Session 08: Legends and Lore Report
General Summary
Our journey continues as the party departs the farmstead back to Arkdale; the only clear path in front of them to overcome the severe need for more information and guidance along their journey. Back inside the city walls and under disguise the increased guard force presents a much greater problem, especially when one of the guards recognizes Ilyana's face from a poster in his hands. He captures her by the arm and begins to lead her to the nearest sergeant when Ilyana casts a quick Charm Person on the guard. The guard instantly changes demeanor, notices the flight of Wellys in the air and instead of calling out to his fellow guards, engages Ilyana in casual conversation and even asks if she might meet him later after his shift. With advise from Ilyana, he goes back to his work without saying a word. With unknown reliability and questionable expectations, Flint's dimwitted guard Gromp leads the party to "a place with books and maps"; a location he remembers from back when he was a bodyguard for an important wizard of sorts. While the street he leads you to has a number of upscale buildings and shops, the structure he brings you to is nothing more than a shanty, a tiny shop with a hunched over shopkeeper and no more than 30 books on the limited shelves. A single map is seen; drawn by the shopkeeper's daughter. As all hope appears to be lost that anything could be contained here, Gromp struggles to remember a phrase, repeating it over and over in different ways until the party assists..."We want to cross the veil of infinite knowledge". The shopkeeper's form alters to the appearance of a younger man, guiding the team to the small backroom and asking them to take a knee to activate a portal. Arising, the party finds themselves in a much different location; a reception area, greeted by a Brass Dragonborn named Nax, who shares that the passphrase used provides payment for all services and amenities of their stay. As one of the Avowed, he welcomes you to Candlekeep, fortress of knowledge and lore. As their personal guide, Nax leads the party to the Bath and Steam House then arranges for their lodging, tables for meals and the next day's research room. He advises that without some form of advanced permission they will not be able to enter the library proper, but the Avowed will bring them all that they need within their assigned research room. The party enjoys the most spectacular spa experience, personalized by a strange crystal hung around their necks that reads their minds as to appropriate comfort levels. This necklace perfects the temperature of the water, the sounds and smells of the area, and even customizes the pool to the perfect look and feel of the first to enter into it. Dressing in erudite robes after completing their encounter, even the material adjusts to the users preference in material, color and insulation. Their armor and belongings magically transported to their rooms, they enjoy an amazing meal - flavored perfectly from the necklace's power, then later lead to a magical lodging area with a common room that again customizes itself to the first user - each of the connecting rooms containing the freshly cleaned, repaired and buffed armor and belongings. Ricfried resists attuning to the crystal, leaving him with a more lackluster experience from the rest. The next day after breakfast at the Hearth, Nax leads the party to their research room at the Pillars of Pedagogy, where other members of the Avowed have pulled a selection of reading materials ahead of their arrival. They find a comfortable room containing a half loaded bookshelf of old tomes, massive table in the center, an assortment of recliners and reading chairs surrounding the room, and several proper writing desks lining the walls with fresh parchment, quills and ink ready for the members. The room is lit with a large candle filled chandelier and candle sconces on the wall, and a silence spell keeps the room quiet from distractions. Of special note, the party learns the following:
- Ancient wars were waged between the gods that not only shaped the lands but ripped holes in the fabric of the multiverse; allowing dark and evil creatures through.
- These evils were pushed back by many different forces that aligned, but something is rumored to still exist in the depths.
- Historically enemies, a shaky alliance between Werewolves and Vampires helped push back an evil presence that attempted to overtake the land using some form of mind control over leaders of the villages, killing or pushing back into the sea.
- Wolveshire Fortress has a dark history rooted in lycanthropy before its most recent owners took control. After destroying the werewolf family that massacred the town of Cragsbrooke and the temple to the east that the townsfolk retreated to, mercenaries rebranded the fortress and called it their own.
