A bloody gate Report

General Summary

1490 DR - Winter - 10, Hammer (1) - Thay, The Doomvault
 

• The Chosen decide that after realizing they are being tracked, that they must avoid further large confrontations and take the path across the wilderness by Daggerford. While they required a few supplies in Daggerford, they largely wanted to skip entering the city after realizing the gate was being watched by Zhents.
• As the crew started to go around Daggerford, a footpad ran up to us to hand off a letter in abyssal . The letter states it is from somebody who says they have information for us and to meet them in Daggerford. Their handwriting is terrible and childish.
• Huden and Oudman head into town to meet their informant, Huden talks his way past the guards deftly despite Oudmans out of place appearance.
• They continue to the nearest tavern as mentioned in the note, simply called “The Tavern,” and pick out the oddest looking person in the room. A tall noble character with slightly crossed eyes in a terrible top hat.
• Recognizing Zul in disguise, they sit and he confers to them the real location of the Bloodgate Citadel and how to find it, as it is a well-hidden stronghold.
• “HEAD SOUTH TO THE EDGE OF THE MARSH, FIND WHERE THE CLIFF BEGINS TO RISE ABOVE THE GROUND THAT FOLLOWS ALONG THE OCEAN, WHEN YOU GET TO A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK TO BE GUARDING A SMALL BUILDING ON TOP”
• The crew reconvenes outside the town, and begins the trek around the city and down the coastal cliffs, deciding to push on into the evening as they expect to encounter the Citadel soon.
• They find a small garrison and unimpressive stone house along the cliff, but assume it must be the Citadel given the location and presence of Zhentarim guards.
• Heavy rain and wind blows in from the ocean, causing a terrifying storm as sudden as the first flashes of lightning.
• Lllewllyn starts to sneak up, and is almost spotted by a guard who turns her way, but instead notices a cloud of winged creatures flying in, which they recognize as Vargouille.
• The team sneaks in past the tumult of combat and bars the doors to the roof entrance, noticing the immense Citadel mounted in the side of the cliff toward the sea when looking over the edge.
• The halls are filled with combat, dead guards and demonic flying heads alike, fortunately the chaos is enough to keep most of the army diverted.
• Llewellyn detects a portal below in the citadel and they follow her sense toward the central stairwell and eventually to the rear portal room. It eerily appears like the one they were in on Maztica.
• Unfortunately they are reunited with Baagram, now a monstrosity of mutated flesh, who seems to have been waiting for them. He is thrilled with another opportunity to attack the Chosen.
• Xifor launches fire, Huden mimics this with his ring, The others try to focus on the red robed wizard a the back, but unfortunately encounter some vile protective thorn magic
• Bagram slams Hudan and Lucyan and tears at the other members through fleshlike limbs sprouting from the ground across the battlefield.
• The Red Wizard in the back uses a fist of force to push back Yasen and tries to close the gate through a panel, but the crew slays her before she can.
• Another red robed wizard then exits the portal and jams a spike into it, breaking the mechanism but causing the portal to draw everyone in the room through in it’s collapse.
• The Chosen are sent across the world into Thay and arrive inside a gatehouse. They are greeted by a magical projection of the wizard that sabotaged the portal.
• She introduces herself as Syranna and asks that they help her and the other rebel red wizards to strike a blow to Szazz Tams power, the lich lord of the Red Wizards of Thay.
• The rebels are unhappy with the current Thayan leadership and especially with the unprincipled alliance with the Zhentarim and they explain that without their aid the Red Wizards will reinforce the Zhents and push the war across the Sword Coast.
• They must assault the doomvault, and within find the Phylactery Vault where Szazz Tam is drawing power from the other liches, and along the way destroy the horrible experiments and weapons they find in the Doomvault.