Episode Sixty-seven - Challenging Fate

General Summary

Part One

"Come for me cowards, come for me."
The words rang throughout the chamber catching the attention of the Sacred Statue, the lizardfolk, and the last sculptor left alive. They all rushed forward and crowded up the hallway entrance that lead to the secret statue, where earlier the Eidolon had rested before taking the form of the large Statue of Moloch. At the entrance of the hallway stood Arion, the last Champions of Destiny standing.
"Come and get me."
The threat lead a lizard's neck into his blade as they clawed into the hallway. The Sacred Statue reached in and Arion stepped back and lead the lizards by their noses to the back of the hall. Before the secret statue, Arion turned to catch the lizards' claws upon his shield. He killed another, and then another, and then poured down his gullet several powerful potions. With nothing but dead lizards before him, Arion marched over their bodies and stood before the great and towering statue to face it.
Four mighty and magically infused cuts tore stone away leaving its hard unworked innards exposed. As the last sculptor ran, Arion was forced to catch a mighty blow upon his shield but rallied and stood tall. Two and a half minutes into that very long fight ninety-one years behind the modern world, Arion pulled back his sword, drew tired breath, and battered away the stomach of the massive rock statue. Its spine then crumbled and the statue clattered to the floor in large stone chunks. Winded for only a moment, Arion gathered himself and then watched as the statue's spirit rose and drifted through the wall.
In a mad dash, Arion chased the spirit by running down the hallway and then found himself standing, once more, before the secret statue. Arion then sundered it with his mason's hammer as the spirit approached it. The spirit fled then and Arion finally saw an end to the fight that felt as if it had started an age ago.
Arion gathered himself and then set forth. He picked up the griffon left behind by Annabelle and then put it in his backpack. He took the ruby eyes of the statue and then collected to mangled bodies of his friends. He placed them one by one in his bag of holding, stuffing it to its very brink. Arion then watched as the transportation device approached as he stood over the body of the gemsmith. Arion took the skull from her and then went to check a tunnel he'd seen earlier, with a stairway.
Below, Arion found an underground lake perfectly sized for a Thessalkrakken. He then deemed it beyond him and headed back up stairs. He headed to the room of Ard-Sagart and there, he spoke with the man briefly. The temple's new leader told him about the treasure room; Arion then headed directly there. Taking the key from Sol's body, Arion unlocked the secret door behind the hay and down from The Demogorgon. Inside, Arion weighed his options and made the choices needed to bring back the treasure with a full bag.
Leaving behind only what was unimportant, Arion requested transport back to the future. He found himself in the gazebo at the manor of Sir Ursas. Ursas was pleased to see Arion and offered condolences on his losses. He then beckoned him to step down from the gazebo and when he did, they entered his lab below. The place was filled to bursting with men working of the Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad and more appeared with Lum the Mad himself.
Just then, the forces of Lynx Creatlach burst in and a battle commenced. Arion took to the side and then offered to guard Lum the Mad under the guise that the guards would be able to join the battle. Together they plotted to survive the battle as they watched a red dragon spawn from the machine, as they watched Lynx and Sir Ursas wrestle for it, and subsequently watched as the entire room filled to bursting, die. In the end, Lum helped set the machine to transport itself but when it malfunctioned, he was left behind.
Arion then found himself in the barn of the Estate of Deepwinter in Waterdeep. After speaking with Farnsworth the butler, Baern the father of Kelaryn, and Autumn Baggins; he set out toward town in order to restore his friends. In town he had a long conversation with the master of the temple known as the Halls of Justice, before deciding to go and speak with Rick Sanchez.
Teleported to Rick's tower, Arion bargained with Rick by peaking his curiosity. Rick agreed to bring back Arion's friends and gave them sustainable options if Arion would agree to help him get home by taking out Than, the Last Titan of Urgrund, and getting his stones. When Arion agreed, he made Arion take an ale and a break and then he brought back Aldrich, Annabelle, Kelaryn, and Sol.

Part Two

On the midday of the 29th of Kythorn, 1479 DR; the souls of four Champions of Destiny were ripped back from a near century in Purgatory and delivered to the tower of the mad wizard Rick Sanchez. Perplexed looks shot across the room as Sol looked down to his own body and poked at his ribcage, befuddled at finding it intact. Rick Sanchez then introduced himself and got Aldrich a drink. After a brief conversation, due to Rick's growing boredom, the heroes were herded to a teleportation circle and whisked away to Waterdeep.
SolsplendorAnnabelleArionKelarynpersist
Farnsworth informed the group that Lord Crawley Grimsbane Naxxremis was making moves against them in Waterdeep, thanks to the ears of their farming employees. He told them that he intended a battle for the right to the estate, and then the team had their heading. Arion and Kelaryn set out to speak with the lord as Sol found his familiar once more and Annabelle got familiar with the manor.
At the Snobeedle Orchard and Meadery, nothing went according to plan. After having their shoes cleaned, they stepped into a beautiful home and had tea with a servant of the dark lord Sauron. When Arion refused to trade the lives of the universe, or any universe, Lord Naxxremis informed him that he and his last alliance would fall with nothing then. Crawley then told the heroes that The Black Tragedy, a group comprised of evil names such as Vecna, had made a deal with Entropy and that they would all twist an evil knife of corruption into all existence, in essence. He also told them that The Black Tragedy were at fault for returning Sauron to life. Despite all this, Arion controlled himself, it was the clawing that boiled up in Kelaryn that turned the situation sour.
Outside of the home, Kelaryn magically assaulted a guard and her later meeting with a magister led to her arrest. Ordered to ten days in jail, a 1225 gold fine, and an order to never assault or use magic in the city again; Kelaryn was hauled off to jail. The group rushed off and got Kelaryn moved to the palace prison, leaving Aldrich behind to his prayers. In town they then pay the fines and head to the Halls of Justice to seek advice.
As the timebells of Waterdeep struck five, they began plans to scout the Hall of Four Ghosts for a potential assault and the temple's scouts were sent off. When the timebells struck six, they arrived at the shop of the most grand clothier in Waterdeep.

Rewards Granted

2450xp

Missions/Quests Completed

Quest of Fate Continued, Subquest Forging Fate Continued, Sidequest Infernal Machine Rebuild Complete

Notes

Notable Party Damage:

• Aldrich has a horrible burn scar on the left side of his neck in front of the ear from a 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 and the knees of his pants were torn out by his bones 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.
• Annabelle has a noticeable bend in her scale armor about the stomach where she was crushed by a Sacred Statue.
  Noted Effects: None
• Arion came from Arda with a scar that won't seem to heal.
  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.
• Kelaryn has two faint hand-print shaped scars on her left arm. She has a scar from the stab of a spear that she received valiantly fighting an ice devil on her stomach. She has a scar that emanates infernal essences from a horned devil's tail above her right breast. Kelaryn has a large scar that runs down over her left breast, across the center of her chest, and then down to her right abdomen where the large axe of a minotaur split her open. She has two large gore hole scars from a minotaur on the left side of her stomach. Her back is also tweaked from the hard battering she took from the minotaur. The scales of her Khuzdûl armor are dented above the left breast from a hit she took from a lizardfolk. Her left pant leg is torn above the ankle after having it bit open by a lizardfolk.
  Noted Effects: Minor Scars (Left Arm, Right Chest, Torso, and Stomach). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. Mild Limp. Your speed on foot is reduced by 5 feet. You must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw after using the Dash action. If you fail the save, you fall prone. Magical healing removes the limp.
• Sol has tear marks across the back and chest of his shirt, as well as down the sleeve, from the claws of lizardfolk. He has a small tear in the knee of his trouser where once his bone tore though them after he was crushed.
  Noted Effects: None

Report Date

21 Feb 2021

Primary Location

Faerûn