Episode 40 - The Road to Answers

General Summary

Reh had in her possession a box bearing the mark of the Sa’har order. Inside the box was a gold and black pyramoid about the size of a human fist. Reh’s consciousness was pulled inside the pyramoid and she came face-to-face with the former consular of the Sa’har order, the gold-skinned elf named Chakos Vrinn. Also in the tower-construct within the pyramoid was his apprentice Naeder, a gnome who trained with the rapier. Naeder had failed to become a Sa’har knight by not completing the Gauntlet and earning his chakram. He continues his training with Chakos. Chakos admired Reh’s intelligence and her ability to find the pyramoid that he had hidden within the library in Celwynvian. He spoke to her about the history and source of magic, then tested her knowledge. Satisfied that she was worthy to receive his knowledge, he guided her in the ways to use her mind to focus the akashic energy into a powerful weapon. She studied with Chakos and lost track of time, immersed in study. In the pyramoid, she trained for four years. Outside the pyramoid, only four minutes had passed. The man that had been rescued from the stew pot confessed to being Tathos, a member of the Aspis Consortium. The Aspis Consortium had a deal with the cyclops, Formoch the King of the Road of Bones. Formoch was a cleric of Minderhal, and the Aspis Consortium would bring groups of people to offer as sacrifices in exchange for being allowed to pass through the road. The hill giants either did not know of the deal or didn’t care, and attacked the convoy. Harpies joined in and attacked humans and giants alike, dragging many of them away. One of those taken away was an elf believed to be Serdrissa. The King was supposed to return tomorrow. The party knocked down a section of the wall of stone that had trapped them inside the hill giant’s cave and immediately heard to the charming song of the harpies. Jobu succumbed to the song and flew to a cave on the opposite side of the clearing. Kuuro rushed out after him and was sniped by the harpies laying in wait. The three harpies were eventually slain. Jobu, Kuuro, and Godric made their way to the top of the nearby Runelord statue where Rooker had seen what looked like bird droppings on the shoulder. Behind the head of the statue was a doorway which opened into a hollow that the harpies had been using for a nest. They discovered Serdrissa, ruined but alive. Her hand had been crushed by a hill giant’s boulder, her leg amputated by a harpy after she tried to fight it off. She had also been stricken with cackle fever after being fed rancid food for an extended period of time. Once she had been brought down and reunited with Arcaan, Serdrissa gave the party some vital information:

Twilight Empire: The Empire is based out of Aurorathal, a city in the Darklands that had once been above ground. The city filled with humans was swallowed by the ground, giving the Empire a vast sum of slaves.

There is no longer a Twilight Council. Lasdolon leads the Empire. His allies are his Wyrmlords, his lieutenants. He hopes to empower all of them with the dragon shards. The wyrmlords are:

Nolveniss, his brother. In the Armageddon Echo, he discovered many powerful spells and rituals created by Urthadar, the former warden of the Vault of Jel'va.
Matan’sa, his attack dog / enforcer. He is searching for his former master, Khaylin Cirdanas, and wants to kill him.
Lady Charlindra Lin'orzza, a devout follower of Abraxas. She is preparing herself to be the vessel for the spirit of Ardura. Ardura’s soul gem prison disappeared from the vault. It was believed to have been taken by the drow.

Arcaan: She wanted to free him of both his slavery and the spellhammer gauntlets. Discusses the disintegration failsafe that will go off if the gauntlets are removed by force, destroying Arcaan and everyone nearby. She learned of a tome of infernal magics name the Pnakotic Manuscripts, bound in the skin of a devil. She went to Maly’s Wonderous Vault to see if Maly knew where to find a copy. The only one known to be in someone’s possession was a chelaxian book collector named Damocleus Gallus.

The Twilight Empire learned of her desire to obtain the book. They did not know why, but both Nolveniss and Lasdolon knew the power of the book. The owner of the book was often scried upon by Asmodeus or his cohorts, and the brothers did not want them to have any ideas about their plans. If he got wind that followers of Abraxas were making a power grab, he may involve himself. So they threatened Serdrissa to keep her from going after the book.

Arcaan was confused. His brother Thexan had made the gauntlets and was supposed to have been captured by the drow. Sherdrissa confessed that Thexan sent Arcaan to Serdrissa because she had infernal contacts that might have been able to undo the curse on the gauntlets. He lied to Arcaan so that he would stay with her while she tried to find the cure. Serdrissa also suggested that Thexan may have had his own infernal assistance in creating the gauntlets in the first place. The Guardians rested and prepared for the return of King Formoch. Tathos said they’d be in good shape to defeat the King… as long as King Formoch didn’t have his pet witch with him.

Rewards Granted

XP
49 722 + 1600 = 51 322 XP!

DING LEVEL EIGHT!

Missions/Quests Completed

Found Mistress Serdrissa Nolarethi

Character(s) interacted with

Mistress Serdrissa Nolarethi - Once a proud member of the Twilight Empire, she came into possession of the half-orc slave Arcaan after his brother Thexan sold her the gauntlets as part of a packaged deal. She could have the gauntlets if she could find a way to get them off of Arcaan, without harming the half-orc. When the gauntlets came off, she would arrange for Arcaan to “escape”. The drow agreed to make the purchase. The gold was exchanged. Then, to keep the weapon under some kind of restraint, he and Thexan were “ambushed”. Serdrissa kept Arcaan under control by saying she knew where his brother was, and as long as he did what she said he would be safe. Obtaining the Pnakotic Manuscripts could likely remove the curse from the spellhammer gauntlets, and since the gauntlet Hugo wears is of a similar construction... Tatho - An Aspis Consortium agent who was traveling with the caravan when the harpies attacked. Shortly after King Formoch took possession of the road, the Aspis Consortium approached the king with a bargain: Rather than pay tribute in gold and livestock, the Consortium would provide the giant chief with captives for his sacrificial rituals. In exchange, the Aspis Consortium and their allies could travel unhindered upon the Road of Bones (assuming they led enough unsuspecting victims along with them). Whether the king intended to keep this bargain indefinitely or not, his minions were hungry, the idea of sticking to a contract is lost on them, and Tatho was about to become dinner when the Guardians arrived.

Campaign

Second Darkness

Protagonists