Part 4. Spire of Iriolarthas

General Summary

Elemental Plane of Water

After passing through the portal from Maud’s tower, the party found themselves suspended in water, unknown leagues beneath the surface of the water. Panic set in for all but Atalanta, now in the realm of her ancestors, the Elemental Plane of Water.
Daylight wavers through the waves far above, illuminating the dazzling rainbow of a reef. The coral seems to move and writhe, and occasionally you watch as an eyelid blinks open, or a tentacle lashes out lazily to snag a fish passing by. The stony polyps clustered to form the reef’s body occasionally open like mouths to snatch fish as well. As you continue to scan the foreign landscape you realize that you are standing at the top of a domed tower, 4 pillars holding up the jeweled ceiling above. Suddenly a disturbing sensation overcomes all of you as the small chamber you’re in is filled with air - dropping everyone down to the ground.
Now able to breathe, everyone had the chance to observe their surroundings. Breathtaking. As they all appreciated this marvel landscape they saw someone quietly watching them. It’s hard to tell if she’s young or old. Her skin is a deep blue hue, with white markings of tattoos she proudly exposes on her 14-foot tall flawless figure. Although her eyes and smile are girlish and coy, the faint crows feet at the edges of her eyes deceive her youthful appearance, hinting at the many centuries she has seen. She wears jewelry —most of it woven from thin white hair, but intermingled with silver and gold bangles—and a rough-spun dress of five layers and countless colors of trim and embroidery. In her hand she holds a trident, identical to that of Atalanta’s. This is Freya, Atalanta’s mother

Freya brought everyone into her home nearby, which was akin to an underground temple. Freya quickly inquired about Nix, who was obviously not there. Curious as to how she knows about Nix, Freya took them to a chamber where a large Scrying Orb was suspended in the center. This is when she admitted that she had been scrying on Atalanta her entire life and essentially was her “biggest fan”.
Upon scrying Nix, they found her in the comfort of Sunblight, a mechanical apparatus now in place where her arm was missing. Freya introduced everyone to Jaka, her partner. Freya sent him to Sunblight to summon Nix and bring her to them. Reluctantly, Nix went with him and the party was reunited.
Although it had only been 12 hours for the members present in Ythryn, it had been over a tenday for Nix who had enough time to return to Tentowns and call upon Jack Dawkins to come save her.
While communicating and generally getting to know Freya, she noticed the pin that Maud used to stab Atalanta in the forehead to investigate her memories. This would serve as the token to Plane Shift them back into Ythryn which was currently protected and barred from teleportation magic due to the forcefield. You learned that Freya is the head of an order known as the Protectors of the Hafgufa, Aguan for “Sea Steam”.

Gift of Hafgufa

• Freya took you to Hafgufa, sacred ancient sea creature that provides the water for the Elemental plane of water
• Atalanta performed the Ceremony of the Sea Steam and received the Gift of Hafgufa; enabling her to utilize the full power of her trident
• Before teleporting you back to Ythryn, she told Atalanta, “I could live a thousand lifetimes and still cherish this memory above all.”

Tower of Conjuration

• Upon returning to the Prime Material Plane, you watched yourselves entering the portal and Maud tried to steal the beautiful memory of what happened from Atalanta - rebounded and ended up stealing Belias’ memory instead (lol)
• The second Rite appeared in flames on the floor around you (three are required to perform the rites of the octad, currently have 2)
• Tower of Conjuration Phrase: "Second, summon a flame in the palm of your hand."

Questioning the Archmage High Abjurer Taruth

During our overnight rest on the Elemental Plane of Water, Prudence used ‘Speak with Dead’ to question the skull that we collected from the Spire of Abjuration. The skull belonged to High Abjurer Taruth:
1. What is the Rite of the Octad? "To pass through the force field that surrounds the Spire of Iriolarthas and the Ythryn mythallar, one must perform the Rite of the Arcane Octad on the spire’s doorstep. For security purposes, at least 3 Archwizards were required to perform the Rite; each possessing their own secret phrase."
2. What is guarded by the Spire of Iro? "The key to the Obelisk of Chronomancy & the Harbinger of Darkness"
3. What is the Harbinger of Darkness? "An ancient artifact that was used to summon the Pherimm from the Far Realm"
4. What happens if it is destroyed? "Unknown. Eminent doom and destruction likely."
5. What is the Obelisk? "People of Ythryn relied on an Obelisk of Chronomancy as a failsafe in case they did something they needed to reverse. It can change, alter, and rewind time."

Ythryn Library

After leaving the Tower of Conjuration, we passed by the Library. Despite Prudence’s deep desire to get at the books within, we decided to pass by as we heard voices within. We moved onto the Tower of Divination.

“WE Don’t Have a Problem. EYE Have a Problem!”

• The walls of this thin tower are etched with eyeballs with one large eye above the entrance. Noticed that the roof and a portion of the top of the tower was missing.
• Large gashes and icicles festooned along the curved stairway upward
• The inscription along the top of the tower was missing… but currently could read: “Speak ______ about _______ out loud”
• In the center of the tower is a stone plinth topped by a large crystal orb. The orb is filled to capacity with hundreds of eyeballs, obviously from multiple different species. Inscribed in draconic along the plinth read, “Ask and you shall find”
• Bulwark touched the orb and asked where to find the Rite
• He discovered that the remaining portion of Divination Tower is crashed on top of Y15; an observatory
• Touching the Orb plucked Bulwark’s eye out and dropped it within to join all the other eyes; Bulwark now only has one eye.

Passing through Ythryn along the way to the Observatory, the party was attacked by several Nothics which are monstrous creatures with terrible talons and a single great eye. When driven to violence, it uses its horrific gaze to rot the flesh from its enemies' bones. After quickly dispatching the foes, Bulwark summoned a spirit to serve as a distraction running in the opposite direction of the party. This allowed everyone to travel safely the remainder of the way to the Observatory.

Who Ordered the Slaad?

• Run in with a Green Slaad that was suspected to be High Diviner Apius. Recovered the remaining words of the Rite from the Tower that was still intact. “A Secret” and “yourself”
• Tower of Divination Phrase: “Speak a secret about yourself out loud”
• Conversation with Diviner Apius:
• “Those who toil with time must be prepared if time toils back”
• “Release what holds us here and perhaps I can project myself out”

With 3 Rites discovered the party quickly and quietly made their way through Ythryn to the bridge. They were successful with the help of Atalanta’s Fog spell. Along the way they passed by the Tower of Necromancy, a large Amphitheater, and an Academy of some sort. Along the way, suddenly an explosion happened; shortly after a loud siren to the south began to cry out. With extra haste the party made their way to the entrance of the spire where currently two soot-covered individuals stood guard.

Spire of Iriolarthas

• Nix mistakenly took them for Drow Members of the Night’s Kiss which caused them to raise suspicion. The members of the Black Sword caught on to her ruse and attacked her. They were quickly and quietly dispatched.
• Seeing that Avarice’s gargoyles and a large red demon were flying around looking for the party, we decided to unlock the tower with the Rite of the Octad.
• Prudence pulled the wand and placed it over her heart. Belias channeled his elemental heritage and summoned a flame to his hand. Prudence cried, “Someone say a secret about themselves out loud!” There was an uncomfortable silence and then Nix said “I know where the Obelisk is”. The party was fairly stunned by this confession but didn’t have time to process this as the shield protecting the tower dropped and we heard yet another loud crashing and an unearthly shriek from under the tower.
• The Rite unleashed a giant construct with a gaping toothy maw on its stomach which issued forth from beneath the tower and started working its way towards the bridge.
• The party managed to win the race to the spire with Avarice and her crew not far behind them. The massive construct, not far behind Avarice and her team.

Upon entering the Spire chamber music washed over you as you entered a ballroom. In contrast to the desolate, frozen ruins outside, a dozen people milled around, dressed in flowing silk garments and holding colorful hand masks and feathered fans. Noble courtiers laugh and gossip as servants move among them, offering sugared treats on silver platters. Ignoring the illusions you passed through into one of the several rooms of this chamber.
In the next chamber more well-dressed revelers mill about, talking loudly to each other while servants carry bottles of wine and spirits around to refill their cups. Behind a rectangular counter, a bald, pale-skinned humanoid serves wine from an ornate bottle. It was then that you realized Nix was nowhere to be seen…
Suddenly a SLAM resounded from the ballroom and all of the humanoids disappeared in a flash. Avarice’s voice sounded out with an otherworldly boom, “HOW THE FUCK DID THEY BEAT US HERE…”

The Great Betrayal

Nix snuck away from the group and hid on the bridge as Avarice and the Black Swords entered the Spire. Transformed and climbed along the side of the tower until she spotted her mark; the Obelisk of Chronomancy.
She approached the Obelisk and with the forcefield now dropped and teleportation no longer disrupted she pulled a Teleportation Anchor from her pouch and dropped it on the ground. As it lit up, three individuals appeared; a young heavily tattooed, yet innocent looking male half elf known as Mr. Kemp, the massive gold dragonborn Evanté Montorvich, lastly the nefarious Jack Dawkins.

“Ello love” the broad shouldered man greeted Nix. Together they began to plant spikes around the perimeter of the Obelisk. Evante and Mr. Kemp performed a ritual together as the spikes around the obelisk lit up brightly. The ground began to rumble and suddenly the obelisk began to sink through the portal now opened on the floor.
A look of heavy burden washed over Nix’s face as she looked back and forth from the Obelisk back to the tower entrance where her friends remained. Desperately trying to think of any way she could her friends, she remembered about the “key” to the Obelisk that remained in the Spire. Her voice trembling, she informed Jack, “The key required to operate the Obelisk is still within the Spire.” Jack looked up to the tower where the sound of battle could now be heard and let out a chuckle. With a coy grin on his face he simply replied, “Keys can be remade.”
The Obelisk now entirely through the portal, the slender half-elf opened a portal where the familiar interior of Sunblight could be seen. One by one they walked through the threshold. Mr. Kemp and Nix remained as the young half-elf patiently held the portal open. “Are you coming?” he gently asked Nix. Without a word the pale changeling currently in her afflicted beastial form walked through the threshold.

Ythryn Map Post Part 4

Report Date

29 Apr 2022