Episode Eighty-six - Lair of the Death Tyrant

General Summary

Part One

Whilst returning to the Deep Road Inn and Tavern, Arion beheld a lowly man upon a wagon marked Grand Wheats Consortium. Checking in, he learned that the man was an indentured servant named Ivarn and after talking with a caravan guard, who's name the man left concealed behind his contract of anonymity; Arion learned that the company was horrid and that they bolted a metal box to the back of the wagon to track and spy on their workers. Arion learned that the man, Ivarn was indentured for 7,000 gold and his starting pay was 8 copper a day, like other workers. He learned that they were transporting three fifty pound bags of 2,500 gold each after selling wheat. Arion then gave the caravan guard five gold and Ivarn a week's rations to try and get him to good health. Later, Sol learned the box to be imbued with an intense version of a Scrying ritual.
On the night of the 24th of the Wolf, a supper was held where upon the Champions of Destiny hosted their adventuring company meant to slay Faamdiohl the Death Tyrant in his lair. In attendance the Champions of Destiny could be found: Annabelle, Arion, Raven, and Sol along with their followers Evelyn, Plung-goon, and Jorg. The host of The Tower were also in attendance, taking a break from their hunt for the Tomb of Horrors, they were: Zulthorn Rulquis the Archmage of The Tower, Bluaze Paynan an evoker mage of The Tower, and Zanna Redstar a healer mage of The Tower along with them were their hirelings Sir Malcolm of Fraellan the third son of his noble house, Lady Martha a hedge knight and self proclaimed protector of Forlorn Hope, and Lady Gwen of Evrys the cousin of the Duchess of Caroline. Among those hired to attend was their self appointed organizer and old battle companion of Arion's Sir Yoreth, his squire, Finn the Human an adventurer from the Land of Ooo, Makenna McDorn a warrior from the Ironwood, a northern noble and his guard, Sildaer and old man-at-arms serving the Questing Knights, Sir Garmont of the Questing Knights, and Tûn Von Gruemann a man-at-arms of the Questing Knights. These individuals would make up the company and they would later be joined by Annabelle's father and Snake the goblin.
Come the morning of the 25th, through heavy rain, the company set out and arrived at the Lair of the Goblin King later that day. Once in, they descended into the bowels of the lair and found the Lair of the Death Tyrant. After a room filled with armor, they passed a shrieking mushroom in a hall and the battle began. As two suits of armor came alive, spectral appendages grabbed those in the hall, locking down a majority of the company, and skeletons began firing at the leaders of the group. As Arion deflected an arrow with his blade, he was struck in the back by Sir Garmont as Zulthorn seemingly betrayed the company. As the party fought on, they realized Zulthorn was mind controlled and equally realized that Garmont had a magical eye. Garmont used his magical eye to kill Bluaze, Malcolm, and Makenna and sent the company into a panic. Revealed to be some form of Vecna; Sir Garmont stood, singed by flame, and prepared to destroy the party.

Part Two

Fighting on, Raven fired an arrow at Sir Garmont and Vecna's voice retorted, "you continue to betray me Raven."
Surviving the assault, Sir Garmont's controlled body reached for his eye and ripped it out. As the yellow glow faded, a black ichor flamed forth and covered Judge Jorlin. As Sir Garmont's body fell to the floor, lifeless, Judge Jorlin arose with new hatred. As he got up, Judge Jorlin immediately started attacking the company and taking them down one by one. He killed the northern noble, Sir Yoreth, and some caused the death of Finn.
As Arion used his rope and hook to reach, what they later determined was a beholder zombie, he slew the beast by plunging his sword into its eye. It was then that Annabelle dropped Judge Jorlin with a use of her Toll the Dead and it was only then that their long combat ended. With friend and foe defeated, they worked together to bring back those they had lost. Working quickly, Annabelle accepted two diamonds from Zulthorn, which held great person value, and brought back Bluaze, Sir Malcolm, Finn, and Makenna. With help from Zanna, using a rare and powerful necklace of regenerate; Zanna and Annabelle brought back Sir Yoreth.
By then, Annabelle's father, Plung-goon, and Sir Yoreth's squire had reached the Lair of the Goblin King and Arion ordered the rest to join but they refused to listen. They chose instead to remain and watch the party's back as they ventured on, a few even went with them. Eventually, after destroying the Eye of Vecna Sir Garmont wore with Bluaze and Epione's flames and after bargaining with a zombie, even those members were left behind as Annabelle, Arion, Raven, and Sol pressed on. The core party then made their way deeper into the death tyrant's lair to talk with prisoners. They discovered that Pentival was among them, a half-dragon from the Tomb of Horrors and as he and Annabelle got reacquainted, Arion tried to bargain again with the death tyrant, as he refused to leave the prisoners. Offended by the offer and Arion's theft of his own shield, Faamdiohl moved in to attack and set the party on a precipice of certain doom.

Part Three

The heroes then fought valiantly, Sol cast a fog and blinded the Death Tyrant and when it finally emerged Arion latched on to it and refused to let go. As the fight continued, hobgoblins rushed the layer. Annabelle and Raven held them as Arion cut on the skull and Sol blocked their passage to great effect with several casts of Grease. Then, as Sol began to be attack by zombies in the fog, he dropped the spell and all could be seen. Hobgoblins had rushed the room, Arion was seventy foot in the air, Raven was climbing the wall of the cavern, and Pentival had fallen into one of the pits.
Then, as an atmosphere of doom hung in the room, the creatures eye rays began firing. Astrûn, one of the rescued, was killed. Arion was slowed and weakened. Raven was plucked from the wall and broken after an eighty foot drop. All before an eye turned down and petrified Pentival. As Pentival's skin shaped to stone, Sol was hit with a dark blast. Shrouded in death, Sol took the full force of the ray and emerged from it, a victim. Dead there on the floor, all hope was fleeting. Arion fought the power of the Death Tyrant, but it proved to strong. It blasted Annabelle and then the hobgoblins seized the moment to seize her. It was just then that Arion drove his blade into the eye of the creature and killed it rightly. As the Death Tyrant's crystalline eye shattered, the Champions of Destiny won the day.

Part Four

In the end, Arion climbed down and bargained with the hobgoblins, whom put Annabelle to the sword. Together, they collected their wounded and left the lair.
As they surfaced in the Lair of the Goblin King, a glyph cracked and a projection was shot up into the the hall before them all. Laughing as the party exited one by one, they saw Ulyeras the Necromancer or as some knew him, Ulyeras Nordaren the Lich Lover, standing before them. Clad in the regalia he took from Sol, once belonging to the Cloak of Sauron, he spoke and his voice echoed throughout the empty room.
There was a curling evil to his words and the whimsy once heard in his voice was now all but absent. "You utter fools, I simply came here looking for that worthless, floating head and what did I find but your lackies. Oh how they squeeled when I seized them. I've taken them as compensation for the Death Tyrant's demise and as security for my passage. Low it still lives as of this program, I offer it no aid."
Pacing through the hall as he spoke, he continued, "You see, I can read the writing upon the wall and I must admit, my dear and former captees, you have proven far more resourseful then the Order once believed. So know then now, the earl considers you to be at war. He shall be levying his full organization against you and I expect your downfall within the week. In his mind, resistance is futile, you must submit or be obliterated."
Turning toward the group as if he could see them he paused and leaned in to say, "whilst the gates of the Valley of Shadows are always open to you, as Castle Valoria awaits your surrender, I know the truth."
He stood then and postulated, "You shall never surrender. Not to us, not ever. Of course, I am no fool. I see my end is nigh and I refuse. I will never die for a man that hid a false phylactery in my base, a man incapable of love, a piece of shit who thought me his lesser! No.., I will prevail."
"Champions," he started as if hit with a fit of inspiration, "I make you this offer. Chase me not and I will dump the tortle in Forlorn Hope. Once I've arrive in my new home, I will leave the elf there. If you care to find this pointy-eared freak, he'll be in a realm known as Toril."
With a finger wiggling wave and a kiss blown he offered parting words before disappearing, "ta-ta and worst of luck you fucking cunts."
Deciding to press on and hope for the best, the party met with their hirelings outside and returned to town. On their way, a light snow fell and they spotted and hid from the Earl of Undeath. Finally reaching the town's edge, the Champions of Destiny heard the sounds of battle ahead.
In town the young adventuring druid, Ash Cindervale, found his way out of the Black Mountain Veins at last; having discovered the location of the Tomb of Horrors for Zulthorn. Met by Durnan, Ash was rallied for the battle to defend the town from an attack to the north. Gathering the locals, he arrived at the battlefield before the Champions of Destiny.
The sounds of horns and mass shouting raised the troops. Men were clamoring and bursting though the camp sundering much of it. The battle was already raging by the time the last few soldiers left their tents, a line of men had already faced off against the goblins and their gnarled faces and blood painted the fields to the north. The crossbowmen had skirmished and killed, as their commander Arion had ordered. Screams of agony then echoed across the battlefield as the initial wave of goblins were sundered. It was just then that the soldiers retreated to the stone-walled field north of their encampment but were cut off by a new wave of goblins springing forth from the depths.
By the time the last soldiers reached the edge of camp, the Knights of Anglia charged the second wave sprouting from the north and met them in the middle distance. Excited by the potential for victory, the Fraellan soldiers rushed from the wall, disobeying their order to hold it, and captured the mid-field as the knights gave slaughter to the veteran goblins. A third wave then surged up and eventually the knights were overwhelmed but not before they retreated and returned for another shock attack. Shaken from their horses, the shock cavalry died in droves and what remained then fell back to a defensive position on the road. Thirty-one men had begun the charge, thirteen survived it, low they wavered not.
As the last soldiers exited the camp and headed down the hill to the fields, they begin to see a horde of goblins thrashing forth wildly from an underground entrance, their hideous laughter and angry cheers swelled the ever increasing pace of their hearts. The skirmish beyond was over, the third wave was to large but had dwindled. The mid-field was lost as the thunderous charge of the goblin army drove them forward. Bolts took to the sky and in another moment the thuds of bodies and the crashing of metal could be heard all around as blood and death took to the air. Traps caught the goblins then and they quit the field in hordes, those whom were not vanquished.
At the bottom of the hill the last of the soldiers saw a goblin crawl through the grass leaving a trail of blood, still committed though behind enemy lines, to its attack. In its final death throw it rolled over on its back and howled. As its screech bleeted upon the ears of those soldiers, the goblins crashed into the new line behind the stone wall. The crossbowmen ahead found themselves overwhelmed for a moment as goblins passrf through their line from between those at the wall. Many of those late to the battle met the goblins and defendrf their encampment. With their defense well at hand, the confusion of the fray met many a soldier.
The field of battle was a gaggle of moving parts, helmets, weapons, and scared men fighting for their lives everywhere abound. On the right flank, the cavalry charged up the road to push back the enemy from the portal to the depths, the Deep Road Inn and Tavern. As they tore into the left flank of the enemy they were immediately swallowed. The line left of them ran 400 feet across, the left flank was thick with a tough center but the right flank, that which wavered, was thin and hardly held. The assumption from top down was that there would be a hard push out of the caverns below and straight into the left flank. The right flank was there to catch the goblins heading around or toward town but there were more goblins then the forces of Fraellan assumed there would be. As the battle raged at least a hundred men were swinging knives, swords, spears, and all manner of deadly weapons, knowing for a fact that their very lives were on the line. With all the dust, blood, and people screaming, the men could hardly see; it closed their periphery, missile weapons distracted their eyes, the heat of a late winter battle caused sweat to pour down their face, and their dry mouths reminded them that they were thirsty, hungry, nervous, and afraid.
Confusion lay abound, men heard then the sounds of voices they had heard from the camp, dying. Screams of agony and pleas for mothers gave darkness to the air, whilst fights to the death gave blood to the ground. The adrenaline swelled within each man and their hands started to shake as men began to consider retreat. Just then the hooves of horses wheeled and clamored forth from behind, not soon to retreat. Every man's awareness collapsed as the cavalry thundered down the road. As the shock cavalry delivered a deadly strike to a fierce bugbear band, blood was sent heaven bond with hell's intent.
Behind the Questing Knights, rushing forth with heroism in their hearts and courage to steel them from death was none other then the townsfolk and the adventurers they'd kept. Having surged forth from inns and homesteads alike, they numbered over forty and hoped to see tomorrow. As the townsfolk joined the reserve, a long and steady clash diminished all around. Minutes felt like hours but then both sides soon retreated, the soldiers to the edge of camp and the goblins to the fields north of town. In another moment, some minutes later, the march forth was preformed with both sides having swolen in rank with time to reorganize and time for the wounded to stand.
It was just then that the Champions of Destiny arrived. From the west, they all stepped forth and presented the battle with new command as Captain Tergenon fell to enemy arrows. Arion lead 1st Infantry and directed the crossbowmen as Annabelle led 2nd Infantry and gained assistance on the line from Ash's command of the locals. Through valiant effort, though most of the locals were sundered and much of 2nd Infantry crumbled, before what remained of 2nd was healed by Annabelle, the people of Forlorn Hope prevailed and the goblin attack was pushed back.
It was then that reinforcements arrived. A voice, regal and true surprised Arion from behind saying, "I am told you need reinforcements Captain."
As he turned, he saw standing before him, King Elessar, born Aragorn son of Arathorn, King of the West, heir of Isildur, and leader of the company once known as the Fellowship of the Ring. He was clad in a pure white cloak and wore a black tabard with gold linings over a shirt of black mail decorated with silver. Upon his head was a helm marking him ready for battle, should it come, and behind him stood a regiment of men, likewise prepared for combat.
As Arion took a knee, his king greeted him and offered, "a friend of yours, clad in green and chained to a book, came to court and spoke with me. He knew much of my life and equally much of the well guarded secret that is your life. The man told me an enemy of yours stands in the way of your quest. I then asked how I could offer aid and he told me what my path ahead would be and this, Captain Arion, is only its beginning."
He went on to leave Arion in command of the regiment he brought along as he was to return and gather what forces he could muster for the battle ahead. He bid Arion guard the town well with his command as he would return in three week's time with four regiments ready to assault the gates of Arion's enemy. He also alluded to gathering supplies for some effort to rebuild, though in his kingly nature he offered little detail, Arion could think of only one question. In response, his king told him that his family were well and as he left for a magical gateway, the one which brought him there, he presented Plung-goon. The tortle emerged from behind the rank of men and told the Champions that the necromancer had left through the same gate that the king had emerged from but before the party could talk further, the citizens of the town swarm them all.
After a moment of desperate sorting, especially for the new troops, the party were ushered to a feast that was held in their honor. The Deep Road Inn & Tavern was filled to bursting and the sentiment was that no one expected to survive. Joy and cheer filled the establishment and all around the locals wanted only a word of greeting from heroes lips so that they my be humbled in their awesome presence. The party's glory was sang, drank to, and praised. Their names were called and Their deeds declared before one and all.
The people sang the praises of the few heroes they had found on the battlefield that day and they sang so that they might remember for years to come. They sang of Arion's command and his slaying of many goblins where his men had failed in the attack. They sang of Annabelle's blessing which healed and rallied over a dozen troops, as well as her devastating blow to a mighty bugbear. They sang of Ash whom organized the militia and put his life on the line by using a magic wall of thorns to protect the people as they retreated. They sang of Raven's bolts which fell many-a-goblin but they too praised Champions all together for the ghostly heroes which they called forth from the deep.
After a night of drinking and celebration, they heroes rested. Whilst they took a week to heal and mend their souls, Ash took the week to enjoy the world above ground, after a month below, and worked with Bluaze to learn more about the elemental arts of magic.
Met back at the tavern, come the morning of the 3rd of the Horse, 12,011 CE, the group and a few others recounted their last seven days and caught up on current events. Through talk with Zulthorn, the consideration to venture down into the Tomb of Horrors was made but the party held off, only long enough to see Lady Gwen whom wished to speak with them.

Rewards Granted

Part Three 1189xp Part Four 4275xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Quest Vecna's Eye Continued, Sidequest Lair Within Lair Completed, Sidequest Goblin War Started and Completed, Sidequest An Eye for Traitors Started

Notes

Notable Party Damage:

• Aldrich has a horrible burn scar on the left side of his neck in front of the ear from an azure fire elemental summoned by Seldra Tylmarande. His armor and shield are extremely claw marked from many Lizardfolk. His shield has a large fist shaped dent in it from when he was crushed by a Sacred Statue.
  Noted Effects: Horrible Scar (Neck). You are disfigured to the extent that the wound can't be easily concealed. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks and advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. Missing.
• Annabelle has a hole in her armor and healing wound on her right abdomen from a kobold's arrow. She has a scar on her left abdomen from an attempted assassination. In a fight with hobgoblins she gained a large dent on her backplate from the sword of hobgoblin captain and three holes in her chest plate: one in the left shoulder, another above her right breast, and another on her left rib from the arrows of hobgoblin soldiers. Her armor is severely scarred from a battle with goblins outside Forlorn Hope.
  Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Left Abdomen). The scar doesn’t have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
• Arion came from Arda with a scar that won't seem to heal. He has a dent in the back of his plate armor from a betrayer's blade. He has a dent on the lower backplate from a fight with hobgoblins as well as a stab in his upper left abdomen. His armor is severely scarred from a battle with goblins outside Forlorn Hope.
  Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Head). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
• Raven has stress tears in her leather armor from a long fall.
  Noted Effects: None
• Sol has tear marks across the back and chest of his shirt, as well as down the sleeve, from the claws of lizardfolk. He was shot in the stomach by a beholder's enervation ray and it left a burned hole in his clothes. He has a scar across his right jaw from a nail that was shot at him in an explosion.
  Noted Effects: Horrible Scar. You are disfigured to the extent that the wound can't be easily concealed. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks and advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. Dead.

Report Date

07 Oct 2021

Primary Location

Outlands