulet in his bag of holding, Del'Gado also appropriated the scroll that was briefly shown before the battle. It was phrased as an invitation to the 'Palace of Remembrance,' and could be activated by the words 'Peace from Friendship,' a term that Imaros identified as the motto of the High Judgeship of Jalron. Baldur was highly suspicious of this invitation and the adventurers ultimately decided to return to the Sun-Temple to rest.   In the early morning, the party gathered again, and Caerlin decided to invoke the phrase without Baldur's consent as the conversation grew longer. The whole group was transported to a magnificent hall sporting decorations and architectural inspiration from virtually all corners of Kartia; Caerlin was also transported to an entry in Baldur's book of grudges for this act of utter deception. A double staircase led the party upwards to a corridor with multiple rooms; one set of doors was open, and they could hear clattering sounds coming from it. Entering it, they were welcomed by a stone-faced, full-bearded, august figure dressed in dark blue and sporting the heraldic wings of Jalron. He introduced himself as Izdubar, the last Judge-King of Jalron. Giving a brief overview of how he was alive in the first place, Izdubar explained that he had been murdered by Hyron in the lead-up to the Battle of Tor Elvatar, but he had prepared a spell which transferred his soul to a clone of his body. He had since tirelessly trained in the arcane arts, starting with planar knowledge. Del'Gado asked why he never returned, and Izdubar replied that he had chosen to bow out of the geopolitical game after being ruthlessly bested in it by Hyron and his clique. Before he continued further, he spoke to Jacqualine, managing to identify her as the daughter of Dristhaea and Galaris, whom he had met twice during the Deluge. He then continued with more recent history.   Bari, the 'Robed King' who had led a phony cult of Vyriavaxus, was a means to an end. Izdubar had created this villainous personage in a plot to steal the last piece of the Anchor from Akkon. The cult itself was comprised by an offshoot of the black dragon-worshipping Ascendant Warband, who instead paid homage to Vyriavaxus. Aptly named the Shadow Ascendant, Izdubar had planted them in various locations around the crownlands of Akkon in order to draw the Radiant Throne's attention away from the capital, allowing him to infiltrate Morrowfall Redoubt and steal the piece of the Anchor, after which he arranged for the Shadow Ascendant to be destroyed by compromising their hideouts. He had used the Society of the Red Mask to facilitate networking in the Elysian Court, and did not care much for their goals. He then went on a tangent that Caerlin had accidentally managed to create, namely that of the Robed King's appearance. Caerlin once mentioned that this figure seemed to emulate someone from Hyx, which was the case; the outfit and sword were enchanted replicas of the Collegium of Ordolictors, a group of 24 bodyguards serving the esoteric Hyxian faith. The old Imperium had apparently worshipped the Monad and the aeons. Further, Izdubar revealed that he, in his capacity as Bari, had struck a deal with Glasya, the unorthodox Princess of the Nine Hells, which, amongst other things, had allowed him to enchant his sword with hellfire; however, as he technically died in battle against the party at a predetermined location, this arrangement was null and void. After this exposition, he revealed why he had invited the party to the Palace: to partake in a plot to finally kill the Demon Lord of Shadows, who has persisted in a weakened state ever since the Battle of the Six Marshes.   Izdubar's plan consisted of the following: recovering the Seals of the Anchor, which can open a portal directly to the deepest caverns of Rankarrus and subsequently tracking down and confronting Vyriavaxus. To aid in actually killing the Vyriavaxus, Izdubar also revealed that he had brokered some form of agreement with Nocticula, the Queen of Succubi (another Demon Lord) since mortals cannot actually kill fiends of that power, even on their native plane. To prevent the Anchor from remaining active, he had devised a spell which will cause the portal to collapse on itself shortly after activation. He then informed the party that he was in no rush to fulfil this, and offered them a task to warm up: to defeat the last Harbinger of the Dark Host, believed to be active somewhere in northeastern Greyhyx. Izdubar promised the adventurers whatever they wanted as reward for their participation: gold, adventure, knowledge, further assistance; nothing was impossible. Del'Gado put forward a specific request of a material nature. As a precaution, Izdubar brought the party to one of Akkon's many storage demiplanes, where they helped themselves to magical amulets that stop divination magic from targeting their wearers. Before leaving, he informed the party that the scroll they used to teleport to the Palace of Remembrance can be used once every week, and also gave them one Manual of Gainful Experience each.   Finding themselves back in Akk-Ur, the Advocates reported their success in dealing with the leader of the cult. Whilst there, mobad Tamzi wished to speak to them at the Builder's Arms in the evening. After warding off a rented room there, he relegated to the party that he had been highly encouraged to step down as Stellar Mobad of Akkon by Head Councillor Yanzu Hostbane, most likely due to be succeeded by the Emissary of Truth. He told them that he would take up a position in the court of Queen Brynmora of Dal Kunrim. Also, Jacqualine's tirade about the chest had left some impression, as he had inquired with "friends in places you wouldn't believe" about the upper echelons of the Karapanate, and had managed to triangulate a local representative of Mountain Massive Continental, Karwyn Oreshoulder, who had had direct dealings with the Fellowship. Tamzi advised the Advocates to exploit their legal status and coerce answers from her.   The Advocates went to the local MMC Client & Conciliation Centre and quickly ran into representative Karwyn. Baldur introduced himself to her in a manner that betrayed his noble upbringing, which Karwyn found a bit odd. In her office, Del'Gado showed her the letter that they recovered at the Gloomlight camp that had been signed "M ls. K" and demanded answers, and when she danced around it, stated they were people of importance as he plunged a dagger in the office table. After internal deliberation, she turned dead serious and took out a Stonecracker Lager, a true dwarven-approved beverage. The representative then said that she was willing to give them information but they would have to swear upon their honour to undo whatever it is that she had done; she also requested Baldur to arrange for her return to Malakad. After each person had sworn upon something they held sacred, Karwyn said that she had been placed under a potent geas spell, and would perish shortly after speaking out; the geas had been placed on her by a member of the Fellowship, as she had been working as an intermediary between Mhyrdiol Redfiend, a master smith of a dwarven Unhold, and the Unspoken Prophet, a person she believed was either a member of the Fellowship or were working in close contact with them. She had been facilitating a number of clandestine transactions for this Unspoken Prophet, and Redfiend was the only other name she had been entrusted with. A few seconds after this information was forwarded, her very bones could be heard cracking; Jacqualine inadvertently prolonged her demise by trying to heal her, but Baldur quickly responded by ameliorating her suffering (by hastening her death), as well as taking the time to conduct a funeral rite. He then called in favours at the Order to return Karwyn Oreshoulder to her clan in Dal Kuldar.   For a few days, the Advocates spent some free time in the city. Going on a grand spending spree, Del'Gado enchanted his rapier and crossbow, Baldur enchanted his maul (and learned some gossip about a missing paralictor and her Hellknights from Hassimir), and Jacqualine enchanted her shield. Imaros made acquaintances with some local bakeries and performed on the streets, earning a tidy sum in the process. Caerlin, beset by one force or the other, wandered out of the city, away from all prying eyes, and summoned aberrations from beyond. Content with knowing that he can do this, he returned. Everyone, except for Imaros, also started training with their copy of Izdubar's Manual.   On the late evening on 22 Resting, the day of the annual Harvest Festival, Jacqualine received a sealed letter that magically appeared in her hand, bearing the sigil of the Radiant Throne. It brusquely summoned her and the Advocates to Morrowfall Redoubt. Taking Baldur along for the ride, they embark on an unusually smooth ascent to the royal palace. They are quickly led to a chamber that contains the seneschal and members of the Royal Assembly of Greyhyx. Speaking to Shala and assemblyman Sarkimuna Eaglehigh, they are told that there had been a coordinated and devastating attack on the kingdom's winter stockpiles, killing several Twilight Advocates that had been sent to investigate suspicious activity. However, it was not the kingdom's imminent food crisis that they had been summoned to follow up on. Sarkimuna Eaglehigh informed them that the Royal Assembly had lost contact with the regional administrators of the Greyhyxian settlements, as well as that of Blackwatch, the rangers of the Deathlands Frontier. He believed that the attacks on the food stockpiles and the loss of contact with Greyhyx were connected, and asked that the party travel there to find out what has happened, so that the kingdom may take the appropriate steps in response. The assemblyman also told the Advocates that the Dark Host vestiges near the Deathlands Frontier had retreated farther north earlier this year, and was thus perhaps the cause of this event. The assemblyman, who evidently served as some form of spymaster, also revealed that an insurrectionist movement calling themselves the Vindova Concordat had recently been formed (and infiltrated) in Greyhyx, but there was no evidence of them having mobilised armed cells. In order to get to the closest Greyhyxian settlement of Tarentan, the party could utilise the preexisting teleportation circles that lead there, but that was potentially dangerous given the uncertainty of circumstances. Instead, the assemblyman recommended that they travel to one of the border cities in Malakad or Rûn Tel'Kar, and then proceed from there.