A gathering of will Report

General Summary

1490 DR - Winter - 3, Hammer (1) - Khundrakar

• The team arrives back at the base, and the Duergar seem all changed, as if they no longer have any fight in them, and something dwells behind their eyes.
• Sabyn left a note in the new board room, which details their next steps:
  "By now I believe you have found the artifacts, congratulations, however the more important task lies ahead of you. Finding a way to use them. Keezor is still imprisoned, though his power grows as our master tells it. The unfortunate side of this is that it is no longer safe for Abigor to roam. There are sightings and reports of Gith astride Red Dragons prowling the Sword Coast, and even more sightings of Nautiloids. Something is happening between that long rivalry and we should avoid it until we are ready. From your telling, I assume the Zhentarim seized control somehow of the Bloodgate. A citadel near Daggerford that once was the site for an attempted Thayan invasion. I surmise this as it is likely the only reported unmolested portal in the area they could have used to get to Maztica. You must gain control of this portal from them, by whatever means necessary. I'll be summoning Abigor to me as he must be hidden in the meantime, but I leave you control of our fully staffed and furnished headquarters to prepare and re-equip. There are services provided here, but will be fueled by the gold you return with so don't balk when they need the funds. You must go to the bloodgate and how the Zhentarim have made it work, then take control. I feel something pulling from there, and am investigating. I will send the location by messenger once I discover it. I have taken Damien and Zul with me. Once you have control, send to me and I will bring reinforcements to hold it. Take care of the artifacts, do not let them out of your sight, they will be needed once you can return to Maztica. "
• The crew spends time identifying the artifacts they recovered, working together to try and dominate them. Whelm forces Lucyan to headbutt Oudman for being a goblinoid, Wave incites Llewellyn to dance a merry jig, and Yasen attacks Huden at Blackrazors demand.
• The base seems to have abyssal plants and creatures (whisper worms) growing about the area. The group explores the rooms and determines this is consistent with a demonic portal, but cannot find one in the base.
• The Chosen take turns trying to glean knowledge from Keezor's manual and find things that inspire them: Lucyan discovers an abyssal layer he can tap into called The Swarm. Oudman discovers a method to craft items using souls of humanoids. Xifor discovers a stronger method of conjuring a demon and a name, and decides that this pact may help them complete the rituals and skills listed in Keezors book.
• Huden learns about the blood war from the book and some of it's magic and confronts Blackrazer about this past. In Exchange for sacrificing souls Blackrazer and Huden come to an accord, and Huden learns more about the Blood war and the dreadlords that dominated the battlefield. He learns that Blackrazer is afraid of Cyric, and won't speak more on the subject.
• Llewellyn hears a voice whispering through the ethereal to her about a deal she should take.
• The Chosen summon a Glabrezu to try and learn abyssal secrets, including how Yasen can control the lycanthrope inside him.
• The Glabrezu almost convinces the group to swear fealty but they eventually resist and determine he is lying and Xifor commands him to help.
• Yasen asks him about controlling his beast form, Xifor succeeds at controlling the demon and it is forced to divulge a method of using an abyssal pact to give him domination over his lycanthropic blood. A Ritual is required.
• Oudman asks about absorbing souls, but Xifor fails his control and the demon is freed. It immediately stuns Xifor with a word of power.
• They attack the demon, Lulu hits with her arrows, Huden attacks with the Blackrazer, Lucyan rains healing worms, but the demon casts confusion, Llewellyn and Yasen are thrown into disarray. Yasen attacks Huden but misses, Lucyn dispels the confusion on Yasen.
• Xifor is grabbed by the demon, Xifor makes his save against the stun, but is grappled. Oudman successfully shrinks the demon making it more vulnerable.
• Lucyan breaks Xifor out of the grapple and Xifor regains control of the demon, and they wrest secrets from him: Oudman is given a knife hook to pull souls for his recipes, Llewellyn agrees to a pact for abyssal power to flow to her, Lucyan learns to speak with The Swarm, Xifor is given ___
• Later that night a Vrok appears and talks to Huden, relaying a message from Sabyn that there's a blood gate citadel they need to gain control of to travel back to Maztica, and to prevent the Zhentarim from gaining an edge. It mentions "those draped in blood" being a wild card force involved.
• The group attempts to help Yasen gain control of his beast form by performing the ritual, Oudman starts to pull out Yasen's soul, but seems to only get half of it at first, splitting his soul in two, Yasen's body starts to sprout hairs and Oudman attempts it again, seeming to succeed this time, but the soul is still split. Lucyan successfully casts hold person on the werejaguar. Llllewelllyn moves into the ethereal plane try to reunite the soul, but fails to join them together. Yasen contacts his patron who helps him restore his spirit form. Yasen the Jaguar breaks free from the hold person, but Lllewellyn and Huden hold Yasen down. Yasen bites Huden during the struggle but eventually Yasen brings himself under control and his soul is rejoined.
• The group then departs early and travels light toward Daggerford but are ambushed by a group of Zhentilar along the way, fighting with converted Tabaxi hunters, a sacrificial priest that summons a Mezzoloth, and a large groupd of soldiers that put heavy pressure on the party.
• The Mezzoloth rules the battelfield as the crew is whittled down by soldiers, but an uncaring cloudkill from the yugoloth clears the Zhentarim and Llewellyn finishes it off with a void arrow.
• The crew finds a note talking about reinforcing the blood gate citadel:
"Colonel Teerral, move your company with all haste to reinforce Lord Algenar at Bloodgate Citadel. time is of the essence. for the Black Hand you must arrive within the fortnite and begin to setup full patrols. When you arrive however, you must take care not to interrupt the 'thayans' in their work. Control your men.-Jeryth Stillt, Aide to Garen Destarin"