T-D Session 2 Report

General Summary

13th of Flamerule 1492 DR   The session began with the party meeting Feylan Parand. The Eladrin elf, and childhood friend of Haelee Dalmoon, had quite the different appearance and disposition than what Haelee had described. Rather than shaded in tones of blue, with a cool and stand-offish demeanour, he had the colouration of autumn, and radiated warmth and friendliness.   In his cramped bedroom in the Gallowglar's Inn, he described in brief the journey that he's been on. From his perspective, it has been several years since he plane shifted out of the Feywild. Since then, he travelled to the settlement of Idyllglen, where he became something of a folk hero, helping the troubled hamlet with monsters that plague them from the woods. There he met a halfling bard, and she helped his mood, cheering him with her music and love of life. He helped her, teaching her some of his fey magic. She introduced him to an organisation that gave him purpose and direction. The two worked together with this group, who Haelee would later find out in private are known as the Harpers, travelling the lands around the River Chionthar, helping the innocent and stopping the forces of evil. He explained to the group that he and his partner had split up on the most recent mission the Harpers had given them. A rise in cultist activity had been noted, and both chased down differing leads. She took the thread that led to Baldur's Gate, whilst he came to Elturel. In the couple of tendays that he's been in Elturel, he had gathered rumours from the citizens and learned that Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard has come to town. The people believe that Ravengard and the city of Baldur's Gate are up to something insidious. Feylan managed to ingratiate himself with the Grand Duke, and in having a casual conversation, Feylan was left feeling that Ravengard is honourable, and the rumours about him are false. In tracking down the source of the rumours, everything pointed to the Order of The Companion. The Order of the Companion function as the civil administrators to the city of Elturel as well as the broader Kingdom of Elturgard. The upper echelons of government are overseen by the High Knights, who in turn report into the High Observer of Torm Thavius Kreeg. Feylan admits he has nothing more than a gut feeling, but his intuition tells him the root of the issue is the Order of the Companion.   After these revelations, the party split for the evening, they all agreed to reconvene in The Pair of Black Antlers for breakfast. Haelee wished to stay and catch up with Feylan, and as she'd offered Scott a room at the inn that she and Erric were staying in, the two men departed together. Princess and Reya headed back to their barracks at Helm's Shieldhall. The evening went by uneventfully, with Haelee and Feylan catching up, Erric and Scott getting to know each other a little better, and Princess and Reya stewing on troubling thoughts. In the morning Princess asked her commanding officer, High Knight Seraphine Valtor , about Grand Duke Ravengard's visit, and about where he would be staying. The High Knight reassured Princess not to worry about Ravengard, and that the malign influence of Baldur's Gate is best ignored until it passed. She felt that Kreeg's decision to invite him to the city was foolish, and that there was nothing to be gained by trying to work with a city like Baldur's Gate.   14th of Flamerule 1942 DR   Breakfast was had at The Pair of Black Antlers, and decisions were made about what to do next. Leads pointed towards both the High Observer's Hall, but also to Ravengard. The former seemed like the more direct path to the truth, but also had the highest risk of drawing attention. Feylan informed the party that he had spoken to some of Ravengard's retinue at a tavern called The Golden Mastodon, and that perhaps they could check there. The party decided that speaking with Ravengard and/or his men first was the safer option. Feylan took his leave as breakfast came to a conclusion. The party asked him to stay with them, and Haelee asked if he had to go, if she could come with him. He said that he has a contact that he must meet alone, but asked if the party would meet up with him back at The Pair of Black Antlers this evening, just before sundown, to discuss the events of the day.   With the day ahead of them, the party headed out of the tavern and made their way over the bridge Torm's Reach, heading up to the High District where The Golden Mastodon is located. Moving through the streets, now narrowed from the decorations in preparation for this evening's festivities; unity tributes, a local customary vase, flank the streets, banners and streamers drawn between balconies. The party round a corner, and the long public garden that runs the length of the High District comes into view. Citizens of Elturel are busy in the streets with preparations, talking and enjoying the holy day. The sound of a lute picks up, and a small crowd starts to form around the musician, and before long, a public dance breaks out, to which the party is beckoned into. Each of the characters takes to it with their own levels of enthusiasm, Haelee throwing herself into it, Erric getting pulled along, Princess letting her guard down and joining, Scott surprising everyone again with his talents, and Reya trying to maintain her teenage angst. Nevertheless, the happiness of the people around them, the beautiful weather and great music goes some way in providing levity to the darkened revelations.   As soon as the dance started it seemed to fade away, with the people laughing, cheering and returning back to their cleaning and decorating. Before long, The Golden Mastodon comes into view, a splendid building made of a honey coloured stone, standing on the edge of the bluff, and overlooking the Maiden Falls waterfall, feeding the canals below. Entering the tavern, the characters see a number of banners hanging from the walls, most of them that of the crest of Elturel, with a large sun at its centre, and a smaller sun blazing across the top of it. The centre banner is that of a large elephant, its fur shining golden. At this time of day, the clientele is somewhat sparse, but sat at once of the larger tables were six individuals who stuck out. Their armour, a darker grey compared to the silver shine of the Hellriders, decorated with symbols of a mailed fist, wreathed in fire, six members of the Flaming Fist idle the time away. The Flaming Fist, the mercenary army of Baldur's Gate have a reputation for being amoral, motivated solely by coin. Not an undeserved reputation, but one that under Ulder Ravengard may be changing. The party finds the closest possible table, order a round of light summer wines, and eavesdrop on the Fists. Hearing little more than idle gossip and complaints of local cuisine, Princess, a native of Baldur's Gate, interjects in their conversation. Drawing their attention, a more senior, or at least vocal member of the Flaming Fist asks why a pair of Hellriders, a pair of elves, and... Scott, have decided to pick a table by them and asked for their attention. This member of the Flaming Fist, a woman in her thirties with short brown hair, and sharp, vigilant eyes, stands and brings her chair across to the parties table to join them. Things grow somewhat tense between Princess and this woman, Princess alluding to threats to Ravengard, which at first she takes as the party making threats, before it is made clear that the threats are external. The banter between the two comes to a sharp stop when Princess stresses the seriousness of the potential situation. When asked for proof and evidence so that she can try to persuade Ravengard of the matter, Princess questions the loyalty and honour of her and the Flaming Fist. The Fist answers honestly, that her loyalty is purely to Ravengard, and she cares not about Elturel. Princess grows angry with this answer, declines to provide the evidence of the threat, and leaves the tavern. The rest of the party follow suit, apologising to the Fist for Princess' zealous personality.   With the Ravengard lead at a dead end, the only other option presented was the High Observer's Hall. Whilst Reya and Princess could likely walk around the ground floor of the Hall without drawing attention, they were concerned about having three civilians with them. Moreover, they want access to the second floor, where the High Observer's rooms are located, and this would require a reason for them to be there. Walking through the streets of the High District, and seeing the vendors selling themed foods, inspiration struck Princess. The party decided that perhaps they could bluff their way in by purchasing a gift basket of food, and ask if they could deliver it to Kreeg, in thanks for his service to the city and in light of the celebration. With a basket of goods procured, the five headed to the High Hall. Confusion about names came up from the foreigners, about whether there is a difference between High Hall, and the High Observer's Hall. It was explained that at the top of the bluff, overlooking the River Chionthar, the High Hall was built, a walled bastion and cathedral, which would act as both the holiest site in the city, but also its last stand in the event of disaster. When High Observer Kreeg came to power, and the influence of Elturel grew into the theocratic Kingdom of Elturgard, he required his own building for administration. So built adjacent to the cathedral to Torm, the High Observer's Hall was built within the walls of High Hall.   Entering the High Observer's Hall, they were met with little comment or regard. Those they did see were Hellriders at ease, sitting on their bunks talking, the sounds of others in a mess hall they could see through an opened door, or servants busying themselves about the keep. They made their way to the stairwell in the far back right of the building, and climbed up to the second floor. There they met a Knight of the Order of the Companion on guard by an arched doorway. The Knights within the Order of the Companion wear the heraldry of the city, the twin suns of Elturgard, rather than the flaming horse head of the Hellriders. The knight asked them to state their business, and Princess explained that they had a gift basket to present to Thavius Kreeg. The knight took a step forward and looked over the basket, before asking the group to follow him. He led them through the chambers of the upper floor, through a shrine dedicated to Torm, and a doorway. He opened it and shepherded them through into a lounge area. A number of tables and chairs populated the room, along with a pair of cold fireplaces. Sat at one of the tables were four more knights. The presumed leader of the group stood, turning to look at them, asking them what their business was. To Scott's surprise, one of the four knights was a woman with blue hair, his ex girlfriend Nysene Eomane|Nysene who he'd been looking for. He made no mention of this as the group once again explained about the gift basket. The knight in charge smiled, telling them that this is a generous gift, but that they would have to disarm themselves. This sent a wave of panic over the party, finding that the door behind them had been closed, and the rest of the knights were getting to their feet. Once more the knight in charge commanded Princess to drop her weapon. A magical command then penetrated Princess' mind and compelled her to drop her sword to the ground.   Scott darted forward, taking a step in between Princess and the knight, and shouted that what he's doing "isn't very nice!". The knight smirked at this and began to draw his sword. Scott attempted to palm strike his pommel, trying to stop him, but the knight was too quick on the draw. The melee began, with Scott continuing with his attack with a flurry of punches that caught the over confident knight by surprise, denting his breastplate and sending him stumbling backwards. Princess had managed to pick her sword back up in the distraction and position herself to flank the knight. At that moment, an invisible figure stepped out of his magical concealment, and plugged his dagger into Princess' back. Reya rushed to Princess' side to attempt to help her surrounded companion. Nysene during all of this had taken a step back, and slowly moved around the edge of the room, watching events unfold. The lead knight cast a second spell, this one on Scott, magically holding him in place, but before any of the other knights could exploit this fact, Haelee stepped forward, touched his shoulder and teleported him in a burst of leaves to the other side of the room. A moment later, she transformed into a dire wolf and began her attack on one of the knights. Erric leapt onto a table, and began firing arrows into the lead knight's back, who at this point had turned to face Princess. The half-orc paladin found herself within the magical aura's of the dagger wielding assassin, and this lead knight, causing her to be more vulnerable to damage, and for her own attacks to be less accurate. Nevertheless, her aim was true, and she struck him with a power blow, charging her divine energy to amplify the damage. Unfortunately for Scott, the magical effect took all his effort to overcome, and he found himself regaining his faculties just as Princess got struck by the knight. Through sheer force of rage, she remained standing, but only for a moment, as the knight's blade flourished into a second blow that knocked her unconscious, bleeding to death. Reya screamed with fury and continued her attack on the assassin, who promptly turned himself invisible once more. The lead knights victory was short lived, as one of Erric's arrows pierced through the back of his neck and out his throat. Meanwhile the dire wolf, formerly known as Haelee, began ragging one of the other knights to death, her powerful jaws crushing and smashing his body like a ragdoll. At this point Nysene had made her way to the door, and took her leave, running towards the stairs. Scott, with his agency restored, took after her, able to outrun her and get in her path, asking her to stop. She did so, and in that moment dropped her sword and began to cry. She said she's so sorry, that she was captured by the Baneite cultists and taken here, that she's so glad that Scott came to find her, and to save her, and threw herself at him. Meanwhile, one of the knights had engaged Erric in melee, stepping up onto a chair to meet him. Erric drew his short sword and brought it down in one smooth movement, plunging it down and through the face of the knight, killing him instantly. He then darted across the room, making his way to Princess, and channelled his nature magic into a burst of healing energy. The bleeding stopped, and Princess burst back to consciousness with a huge gasp. Reya found the assassin blade striking at her now, and with a grunt of pain she returned the attacks in kind. The final remaining knight was attacked by Princess and Erric, with Erric landing the final blow - a non-lethal strike with the pommel of his short sword. The assassin disengaged with Reya, turning invisible once more. The magical cloaking was not enough to protect him from Haelee's nose, and the wolf pounced, jaws wide, and managed to maul the invisible assassin to death.   The immediate threat dealt with, Haelee, still as a dire wolf, loped down the corridor to find Scott. He was still comforting Nysene, who had insisted that the two leave the Hall as soon as possible. She stressed she just wanted to get away from all the violence and the people who were holding her. Scott remained firm and told her that they have to stay, and that it would look worse if they fled. With Haelee watching, and now shifting back into her elven form, Nysene stopped protesting, and agreed to follow them back to the lounge. As Reya sat and tended her wounds, and Erric went about binding their prisoner, Princess opened the southernmost door. Peering inside she found a bunkroom, and within it a man frantically still trying to put his armour on. Princess wasted no time, charging at him with her great sword. She skewered him in the belly, the two of them stumbling back towards the bed. Erric rolled backwards into the room to see what the unexpected noise was, drew his bow and loosed an arrow into the dying man, striking his heart and finishing him.   They all regrouped in the lounge, and decided to press on to Kreeg's room. Nysene helpfully informed them which way to go, and before long they were before the High Observer's door. Princess threw the door open, and stood in front of a mirror, preening himself, stood Thavius Kreeg. "Ahh, come to let me stretch my legs?" he asked before turning around to see the unexpected. A group of blood soaked individuals, not in the armour of his knights. There was a moment of silent standoff as everyone filtered into the room, flanking Kreeg at a distance. He asked who these people were, but they pushed him on what is going on with the Baneites, and what is going to happen this evening. In a voice that shifted from the rasping tones of a man in his eighties, to a much more energetic countenance of someone much younger, Kreeg explained that he doesn't know what they're talking about, that he was held in this room by the Baneites against his will, and he is glad to be free of them, judging by the mess on everyone's armour. Kreeg moved to try to negotiate with the party, asking them what they would like in exchange for allowing him to leave. The party declined his offer to let him go, wanting answers, which he declined to give and stressed he really would not like things to turn violent. Soon the party started to realise that something was amiss, was it his memory or mind had been altered, as he seemed to struggle to recall things. It wasn't long before the threats of violence revealed his true form, and Thavius Kreeg shapeshifted into Princess. This doppelganger explained that he would like to leave the city, that he knows that the Cult of Zariel has something planned for this evening, and doesn't want to be here when it happens. The Cult of Zariel came as a shock to the party, asking him whether he meant the Cult of The Dead Three - of Bane specifically. He laughed and said no, that the Cult of Zariel merely hired them as disposable muscle. He agreed to tell Princess what he knows, if she gave him her oath that she'd let him go. Princess replied angrily "May the Tyrant strike me down, if I harm you". He described how Duke Vanthampur of Baldur's Gate had hired him for a task, to impersonate a political figure. He'd agreed, as the opportunity to wear that sort of face sounded fun, and so arrangements were made. He and a group of Baneites arrived at a camp in the woods of Elturgard. Several days later, Thavius Kreeg and a number of his Knights of the Order of the Companion arrived. He took Kreeg's face and some of his memories, and he and the Baneites, now wearing the Companion armour, headed back into the city. Since then he has been enjoying playing the role of Kreeg, writing decrees, meeting and speaking to "his" people, but lately the Baneites have gotten cross with him taking his role too seriously, and have kept him locked in the room. He stresses he doesn't know what the Zarielites have planned, but that Kreeg is the mastermind behind all of it. That something is coming this evening, and again, he'd like to be long gone before it happens. Reya, overcome with grief that Kreeg has betrayed them, betrayed the city, tells the party that she has to hunt him down. She tells the party she's leaving for Baldur's Gate, and asks them to join her when they've solved the problem facing Elturel. Princess reels at this, and the rest of the party ask her to stay. She tries to smile, and declined their offer "you'll have this resolved in a couple of days tops, it'll give me enough time to prepare Baldur's Gate for your arrival." With a kiss on the cheek from Princess, Reya heads away, and her fury and attention is pointed back to Kreeg like a lighthouse.   Princess walked to the doorway that opens out onto the balcony, gesturing to Kreeg to follow her and telling the party she wants a private moment with Kreeg. Out on the balcony she gestures to the city and its people, and implores this doppelganger to care for these great people. He insists that he does, that as their leader for the short period that he was, he loved his people. In the moment of grand monologuing, Princess grasped the form of Kreeg, and threw him over the balcony. The creature hit the marble below with a crack, and as Princess looked over to see the result, the doppelganger quickly picked itself up to its feet and started to run out of the keep, shapeshifting into the form of a small girl. Princess cursing that the monster lived, stormed back into Kreeg's bedroom.