Session 13: A well-stocked larder Report

General Summary

"Who are you, and what the hell are you doing in my basement?" Duke Vanthampur demanded, standing in front of the devil statue in her inner sanctum, a dead fiend on her right, two dead cultists across, and another eight figures in crimson robes and devil masks between her and the party. Richard stepped forward and confusedly exclaimed "who are you?," to which Vanthampur gave the command to her fellows. Diplomacy was clearly off the table as she directed the cultists to kill all but one of the party, and she would save her questions for later. 
Resistance did not last, as Fenrir was quickly subdued by one of the cult's priests. A second cultist, clearly a fellow noble, bade the party to surrender. Without giving it a second thought, however, the adventurers decided that running away was their best option, Artana's companion Emily carrying the paralyzed paladin away. Much to their surprise, no chase was given as they ducked around the corner into unfamiliar territory, eventually happening upon a hidden passage that has been covered up with loose tiles and bricks. Patience was the first to discover this entrance and slipped inside, finding a second hidden door as well as an elaborately carved double door, which was locked. Artana managed to pick the lock successfully, and listened for a sound, but could discern nothing from inside. 
On the other side of the hall, Patience pushed the latch to open the second secret door, but was surprised to see that it just led back into the sanctum, with a cultist glaring right at (or possibly through) her as she quickly closed it back up again, noticing that Duke Vanthamput was no longer in the sanctum. Artana and Richard opened the ornate double door to find a balding nobleman pacing through an unlit chamber containing four wooden tables with small, unassuming wooden chests on them, and a large golden shield hanging decoratively from the wall. Fenrir immediately recognized the man to be Thavius Kreeg, the High Observer of Elturel and leader of the Order of the Companion, and the man who administered his Oath to the Creed Resolute when he became a Hellrider. Kreeg presented himself as a prisoner, having fled Elturel and arriving at Baldur's Gate only to be snatched by Duke Vanthampur and locked away in this vault. 
Not focussing on Kreeg's words at all, Richard was drawn more to the shield, which he took from the wall - surprised to hear the shield's protest. The party had little time to wonder about the shield though, as Patience's curiosity got the better of her when she opened up one of the small boxes, setting off an acid trap that nearly killed her. After Artana brought her back up, the party fled the chamber, Thavius Kreeg in tow. 
The adventurers then discovered a prison within Vanthampur's basement, with two prisoners still alive in it - the former being an elderly noblewoman; Satiir Thione-Hhune, who introduced herself as such, and immediately spewed a vow of enmity against Richard for carrying the shield - according to her, it was an evil artifact that the Hhunes had kept locked beneath their manor for generations, until Vanthampur came and stole it away from them. Not much later, Satiir was taken hostage to keep the Thione-Hhunes house from naming their contender for the title of a new Duke to run the city. The other prisoner did not introduce himself, but claimed to be a spy sent by Silvira Savikas, a sage of Candlekeep. He told the party that he knew of a way out, and would show it to them if they freed him. Reluctantly, the party freed Satiir as well, and the eight of them made their way back out of the prison. 
The spy said he knew of a secret way out, through the sanctum - little did he know that the party made their way in through there. With that knowledge in tow, the heroes continued down the corridor into what appeared to be a wine cellar and pantry of sorts, with a stairway leading back up! This stairway, however, was guarded by a foursome of fearsome fiends: another bearded devil, and three bird-like creatures wielding tridents. The fiends were prepared for the party, and a great fight ensued. 
Satiir was the first to enter the fray, demanding a weapon and was thrown a handaxe, which she managed to sink into the bearded devil's flesh before closing the distance - a noble with combat experience, so it would seem. Airam and Artana were quick to enter the room and fell upon the trident-wielding, bird-like devils, but were surprised by another pair of invisible imps as their blows missed their marks. Satiir was the first to fall as the devil's snake-like beard tendrils injected her with a lethal poison, her veins turning a deep black before she fell to the ground. As the spy made his way from the shadows to ambush the fiend, who was now toe-to-toe with Richard and Fenrir, Emily dashed into one of the flying devils and sent it careening into a wall. The fight, it seemed, was going well for them. 
That is, until the bearded devil managed to throw Richard to the ground, the poison from the devil's beard tendrils making short work of the paladin as he was left bleeding out on the cold dungeon floor. The spy was the next one to fall, the fiend plunging his glaive into his unconsious body with a twist to end his life. Kreeg was surprisingly inadequate in combat, keeping to the walls and fleeing up the stairs as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Eventually, Patience and Fenrir managed to cripple the bearded devil, who fell into a coughing fit as his form started to slump into the ground. The imps and the winged creatures, however, managed to kill Artana shortly after, and when the fight was finally done, only Patience, Fenrir, and Airam were left standing, with Satiir Thione-Hhune having stabilized from her wounds at the bottom of the stairs.  
That's when an applauding Duke Vanthampur descended from the upstairs, with a smirking Thavius Kreeg right behind her. Vanthampur picked up the glaive left by the devil, and while congratulating what was left of the party with their survival, brought down the blade on Satiir's stabilized form, killing her instantly. Little by little, the eight cultists from the sanctum made their way into the wine cellar as they formed a perimeter around the party. "Perhaps now you're ready to surrender?" she asked, to which Patience caved first, starting to make her way towards Vanthampur. She did not get far, however, as Fenrir threw his last remaining javelin right through her shoulder, and the yuan-ti shifted back into her true form as she slumped to the dungeon floor. 
"Impressive," Vanthampur admitted, adding "and now you two get to decide which one of you lives.". Fenrir offered up his life, to which the Duke smirked. "How noble of you," she started, as she gave the signal. Two cultists held the druid's weakened bear form back while a third drew a curved blade across her neck, making her shift back into her genasi form before bleeding out. 
The Paladin woke up as a sole occupant in one the cells, and underwent weeks of torture. In the first couple of weeks, Amrik Vanthampur took on the role of torturer, a sly smile on his face with every mark he left on Fenrir's form. After that, Fenrir was reacquainted with the bearded devil he sent back to hell, and the torture took on more of a personal note. No more questions were asked, and the fiend relished in the paladin's screams. 
Eventually, Fenrir's capture came to an end as some Flaming Fist soldiers discovered the prison, having raided Vanthampur's compound. Fenrir was brought to the Harborside hospital to recover, and woke to a different Baldur's Gate. 
Most of the Upper City was now under control of the Flaming Fist, with Liara Portyr having crowned herself the Grand Duke, as well as the Master Tactician of the Flaming Fist. The Cult of the Dead Three continues to thrive in the city, but followers of Bane have split from the Cult's new leadership and some have even joined the Fist. High Hall has been ransacked, and is being deconstructed by Lower City inhabitants who are now always allowed in the Upper City. The Watch has been disbanded, and any loyalists to the Duchy have been hanged and are either displayed streetside as a warning, or have been buried underneath the Shrine of Suffering. The Guild has taken control in some sections of the city, and while some kingpins are still fighting the new leadership (most prominently, Rilza Rael in Little Calimshan), some other kingpins try to mend the bonds with the new leadership - Straightstick, who was able to depose his ex-wife and now acts as kingpin in Brampton, actively cooperates with the Fist to regain control of Brampton from the Dead Three, and Genamine Kopali works with the new leadership to map the sewers, playing both sides to make herself an accurate map of the city's centuries-old networks of tunnels. 
Reya Mantlemorn was sadly killed by the Cult of the Dead Three when she decided to spy on the Poisoned Poseidon. That operation was dismantled when Portyr found the evidence she needed to accuse the Vanthampurs properly, finally gaining support from the remaining patriars. Thalamra now sits in a private cell in the Seatower, with Amrik's case being a short and clear one - he was hanged for his part in the murders of the Elturian refugees, and his body hangs from the High Hall as a warning to all nobles of Baldur's Gate. Mortlock was sent on an errand by the family shortly before the coup, and has not yet been found. Rumour has it that Thurstwell, Vanthampur's oldest son, has fled to Chult. 
Thavius Kreeg appears to have escaped Baldur's Gate.
Now, Fenrir sits in an office with Liara Portyr; a familiar shield mounted on the wall behind her, an unfamiliar, intricately tinkered brass box sitting alongside a smiling leather shoulder bag on her desk...

Campaign

Descent into Avernus

Protagonists

Artana Dryl

Fenrir Firecam

Patience

Report Date

09 Feb 2023