Session 49: I Know You're Evil But What Am I?

General Summary

Saving Verin

• Ashpin and Maleakos had both finished their meditations, but Dooturr still had business within the church. He felt the strand of Verin from far away, but could not reach back out. He ran around the church wildly, calling Verin's name to no avail.
• In the meantime, Lorend summoned N'nchyk for another therapy session. N'nchyk's thorny was coming along nicely, and was quickly approaching the point where it would have to be detached in order to be fully healed.
• Back in the church, Dooturr sought the aid of Jandar, the head priestess of the church. She asked about who it was Dooturr was hearing, and if he had any significant connection to the undead. In fact, Verin had been related to the Undying Court, a council of elves on Haleth that defied death. This was knowledge that both excited and terrified Jandar. She enjoyed studying them, but if Verin had been on a journey to joining them, then going to - and dying within - Dolurrh was a grievous insult to their beliefs.
• She said she may be able to help, but with the supplies they had on hand, they would only have one chance. But if they were successful, a fraction of Verin's soul might be anchored to Irian, the plane of positive energy. It would be like nailing down a sheet in a terrible storm - the sheet would still be thrashing through the wind, but it would at least be anchored to something solid.
• A ritual was prepared. Oils and unguents were gathered. A choir began chanting, and Philip offered his origami vial as a faint representation of Verin. Jandar began the ritual, and asked each of Verin's friends to share a memory of him, so that she may become closer to the remnant of his soul. The Crew cited wonderful and terrible battles, moments of heroism they remember of their friend that passed too soon.
• A cold wind began to pick up and Dooturr felt an existential anxiety that chills his bones. He felt a tremendous strain from the call he had been hearing. Philip was helping Jandar all he could, but he was out of his element.
• At last, with Jandar's trembling arms raised and chants echoing, oils and unguents floating up and out of their containers, the ritual was concluded. The tension Dooturr was feeling was released, and he would've sworn that he heard the faintest of "Thank you"s. Dooturr thanked Jandar, who was rather enthralled by the experience, and said she was glad to help Verin along his journey. But, to what and where that journey might lead, she could not say.

Eventful Final Days

• Lorend summoned the Crew to his study. Everyone was there, except for N'nchyk.
• Lorend asked how long they'd known Magrora, and what they thought of her. It had been a couple weeks since they had rescued her from the side of the trade route after her encounter with the Hags of the Moon-Lit Marsh. But it had been a rather uneventful few weeks, and Lumen said they didn't really have much to go off of. But Ashpin agreed with Lorend when he said she didn't seem like a person of a black heart or of great evil.
• N'nchyk had killed Magrora and raised her as something else. Lorend said he had spoken with N'nchyk, and he did not deny it. N'nchyk had said Magrora was hurting his friend, and that she was an obstacle that needed to be removed. After the act, a portal had been opened within the Valley - something that was supposed to be impossible.
• Lorend said that he saw a great conflict within N’nchyk. It is clear that something is tearing at him from within and he does not desire to share the specifics. Lorend thinks N’nchyk is in denial about something core to his identity, which is enough to drive any man to commit terrible deeds.
• But Lorend said it was important for the Crew to help N'nchyk. There was good in him, and it was possible for his conflict to be resolved. He would deny the help; deny that he even needed any. But the Crew, as his friends, could give him this help. It was not the Enclave's place to decide his fate, just as Lorend said it was not N'nchyk's to decide Magrora's.
• N'nchyk was no longer welcome in the Valley, but Lorend would not abandon the work of nature that was the thorny he had worked to heal alongside N'nchyk. The thorny had been removed from N'nchyk's body, and needed to be healed within the Valley.
• Lorend said N'nchyk currently lay unconscious within The Crypt, and that he could keep him as such while the Crew finished their stay in the Valley. There was a disagreement as to whether or not to leave him unconscious, but it was eventually decided to do so.
• At the end of their stay, the Crew met up with Lorend and the two scouts that had mapped the path to White Plume Mountain. Lorend wished them well, saying he had a great deal of respect for them in pursuing what they did. Regardless of the side they were on, what they were pursuing was imperative in the context of Brelish and Droaamic tensions. The Last War left Khorvaire in a delicate place for all nations; it wouldn’t take much to tip the balance into chaos.
• Lorend suggested that, because of the potential danger, they leave Glorker, Santiago, and Njord behind. Additionally, he wished that the Crew had their best fighting chance, and the Valley had done what they could throughout their days to help: Ashpin now wielded Grande Ame, Dooturr had learned new music alongside the Ensemble d'Hazelvale, Maleakos' claviodica was fitted with a new string, Lumen's bow had been magically enhanced, Philip was given an ornately artistic diamond worth approximately 300 gp, and Lorend had inscribed magical runes upon Viribus' shield so that it could cast powerful druidic magic before the runes faded. Additionally, they were all given a Whistle of Serenity.
• Additionally, the Crew requested that the scouts did what they could to find the Boromar base. The scouts were up for the challenge, but it needed to be understood that they had very little information to go off of, and that it would take time.

She's Not Dead, She's "Under New Management"

• The Crew finally went to the Crypt to speak with N'nchyk. He was confused and groggy at first, but this quickly changed to anger. He also looked somewhat different. The tendrils had burrowed deeper into his neck, with the flesh coalescing around the conjoining area. N'nchyk also seemed...heavier. There was more flesh about him. And his countenance was emptier; his eyes glassier.
• He was then interrogated by the Crew with the help of a Zone of Truth. At first, N'nchyk said he did not kill her, saying he had simply made it so that she switched masters to serve his friend, but eventually conceded the former was true in order to accomplish the latter.
• The age-old debate ensued. Were the Harbingers evil? Do you have the right to decide? How is N'nchyk killing Magrora any different than the other people the Crew had killed? Viribus was of the mind that the world is a kill-or-be killed one, with only the strong meant to survive. Lumen pointed out that this was coming from the one who had already died twice, something that was not lost on the angry Viribus.
• Ashpin and Philip were of the mind that your choices should not affect the lives of others. In particular, Philip said the biggest difference between killing Magrora and killing the other evil creatures was that the Crew had experienced and decided the evil of these creatures themselves. N'nchyk was simply told that Magrora was evil.
• With the interrogation mostly over, N'nchyk grew concerned about his thorny, and wanted Philip to Send a message to Lorend. Philip was rather hesitant, but N'nchyk tried insisting with a Suggestion spell that failed. This drew the ire of of everyone present, with Lumen even insisting that N'nchyk hand over his spell focus.
• Regardless, there were things that needed to be taken care of. A journey to White Plume Mountain lay ahead.

The Graywall Mountains

• The journey through the mountains was much different than along the trade route. The Crew's previous journey, had it not been for the distractions and dangers, would have been straightforward: follow a straight, clearly defined path. There was little terrain that was difficult besides enduring the snow and occasional swamp. The mountains, however, were the complete opposite. The terrain is rough, rocky, uneven, and steep. There was a rather heavy reliance on Viribus, Ashpin, and Philip to help muscle through the path. N'nchyk's survival skills, alongside the elves' directions, made for a rather efficient journey.
• On the third day, the Crew encountered a strange-looking man. He walked very heavily, and his gait was not uniform. He ignored all calls from the Crew, and N'nchyk went ahead to investigate. Taking little notice of N'nchyk's words, even when Suggested to do so, the man sunk a flimsy dagger into N'nchyk. N'nchyk's response was to wild shape into a large snake and constrict him, which quickly caused the man to fall limply to the ground in an oddly malleable manner.
• Healing magic failed on the man, though he was confirmed to not be a celestial, fiend, or undead by Ashpin. Investigating his body revealed him to be much, much heavier than expected; it took the combined effort of Ashpin, Viribus, and Philip to move him along at a reasonable pace.
• On the last day of their journey, Viribus had the idea to inspect the muscles of the man. Feeling his bicep in particular, it was revealed that his flesh was unsettlingly uneven: it was firm in some places, but soft in others. N'nchyk carefully made an incision in the man's arm and was splattered with an outburst of blood and chunky flesh. Even worse, a finger could be spotted inside the incision N'nchyk made.
• But it was not just a finger inside the man's body. It was an entire hand. And it lie facing the opposite direction of his own hand. In fact, after N'nchyk cut into the man's chest, and even larger explosion was created, and N'nchyk was splattered with more body parts and organs - but no bones. The man was purely flesh.
• Inspecting the rest of the body revealed no other incisions. There was nothing else to inspect, so the body was flung over a cliff. The resulting burst of flesh and corresponding sound was not the most pleasant to behold. Unless your name is Viribus.
• Throughout the journey, the two teams had been decided. The Might of the Eldritch Flame consisted of Lumen, Viribus, N'nchyk, and Philip. The remaining Ashpin, Maleakos, Dooturr, and Thanos were the members of the completely bald bags and bones.

Entering White Plume Mountain

• At last, their destination lie before them. White Plume Mountain was an almost perfectly conical volcanic hill formed from an ancient slow lava leakage. It rose about 800 feet above the surrounding mountains. The white plume that gave the mountain its name and fame was a continuous geyser that spouted from the very summit of the mountain another 300 feet into the air, trailing off to the east under the prevailing winds like a great white feather. The spray collected in depressions downslope and merged into a sizable stream. Steam vents are visible in various spots on the slopes of the mountain.
• N'nchyk turned into a giant eagle, and with Viribus on his back, he flew closer to inspect the spout of the mountain. The exit from which the steam was expelled was rather narrow. N'nchyk and Viribus couldn't make out much, but could tell that it was an extremely narrow tube that emitted the plume, instead of the wide, hollow nature associated with volcanoes. Additionally, the steam was incredibly hot.
• The only possible entrance into the cone was a cave on the south slope known as the Hag's Mouth. This cave actually seemed to breathe, exhaling a large cloud of steam and then slowly inhaling, like a person breathing on a cold day. Each cycle took about 30 seconds. Approaching the cave, the Crew heard a whistling noise that coincided with the wind cycle. If it were not for the continuous roaring of the Plume, this whistling could be heard for a great distance.
• Inside the slick, sauna-like cave, at the inspection of Lumen and N'nchyk, were footsteps. The most prevalent were the slender prints identifiable to that of elves. Curiously, however, they seemed older than would be expected for the scouts that had mapped the Crew's journey to the mountain. Amidst the muck coating the floor of the cave were other footsteps, most of them unidentifiable. However, there was no mistaking the outline of warforged footsteps.
• Each of the tracks led to the back of the cave, in which a sealed trapdoor was sitting amongst the muck. Engraved in the trapdoor was a rather sing-songy message: "Take care, oh my sweets, for you'll find I'm not shy / To challenge, to kill, leave your corpses bone dry / Ahead you will need but the sharpest of wits / The strongest of wills, lest you die in the pits / On left you will find that the challenge is most / Right just behind, its danger almost / For these latter two I shall only let four / Try forcing more in and I will slam the door / Straight on needs the last two found weapons as keys / Choose wisely, for there entrance open to three."
• After some deliberation, it was determined that the Might of the Eldritch Flame - Viribus, Lumen, Philip, and N'nchyk - would tackle the more difficult path on the left, while the bags and bones - Dooturr, Thanos, Ashpin, Maleakos - would be handling the easier path to the right. Assuming the message was telling the truth.
• After some careful scouting with a quipper familiar, it seemed the passage down was at least somewhat clear, but there was a creature that lie around the corner. The bottom of the passage was submerged in about a foot of water, under which was a slippery layer of muck and mud. There were also common algae-like fungi covering the water and walls.
• As the eight heroes descended down the spiral staircase, three things happened in quick succession. The first was the trapdoor slamming shut. The second was the unmistakable indents of three weapons appearing on the underside of the trapdoor: a greatsword, a warhammer, and a trident. The third occurrence was a contraption sliding open in the back wall that revealed a sand timer, with the sand particles slowly leaking into the lower half.
• A tired, scratchy voice called out from around the corner, inviting the adventurers to come and earn their entrance into White Plume Mountain.
• Carefully peeking around the corner revealed the source of the voice: a mangy, bedraggled sphinx. It sat in the intersection of 3 corridors behind it. The middle corridor was sealed by a slab of rock, which had similar indents to that in the trapdoor, but only two: the greatsword and the warhammer. The corridors to the left and right also were sealed with a slab of stone, but they shimmered like the hot distant road on a sunny summer's day.
• The sphinx, Zin, spoke once again: "Only four may pass through the left and right before its closure. The treasure you seek is your key back out. Choose a path, and you may pass with the answering of a riddle. Guess thrice incorrect and you will be slain."
• They first requested the riddle to the path on the left, and Zin monotonously obliged: "The sword you seek yearns for me. I am bound from beginning and extend beyond end. Without me, you are nothing. Yet I escape definition or embrace. What am I?" Several answers were thrown around - purpose? Life? Lumen was particularly certain of blood, but the others thought it didn't exactly fit.
• Viribus thought that "soul" fit the best, and the Crew submitted this answer to Zin. Seemingly surprised, Zin said that perhaps there was hope for them. Zin approached the corridor to the left and placed its paw upon the stone slab, making it transform into a somewhat translucent surface. Goodbyes were exchanged between the two groups, and MEF took their leave. The first four entered, and immediately re-sealed the entrance - Bellum bonked his head on the entrance, and immediately popped out of existence.
• The remaining four waited for their riddle: "I grant creation but cannot live. A thunderous din betrays a creative chaos. My fires stir inspiration, not fear. The hammer you seek longs to return to me. What am I?" This one took less time than the previous, with Ashpin and Dooturr agreeing on "forge". Zin, narrowing its eyes at them, allowed them through as well, and gave them the slightest of nods as bags and bones walked through into their wing. Maleakos wisely tossed N'nchyk's quipper familiar back into the water. As they entered, Ashpin felt an odd excitement in his hands.

Date begun:
10 Therendor, 998 YK
Date ended:
18 Therendor, 998 YK
Party level:
8

Report Date

17 Feb 2022

Primary Location

Enclave of the Valley

Secondary Location

White Plume Mountain