Trial by Crystal

moving on from Akina
Theo + icarus checked two houses
One with a deceased person, the other with ruined furniture and a vial that shimmers a soft green and smells potent
 
Nudged the monk fascinated with the remains of Akina's sword, Steel remarked, "Jojen, you need to go... speak with the plants."
 
Murg with truesight looked into the well. It is a manawell now, a collection of arcane energy that functions as a portal/demiplane. Two beady yellow eyes stared back from the swirling green.
 
 
The next spirit spoke to Jojen in a voice that was old and frail. With whatever energy it had left the male-sounding voice recoiled from Jojen's psychic approach. "Tell Cain we received his message. There will be more defiance." It did not understand what it was, and Jojen panicked. He looked to Murg for help, ignoring the mushroom-spirit.
"Are you not listening to me, boy?" Exasperated, the spirit introduced himself as Solomon. An acolyte of Hrothamari, he entered Nostalii to try and spread Hrothamari's principles of peace to the underdark town. He became an elder of sorts to the Nostalii people, as well as a big target for Cain's men. Once animated Solomon's true intentions came forth: he spoke angrily of those would seek glory or riches here in the lost city.
 
He knew all those the Vanguard had "helped" -- Solomon spoke especially highly of the knight Roger. As for his wants: "Return to me once you have helped all the rest."


 
So we moved on. There remained only a few houses unexplored. One contained a corpse clutching a bejeweled scepter. The next was not so welcome: a small building protecting a shrine to Selune. Atop it lay over a dozen death worshippers, and the stone altar itself was shattered in pieces. The remains of one in wizarding robes was nailed to the wall opposite the temple entrance, crucified with the message "Death to heretics" written in blood.
 
Jojen ran off to the next mushroom spirit he could see, to fulfill the dead Solomon's wishes. This spirit was bitter and nearly enraged. "Why the hell are you interrupting me drinking?" It spoke of fishing and the "brainless" Jojen. He was the fisherman Roger spoke of -- and regretted the Vanguard knowing that. Though he knew he was dead he assumed the worst of the Vanguard, that they would want Cain's power. He warned that Cain tied the souls of Nostalii to his warded black magic. So saving those remaining in Nostalii would serve another function.
 
The fisherman's spirit did agree with Jojen on looking inward: "Fishing... can be a lot like meditation." But even when Jojen asked the spirit refused to give up his name. He did explain himself: he functioned as one of Cain's enforcers. "I am not proud of what I have done, and I offer no apologies."
 
Hilariously the spirit refused to pass on until all other spirits had been freed. "Like Solomon," was all Jojen got out before the spirit scoffed loudly. The fisherman thought Solomon silly, to say the very least.
 
Near the fisherman's spirit-mushroom lay a dead body with a still-intact fishing rod. Jojen ignored it to follow Theo's request: a close-by ruined house held a half-buried box. Detecting no foul magics the monk retrieved it, and returned to the rest of the Vanguard. Steel took hold of the box, storing it for later.
 
Jojen moved on to the next: the spirit of a young woman. She was somewhat offended by the monk's upbeat personality, and taken off-guard when he offered help. "What do you want?" She sounded tired and defeated. When prompted Jojen explained -- over-explained -- the status of Ibrithil and Nostalii at large. She was curious about Rufus, confirming that he was in the next life. Business-like the monk clarified as well the situation with Solomon and the fisherman
 
Not privy to the conversation, Steel watched on, wondering what if Jojen was speaking to the fisherman Brettam.
 
The young woman introduced herself as Solomon's daughter Alia. "And if staying here keeps that asshole [Brettam] from passing on, then that is a burden I will gladly bear.
 
Jojen, defeated, gathered the Vanguard.
"I did the big fuck-up."


 
Murg devised a plan, to lie to one of the spirits to cause the rest to move on.
 

The Grand Transaction

At Murg's direction the first target was Alia. The monk transposed Murg's words to the spirit, near perfectly. "I am an Auditor of Abadar, and I am here to transact your passing on to the grand plane of Elysium." Alia did not relent: Brettam had killed her sister and destroyed her family.
 
Jojen and Theo agreed as the party discussed: Brettam was not unhappy to stay in Nostalii as a spirit-mushroom. Hearing this, Alia softened somewhat. "I do not think I will follow my sister into the next life." She asked for one of her sister's things, a small music box. "It projected a map of the night sky, tuned to the music."
 
Wordlessly Steel produced the box the monk had found earlier. Jojen opened it, revealing the very (small) treasure of Solomon's lost daughter. It is exquisitely beautiful, gilded with gold and functioned via a star-shaped lever. [url:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSwtSyPfZJY]
The music it played was soft, and slightly haunting, and as the song played wisps of the arcane came from the box to collect above it -- in the shape of the night sky. It broke Alia -- "It is the song my mother sang to us, the one my father put in the box for us".
 
The last question from Alia was the same as Solomon's: our intentions with Cain's power. Jojen reassured her. "Then tell my father I love him, and that I will see him soon."


 
Solomon, then, was next: upon hearing the news that Alia had passed on, he remained resolute to stay. It was then he revealed that Brettam was his brother, and that he could not let him rest.
 
Frustrated -- the Vanguard and Solomon -- the place was silent. It was the exasperated dead Solomon that made a decision: "Connect me with my brother. If you can handle the anger, the rage, then perhaps something may be done."
 
Steel was very glad to not hear the rest of Solomon's words; they were recounted later and the tabaxi became very angry at the sound.
 
Jojen moved to a spot between the two spirit-mushrooms and plopped himself down. Contacting the fisherman Brettam -- who was obviously angery -- he regretfully connected the two. Rage and anger erupted from each spirit. All in the party could feel the anger coursing through the air like hot wind. But with his trained focus Jojen weathered it all, as the emotion died down to words, then accusations, then conversation. There was peace enough for them.
 
Eventually the pair spoke on matters that made sense. Brettam had decided to kill Alia in her sleep, seeing that as a mercy over what Cain would have done. "I can never forgive you for what you did with Cain. But, I cannot fault you for picking between bad and worse."
 
Though bodiless the two spirits seemed to turn to the Vanguard to offer final advice. Brettam spoke first, then Solomon:
 
"The front gate will instantly end those who did not complete his trials. The trials themselves are deceptive. I would not think that you are prepared for them. Assume nothing, for they are simple. Should you pass, you will face Cain and the clerics he kept with him. Be prepared for the evil he wields, a dark magic I have never seen in any other."
 
"The left path leads to the trial Brettam and I know of. The right door is locked -- you will need the hook from my brother's fishing rod to help you there. Left, then right."
 
Together, to different places, they passed on.
 

Trials

With smoldering consternation on his face Murg surveyed Nostalii. It was as freed as the Vanguard could hope for.
 
The left door (once approached) had no key or handle, instead a hook-shaped hole with some sort of cross. Jojen opened it with the hook Brettam had provided, and the door swung open on its own accord.
 
The room was littered with broken flasks, their contents spilt on the floor. A stone tablet met the Vanguard as they entered the room. It was empty to all save Murg -- with his truesight he could see a series of runes or letters, a word perhaps. The back wall held a table with four large vials, still intact. They each held a different liquid: pitch red (flickers with flame), sickly green (smells of poison), neon blue (flashes with sparks), pitch black (swirls with the forms of skulls). While the rest of the party looked on, Murg transposed the runes for Theo to translate:
 
"Ye that have faith, drink of thy brew and be saved."
 
There was a moment's hesitation. All looked amongst one another -- but Steel saw something else. "Have none of you listened?" With confidence the tabaxi strode up to the black vial and drank without fear. It went down easy, first burning with the pain of intoxication that quickly faded into bubbly euphoria.
 
A small box shimmered into existence in the center of the room, and Steel took the small sphere within.
 
"I thought you all had telepathy."
 

Checking in

Leaving the room back to Nostalii the Vanguard all felt the spine-tingling sensation of being watched. A low drone followed, a single note holding a steady pitch. Then all could see something climb out of the dark well of once-Nostalii. Its wings were beating, and it looked vaguely humanoid.
 
Another followed.
 
Jojen leapt to action, surging forward to engage the foul creatures. He stumbled as he wove between their attacks, nearly terrified by taking in the creatures up close. Theo tried for a spell, missing his polymorph as fear threw him for a loop. These things were terrifying, and poisonous. One began to violently vibrate its wings
 
crystalline spores
flew towards murg and steel as it hid in a house
 
"I'm tired of your shit, Cain."
 
fires iron bolt of binding
hits, creature breaks free immediately
 
"Fuck you."
 
The other creature sipped through the air to unleash a horrifying screech. To all save Murg the sound was terrible, but to the cleric the creature's screech hummed and reverberated in the back of his mind. It was a pull that his mind could not resist, and Murg fell to the creature's ill charm.
 
His mind reeling, unable to recall any learnings about what the Vanguard were facing, Murg ran to assail the next creature.
 

More

"Oh how I love watching fools dig their own graves."
 
Cain's voice rang out over Nostalii. Laughter followed, haunting and evil. As the party looked about a sharp cracking noise followed.
 
All of the crystals pulsed, then exploded.
 
Each of the large red crystals cracked as, impossibly, red shards arced up into the sky like a black rain of arrows. They showered the entire party, missing the foul creatures as if guided by magic. All survived, Jojen and Murg worse for wear but otherwise fine.
 
Theo snapped his fingers, disappearing with a flash to take refuge in one of the ruined homes he had investigated earlier. Steel was not as lucky -- one of the creatures spoo
 
forced to use shield
 
runs to Murg, casts wind wall
hands potion of poison resist to Murg
 
the other creature beelined for Theo, crystals surrounding it like angry locusts. Though safe from the red crystal shards the wizard was not as safe from the creature's toxic shards.
 
Murg swung at the horrible creature between him and Steel as best he could. Poison coursing through his veins and an echantment worming its way through his mind the cleric connected, the bright symbol of the Veradin Caravan Company burned into the creature. It let out a horrific shriek. Murg stumbled, dropping the gavel and hands falling to his knees.
 
More crystals bombarded the party. Jojen ducked and rolled out of the way to avoid as many as he could -- the rest of the Vanguard protect by magic and by stone. He made for the creature attacking Theo, leaping mid-air to strike with streaking punches. He met the creature, but it twisted and rolled through the air to effortlessly dodge the blows.
 
Theo coughed up black phlegm as he peeked his head out, to meet the gaze of the horrible flying monstrosity. With a quick word shards of stone freed themselves from the ruined house and careened into the flying creature. Theo turned before he could see the damage, wretching out a black ball of mucus as his body rid itself of poison.
 
Steel tried to dodge his foul attacker, but in order to stay in the safety of his wind wall took a heavy slash to the shoulder. "Kill it with fire," he commanded, the Claw whirring to life to spit fire at the creature. It screeched horribly, its toxic spores thrown up into the air by the arcane winds.
 
The other creature swooped meancingly at Theo, unable to attack the wizard behind his stone hiding spot. Instead it wheeled in the air to surge upwards. But Jojen was too quick: with a swift leap he deftly caught the creature as it tried to leave and ripped its wings clean off.
 
looped through the air, glided into the well to disappear
 
Murg held the gavel ready. "Kill these foul beings of Cain." Light collected on the mace, nearly blinding the nearby Steel. His foe turned to see the attack too late, and Murg smashed its skull in with divine force.
 
 

"I think it's time to rest.

Theo spoke first, but all agreed: the Vanguard must recover and lick their wounds. Choosing one of the more-intact houses the wizard prepared his tiny hut as the adventurers one by one loped to the arcane sanctuary.
 
A voice left them with one final warning before the magic ward cut out the noise:
"So not yet, then."