Meeting with Detlev/Vision at the Black Mausoleum/Rat King

Gathering / Conference

The Coastguard meeting with Detlev gets pushed up. Eri and Vel receive important information from the church of Kelemvor at the Black Mausoleum. Vel leads an expedition to eliminate a threat known as the Rat King.

Session 36: Coastguard/Kelemvor
  That night agents of Detlev come to us in our sleep and brings us to him deep within an unknown Fos. We begin trading information and learn he doesn't know anything about the cult. We discover that the Coastguards occupation with Rig/E4 is purely because of a rival entity's own interest. In short, they seem to want E4 because their rival wants him. Rig is a person of interest because he is the one who reconstructed E4 and obstensibly would know the most about him/how to track him. Detlev finally reveals that he wants us to find E4 using a tracking device and report to him on what E4 is up to. In return we learn the name of Rockwell's former employer, who would be our next link in unmasking the cult in the real world. He gives us train tickets to get to Oakburn, potions to aid us and a Bag of Holding after Sal rocked a 29 persuasion roll. We are to catch the train in two day's time. That night Rig and Tem reunite and Tem catches him up on whats been happening. Rig is fascinated by Tem's armor and explains the power source that powers Tem's armor is extremely similar to the one that powers E4. Seeing as Tem found the gem in Gogia's possession, it may be that E4 is also somehow related to Gogia. The next morning, Vel, Brogg and Eri go to the Church of Kalimvor, aka the Black Mausoleum. They meet a priestess there that helps elucidate the predicament surrounding Moander and Velsharuun.
  Church of Kelemvor: The death clergy as they were known had many duties; most involved tending to the last wishes of the dying and providing burial services to those who died alone. They also set out to cure diseases and defend people from monsters so that folk did not die before their time. Their final and arguably most important task was the destruction of undeath in all its various forms as it was an affront to Kelemvor.
  Eri and Vel go to the moonlit Cemetery, to see a sea of graves, and black mausoleum in the middle. A group of four monks in somber smoky gray vestments with hoods up and heads bowed, walk out in unison, one of them brandishing a golden staff topped with a skeletal hand holding a scale. The interior is largely devoid of people except one figure in smokey gray and muted green vestments, the symbol of kelemvor prominently displayed on the back, hood up, chain mail hung over one arm, bastard sword at the side, and another staff with the symbol of kelemvor on the end, only this time more ornate. Their back is to you, and look to be about to walk into a back room, when they hear you step in. They turn, and you see they wear a gold mask of a skull. They appear to acknowledge you, and you surmise this is most likely Doomguard Kirgisha Dockmun. They remove their mask to reveal a woman, late 40s, tan skin, black hair, no makeup of accessories, and she’s got a big welcoming smile
  Kirgisha: “Well hi there! I’m the Doomguard around here, Doomguard Dockmun, nice to meet ya. And you are?” “Well what can I do for ya?”
  Eri: If you know who velsharoon is?
  Kirgisha: Sure, demigod of necromancy and undeath, the patron of liches, flies in the face of everything we believe in here in the church of Kelemvor, yeah I know of him, why?
  Vel and Eri reveal basically all aspects of Eri’s possession by Velsharoon. Kirgisha is alarmed.
  Eri: Are there any churches/temples to him they know of?
  Kirgisha: Worship of Velsh was strictly forbidden and punishable under King Onieros, and hopfully Lucidis, so large scale temples are mostly unheard of in these lands, though if they are around, they’re likely to guise their worship under the hat of another god, most likely Kelemvor. There are some questionable temples, but revealing their locations to innocent civilians would be irresponsible on my part.
  Eri: What the deal with Velsharoon is, isn't he currently sealed along with the rest of the 'corrupted gods' after rotfall?
  Kirgisha: No one know a whole lot about him, aside from his intelligence and arrogance. A mortal sought to ascend, and it actually worked. Many attribute the Breach to his actions alone, but it would be foolish to think any one person could cause such calamity. Whatever resentment he had in life, which most people think is due to a general rejection and isolation of his necromantic research by his peers, his exile from his position as a royal advisor, he appears to have carried into godhood, and has festered and grew into something greater than it ever was in life. That’s one theory, at least. One can only imagine his resentment following Rotfoll. And Velshroon is sealed beyond the divine gate, just as the other corrupted and prime deities are.
  Eri: Why would Velsharoon want to 'possess' a mortal, what purpose would he have to do that?
  Kirgisha: I don’t know. Most worshipers of Velsharoon spent the vast majority of their time in pursuit of necromantic research. Undead servitors were common and were released to wander the land when their purpose had been served. Velsh, like many of his kind are never satisfied. I imagine wants more power. He is a demigod afterall, and his ascent could not have left him favorable to any of the other gods. Who possession could help him achieve that I cannot say.
  Eri: Is there anyone else I could talk to that would be able to give me more info? Kirgisha: Velsh serves Azuth, the god of Arcana. Know one is entirely sure on the details why. He seeks the knowledge that Azuth can impart/one of the conditions/punishments of his ascension. I’m sure some of the mages at the Arceuus Academy pay tribute to him, I believe the main chapter is in Iypth’Kihn led by Archmage Mellomir Eilrel, we do also hold a small chapter right here in Behemith over in the platinum estates, tryina think of the fellows name who runs it… oh that’s right… Highmage Salonious Moory. As knowledgeable as he is an asshole, but he might be able to help. Though getting his ear might be hard. Kinda gotta know someone, but who knows, you look pretty capable. Monastery dedicated to Kelemvor in the Gwarlek mountains, southeast of a strange town in Bewyldnir known as Dexedrinia. The church of Kelemvor has no records of it or really interactions.
  Eri: Does Helm had any sort of relationship with Velsharoon?
  Kirgisha: Helm failed to stop Velsharoon from aiding in the release of the corrupted deities. So, their relationship is one of prisoner and guard right now. I assume Helm is always watching Velsh, and Velsh is always trying to subvert Helm.
  The priestess offers to have them commune with Velsharuun, and Kirgisha puts her mask back on, and takes Eri and Vel into another small chamber with a gray pool. Vel strips naked, and him and Eri enter the pool. It is a cold, still void, like the grave. A man in darkness, black-gray cloak with raised hood, black vestments with golden scales over chain mail, black gloves, both hands resting on the hilt of a bastard sword point to the ground. To dark to see his face, but he looks human. He steps toward you into a beam of moonlight, revealing the face: a skull, the presence though, not evil, not good, just unwavering. He stands for a moment before lifting one side of his cloak, enough for you to walk under ghost of Christmas past-style WIS SAVE DC 5: Vel is kicked out of the vision. You see a crowned skeletal figure which you’d seen before, different than that of the cloaked one, behind green smog, Velsharoon. A close up of skeletal eyes, hollow but angry/resentful/greedy/wanting/searching/waiting. A close up of the face of a decaying husk, empty socket, twisted tendril of a nose, agape maw, Moander, hurtling through a dark forest, the sounds of hundreds of feet stampeding below/ its lower jaw loosely bobbing up and down with each bump
  WIS SAVE DC 10: This scene of the god husk being pulled though the forest like a far away cloud in the dark. Starts to zoom in, getting closer you see the mold covered runners, humanoid, monstrosities… eternally dragging this colossal god-sized husk in a chariot. Like as if forced to cling to a hope that died eternities ago. The runners just as much of husks as the god. So monotonous is disturbing. But what’s more disturbing is that you continue to zoom in, though you don’t want to. Afraid of what more you might see, but you can’t look away. The focal point of the zoom seems to be something past the chariot and the runners. Somethings definitely wrong with this picture. Behind in the far distance in the dark. You mind goes into overdrive as fear immediately pours over you, and you pinpoint the thing that shouldn’t be there. A scream rings through your mind, deafening you, Milos scream, as you see the terrifying sinister mockery of a person you know to be Illos staring blankly ahead as if watching the whole thing.
  WIS SAVE 15: You begin to be thrown backwards, zooming back out at impeccable speed. The nondescript short-red-bearded face of Illos explodes on to a cloud of black writhing smoke, more faces try to extend out but are forced back in: Milo, Rockwell,.. but before you can see more it zooms back out the decaying chariot of Moander and its runners, and its zooms out backward out of the dark forest out into blackness. The green smokey visage of Velsharoon comes into frame as if watching all this like a crystal ball, the it zooms out further and further into darkness. Then for a second, as the zoom out begins to slow, you see a gauntleted hand holding three candles, one with a green flame, one with a flame extinguished, and another with a black frame
  WIS SAVE 20: The zoom out slows to a crawl as it reveals the full armored form of the individual holding the candles, an engraving of an eye on the gauntlet, silver and light blue tabard with the vigilant eye over chain mail, and just before the zoom slows to a halt, the face of Eri Frostfang comes into view.
  Eri is kicked out of her vision

Session 37: Rat King
Tem makes Deebo, his horrifying homunculean hovering helicoptoid. Sal has Tem identify his Ring of Invisibility. It is revealed we do not have the deed to the Crackrack. We go to Gunkshed's house to get his deed in order to forge a copy. We then go to Gembildar to enter the mines and look for the Rat King. We find Napuist Keldegrim, which is the "Slayer Master". He tells us the previous hunter never returned, but there's a new guy named Rat Burgiss who hasn't left yet. He gives us several locations to search for the Rat King. Vel leads us through the tunnels to find the Rat King. We find a chamber with human sized rat traps and Sal gets hit by one, blowing the surprise. Vel mounts Eri because he cannot see in the dark and begins wildly swinging his whips above his head as we enter the chamber holding several scared children, a baby-faced bandit and a large mass of intertwined rats called the Rat King. A fight ensues.