Villamax the Wizard

Villamax is an older human wizard who signed on for the Thaig brothers expedition into the Underdark. While he has no interest in the Thaig family history, Villamax is nonetheless a student of history and believes he may be able to find lost, valuable records on the expedition. Being a wizard, he is chiefly concerned with records relating to lost magics but would be happy finding purely historical documents as well.
Table of Contents

Welcome to Haven City Arc

Week One

Villamax was first seen outside Bertrand Thaig's rented office alongside Itassis, though he had no interaction with the adventurers at this time.

Week Two

Villamax Meets the Party

Ernest Thaig directed the adventurers to Villamax for advice on how to slay a lycanthrope without silver weapons. They found him in the Tower Library, doing research on the Underdark prior to the expedition. After giving him what advice he could, K asked if Villamax knew anything about Captain Xavier's Lost Treasure. Villamax knew few specifics off-hand, but recalled seeing a book earlier that day about a wizard called Pompolius the Powerful who had either trained or was trained by Captain Xavier, he couldn't remember which.
It didn't take the party long to find the book, which was apparently magicked as it sucked Vinnie Vice and Jake F. Statefarm inside when they opened. Elycia Mirais took the book to Villamax and explained what happened, prompting the wizard to give the book a magical examination. He informed the elf woman that the book seemed to be a gateway to a demiplane. Villamax believed he could dispel the demiplane, but was concerned it might release something dangerous trapped in there. As "K" the Bugbear walked in looking for his companions, Elycia asked Villamax to give them two hours before dispelling the demiplane. Villamax agreed, wishing them luck and urging them to use caution while also promising to try and find another way to get them out in the meantime.
He was partially successful in this effort, managing to reach into the book and pull out Jake who went to go find Leh'ct for potential back-up. While he prepared to retrieve the other adventurers, they were able to send him a note telling him not to dispel the demiplane. He honored their request but was still concerned, taking the book to the Thaig brothers' warehouse where any threat that came out of it could at least be somewhat contained. Several hours later, the demiplane began to collapse and the observing Villamax pulled the adventurers out of the book. K appeared as a corpse while Elycia was knocked out and Vinnie was somehow knocked out & now a warforged instead of an orc.
Elycia explained to Villamax, Itassis, and the Thaig brothers that they met Pompolius the Powerful, who defeated them in combat and used body swapping magic he'd been researching to steal Vinnie's body for its youth. While Villamax sympathized with the adventurers, he didn't jump to help them until Itassis stepped on his foot, hard, and started glaring daggers at him. Villamax explained to Elycia and Vinnie that he could arrange for K to be revived but didn't work for free.
Assuming their group came on the Underdark expedition, Villamax wanted first claim on any historical relics the group discovered. If they found anything useful to their survival, such as armor or weapons, was found he also wished to borrow and study it after the expedition ended. The two adventurers agreed to this on behalf of the group and Villamax chanted in a language unknown to them, restoring K to life with some form of magic. He told K to take things easy for a few days as being brought back from the dead leaves the recipient in a weakened state.

Helping Vinnie Vice

The next day, Vinnie approached Villamax in the Tower Library as the wizard was reading a book on the fungi of the Underdark. He was seeking a way to resume his alcoholism in his new warforged body, which was incapable of ingesting food or drink. Villamax wasn't sure how or even if he could magically correct such a problem, but decided to take on the challenge and give it a try. He suggested they talk privately in the inn room he was renting, planning to potentially mention something to Vinnie he didn't want to say in a public location.
Their first order of business was a physical and magical examination of Vinnie's new body. They found a release mechanism attached to the crotch that opened up the front of Vinnie's chest cavity, which was hollow inside. There were no inner workings or magical symbols to explain how exactly Vinnie was moving around, so that seemed to be a dead end. While Villamax examined him, Vinnie made small talk and started talking about some of his previous lives. While Villamax was somewhat skeptical of these stories as first, it wasn't long before his historian sense started tingling.
Here was a man who had potentially lived through some of the historical events Villamax had been researching for years. He had to get himself into Vinnie's good graces, whatever it took. Before continuing the examination, Villamax inquired if Vinnie had any ethical objections to any particular schools of magic. From the exact words Villamax used, Vinnie was able to deduce he was referring to necromancy and was, in fact, a necromancer. Vinnie had no objections to this particular dark art, just the opposite if anything, and was willing to do whatever he had to in order to become fully drunk again.
Villamax believed he could heavily modify the necromancy-based life transference spell to form a bond between Vinnie and his Flask of Perpetual Booze, given Vinnie's lifetimes of reliance on alcohol and the fact that alcohol was essentially his lifeblood at this point. However, Villamax reminded Vinnie he did not work for free and inquired how the adventurer intended to compensate him. Vinnie had nothing of value to offer, nor was he capable of procuring anything Villamax cared for at the present moment. In lieu of payment now, Villamax offered to help Vinnie in exchange for a future favor. Desperate, Vinnie accepted.
Villamax told Vinnie he'd need some prep time to customize the magic and told him to return in three days. Three days later, a nearly fully sober Vinnie slowly shambled into the room looking very, very rough. Villamax got to work quickly, painting the arcane symbols on the inside of Vinnie's chest cavity as well as the Flask of Perpetual Booze before securing the flask inside him with Sovereign Glue. The effect was immediate, getting Vinnie on the gradual path back towards his drunken self.

A Favor for K

Not long after this, K approached Villamax seeking the wizard's assistance. He had recently found a magical crown that had useful magical effects, but K did not wish to wear a crown for personal reasons. He wanted to know if Villamax could somehow transform the item or even transfer its magic to another object. Villamax was confident he could work something out for this and asked what K intended to provide as payment. K realized he didn't have anything that would interest the wizard and offered to owe him a favor instead, so long as it was something that wouldn't obviously end in his death. Villamax agreed to this and used his magic to simply shrink the crown down until K could wear it was a ring.

Week Five

Flight from Haven City

The evening before the expedition was due to leave, something put the city on alert. Villamax and Itassis decided to stay bunkered down in the Thaig brothers warehouse rather than get involved with whatever that was, though they stayed on alert. When Leh'ct tried to creep into the warehouse and stuck his head in, Itassis threw a dagger that embedded itself in the door just above the young drow's head as he and his fellow adventurers came inside.
Leh'ct told the story of how he'd angered Marchioness Eve and brought the full fury of the Crows down on them. While Villamax and the other men stared at the young drow open mouthed, Itassis merely commented, "Wow," before taking a long drink from her flask. Villamax took something of a take charge attitude, trying to keep the situation calm while they figured a way out of the situation. When Bertrand pointed out the adventurers had made a contract both parties were now honor bound to fulfill, Villamax made a decision. He stated he could get them all out of town, though only with whatever supplies they could personally carry. Once everyone was ready, he just his magic to cast a teleport spell that took them to the rendezvous spot where they were to met Ernest's contact who would lead them to the Underdark entrance the next day.

Journey Into the Underdark Arc

Entering the Underdark

Getting to Know Leh'ct

Leh'ct approached Villamax while the wizard was reading his spellbook, curious about the glowing brooch he wore that was providing his reading light. Not having had a chance to talk to the young man before, Villamax explained (through the first few of Leh'ct's many, many questions) that he'd made it himself as a sort of watered down version of a Gem of Brightness. He also gave Leh'ct some vague information on his staff, stating that it was a gift from a close friend that contained great magic and was guarded by powerful protective measures to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Curious about this friend, Leh'ct asked for more details. Villamax kept said details vague, though he seemed very close to and fond of the person he spoke about. He also commented on his relationship with Itassis, stating they'd met when she'd pulled him out of a bad situation over 20 years ago. Villamax commented that Leh'ct's sunny disposition was most unlike other drow, though he admitted that may not be entirely accurate as he'd never spoken with any other drow at length. The comment reminded him to give Leh'ct a parchment he'd prepared during his research at the Tower Library. After learning a bit about Leh'ct from conversations with Vinnie and K, he'd copied down several common phrases in the drow tongue he'd thought Leh'ct would find interesting.
At the mention of Vinnie, Villamax also gave Leh'ct his condolences for the warforged's passing. After a brief moment of silence, the conversation carried on and Villamax asked if Leh'ct would keep an eye out for any historical documents in the 400-500 year old range during the expedition. Villamax stated this was for his research, though he refused to comment on exactly what topic of research he was pursuing. He openly stated it was a controversial subject and that speaking about it openly could prove dangerous. Though Leh'ct was ready to probe him with more questions, Villamax took the pause in conversation to excuse himself so he could speak with Sunny.

Introduction to Sunny

Villamax tapped the powered down warforged with the tip of his boot, waiting patiently while he powered back up. The wizard introduced himself and informed Sunny of his arrangement with the other expedition members to have first claim on historical documents, seeking to strike a similar bargain with the warforged. Sunny, in turn, told Villamax about his search for his brother and the two agreed to simply share any information they came across that might be of interest to the other person.
Throughout the conversation, Sunny struck Villamax as rather odd. The warforged often changed what he was saying after he'd already started talking, seemingly trying to leave certain things unsaid but being bad at doing so. Sunny claimed to be a member of the police from some empire that excelled at engineering, even more so than the most sophisticated of gnomes. Villamax remained skeptical towards the truth of these claims, thinking that perhaps something (or several somethings) had gone wrong during Sunny's assembly and he was simply speaking nonsense.

Way Down Under the Ground

After Ernest met his contact and received a map, the expedition moved out quickly in case the Crows were in pursuit. It did not take them long to find the cave leading to the Underdark. Inside, it slowly sloped down a tunnel until opening into a cavern that contained a deep pit. While the advance party was looking around, Villamax stopped Ernest and suggested they collapse the tunnel behind them to throw off any potential pursuers. Ernest had his reservations, but Villamax managed to convince him that he could make the collapse look natural and open it back up with magic if they needed to get back out that way. After all, magical solutions like this were exactly the sort of thing he came along to help with.
While the rear team stayed behind to do this, the advance team scouted ahead for any potential dangers. They two groups met back up at the bottom of the pit, now in the Underdark proper, and the adventurers gave their companions a report on what they'd encountered. K popped out of the Ethereal Realm at this time and it wasn't long before the bugbear accusingly asked Villamax why the wizard had turned him into a Hollow One.
Confused at first, Villamax asked K a few questions and learned he'd almost been pulled into the Wall of the Faithless when he'd died. Villamax theorized that K's soul was now like a rope in a game of tug of war. The Wall pulled on one side while his magic pulled from the other, connecting the disembodied soul to K's body in the process. While K wished to retrieve his soul, Villamax stated he didn't know how to do so safely and would have to think on it before warning K that should he die again, the current state of his soul would likely make the window in which revival magic would work on him much narrower than usual.

The Silken Paths

The group moved forward towards the Silken Paths, a massive canyon only traversable via the ever-changing roads of crumbling spider webs that ran across its miles long expanse. Villamax spent much of this time with the rear party while the adventurers scouted ahead, though they did meet back up to enter the Silken Paths. He was of the opinion that they should kill the ettercap and giant spiders near the entry point (which Sunny vehemently agreed with), though Leh'ct was able to talk him down. Their rear party (moving slower on the webs than those guided by Jake's ranger skills) was attacked by a dozen giant spiders and two dozen darkmantles as they traveled. Villamax focused on the darkmantles, using fireball spells to destroy whole groups at once while taking care not to burn webs connected directly to the ones they stood on should the fire spread.
Sunny noticed these explosions and flew back to check on them, helping to finish off the monsters. When he voiced his plan to go back to where they'd enter the Silken Paths and kill the ettercap before it could report their passing to any drow, Villamax quelled Ernest's ethical concerns by pointing out it was best for the expedition's overall safety. Soon after, when Jake arrived in Sunny's stead, Villamax jumped to defend the Thaig brothers when Jake spotted a strange figure watching them. Before Jake moved to approach the figure, Villamax cast a tongues spell on him in case Jake needed magical assistance to communicate.

Kobold Q&A

While the group was headed for the village of Glogdolp, Sunny approached Villamax asking if the wizard knew anything about dragons. Villamax admitted that wasn't his area of expertise but he knew the basics that all wizards "worth their spellbook" should know. Sunny explained his equipment had located a creature he believed to be a behir, but that the kobolds his bit drone found near them while scouting didn't fit in with the data he had. Villamax was distracted by Sunny's technology (mistaking it for illusion magic) but Sunny quickly got him back on track.
Villamax explained that while most kobolds have a red or brown color, sometimes their draconic ancestry can result in their scales being the color of whatever type of dragon they're descended from. However, the odds of this happening are one in thousands and the sheer number of blue-scaled kobolds in Sunny's images all gathering in one place was near-impossible statistically. Between this and the presence of a behir that Sunny also believed was in the area, Villamax concluded that these were likely not kobolds but rather kobold vipers.
He explained that kobold vipers are a sub-species of kobolds who have forsaken their draconic heritage and thrown in their lot with a behir, typically to get revenge on a dragon that wronged them. This results in their coloring turning blue and grants them different abilities than those conventional kobolds are born with, most notably a natural resistance to electrical energy.
Sunny grumbled that a legion of kobold vipers seemingly defending the behir made his plans much more difficult. Before he could wander off to contemplate, Villamax warned him that so many kobold vipers gathering in one place likely meant there was a dragon nearby they planned on killing. He also advised Sunny against picking this fight, though Sunny remained adamant and the wizard did admit a dragon's horde, if there was indeed one nearby, might have rare tomes he'd be interested in. Additionally, Villamax suggested Sunny inform the rest of the expedition of his plans sooner than later so they could assist with the planning, though said he'd leave that up to Sunny's discretion.

Discussions on Gods & Faerzress

Consoling Leh'ct

While the Thaig Expedition was staying in the village of Glogdolp awaiting a ship to be prepared for them, Villamax approached the village leader Archpriest Strelmotarplgbliid while the holy man was talking with Leh'ct. Villamax inquired whether the village had any historical documents he could examine and was disappointed (but unsurprised) to find out they did not. Having heard some of their conversation as they approached and hearing more as he remained around, the wizard cleared his throat to signal to the Archpriest to give him a moment alone with Leh'ct. Villamax could see that there was something clearly troubling the boy and knew a bit about it after overhearing part of Leh'ct's conversation with Elycia at their camp previously.
Leh'ct had suffered a 'nightmare' during his elven meditation, something he'd never experienced before, that depicted himself sacrificing Elycia on an altar to Lolth, the Spider Queen. Seeing the boy's distress, Villamax thought carefully as he chose his next words. He told the young drow that while Lolth is certainly dangerous and likely considered Leh'ct an enemy, she is not all-powerful. Even deities have enemies, often other gods, and one opposed to Lolth may be able to offer Leh'ct succor against the Spider Queen's machinations.
Leh'ct speculated on why Lolth would care about him specifically and considered that Elycia may be her target rather than himself, given that the bard was also in his nightmare. This wasn't something Villamax had considered yet and he suggested Leh'ct mention it to Elycia in the near future. He couldn't answer Leh'ct's next few questions regarding how/if elves dream, but as Leh'ct voiced concern about protecting Silinrul from Lolth's influence he did mention there were magic items that could hide individuals from observation magic, even that of divine origin.
He could even make one of these items himself, provided he had the correct materials and enough time to do so. Leh'ct speculated that such an item could maybe be made from faerzress due to its magical interfering properties, something Villamax made a mental note of and decided to discuss with Sunny later. With the topic brought up, Villamax also took the opportunity to tell Leh'ct about the history of faerzress and its original implementation into the Underdark by the Seldarine (elven gods). This also led to him explaining that the drow used to be another species called dark elves, which piqued Leh'ct's easily piqued curiosity.
Villamax also hinted that Leh'ct was likely to learn more about a source of potential aid once they arrived at the Deep Spire, but refused to elaborate further. The wizard thought it best that the boy learn about Eilistraee from the Dark Dancer's own worshipers, rather than himself, once they arrived there. In the meantime, he encouraged Leh'ct to spend as much time as he could with Silinrul before their departure, knowing the spider would have to stay in Glogdolp to avoid angering the Sword Dancers at their destination.

Faerzress Discussion with Sunny

Having noticed Sunny taking samples of faerzress on several occasions, Villamax approached him to ask what kind of research he was conducting. Sunny stated he wanted to find a way to block its magic-interfering properties before finding a way to weaponize those properties himself. He then started to ramble about all the ways it maybe worked and all the different weapons he could maybe make once he got a better grasp on this stuff. Villamax asked if Sunny was aware of the origins of faerzress and, learning he was not, took the opportunity to fill him in on its creation by the Seldarine (elven gods).

At the Deep Spire

Early Activities

While the members of the Thaig Expedition were wandering around the Deep Spire, Villamax approached Jake (the first member of the advance party he happened to find) with a question. The Thaig brothers were concerned whether they'd be welcome in the settlement due to the presence of duergar, which Jake believed wouldn't be an issue as he'd already met a mountain dwarf living there (and married to a duergar woman).
Jake also informed Villamax that Leh'ct had been summoned before the local drow's matron mother and was due to meet her at noon the next day. Villamax mentioned he'd hoped to meet the matron mother himself, hoping to examine any historical records in the drow's possession, and wondered if Leh'ct could help him get his foot in the door. Assuming the meeting went well, which Jake was somewhat skeptical about after seeing the Sword Dancers rough verbal treatment of Leh'ct.

Heckling (and Being Heckled by) Itassis

Itassis was with Villamax when Leh'ct came to tell the wizard he'd gotten Ysri Vaerixas to agree to meet with him. Villamax teased Itassis about not getting into any trouble during his absence, and she said she wouldn't beat up any Sword Dancers in sparring matches until his research was concluded. Leh'ct said he didn't think Itassis was one to get into trouble and Villamax stated she sometimes went looking for it. Itassis simply responded, "Pot, kettle."
Leh'ct openly wondered about Itassis' motivation for fighting a Sword Dancer and she advised him to never stop training. He mentioned his duel against Yorlorn and how learning about the way surfacers fought was part of Ysri's motivation for setting up the duel. Itassis made a mental note of this and thanked Leh'ct for the tip, marking the first positive interaction between the pair.
Hoping to tag along, Leh'ct tried to coax Villamax into heading for House Vaerixas straight away. As much as the wizard wanted to, Villamax told Leh'ct he must first ensure he's stocked up on blank parchment, quills, and ink. Itassis asked if she was going to have to drag Villamax out of that library when it was time to leave the Deep Spire and scrutinized him closely as the wizard tried to respond while looking as innocent as possible. She eventually let him off the hook but pointed out his overenthusiasm for such matters.

Discussion with Matron Mother Ysri

While Leh'ct and his companions were off chasing a lead regarding Sunny's brother Haz, Villamax came to House Vaerixas to present himself to Matron Mother Ysri Vaerixas. The wizard explained that he was a historian and looking for information about a certain individual from 500-600 years ago. While Ysri judged his explanation as truthful, she was also able to glean that fact that he wasn't sharing everything. She asked who he was researching exactly, saying she might happen to know something on the subject herself. Villamax hesitated for a moment, seeming to ponder his answer before giving it. The name he spoke was indeed one that Ysri recognized, though very much not one she had expected.
Villamax also informed her of the reason he sought this information. Seeing his intentions were good, she told him what little she knew of the subject and instructed House Vaerixas' librarian to assist him with further research. Ysri admitted she didn't know if the records they possessed would hold the exact information Villamax was seeking, but believed that they would be able to point him in the right direction at the minimum.

Filling in the Advance Party

When the advance party returned from their adventure at Ollin's Borehole, they bumped into Villamax in the Grinning Widow's cargo hold while stowing away a flail snail shell they had recovered. After welcoming them back and getting the story of their adventure, he informed them of Mott's arrest and the tension at the Deep Spire due to the guards finding and arresting a duergar spy from Brazenthrone. He also borrowed Biggs from Sunny for a bit, saying the kuo-toa crew had been sleeping on the ship but weren't very tidy and wanting the ship clean. He also said he was about to summon a cat familiar to deal with a potential animal infestation after Itassis had found a few rodent droppings along the ship's railing. He talked with Leh'ct for a bit about what the rodent might be while conducting this ritual, before informing the young druid that Matron Mother Ysri wanted to see him ASAP.

Villamax Comes on a Quest

Villamax's Mission

Hearing a commotion when he was near the harbor, Villamax went to investigate and found his comrades from the expedition's advance party there. They informed him a ship had been towed in after it was found drifting with the crew all dead, after allegedly getting too close to the mind flayer colony Gyan'dis. Villamax remarked this was rather odd, as the mind flayers weren't ones to waste resources by abandoning intact cadavers. While the adventurers (sans Leh'ct) had no interest sticking their noses into some as dangerous as mind flayers, Villamax stated he intended to investigate. When the adventurers expressed concern, he claimed his magic could create an earthquake to destroy the whole place if necessary. If he was coming with them, they were on board for exploring such a hazardous place.
As this discussion was happening, Leh'ct inquired about Villamax's secret mission and whether he'd been able to find any leads in House Vaerixas' library. The wizard informed the young druid that he indeed had, prompting Leh'ct to further ask exactly what his mission was. It was then Villamax decided he knew these adventurers well enough to tell them now, but he did not wish to discuss it in public and moved their discussion to the Grinning Widow's cargo hold before continuing.
He started by asking them if they'd ever heard the name Tenebrous, which only Sunny had. It was the name taken by Orcus, Demon Lord of the Undead, during the brief period he attained godhood and used a power known as the Last Word to kill several deities. Chief among them was Primus, the Supreme Modron and the deity Villamax himself seemed to worship. While there was a new Primus now, due to the promotion system modrons operate on, Villamax was still quite angry and offended by Orcus' audacity and had decided to kill the demon lord. As part of his plan, he was currently seeking a way to permanently destroy the Wand of Orcus and deprive the demon lord of his greatest weapon. While the party's reactions to his story varied greatly, it seemed to strike a chord with Jake who related (and potentially sympathized) with Villamax's motive of revenge.
Back to the topic of the mind flayer colony, Villamax noticed the adventurers hadn't 100% recovered from their last adventure and recommended they rest up to full strength. Not that they could leave now anyway, the harbor being closed while officials conducted an investigation into the towed ship and had priestesses examine all the people involved to make sure none were under the thrall of the mind flayers. Villamax also advised the adventurers to take this time and improve upon their skills if they could, suggesting they think about their recent experiences and focus on either honing their strengths or shoring up their weaknesses. While the others departed to go about their business, Leh'ct briefly stayed and Villamax informed him about the Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location he'd been making for Silinrul. Several days later, Leh'ct returned and Villamax gave the Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location to him.

Exploration and Surprises

The trip to Gyan'dis was uneventful, though Villamax was initially and surprised (and knocked back) by the great speed of Sunny's electric boat. When they arrived near the tunnel that led to the colony, Sunny had concerns about taking the boat too close and wanted to drop anchor away from it. To help facilitate this, Villamax cast the fly spell on the rest of the group to get them over there without needing to take the boat in. Exploring inside (hidden thanks to the effects of Jake's pass without trace spell), it wasn't long before they were attacked with a "boulder" Leh'ct poked with a pole (and several others nearby) turned out to be drones built by Sunny's brother, Haz.
Villamax proved most effective against these constructs, using powerful spells of lightning (both the bolt and chain variety) to inflict heavy damage to their enemies. When the adventurers soon encountered another group of these enemies, Villamax began on offense but quickly switched to defense when the recently reappeared K was near fatally injured. He put a protective barrier around the bugbear with the wall of force spell before continuing to assist the other adventurers with offensive magic. In time, they destroyed this second group of drones, which in turn prompted the duergar that had been accompanying the constructs to surrender.
As the duergar was speaking Dwarven, Villamax offered to translate his speech for the rest of the group. Negotiations, or something resembling them, were tense as the adventurers had mixed opinions on how to proceed. While Villamax didn't expressly offer an opinion on what action to take, he did point out things he thought the party may have not considered during their deliberations. Chiefly, he informed them about the duergar culture's code of honor and that they would keep their word on any deal they made, though to the exact letter of that word and no more. The prisoner (Mr. Doubtfire) revealed he was part of a group sent to investigate a psionic disturbance the duergar had sensed and had been working with the drones for months in exchange for large quantities of iron. Thinking it was likely that more combat against these drones was in the group's future, Villamax asked Sunny if he was aware of any weaknesses in them the adventurers could exploit.

Awkward Observer

Sunny elected to continue the interrogation before addressing Villamax, and things soon got off-track when K elected to fatally stab the prisoner while Leh'ct was out of the room. When Leh'ct returned and became distraught, first over the murder and then over Sunny and K attempting to deceive him into thinking it as a suicide, Villamax spent much of the conversation standing there awkwardly. Though he tried to calm things down once or twice, it was fairly clear the wizard did not know how to deal with this type of situation. Eventually, Leh'ct stormed off and Jake went after him.
Before long, Jake called for the others to join him. While Sunny and Elycia did so, Villamax opted to stay behind and watch their rear. Jake came back to him minutes later, stating the strange figure he'd previously spotted on the Silken Paths had returned. He asked if Villamax could cast a tongues spell on him again so he could communicate with it. The wizard did so, telling Jake it would last for an hour. However, the adventurers soon returned saying that they failed to communicate with the strange figure, though it had simply stared at them and didn't seem hostile. Sunny provided a picture but Villamax was unable to identify the strange figure, speculating it might be something unique to the area or even a one-of-a-king entity.

Battle in Gyan'dis

The group soon carried on (a still upset Leh'ct stealthily trailing the rest of them) as the rough tunnels turned into the smooth worked stone of a hallway. The hallway soon narrowed, forcing them to march single file with Villamax second from the rear, Sunny in front of him and Elycia behind. It ended in a door, which Sunny found unlocked and free of traps, that led into an antechamber. A dead mind flayer and two dead troglodytes lay inside, no visible wounds and seeming to have dropped dead where they stood. With no apparent clues explaining this strange phenomenon in the room, they carried on and soon found themselves in battle against another group of drones when Elycia walked into an ambush.
Villamax stuck his head out the door and launched a fireball from the end of his staff, heavily damaging three drones that Sunny quickly finished off with a spray of micro missiles. But he soon became concerned about something else as he noticed the ground around them starting to rumble. Visibly showing concern, he urged his companions to flee the antechamber quickly while running out himself. They made it out just as a neothelid emerged from the floor, zeroing in on Villamax as its psionic abilities identified him as the most intelligent and therefore most tasty being present. He instructed the others to flee down a hole they'd seen a duergarduergar hop into, outright stating this foe was beyond them and would kill them if it caught them. While they carried on, Villamax remained behind to deal with the neothelid one on one.
Villamax summoned a rockwood, a type of earth elemental that resembles a tree made from petrified wood, to assist him just as the neothelid released a spray of acid. He soon found himself in the belly of the beast as the neothelid devoured him, blasting it from the inside as it began to tunnel away. He eventually managed to do enough damage to force the injured aberration to regurgitate him, soon finishing it off and cleaning himself up with a prestidigitation spell. With that task complete, he went to find his traveling companions who were banged up but alive. Villamax noticed Leh'ct was in a particularly foul mood, though couldn't discern exactly why. He suggested the party leave sooner than later, informing Sunny he'd seen one of those small flying drones zip out towards the Black Loch while fighting the neothelid and hadn't been in a position to stop it. As they went back down the tunnels and left the Ruins of Gyan'dis, Villamax made good on his previous mentioned idea and magically created an earthquake to destroy what was left of the colony.

Wrapping up Business in the Black Loch

Sometime later, Villamax left the Deep Spire with Itassis to look for tomes on demonology in Spyr-Anaisz. Seeing as Lolth worshiping drow were technically demon worshipers and semi-regularly summoned denizens of the Abyss, they were likely to have records on the subject. Records that could potentially contain information that could be used against Orcus, seeing as Lolth got along with him as well as any other demon lord.
The pair returned to the Grinning Widow days later, getting there via a teleportation circle Villamax had painted in the hold. Their trip was evidentially successful, though Itassis dryly commented Villamax's stealth skills left something to be desired when Leh'ct asked about their trip. They'd evidentally been caught in a drow library and had to fight their way out of the settlement. The young druid caught them up on what they'd missed (which even Villamax struggled to follow during his long-winded rambling) before dragging them to find Ban and see if Villamax could glean some information on a magic crown they'd found.
Ban inquired whether Villamax could use his magic to get them some additional details on that crown they'd found in the Lost Catacombs of Auldbaern, which the wizard replied he could. They needed to know what it did and if they could remove one of the diamonds in it to revive Jake without permanently breaking the crown (despite the fact it already had a giant crack in it). 20 minutes and two spellcastings later, Villamax informed them they could remove a jewel but it would have to be replaced with an identical one later if they wanted the crown to function. He also revealed the function of the Crown of Auldbearn; controlling an army of golems within the ancient city that was now Vlyn'darastyl.
A little over an hour later, when Jake was restored to life, Villamax asked him for greater details of the threads he'd seen coming out of his disembodied soul while dead. Villamax speculated the threads he saw were Threads of Fate, a metaphysical force that guided destiny controlled and maintained by The Raven Queen, Goddess of Fate & Death. He went on to explain Threads of Fate can be energized by a sufficient powerful entity (such as a deity, archfey, demon lord, and so forth) to make it harder to alter a creature's fate, though who or what would've done this to Jake and why remained a mystery. Leh'ct asked if any of the rest of them had the same condition. Villamax didn't know for sure, saying he'd have to conduct a complex ritual he didn't have the ingredients for to see Threads of Fate temporarily, but that it wasn't unheard of for groups of adventurers to be chosen by deities for greater things.

The City of Brazenthrone

Preparing for Departure

Weeks later, the advance party sat down with Villamax and the rest of the expedition to go over what they'd been up to while caught up in local events. Among other things, they'd discovered (or rather, been led to by Mother Moth) the Lost Catacombs of Auldbaern and found stone tablets detailing the Thaig family history. Bertrand was able to translate the ancient dwarven text; though it appeared to confirm what he wanted to know, he was disappointed to find the document was not notarized. However, he seemed to think that if this document survived for so long that a notarized version may have as well.
To continue their quest, the expedition would need to pass through Brazenthrone. While willing to go, the Thaig brothers were uncertain how the duergar there would welcome a pair of surface dwarves like themselves. This was apparently something that Villamax had been mulling over as well and he stepped over by the brothers and plopped a Hat of Disguise on each of them to make them look like duergar. Though he did also warn them that these disguises would only take them so far, as the illusion would do nothing to hide their accents or let them copy local mannerisms.

Training on the Road

After crossing the Black Loch on the Grinning Widow and bidding farewell to Mott and the rest of the crew, Villamax and the rest of the Thaig Expedition moved onwards towards Brazenthrone. Along the way, they came to a large open chamber with stairs and stone signposts that pointed the way towards Brazenthrone. The other expeditioners almost failed to notice when Villamax and Itassis stopped walking to talk in hushed tones. Elycia’s keen hearing picked up on this and the other stopped when she turned around to ask them what was up. Villamax stated that since the party had encountered numerous powerful foes recently (to say nothing of those still out there like "Black Hand" Kelly and Santaura) and struggled in many of the fights, he thought a bit of training might be in order. Particularly because of the recent addition of Bogo to the group; better the adventurers get used to working with him in a controlled environment vs. a life or death situation.
The adventurers agreed that it couldn't hurt and Villamax allowed them to position themselves before summoning a smoke elemental for them to battle, backed up by Itassis to ensure the adventurers couldn't just gang up on it and defeat it too easily. Though they won, their performance and teamwork had enough holes in it that they declined Villamax's offer to keep going for a round two. This prompted the adventurers to begin discussing tactics amongst themselves so they could iron out a few issues before their next true battle. The training match also gave them the opportunity to analyze a few of the magic items in Itassis' possession. When Jake later asked her where she'd acquired so many magic items, she merely pointed at Villamax.

Wizard Transport Services

When the group neared Brazenthrone, they decided that Villamax and Itassis would hang back with the Thaig brothers while everyone else scoped out the situation in the city. It took over a week for the rest of them to return, having been roped into several shenanigans and an impatient Itassis having left to track them down. Once reunited, the advance team was able to get the rest of them into the city with no problems. While Itassis stayed with the disguised surface dwarves to keep on the downlow, Villamax immediately set out to examine the city's book shops, libraries, and as many private collections as he could talk or bribe his way into.
He was sitting in the central library days later when Elycia came to find him, saying she needed his help resolving a problem. They stepped outside and she informed him the rest of the Delvers of Secrets (as they were now calling themselves) were stuck in the Shadowfell. She got out by making a deal with someone she suspected was a fey so she could come get him for help. As they walked to a secluded area so that Villamax's magic wouldn't attract too much attention, Elycia filled him in on what all had led to this situation. This included K collecting a number of books on Villamax's behalf, which made the wizard eager to get moving. He popped the two of them into the Shadowfell with a spell that landed them right in front of the others. K handed over the books quickly, eager to say in the archmage's good graces, before Villamax got them all back to Brazenthrone. The group then walked back to the apartments where they'd been staying together, where Villamax quickly shut himself inside to start reviewing his new books.

Plan of Action

In the days that followed, the expedition members began making their final preparations to leave Brazenthrone and make their way to Vlyn'darastyl. A topic of major discussion was how they would actually infiltrate the city once there. Villamax gave the advance party one of a pair of Sending Stones, saying he and Itassis would infiltrate the city on their own and cause a distraction once they sent the two of them the signal. That would draw at least some of the drow away from the Delvers of Secrets and give them a better chance at completing their mission.

Magic Items
Brooch of ??? (creates dim light)
Staff of ???