Rys
Relationships
Session 95, March 7, 2024 - A meeting of dissent, and descent into chaos
Session begins night of the 16th of Nytol. The party hunkers down in their safehouse and listens to the barrage of missiles and magic WOMD throughout the night. They spend the evening engaging in hobbies, and eventually turn in for the night. The next morning they return outside the wall and Rys spontaneously decides to disrupt the wall by sending some fire through. She hoped to cause a pause on the fighting, but after scrambling for a few minutes the assault from Dagult's army resumes with renewed fury and cannon-fire. They use the cover of dust clouds to slip out of the tunnel and run to the edge of the trenches. The soldiers recognize the blue of Captain Belanor, and bring them to captain Eihnor. He assures them they wanted to mobilize, but the last few days has been pretty heavy fire and they're just trying to survive right now. While waiting on a full invasion, it'd be beneficial to get a stronger foothold in the city, closer to the citadel near the 3 bridges. He asks that they infiltrate a dissent meeting as well to collect intelligence. Previous dissenters have come out of said meetings entirely more favorable towards Dagult, and there's suspicion of magical influence. Eihnor is actually able to offer them a large emerald-like gem that will provide resistance to magical influence. Savari carefully guards it, and she and Rys work to verify and identify its properties, and it holds evocation and abjuration magic. Their cover story will include that they are from Representative Soulpher's district (one of the few remaining leaders in the city). They return to the city through the tunnels and come up into the inn they previously discovered, and exit to the empty street. As they move Westward towards the center, a small crowd begins to form around them and they eventually reach the great hall. A guard screens for weapons at the entry, and then allows them passage. There are pedestals at the front of the room, one of which Dagult sits at. There is a steady energy field emanating from behind him and an ebbing and flowing of power from the gem the party holds, that rises slowly as the meeting goes on. At noon, he rises to address the crowd. He states his goal is and always has been peace, and opens the floor for dissent. A few people present their cases, and as Dagult prepares to close the meeting, Rys stands and asks to speak. After her speech, the magic vibes grow stronger. Dagult listens and offers that if she would like to start the process of 'applying' to challenge his leadership that could be facilitated. Before can respond, Shar pulls out an arrow and shoots directly into Dagult's chest. Shar then whispers to Ifrea to hold him down and gag him, then sticks himself with a second arrow of the same type. All hell breaks loose once the arrow is noticed, and Savari throws the gem just before it explodes. The roof of the hall is blasted off, and everyone is immediately evacuated but kept in a contained area at the perimeter outside for questioning. Once Rys catches up to Savari, Ifrea, and a gagged Shar, they are able to slip away from the guards and shelter in a nearby building. Session ends.
Session 93, February 22, 2024 Beneath the city walls (with some guards who are definitely dead)
Session begins morning 15th of Nytol. Ifrea grumbles about being stuck in the city all morning. They head off to the temple to speak with captain Belanor again. Along the way, Shar spots a woman walking towards the market with her two children. He approaches and asks why there are so many displaced persons sheltering in the city. She says they came from the common quarter of Neverwinter after a lot of political tensions and food insecurity. Her district representative, Margrave (go-between for citizens and city lord), told them to leave and they did before anything got out of control. She's fairly confident whatever issue in the city will be resolved and they'll get to go home at some point. Ifrea approaches a small group of men a ways off and strikes up conversation. He doesn't get very far with them, as they get judgy about his country-life and him about their city-life. They regroup after a few minutes and find Belanor. He ushers them inside to the second floor of the temple. They sit at a large table. Savari jumps in and starts asking about the refugees. He says the goal of evacuating the city was to stop the flow of money to the upper government. The 12 representatives are trying to gain leverage with the ruling class. He explains that the reps serve as a council to the lord (Dagult Neverember) but he ultimately makes the decisions. Neverwinter is a very prosperous city but Dagult has increased taxes without re-distributing profits to the good of the city. He also stayed in power by force after "elections" about 20 years ago. At this point he is a threat to the continued thriving of the city. There is also suspicion that he's dabbling in necromancy and other dark arts. Belanor isn't looking for assassins. Dagult has a chief aid called Lancaster (master of the arcane arts) who will have to be taken down as well. The plan is to use a series of smuggling tunnels to the south side of the city. They don't know the status of the tunnels as they haven't been in use recently, but if the party can clear them out and find a structure to house soldiers, they can begin infiltrating the city undetected. They stock up on supplies and eat before heading north to the city. They eventually reach the trenches dug around the walls. A guard points out the tunnel entrance to them, and offers the bunker for them to rest before embarking on the underground quest. Overnight Savari sneaks out to the front trench and tries to find some "food". She almost gets hit with an arrow in the process, but manages to drag a body out of the trench and a little ways off and is able to satiate herself for the time being. Early the next morning before the sun rises, guards lead the party to the tunnel entrance. They slowly trek through until Rys spots a tripwire, and in investigating it, she accidentally partially collapses the tunnel supports. They clear the cave-in, restoring some of the integrity of the supports. They continue to where they estimate is pretty near the southern wall of the city, and find an intersection with tunnels to the left, right, and continuing straight. Savari hears noise from the left tunnel after they choose to go straight that sounds like boots on stone, but possibly from above them. Rys goes back to look around the corner and sees about 30 feet down the left tunnel it changes from earthen to a broken stone top. Shar sets alarms to both of the side tunnels just to be cautious, but they choose to continue on their previously chosen path. Proceeding more stealthily with lights and flames extinguished, Ifrea (invisible) leads Shar through the darkness. It is very quiet above them, estimating it to be about 4am. Rys takes the lead until she spots what looks like 2 bodies, fully armed, sitting about 60 feet up. After determining they're definitely dead, they investigate with light and see the slate blue signature color of Captain Belanor and the resistance. There is another intersection with 2 branches to the right and 2 to the left. They choose to go vaguely straight again, but begin investigating some side passages. Ifrea finds a trap door and shoves it open, then listens. There's no reactive sounds from above, but the gray light of morning is filtering in. He signals the party, and they follow to find themselves in a well-maintained basement. Rys uses wildshape to turn into a spider and crawls under the door into a quiet home. It's slowly gathering dust, looks like some essentials were grabbed but most belongings were left behind. They determine it to be a safe enough home, and send Savari's bird back to relay the message. They're still fairly close to the wall in the SouthEast quadrant of the city. Session ends morning of 16th of Nytol.
Session 94, February 29, 2024 - Exploring the underworld and Ifrea's incessant invisibility
Session begins morning 16th of Nytol. As the city awakens some blocks off, the neighborhood the party is in remains silent. The party decides to clear one more tunnel branch as a diversion and find the basement of an inn or public house of some sort. Doesn't sound like anyone is above, but Ifrea puts on his invisibility ring to check. It does appear to be empty on the ground floor, and the inn is closer to occupied districts. Savari wants to go back to the intersection and West tunnel that they heard noise from earlier, so after clearing the second tunnel, they head back down the main passage to about even with the wall above. (Uniform colors: blue southeast green southcentral yellow southwest black northeast orange northwest castle purple). The dirt passage turns to stone, then to wood above them and they hear guards directly above, lit by lantern light only. It must be a barracks or directly beneath the wall. They make a few signs to warn tunnel-goers and set them up a short distance from the intersection. The tunnel to the east ends in a very similar way about 300 yards down, bringing them to the edge of the southeastern district. They mark it off similar to the first and go back into the city to explore a few more tunnels. They find one leading to a mausoleum in a graveyard. Another that leads to a street entrance from the pauper's district, and some a little further to the Northeast. By evening, there's still no sign of any allies coming through, so they decide to go back outside the wall. As they return, they notice the guards bodies are gone. They appear to have been dragged back southwards, so they continue down the same path, trying to be stealthy. They slowly gain on some people with torches, and Ifrea sneaks up close and sees they're wearing purple sashes. They exit through a small trapdoor up into the district. Rys follows as a spider. The soldiers load the two bodies onto a small cart, grumbling about this duty and saying that they're taking them back to the castle. The leader of this small band indicates these were the only bodies they found. Rys passes the info on to the party, and they continue. As they exit the tunnel they hear booms and see brilliant bursts of arcane magicks over the frontlines. It may explain the lack of allies relocating to the tunnels thus far. Shar sets an alarm at the tunnel entrance as well as the spot the soldiers came through earlier, and they retire back to the house. Session ends. Night of 16th of Nytol.
Session 92, February 15, 2024 - Helm's Hold and the deterioration of Ifrea's sanity
Morning, 14th of Nytol - Session begins as the sun rises. The party wakes and spends the first part of the day hunting and foraging, taking advantage of the terrain and its abundant opportunities. Shar cooks lunch for them, making a squirrel reduction and berry sauce to serve over rotisserie rabbits. The squirrel melts in the pan as the party observes a bit nervously. It all feels very gourmet. They pack up and begin traveling again. About an hour later they reach the edge of the woods and see a walled town not far off. The gate is guarded, but there are no travelers on the road which seems a bit odd. Ifrea takes a new alias, Drax. They cross to the road and come up to the guards. They're wearing blue uniforms with a trifoil rose insignia. "Take us to your leader!" says Shur. They ask what is their purpose, intent, and allegiance? The guards listen to their purposes and offer them shelter for the night to quarantine while the guards check into their story. Shar keeps offering up information making the guards eye them more suspiciously, and a third guard joins the group after a few minutes. They revise the offer and say now the party will have to agree to be imprisoned until any part of their story can be verified. Ifrea freaks out and casts darkness, and runs. Rys, Savari, and Shar try to counteract and contain him and placate the guards before they attack. The guards corral an unconscious Ifrea, and the rest of the party willingly follows them into the hold. There's a newer refugee camp inside the main walls and walk towards Helm's temple. The guards lead them to the lower levels and put them in cells next to each other. Despite Ifrea's gagged protests, the rest of the party complies and shares their story with the guard. When the guards bring food down later they bring 4 reinforcements to approach Ifrea's cell. He rushes them immediately and knocks himself out on the bars as they slam the door shut. After a moment they shackle his feet, remove the gag, and leave food for him. When he wakes up he swipes a gloved hand at the food and sends it flying at Savari. Eventually he accepts the situation but remains smoldering with anger. A few more hours pass, and then a tall elf enters the room. He addresses the party "I hear you're called the frosty five?" Captain Belanor Mialen introduces himself. He accepts their story, and leaves them with the keys to Ifrea's cell. After ensuring he will come quietly, they are escorted through a throne type room set for worship of Helm-the god of protection/security, into a waiting chamber. After a while longer the guards take them to a one room hovel. Ifrea is still fuming, and Rys pulls Savari outside for a few minutes to find a market and some sedating drugs urgently. They bring back a peace offering of a trophy and some liquor, and begin to make amends. Ifrea eventually passes out (with a little help). *Ifrea comes to and realizes he is cold. He looks down and sees ice holding him to the ground and the frost maiden speaks to him* Session ends. (next session 15th of Nytol)
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Session 91, February 8, 2024 - Fight in the graveyard
Session begins morning of the 13th of Nytol as the party wakes. Most of them feel the extra comfort from being within 4 walls, but Ifrea is somehow more restless from being in town. They get some breakfast and map out the path to Helm's Hold. It should take about 2 days. They set off West and make good progress for a while, eventually coming from the woods into a clearing that is revealed to be a sizeable graveyard. As they still and listen for a moment Ifrea hears what sounds like soft weeping towards the right corner. Savari (with her raven) and Rys (as a cat) go to investigate and come upon the hunched figure of a young woman. She is wearing all black with scraggly hair and what looks like bits of moss and tree on her. It/she doesn't smell dead necessarily but something is still off. Some stronger scent of herbs and spices, and general woodsy with bad hygiene. Cat-Rys rubs up against her leg and she pets her, gently scratching her scalp. The gravestone she is hunched over has Rys' full name on it. Rys doesn't recognize her but takes a chance and brings her signet ring to the grave. The creature giggles softly and asks "are you trying to identify yourself to me?" Rys says (in cat) "well you seem to know the name of my family." unfortunately the creature doesn't seem to understand but she seems pleased that Rys may be able to offer something and then starts drawing an arcane rune on the ground next to Rys that symbolizes annihilation or death. Rys protests and swipes at it with her paw. Savari, seeing Rys' actions, sends her raven to land on the tombstone. Rys dispels magic and watches the writing on the tombstone melt away. The witch asks, "what do you offer me" and Rys attacks, triggering a furious response from the rest of the party, who are closing in quickly. The hag unfolds and long spines grow from her back and her hands turn to claws. Before she can move, Shar has landed two solid arrows and they hear thunderclaps resound over the eerily still place. In mere moments, she is destroyed, spines crumbling inwards and a pile of dusty bones is all that remains of her. Upon investigation, the gravestones don't indicate much, but there are some ruins around it that reveal this was once a small village. They notate the location on their recently acquired map, and then get as far away as possible in the next few hours before dark. They eventually find a stopping place to set up camp for the night. Ifrea starts a fire and sets up a trip wire on the camp border. Session ends (half a day away from helm's hold, night of the 13th of Nyntanel).
Session 90, February 1, 2024
Session begins (11th of Nytol, evening) as the sun sets. The party eats fresh-hunted duck for dinner around the small fire, and casually work on their individual projects. The next morning (12th of Nytol) they continue West until they hit the road. From there they go south and find the town of Triboar. They encounter a few people and are pointed to the Bloody Fish tavern for food. There's also a general store across the street. They come up with new names on the spot, Paul/Ifrit, Slagathor, Shur, and Catsie. They visit the general store, and find a gnonmish man monitoring the counter. Eldren, the proprietor, is able to furnish them with a map of NeverWinter and of the region around it. They shop around a bit more and in conversation learn of a fletcher called Beauouier who could furnish them with a map quiver and maybe arrows for Shur. Slagathor asks about a cleric who could facilitate some long distance communications. He doesn't think there are any in Triboar, but there should be someone in Helm's Hold. They mark a route to Helm's Hold that should take a few days as the crow flies. Eventually they head on to the Fletcher's place in a slightly shady alley. A kind looking old man greets them and proudly shows off his finest arrows. He has some exceptional (and exceptionally expensive) pieces including an infite arrow, freezing arrows, and an invisible one. After Shur makes a few purchases they exit and go to check out the stables. As they arrive, they see many creatures including a giant lizard, a griffan, and a hippogriff. They learn the general pricing and pass for now but plan to return if they can afford to. Finally, they reach the tavern and are greeted by a very accommodating innkeeper. They get dinner. Braised hellhound, marinated lentils, and drinks. Ifret notices a few people watching the party a little more closely. There's a half-elf bard playing on a small stage. They pick a corner table and are served the finest food they've had in a long time, perhaps ever. Rys waves down a server and asks to purchase a half dozen bottles. They rent a single room for the night. Rys attempts to magically infuse a bone arrow tip with Blight (from Savari's spell book). It doesn't work but they may be onto a new money-making opportunity.
Session 89, January 25, 2024
(10 of Nytol, 1481 about a week after the council of speakers)
Session begins the next morning. The party is reunited and rested, finally! They discuss entry into Neverwinter and violent revenge against Dagult. Lualoch tells them the rebels/allies of house Nyntanel have a fortress at Helm's (god of protection) Hold/cathedral. She gives them some mushroom soup to take, and directions, and Shar gives her the alcohol-poisoning-prevention amulet in thanks for saving Rys. Ifrea presents her with a piece of soft leather from the white moose, and Savari considers gifting a flaky metalloid, but thinks twice and decides to identify it first. Turns out to be Shardalin Ore (exceptionally rare - sale as high as 20,000 depending on how pure/weight) can be used to store spells. A single shard of it can hold one spell until it is crushed or broken. Belanor Mialen - commander of rebel forces at the hold. They part ways and set off westward for a few hours through the swamp. Shar tries to hunt alligator which ends with them all frantically running away. After most of the day's travel they reach some rolling foothills and to the south a flatter plain, and decide to set up camp at the edge of the more wooded area. Ifrea tries to set up a tripwire perimeter (knee-high or so) to assuade his paranoia. Rys brews a sleepy time tea (especially potent for Ifrea) to aid with that, but takes watch with Ifrea to make up for it. Shar takes first watch and as it gets dark he notices some light from a far-off hill, possibly another traveler's fire. His watch passes peacefully, and Ifrea and Rys take second. Ifrea slowly lowers his gaze from the horizon, to the ground, to his legs, and eventually passes out in a peaceful sleep. Savari's watch is also quiet, and near the break of dawn she dismantles the tripwire, leaves the loud bits on the ground, and coils it up tightly, placing it back in Ifrea's bag. He wakes up and feels guilty for falling asleep on watch, and confused about what he THOUGHT he'd done last night but everyone assures him he must've just been tired and stressed and it's all okay now. They march on West and around noon the hills descend back down to swamp. They gather this is either the head of the river, or more swamp, but following a little ways it's definitely the river. Ifrea excitedly gets out his fishing gear and tries to teach Rys to fish. She's not a fan of stabbing bugs though so Shar manages to shoot a waterfowl and pull feathers for Ifrea to make a fly lure. After a bit of a learning curve, a large catfish bites and Rys flings it up out of the water. Ifrea tells Rys she can toss it back in. After a discussion of the ethics, she asks if it knows Ol Bitey, and he doesn't but he does share the legent of the great Ethiricus: a massive fish that blots out the sun overhead. King of all fish and lord of a massive kingdom in and out of the water. She recommends he see a therapist (excuse me, 'thera-fish') and lets him go. Ifrea catches another one and Shar asks if Rys can understand it without magic since she understands cats. She can, and immediately after initiating conversation realizes she can't let Ifrea kill it so she snatches it away and releases it back to the river. The whole sport was a bit of a waste of time, and they set up another camp for the night. Session ends.
Session 88, January 18, 2024 - Rescuing Rys
Session begins. Cat-Rys zones out while watching the mesmerizing purple glow behind the control panel. Savari asks Dredavex if the ship needs food, and he doesn't know really. In fact, after much questioning from Savari and Shar, it seems he knows very little of the creature that flies them through space. They figure it feeds on stars in the astral plane. Ifrea asks if they can make a plan for saving Rys, and Savari tries to wake the cat. She remains asleep. They ask if Dredavex can read human Rys' mind to help them find her and engage the kidnappers in the smartest way possible. He chooses not to invade people's minds to that extent, however. Savari turns to question Vorin after Dredavex makes it clear that he needs to fly the ship and stop being bothered. Ifrea, banging his head against the wall, feels as it gets harder and harder until it feels like stone. He watches out the window as they pick up speed. Savari picks up Rys and shakes her a bit until she comes to with a groggy meow. She asks if Vorin can read the cat's mind and he says yes if they can trade for it. She offers some human meat that he turns down (not a cut he prefers) and then offers up some poison that he does accept. The cat is feeling uncomfortable...something about a...boy? It seems very ordinary. That sounds like a problem to Savari. She has Ifrea check and as he pets the cat it seems to really enjoy it. The party begins to panic a little. Shar comes in to speak with it and confirms it is just a cat. The last thing it remembers is being in a human body, before that, he was laying on a large cushion where his slave was until he had to leave (Cair Dineval). He remembers being ushered through snow and odd glowing beams that brought them to meet with many more bulky humanoids. Confirms they went to the tower near the end...it was cold and then it wasn't anymore and he could smell icky foulness in the air, probably from the humanoid creatures. He is appalled when he learns that the human inhabited HIS body during that time. They don't learn anything more than Rys had seen and told them of already.
Rys awakes from her dream to the persistent sound of buzzing all around her. She feels someone tugging at the band on her arm and then breaking whatever hold it has had on her. The person says "come, we need to leave now". She recognizes the feeling of barkskin grabbing and pulling her arm. The person grabbing her is a woman with dirty blond hair, and a scar or mark on the left side of her face. After a second she recognizes them as Lulach Ennissi, and is surprised but grateful. Luloch says shes's been tracking this group after learning their intentions for Rys, but before she can explain further, they need to run. Rys hears the shout of one of the orcs that held her captive that mutes as it thuds to the ground, hit by some invisible spell. They're in the middle of a nasty swamp. It feels warm and she can see the sun, which is incredibly distracting. Lulach leads Rys to a campsite in a small cavelike depression obscured by a large willow tree. It's a bit more dry, though barely comfortable. Rys tries to connect with the cat again and is unable to find it at all, though she can understand a small cat nearby that's hunting in the marsh.
The party is given a 15 minute ETA by Dredavex and realizes there's confusion on what tower they're traveling to. The tower they'd seen and had described by Rys was actually in the mountains, but they know from further description that it's in the marshes south of the mountains. They decide to take the risk and convince Dredavex to travel to the marshes south of the spine and try to find a tower there. He is concerned by the visibility of it, but agrees to drop them off and fly away as quick as alienly possible. As they drop to the ground they find a small tower with an outbuilding that has a set of double doors. They're concealed by bushes and watch the Noaloid as it's tentacles reach towards the tower for a moment and then it flies off. Any outside guards were distracted by the Notaloid and the party goes unnoticed. Kethra offers to join them in the fight but she will continue on her separate journey after that. Savari sends her raven out for recon. In a jarring moment, an owl attacks the raven. It disengages, however, and the raven is able to continue to circle the tower. On the upper level there are 4-5 burly orcs looking around on high alert. She finds a window and flies in to see the interior of a one room tower on the third floor. There is a stairwell in the center that only goes down. There are a few tables and shelves around the outer walls but no way to go to the top floor that the orcs were patrolling. She goes back out and flies down to the first floor windows and sees two dark-robed figures but still no sign of Rys. She flies back to the top and spots a trapdoor leading into the windowless fourth floor, but then is hit by something and explodes into a puff of feathers. Savari relays to the party what she saw. Suddenly, Shar feels a sharp pain on his shoulder, as an owl lands on him. She asks who is his business? When he finally responds with Rys, she points him backwards into the bushes. It hops down from his shoulder and begins marching away from the tower deeper into the marsh. They follow it for a while until it hops into a den and disappears. After a moment an older woman's head pokes out of the den, looking warily at them. "Are you friend or foe?" she asks. They respond as friends and ask if she knows where Rys is. She gestures to Rys, napping near the back of the den and Savari wakes her. They reunite, finally! Rys finally asks Lulach for explanation about this group's intentions for her. "What do you know of Neverwinter?" She asks, "Only that I can't go back" Rys says. The party knows a bit of it. A very rich and prosperous city, very political, some big names have come from there. She asks if Rys wants to go back, as she used to be part of the ruling family before they were murdered. There are many who would rally behind the Nyntenel name, and she can put them in contact with those who would smuggle them into the city. Now Dagult knows she is alive he will never stop chasing her. The Nyntenel line was historically known for their creation of incredibly powerful magical weapons. They decide to go to Neverwinter and seek out those who know more and would support them. Session ends.
Session 87, January 11, 2024 - Notaloids and surprisingly civil Mindflayers
Session begins as the party trudges SouthEast towards the aberration Shar sensed that is affecting Ifrea's head. As night draws near they choose a campsite according to Kethra's advice for tactical advantage. They crest a hill to get the high ground and search for caves or accessible crevasses. As they draw near to the top of a precipice they see a large dark shape. A Notaloid (giant mollusk shell thing laying on it's side). They can't tell if the shell is occupied, though it definitely appears to have been a living creature at some point, the structure of the shell could definitely house other smaller creatures It's about 100 feet tall and looks very alien. There are points of damage and the snow is disturbed around it perhaps from it crashing out of the sky they surmise. Directly below the precipice the wind has carved out some more sheltered areas that would provide a good base for setting up camp. They all want to rest before any possible alien encounters. Ifrea asesses them and one actually makes him more uncomfortable. There are some large drag marks going towards it. They avoid it with as much distance as possible and set up in another more open spot, still backed by the cliff and sheltered by its overhang. Ifrea doesn't want to build a fire but Savari and Rys make small flames to warm up a bit before settling in. Shar and Rys take first watch, and occasionally hear some squelching sounds but see no movement. They chalk it up to animal movements, and trade watches with Kethra and Ifrea peacefully midway through the night. Ifrea notes a car-sized creature slowly crawling down the slope a short ways away and points it out to Kethra. They decide not to engage since it doesn't appear to have noted them or have special malicious intent. As it crawls it leaves a sort of bore-hole in the snow and it stops and chews on something for a bit, again making the squelching sounds that Shar and Rys initially noticed. Ifrea warns Savari of it but she doesn't see much during the third watch. The sun rises a little, and the party wakes up refreshed. The snow is mostly undisturbed around the Notaloid though they note some tunnellike tracks from the creatures of the night. Ifrea attunes to his crystal and is shocked by a high-pitched shriek that then dulls to a rhythmic bleeping in descending pitch. Savari hears and translates deep speech to relay the distress message. Notaloid down, crew safe, needs psi crystal. As they attempt a stealthy approach, they can see a dim purple light emitted from the creature. Ifrea checks for traps as they approach the lower level of the ship. The creature has been melded with manufactured structrual pieces--platforms of wood and metal. One platform looms over the entrance they are approaching, and Savari sends her bird up to scout. It has a larger entrance and long deck. There are three sphincters in total, and Ifrea attempts to scale the smooth shell up to the mid level. He cleverly employs an ice pick for assist, and makes his way up to the top, securing a rope from there to help the rest of them. He then hears a wet and goopey voice (speaks undercommon/gnomish) in his head asking if he's quite finished or wanting to make entry. The massive sphincter on the upper deck opens, and a purple light spills out. He sees a large squid-like head with tendrils, but as it steps into the daylight the facade drops and a small less terrifying creature emerges. He welcomes Ifrea, expecting the crystal that he could sense since Ifrea attuned to it. He bids them welcome to the Notaloid, the Ascendent and introduces himself as Dredavex. He ushers them inside away from the bitter cold. His co-captain Vorin is inside. There is a total of 5 crewmembers, all safe. He seems very friendly and keeps saying he means no harm. He explains that the crew are a particular type of Ithalid shorter in stature and perhaps more intelligent. They were enroute to tentowns to find individuals who wouldn't be missed to experiment on as he himself was experimented upon and created. The mechanics are those of a host body that the powerful Ithalid inhabits and obtains the abilities of. They discuss what will be exchanged in trade for the psi crystal that they need to restore life support within the next few hours. He offers 2 laser-pistols with 30 shots (energy cells). They try to bargain for transport southward along with the weaponry, though he is quite skeptical, knowing he'd be seen and unappreciated by many. They settle and Ifrea hands over the psi crystal. He plugs it in and the purple light gets brighter and spreads through the control panel. He says ship preparation will take about an hour. They eventually set off southward, watching in awe from the command deck as the Ascendant lifts off into the air.
Session 86, December 14, 2023
Session Begins as the fight continues. Ifrea manages to avoid some attacks with his mirror image, and Savari's small army of skeletons continues trying (mostly ineffectively) to defend the party. Shar steps back and fires an arrow at one of the other bandits, taking him down with a clean shot to the shoulder. The skeletons are inspired by the one hit kill and begin doing some real-ass damage to the bandits. In a flurry of blows both Shar and Kethra are knocked out by the orc and it turns to face Savari and her army. Savari fires missiles at it as the last bandit tries to flee, with Rys-cat latched onto his shield, launching flames into his face. He drops within seconds, fully cooked. Ifrea surveys the battlefield and realizes the bandit that Shar shot is still alive, playing dead. Ifrea begins interrogating him but gets nothing. He stabs the dude, then heals him, and asks again "who sent you?" He admits the cult of Shar (sect that is headed south w/ Rys) sent them to delay the party. Ifrea kills him again. The party makes camp a short distance away and converses around the fire. Kethra brings up how brutal the torture and death got right at the end and Ifrea defends himself saying he's desperate but somehow justified cause he will do anything for his friends. The watches go by without incident, and a light snow begins to fall. The members not on watch begin to awake and emerge from their tents. Rys-cat shares that in a dream about her body she could sense more of the environment and got out of the guards that they're in a swampy area. Consulting a map, the group finds that's got to be south of the mountains, hundreds of miles away. They set off at a good pace, the snow still falling lightly. Ifrea's head hurts and he hears closer screams in his head. Shar is able to sense a type of aberration within 6 miles and after a bit of a debate, they veer slightly off path towards the east to see if they can find what is calling to him. Session ends
Session 85, December 7, 2023
Session begins as Savari and Ifrea's conversation is cut off by a surprise crossbow bolt that hits Savari in the chest. The party jumps into combat with orcs that appear from the West. Savari turns out her bag of holding and out climb 3 skeletons and Adelaine. The orcs are strong and dealing heavy damage. Kethra proves mildly useful in melee attacks, and Rys-cat manages to trip up and distract a few of the enemies. The fight lasts a while until Shar makes the first kill of one of the stronger orcs, but the others hold their ground strongly. Session ends.
Session 84, November 30, 2023
Session begins as dusk falls and the party finds a place to stay for the night. They choose Banrock's Mithral Pot and enter. The innkeeper is an older-looking tiefling with a gnarled beard. He greets them and sets them up with some drinks, dinner, and a room for the night. Ifrea scans the room for anyone who could maybe help and spots a young-looking traveler speaking with the barkeeper, Mavus-from temple and has been given vague quest. Ifrea points her out to the group and Rys-cat wanders over to be cute and get her attention. She pets Rys and goes over to the party to chat. Ifrea directly asks for help and she (Kethra) has been sent from the church to find and aid them. A very fortuitous meeting. She has a small sled and knows they're down a member and could use the help. They introduce themselves and share bits of their personal stories. After dinner they part ways with a promise to meet on the Eastway at dawn. Overnight, Rys reaches an awareness of her body and is able to move and speak a bit and do some magic. The next morning they join Kethra on the road and set off South. Savari pulls Ifrea aside during the trek and says she's feeling a little more out of control than normal. He gives her some *special jerky but it isn't very satisfying. As they wrap up the private discussion a short ways off from the group, Savari is suddenly hit with a crossbow bolt out of nowhere. Session ends.
Session 83, November 9, 2023
Session begins on the fishing boat as the party is transported to Easthaven. Besides being cold it's relatively pleasant and uneventful. Savari identifies the properties of Shar's Moon-touched sword and Ifrea's recently acquired mace (taken from Cadroth). The fisherman brings them up to the dock and lets them off the boat. At the end of the docks is a hanging sign that says "watch thy pouch". They make their way into town and find an inn aptly named The Snowdrift. A halfling behind the counter greets them. He advises when they ask about finding a wizard or cleric that it's their lucky day. There's a red-wizard that is going to be burned in the middle of town in about an hour. He also says there's a cleric in town whose chapel was closed down but apparently still believes in his god. After the frostmaiden froze town most people lost their faith and shut him down. He also says that a store called Omab's just down the street may have weapons for Savari's skellys. It used to specialize in exotic exports and seems a little worse for wear (don't tell Omab he said that, however). They head down to the store since the innkeeper is closing shop temporarily for the burning (a much-anticipated social event--there's even a sausage guy). The shopkeeper is very accomodating, and makes them a good deal on bows, a short sword, health potions, and a magical pinecone for Ifrea. After the transaction is wrapped up they find the center of town, buy sausages, and settle in to observe the burning (wizard: Dzaan?). Ifrea tries to detect the wizard's thoughts and feels out that he has a secret: the discovery and location of a Netherese Spire that's half buried in the snowy tundra. Rys listens into some conversations of the townspeople and gathers that he was caught and convicted of killing many adventurers. His own allies mostly, strangely enough. He cleverly disguised his appearance to avoid capture but was recognized by his walk and talk. A blond-haired half-elf approaches the party and greets them, introducing herself as Indra Arlaggath, asking about their intentions leading them to venture into town. She is the militia leader in Easthaven. She doesn't have any leads on teleportation travel for them but suggests they speak with the old elder, and gives them directions to his house. He used to run the Temple of Tempus (god of war) that recently closed. His home is only a block or so away. They visit the temple first. A plaque describes how a man sacrificed himself in that location once to open a portal. They continue to the home described to them that belongs to Imladrith Woodbane. There is no answer but about 10 minutes later the dwarf appears walking down the street, and invites them in. He isn't able to teleport them anywhere but offers his services to scry on Rys and try to gather more information on her location and the identity of her captors. He describes a scrungly fellow, three half-orcs and a goblin traveling with her. She appears posessed or controlled in some other magical manner. They're going through a mountain pass towards a dark tower. He gives them names of colleagues Mirabar and Luskin that are down south closer to the conclave of Shar. He also suggests they check the high forest. (just south of mountains in swampy forested Feyrun proper) Savari asks about the Duragar and suppposedly they are led by Clearshield. Xardarok Sunblight is an extremist that he doesn't think is totally worth worrying about. He warns them of the dangers of the mountain pass, both the weather and the goliaths/giants, and sends them on their way with a blessing of "I hope you do great battle."
Session ends.
Session 82, November 2, 2023
Session begins in the early evening as the sun gets closer to further behind the horizon. The party asks the butler about the reps they saw at the Speaker Council meeting and then about the Inn in town that's been closed up. The butler, Elprekt (nickname Frank) wasn't aware of the dwarves squatting in the basement of the Inn, but says they can gather the militia and deal with it in the morning. Savari then finds Carou, the cook, and asks about Draven and Oven. They apparently were travelers, visiting every couple weeks. Draven was part of another cult-like group. This one in the Cair is apparently an offshoot of a larger cult based south of the spine in Feyrun. Apparently, the cultists attempt to summon a god was partially as a way to prove themselves and gain more attention from the Southern cult group. Savari also asks about Yajath (the escapee). He was tasked with guarding the speaker, keeping him confined to his quarters. As Cadroth's assistant he did get on a few power trips and boss the others around. There were potentially more devious acts occurring according to rumors. The rumors surrounded Cadroth's obsession with demons and that he perhaps wasn't as devoted to Shar as he was attempting to obtain his own objectives in summoning other dark forces. After the discussion, they decide to go handle the dwarves first thing in the morning. Elbrekt sets them up in the Seer's old room for the night. Savari and Ifrea leave a while later to collect bones from the pile outside the walls, and Savari animates 3 skeletons and then puts them in her bag with Adelaine. They go to bed. Cat-Rys wakes from a dream of Rys herself, and wakes Shar to tell the party about it. She senses her own body has been kidnapped and is traveling south with a dark-cloaked stranger. Cat-Rys attempts to detect magic and gets the briefest pings like the spell doesn't fully go off but the components are there just badly done. Shar investigates the Seer's room for signs of what happened to Rys while she was alone but doesn't find anything. He asks Carou about the room and he says the crazy old lady was a close assistant to Cadroth, even advisor level, until they had a falling out. There was some kind of truth that the Seer had said that Cadroth didn't like and started shunning her afterwards. When they ask more into Cadroth's purposes and the cat's involvement and then Rys' possession of the cat. He advises they ask around for a cleric in town starting at the tavern. There are rumors of an old temple somewhere in the area but Carou doesn't know of any specific clerics. When they describe the captor to Carou he says it matches a description of Yajath. They decide to try tracking Rys down starting by heading South to Easthaven. Carou suggests they ask a fisherman to ferry them to the town, and gives direction to one of their homes in town. Shar knocks on the door and a dark-skinned man answers and introduces himself as Azari. They offer 10gp for a ride to Easthaven. As he prepares the boat they obtain a keg of chowder from Roark the tavern-owner. The boat ride goes smoothly, and they pull up to the docks of Easthaven. Session ends.
Session 81, October 26, 2023
Session begins in Cair Dineval after the party executes Cadroth. They decide to go back to the castle to check on the prisoners and get settled. Savari brings the party up to the Seer's room to check on her body, and fills them in on what the Seer was talking about concerning the duragar trying to bring about the end of the world. Shar explores Cadroth's bedchamber next door, and falls asleep on the bed. Rys slowly sinks into the Seer's bed as conversation devolves into criticism of Ifrea's frostmaiden patron. Ifrea and Savari go downstairs intending to release the prisoners that are waiting. When they get to the main level though, they see the front door that had been welded shut is actually cracked open just a bit. They get nervous and go back upstairs to rest a bit and then gather the rest of the party to clear the area. After an hour of NOT ENOUGH sleep, they get Shar and Rys up and begin to explore and clear the upstairs rooms. In the first room, Savari cracks open the door and sees an immaculate and unnecessarily ornate bedchamber. A man is crouched in the corner, unkempt and slightly mad-looking. He says he's been waiting 2 months to be saved from the cultists. He also says they've missed at least one cultist, who made an escape around an hour ago (Yajath). He's the most pompous, entitled, annoying asshole. Savari gets really fed up and kills him. They plan a story around it and move on to the downstairs. They find a kitchen and servants quarters and the chef. He introduces himself as Karou, and is the first to hear (and luckily believe) the story of how the speaker died. Continuing to the basement, they knock on the door and the former prisoners open it up and go up to the main castle. News of the speaker's death is met with sadness from the staff, and the party learns that though he was a bully and an asshole, he also took in many people and had a bit of a secret soft side. He's very dead now, however, and they'll have to hold an election for a new speaker. Finally, they are able to head upstairs for a long rest. Ifrea has visions and communicates with the Frost Maiden overnight. The next morning Savari wakes up and looks over to where Rys had been sleeping. She finds a black cat like the one she'd seen last night in Cadroth's room. She wakes up the rest of the party to look for Rys, but no one has seen her. As they talk about her and look, the cat follows and yowls at them. Ifrea begins playing with the cat while Savari continues searching for Rys. Everyone she talks to says there wasn't any entry or exit of people overnight. Shar eventually tries to speak with the cat and learns it is in fact Rys, but she can't change back and definitely has more animal instinct than usual for creature form. Savari says she can try breaking a curse if that's what it is, but she can't do it until tomorrow. Rys settles into the cat feelings and eats, chases things, and naps on the hearth. The rest of the party help clear the bodies from the castle. Savari conjures an invisible floating disc to stack them on and then magically moves them out of the building. The floating pile of bodies is quite a spectacle. They burn the cultist bodies and then set up a quaint funeral for speaker Cranic. Session ends. (late afternoon)
Session 80, October 19, 2023 - attack on the keep part who even knows now...
Session begins with the new combat inside the keep. Sishar is one of the combatants and the party focuses a bit more effort on her immediately. She knocks Ifrea out completely with 2 attacks, but Shar is able to help revive him quickly and get him back on his feet. Shar then deals a massive blow to the teifling, weakening him significantly. The fight continues, and Sishar is restrained, but the cultists are taking turns touching the orb of dark magic and disappearing into it. The teifling tries to disappear but Savari grapples it and keeps it restrained. The glows brighter every time a cultist is sacrificed into it until Rys manages to dispel the magic, exploding the orb and raining debris everywhere. Shar is affected by some terror and sinks into the chair behind the desk, eventually finding a book on rituals and reading it. He fully disengages from the fight. While Sishar is restrained, Savari and Rys hit her with missiles and her own scythe and finish her off. The Teifling has successfully eluded Savari's grasp and disappears completely. After Sishar is dead, the party leaves the castle and tracks the Teifling down to a single-room home on the edge of town. They enter and don't see him anywhere, but Shar investigates further and finds a tunnel concealed by one of the rugs on the floor. Savari and Shar enter first and see him carving runes onto a stone doorway. He seems a bit surprised at how quickly they found him, but relatively unperturbed otherwise. They interrogate him and don't get much until he taunts Shar and tells him his mother died because of blasphemy. Because of Shar himself. He gives the name of her murderer: Ruben. Shar calmly fires two arrows into his heart at point blank range. A smile flashes across his face as the light leaves his eyes. He speaks, "I am not the last who will come for you." Savari and Rys investigate the rune he was carving and find it just barely unfinished. Many of the runes appear to be a simple transportation spell, but the top one is a rune for Abaddon; a higher level demon whose power he was intending to channel to power the spell. Savari makes a diagram of Abaddon's gate. They finish the investigation and return to the castle. Session ends.
Session 79, October 12, 2023 Attack on the Castle pt 3
Session begins as the party regroups. Ifrea heals Shar's dog that was valiantly fighting a cultist just outside the gates. Savari speaks with the boy hiding in the 'stables'. He says he has a secret way into the keep and takes a gold bribe to show it to them. He leads them to the backside of the castle, down the cliffside a ways, to a grate that leads into a cistern. Savari tries to check on her bird and the party watches, horrified, while she disappears and the bird appears in her place. Savari finds herself inside the castle in front of the old woman. The woman begins to tell her about the duragar: underground dwelling dwarves - one in particular wants to conquer the whole dale and the cult is trying to prevent that by summoning Shar. The dwarf does have a fortress in the spine of the world. Xardorok Sunblight has a forge powered by the still beating heart of a red dragon. He intends to destroy ten towns systematically. She warns that if they fight Xardorok too soon they will surely die. She then dies abruptly. Savari looks around, and finding no windows, carefully opens the door and peeks into the hall. She sees an ornate bronze ball hanging from the ceiling by a chain. It is shrouded in the mysterious dark light that beams up through the ceiling. She crosses the hall into the room her bird had seen when they first arrived at the castle, and sends her bird with a message to the party. Shar, Ifrea, and Rys, enter the cistern and find a door that opens to reveal a stairwell. They descend and find another door. One that goes to the right, and another doorway covered with a slab of stone that would continue their path ahead. Shar opens the door to the left and climbs through a crack in the stone into a small tunnel. The tunnel leads to a small room with 5 people that are imprisoned. They are shocked to hear the iron bars keeping them in were actually illusory. Said they'd been locked in for 6-8 weeks. They help lift the marble slab door that leads further into the castle and wait for the party to complete their mission so they can safely escape. They enter a large chamber with an arch-devil represented on the wall amongst the carnivorous mold. It appears to be a place of worship. Ifrea begins clearing rooms, and finds a small private chamber with an albino tiefling writing a book. She tells Ifrea to leave and he does. Upon further discussion through the door she discloses that she's been told by someone to leave them alone so she is content to do so. Her name is Avarice. They continue to the West and find the bodies of a dozen or so castle guards. Beyond that is a mostly empty storeroom that dead ends. There is a stairwell on the far edge of the larger chamber that leads to another room with 4 bodies of cultists wrapped in sheets. A small ladder leads up to a trapdoor. Ifrea climbs the ladder and pokes his head out to find a tower room with 4 empty beds. One door from it leads to the courtyard and another leads to a second door that leads to a closet door that leads into an ornate office with papers all over the desk. As they investigate, an oblivious cultist walks in the room, sees them, and immediately calls for help. Shar shoots him with an arrow, and Savari, from a concealed location on the top level, sends magic missiles into the group to cause confusion, and disappears again. Session ends
Session 78, October 5, 2023 Attack on the Castle pt 2
Session begins as the combat continues. Several party members are hit with a silencing spell that prevents spellcasting, but they move and recover quickly, continuing the assault focused on the Tiefling until Ifrea knocks it inside the building with an eldritch blast. The rest of the opponents in the courtyard retreat inside the keep. The last few guards bar themselves in one of the towers. The cultists inside have closed and secured the thick metal front door. The party batters the door with all they've got for a minute, but it refuses to budge. Savari spots a second set of doors and magically opens it. Her raven flies in and lands on the shoulder of a small man cowering in the dark corner. He passes out. Session ends.
Session 77, September 28, 2023
Session begins as the party re-mounts the wall, preparing for attack. They are swarmed by cloaked figures on all sides that are magic users. As they fight on the wall, more figures exit the building below into the courtyard. The last two to emerge are the Tiefling that Savari's bird saw and another well-dressed figure, not bundled in the common winter garb. They bring the fight up a level but the party holds their ground. Session ends after round 5.
Session 76, September 21, 2023
Session begins on the outskirts of caer dineval heading toward the western gate. Less than a mile from the city they are hit by a thick fog cloud that sorrounds them. Continuing, they feel the bite of cold wind and sleet from the storm, but make it inside the town. Even with the fog the town seems grayer or darker than it should be. The storm doesn't have any visible origin point, but is holding steadily over the town. They find the boarded-up inn that they'd attempted to stay at last time through town, and cut across the frozen harbor to the cliffs that the caer is built upon. They carefully scale the cliffside over the next hour or so. Savari sends her bird to look inside one of the windows of the keep and it sees a grand bedchamber with a tiefling inside eating. He turns around when the bird catches his cat's eye and she sees he's wearing a large gem and looks important/kingly. Savari reports back to the group. Rys scales the outer wall and sees the courtyard is empty. There is a set of towers. There is a beam of darkness coming from the keep and the air has a strange crisp feeling. She climbs to the roof and hears a muffled alarm cry from inside. As she gets closer to the flashing dark beam, a bolt of lightning hits her in the chest. She is knocked unconscious and begins sliding down the roof. Savari uses magic to cushion her fall to the ground. Ifrea misty steps to the top at the sound of the lightning and hears multiple yells from inside the building. They have not gone unnoticed. Shar and Ifrea join Savari and Rys on the Northeast side of the wall, as guards file out below them and rush along the perimeter. Savari causes a noisy distraction and then runs the opposite direction. The whole castle is alert. They climb the walls this time on the Northwest point and prepare to attack. Session ends
Sesh 75
Still hate the frostmaiden. Nothing Nimsy has said really changes that. But she's an arch druid so she must know more that we do. I guess. Sent a note of introduction with Tristian and Austergotha to give Sahnar. They'll travel with Nimsy
Session 74, August 17, 2023
Session begins as the party finishes preparations for the evening council meeting. Savari purchases a maroon bag of holding while off watching duty with Ifrea. Tinga acts a little sus about it, but in the end they're happy with the purchase. They leave to join up with Nimsy and the others a while before the meeting and head to the council chamber building. On the way Ifrea inquires about the substitute for the Cair Duneval speaker and it has been common knowledge that the speaker is ill. Nimsy heads inside to see if they can join her in the meeting and gets clearance for two guards to join her in the room. Savari and Rys head inside while Shar and Ifrea guard the outside. Inside, Savari and Rys are introduced to a silver dragon-born called Trovis, a speaker they assume, from one of the towns they haven't been through. They meet Nairth, a seedy-looking tall individual. He nods at Savari upon entering the room, then she notices as he scans the room constantly, a behavior that strikes as odd. Orris, (Termalaine speaker) and Dorbelgruff comes in as well. Danath, an older man with a long hooked nose and aristocratic air, from Easthaven. Last, two robed individuals enter and introduce themselves as representatives of Cair Duneval in place of the ill speaker.
Notes from following discussion: Lessening of food in the dale. Orris talks about diminished wildlife, fish not being caught in Bremen (until recently and they're still recovering), talks of trade routes are set up to reestablish trade of fish from Bremen. Trade through Targos to serve the Southern towns as well (past Maer Dueldon?) Bryn Shander's new ice sculptures are discussed and turns into debate and complaints about the frostmaiden sacrifices. Easthaven used to be more of a trade hub but that diminished during the winter, now Targos, Bryn Shander, and Easthaven are the main sources of commerce. No Dugan's hole rep.
Meanwhile outside, Ifrea and Shar get bored and Ifrea starts taking laps, noticing the weather indicates a storm rolling in. After about 45 minutes a figure walks up decidedly and attempts to enter the building. Ifrea calls for her to halt. She acts entitled to entrance, and claims to be an expert on the frost maiden. The speakers clear her and allow entrance. Ravesin. She looks of elven ancestry. She casts shade on the room's petty discussion of trade routes and then brings up Bryn Shander's failure to please the frost maiden. She *warns* them again that the lack of sacrifices will make the winter worse. She also warns of tribes of goliaths to the south beginning to perhaps become a problem. She then inquires about the preparation for the feast of the moon. Bryn Shander plans to have a feast and celebration of the harvest. Ravesin deigns to stay another 20 minutes before making her exit. Rys leaves to inquire about her relationship with Aurel, and she eventually takes her leave from all of them. The meeting wraps up a bit later, and Nimsy comes out to hear the groups opinion of the meeting in general.
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