On Geese, Griffons and Angels Report

General Summary

1489 DR - Autumn - 18, Nightal (12) - Sembia and Anauroch

• The Chosen depart Selgaunt, heading first West then North to avoid being tracked. Over Cormyr they see that the land has been utterly destroyed, it is desolate and shattered.
• The journey north takes them at Abigors beckoning to the Anauroch desert, a massive dune filled desert with black rocks jutting out, they skirt around the empire of shadows and land outside a city built into a mountainside, loomed over by a craggy castle made of demon rock and shaped like a skull in a claw, denoting likely a portal to the Abyss somewhere nearby.
• Huden, Oudman, and Lucyan head into the city, hiking up the trail to the main entrance.
• Huden tells the guards at the gate that he is a traveling bard and would like entry, he seems convincing and they are admitted through the heavily defended gates. Inside there are people shambling about doing normal things, but their movement and reactions all seem a little, off.
• They head to the nearest largest tavern, and find that it is bustling with people. A detection of magic shows everything has magic running through it, especially the townsfolk. Upon closer inspection they realize that all the food being consumed is desiccated and the drink is nothing but sand. Lucyan sees through part of the ruse and realizes that all the townsfolk are actually animated mummies under some kind of illusion spell. They begin to worry that they haven't brought enough food along.
• Oudman attempts to sweet talk the barmaid and gets himself thrown out of the tavern for being rude.
• Huden tries to glean more information from the server and learns that everything is provided for by "The Lord" who goes by no other name. The residents seem to have a fanatical devotion to whoever this is.
• A messenger approaches the three and tells them that their presence is demanded at the shrine in front of the castle in the evening, he doesn't negotiate or argue, just states it flatly and leaves. He implies they will be remaining here indefinitely and that they should get comfortable.
• The crew decides not to take this news by lying in wait, and gather to head up to the shrine early. They discover that the path is guarded by many knights (Skeleton Warriors to Lucyan who sees through the illusion).
• Huden uses the dust of dissapearance, and Lucyan supplements it by casting pass without trace to sneak the three past the guards successfully. They climb the switchbacks and find at the top of the hill a massive shrine and throne made of skulls, and shaped into some unholy symbol. No one recognizes the symbol immediately but later learn this is the symbol of Orcus, demon lord of the undead.
• On the plateau there is a mound of writhing, screaming, laughing, moaning, pile of corpses acting as though they are part of a wildly depraved orgy. They look real to Huden and Oudman who are disgusted by the contrary acts of sexual deviance being performed. Lucyan spots one figure who seems more alive than the rest in the middle of the pile.
• They address him (assuming he is the 'Fleshwright') and he commands the corpses to depart, they march into a tunnel behind the throne. The Lord is dissappointed that they wouldn't wait until the 'ceremony' was finished, and the guards from below arrive up the switchback, as if being called by the Lord.
• Huden tells him they seek Blackrazer, and he angrily demands to know who told them about his possession of it. They hold out and try to lie, but this only enrages the Fleshwright and they are attacked by the guards.
• Lucyan summons spiders to hold off the soldiers and attacks the Fleshwright in melee, who seems to have some sort of resistance spell. Oudman fires bolts of steel and magic at the Fleshwright only to have his attacks turned away. Huden deafens the others and begins singing the song of ruin,which destroys the guards after they were weakened by the others.
• The Fleshwright seems wholly relaxed about the whole fight, showing no fear at all. The crew however are all terrified by his presence and have a hard time attacking effectively until they are able to boost their saves to being afraid. After the guards are taken down, the Fleshwright casts several spells in one round, dispelling all magic from the crew, withering Hudens left limbs to worthless shriveled stumps, and threatening to pull out Oudmans heart with some kind of ribbon run through his chest. Lucyan resists the same, but is cowed by the threat, and the group surrenders to his overwhelming Lich-like might.
• The Lord then resurrects the same defeated skeletons, furthering the threat, and the crew gives in and tell him who led them here, revealing it was Abigor.
• The Fleshwright seems to be familiar with Sabyn, the Corpse, and Abigor, speaking in derogatory tones, but less threatening once they are truthful to him. He admits that he shares a more friendly rivalry than a hostile one with the Chosen, but that he serves someone in direct competition. This confuses the crew a little seeing as they don't know exactly where Cyric is at the moment.
• He eventually reveals that the item was stolen, and proffers the third identical note to them. They use the mirror to scry it, and see a featherlike plume of smoke over a mountain, and an inverted Ziggurat covered in crabs.
• The Fleshwright sees no reason to help, but would rather they be on their way so he is left to his own devices, so he tells them that the mountain sounds like White Plume Mountain, a Volcano near Mt. Hotenow to the Northwest.
• The crew hastily departs before things turn ugly again, and fly the ship to the northwest, to stop by the base first on the way before investigating the mount.