ATG Mission 9.4 - Herradin and Viendall's Chamber
Previously on Liters of Tomorrow -
In the city of The Points the team foiled an assassination attempt on the Elven diplomat Baron Garizon Thelypteris. The underdark terrorist group known as the Morendath Ever'Rend had sent three agents and some infiltrators to carry out the plan. They hired a human man named Ijin Matsushige to kill the baron while they made sure he was in position and that no one interfered. They chose the parade of the White Gold Festival as their moment, During a planned speech by the Baron.
Mew, Vom Fass, Blizzard Hops and eventually Karnac foiled the first attempt but ultimately failed to keep the baron alive. At the gala after the parade however the baron wound up dead anyway leaving an invisible Vom Fass to pick up the pieces. One of the Drow agents in disguise as an elven bodyguard accused Vom Fass and his companions of doing the deed sending them fleeing until they could clear their names. Strangely as Mew noticed the commotion she went to the bar to grab Blizzard Hops just as he teleported out of existence, with a thud she saw the strange control rod hit the ground. Picking it up she spread her tattoo wings and flew out the front door. In the sky she noticed two Hawks circling and recognized that Karnac had arrived as well as his companion Ethan.
Regrouping the team began to go over their options. To evade the Elven bodyguards as well as the less functional city guards they were assisted by a strange masked man who went by the name Dustyn Von BLoodblight. He knew the city, as well as the labyrinth of sewer tunnels underneath. Going over their options Karnac came up with the idea to Reincarnate the baron to help to restore things before the Elven Realms go to war over the death of the Baron. He just need a sample of flesh from the baron to begin the ritual.
Utilizing what Von Bloodblight termed a mere distraction the set out to return to the scene of the Baron's Death and find the body. Using his wild shape to turn into a mouse Karnac made his way to a carriage where the body was being transported, wrapped in silks. Before he could get aboard the carriage began to move. Then Von Bloodblight summoned an Abishai demon and let it loose on street. Festival revelers and guards screamed as the dangerous demon tore into them with dangerous savagery. He seemed to almost revel in the chaos.
As the carriage abruptly stopped Mouse Karnac was able to sneak aboard and get to the body. Expertly carving out the eye of the Baron he used the silk wrappings and thread nearby to fashion a basic backpack and made his way back out to the street. Meanwhile a little disturbed with the baron's "Distraction" Vom Fass and Mew decided to stop the demon before it slaughtered any more innocent revelers. Using force walls and expert strikes both of them destroyed the creature before it could do any more damage.
Spending the next few hours getting his carriage Karnac set up camp behind the Blue Cauldron Tavern in a small copse of trees and began his ritual. Crafting a pod of living roots and mosses he placed the eye in the mass of organic materials. Over the next hour he summoned the living energies of the planet and concentrated on the form of a high elf hoping that Maka'lua'a would bless his purpose. As the roots and moss receded from the newly formed body the eyes of an elven man opened. One eye the brown of an oak the other eye, the baron's, as blue as the sea. But the soul of Garizon Thelypteris did indeed speak as it tried to orient itself. His brother Delthorne joined you to help him gain control of this new form.
Assuring you that he and Garizon would clear your names, Delthorne left you to pursue your greater goal in the city. A piece of the control rod was somewhere below the city. With Von Bloodblight's help you made your way into the under city by way of the Maycroft building. The ancient city of Herradin spread out before you teeming with ghostly figures. As the baron guided you he spoke to several spectral figures that you couldn't see finally finding yourself in front of an ancient manor. Finding a trap door to a large chamber below you descended. Inside was a lattice of magical energy protecting a long piece of metal projected by crystal orbs. An armored protector attacked you as Vom Fass and Karnac worked together to disable the protective barrier. Defeating the Death Knight and removing the barrier you all took a moment to breathe as Dustyn Von Bloodblight raised the piece of the control rod in triumph. He screamed "Finally the staff of Viendall, I obtained it for you great Anaxis!"
Plot points/Scenes
In Viendall's Chamber
Von Bloodblight stands before you and laughs as he looks out at you in triumph. Before you can act a purple tinged wall of force surrounds him. Mew, from your pouch of holding the rest of the control rod bursts forth and fixes itself in the air in front of you. It once more flares to life with a bright golden flash. Gold and orange light fans out and pulses matrix like scrolls of information, the other piece responds within the force cage and they mirror each other. A wave of light emits from the center of the chamber and as it passes through you your senses reel as the lighting, smells, and temperature change slightly. From behind you a team of adventurers appear out of nowhere.
A human man stands there surrounded by different shaped warforged. He wears a royal blue cloak that you recognize and he wields a never quenched blade. Next to him is a short warforged kobold creature in a robe. A catlike warforged woman her eyes glowing a yellow gold color begins to slink around heading towards the shadows, and a stocky warforged points a wooden staff his eyes glowing a bright green.
The human man says "Well, we knew this wouldn't be easy but we need that piece of the control rod." The kobold mutters "Why did they have to look like us though." The shorter wide shouldered war forged with the staff responds "Doesn't matter, Anaxis is full of tricks. The mission is the mission we gotta go through them to get to the piece."
Roll intitative!
During this chaos Von BloodBlight will attempt to flee with the staff. With help from Anaxis he will send out pulses of fear and will get an eldritch blast reaction. This eldritch blast will have the enhanced damage and a 20 foot pushback if it hits! This should reduce the amount of players who can get to him to force him into combat.
As a couple of rounds of combat commence we change the multiversal combatants - [DM Note: don't forget Blizzard Hops variants and different styles of hammers.]
Another pulse from the piece of the control rod expands out. The lighting in the chamber changes like the color filter on a movie. Now the very atmosphere around you has a bluish tinge to it. The smell and feel of the air gets a bit more acrid and the temperature shifts a couple of degrees.
As the pulse crosses over you and your opponents your opponents change in a flash. Where the different warforged were, they are now kobolds of different colors. Where the alternate Vom Fass was now stands an attractive elven man wearing Tako's Robe. Warforged kobold who looks like Cog says "Well, we knew this wouldn't be easy but we need that piece of the control rod." The elven sorceror mutters "Why did they have to look like us though." The shorter wide shouldered kobold with the staff responds "Doesn't matter, Anaxis is full of tricks. The mission is the mission we gotta go through them to get to the piece."
Another pulse washes over you and the entire battle. Your opponents change once more though all standing in the same spots. Now the air shifts to a purple tinged color. The smells of the chamber shift to a tinge of incense and lemon. Standing across from you are versions of yourselves plus Cog. All of their eyes glow with a soft purple glow. All of the clothing has purple in it. A purple hood for karnac and a purple cloak for Cog. Even Tako's robe is purple on the other Vom Fass. Cog says "Well, we knew this wouldn't be easy but we need that piece of the control rod." The purple tinged Vom Fass responds "Why did they have to look like us though." The purple version of Karnac responds "Doesn't matter, Our Lord Anaxis needs that rod. The mission is the mission we gotta go through them to get to the piece."
- Vampire ATG
- Khalesite Spawn ATG
- Homonculus ATG
- Lich ATG
- Rodent ATG - Mouse Hops, Mole Karnac, Kitten Mew, Metal Ferret cog, and Bat Vom Fass
Eigeralon and Hops -
Hops you find yourself in a small restaurant with the style of a rustic french bistro. Small wooden tables with live edges are draped with frilly white blue checked table cloth. Small porcelain plates are placed on all of them and a single beeswax candle in the middle. You see a set of doors with large glass windows built into them look out over a wide patio. A perfect pink and orange sunset off in the distance with some bright yellow clouds hanging low in the sky just above the sun. A beautiful mountain range beyond that you don't recognize. An older man walks in from the other direction and takes off his wide brimmed hat. He looks a little bit like Bernard Hill, the guy who played Denethor in LOTR. He has a big white and grey beard and he wears a worn dark grey coat. He has a maroon colored tunic underneath and he settles into a chair at one of the tables. An attractive dwarven serving woman place a couple glasses of whiskey on the table. "Ah you're here. How have you been my boy?"
"You know I never said anything when you bought that distillery, never said anything when you bedded all those women. How could I when I would have done the same."
"You are at a dangerous time right now though. You will be tempted and no matter what the gods think or demons and devils for that matter, None of us can see the future. The choices are always yours. Predictions, Prophecies, or portends they are just suggested paths they don't really mean anything.
The people they are given to make the decisions and act them out. You are at a crossroad and I want you to make the right decisions, but I also want those to be your decisions. I gave you all of this power, hell I gave you a hammer of a god, gave you those things because I believe in you. Even when you fall I know that you will get back up and make things right. Now go back and help your friends." With that he touches your shoulder and you fly backward into a void of stars and a pink and green aurora. Then fall, gravity takes you and you fall faster down. You look below you and see a yellow and gold circle crackle and flare with energy. It opens and you see the scene below of your friends facing off against other versions of yourselves. What would you like to do?
Von BloodBlight -
While this combat takes place with other versions of yourselves, Von Bloodblight stands clutching the section of the control rod. He cycles through murmuring to himself then laughing out of control, to having an outright conversation with someone unseen. "No! we must escape this place and these enemies. The staff must not fall into their hands! Yes that's right... Oh yes I see what you are saying. Is that possible? Oh yes I quite agree... I will not fail, the glory of Anaxis is mine."
The force bubble around him shimmers with a purple tinge as he begins to move towards the ladder which leads to the underground city above. [DM Note: It is possible for Vom Fass to cast dispel magic and create a short disruption in the field. With an atheletics check or an acrobatics check of 17 one of the party could make it in to face VBB. Once someone faces off with VBB he will unleash his eldritch blasts which have enhanced damage and pushback as well as his other warlock spells. Raulothim's Psychic Lance]
Themes
Aftermath-
With the battle finished you gather around the piece of the control rod. As you place the other half next to it you see the jagged ends mirroring each other. As they get close they almost magnetically move together and the staff begins to repair itself. You watch as angular pieces of metal all different color alloys that look like bronze, brass, copper and silver begin to shift and move over each other. The strange holographic display flares up once more and as the pieces join together the display shifts and completes itself into a full circle. The runes and languages are still unreadable and overlap in a jumble of characters. Next to the control rod almost imperceptible is another control rod. It looks like what you would see in a reflection of a reflection, blurry just out of focus. That section is still incomplete. The opposite side of it is still missing your piece of the control rod that exists in the future.
Meanwhile at the Blue Cauldron-
Delthorne and Garizon Thelpyteris sit at a table. Four of the elven body guards remain and watch over the two as they discuss how to move forward. When they see you approach the worry and the frustration melt away from their faces. The new body of Garizon smiles and stands, he looks right at Karnac and says "My friend you have given me more than just a new lease on life you have opened my eyes to a great many concerns that I have overlooked!" He reaches out to clasp your hand. "Please sit with us and have a drink! I need to break in this new liver! Through this new eye everything looks brighter, more vibrant." Delthorne walks to the bar and brings over some bottles of champagne and some glasses. He looks at all of you "I can't thank you enough for all that you have done. We have sent out some messages bearing our seal that exonerate you for the death of my brother. Getting enough of the court to believe in his rebirth however will be a bit more difficult. But all in due time, this afternoon we enjoy the festival and the return of my brother. Cheers!"
The Drow woman Vorleana sits in the corner lurking in the shadows. Watching over everything. Her pack and weapons sit near her on the side of the table. Delthorne motions to her and says "We have even spoken with Agent Vorleana about recent events and the threat the Morendath Ever'Rend still pose. She has much to tell you. More importantly we have vowed to set up more diplomatic engagements with her government in an effort to help stop this type of terrorism. More thanks we owe you and your team apparently." He tips his glass towards yours and drinks. She details the greater plot of the Morendath Ever'Rend and their assault on Agrimor's.
Heading back to the city Garizon and Delthorne will greet them warmly now that all the conspirators are in custody. Excepting the woman who Vom Fass cast into the Eye of Hellenox. Vorleana will mutter that she needs to travel to Helltowne to continue her pursuit. The team can spend the night here or head back to Tellenor.
Structure
Exposition
You look out over the street and the masses of people still celebrating the White Gold Festival. Revelers of all types move up and down the thoroughfare all dressed in white shirts, gold hats, and hold bottles or wine glasses full of alcohol. You hear laughter, loud drunk talking and constant movement from the people. The smell of beer, tobacco, and pipe weed assaults your senses and floating lanterns shine with magical light, some white and others casting a yellowish glow. Down the street in the distance you see a splash of purple slowly bobbing through the crowd. A tall purple top hat moves through the crowd several hundred feet away, as it does you see a change in the crowd. At first a wave of fear cascades over you like an ocean wave.
[DM Note: Roll wisdom Saving throws versus fear]
As you watch transfixed on the crowd you see the purple begin to multiply. A human man wearing a white tunic looks down as his shirt turns purple rapidly, a dwarven woman in a lacy white gown watches as her fabric turns bright purple. Then another and another as all the white clothing now turns purple, it pulses out from where you see the top hat slowly approaching. The center of the street now looks purple and gold instead of white and gold. The lanterns begin to change as well as the purple wave spreads out. As you look closer the crowd's eyes begin to change to purple glow as their iris' fills with purple light. The sound around you goes from a loud celebration of the days festivities to an eerie calm. As the purple spreads out all faces begin to turn towards you. Thousands of eyes now look in one direction and they see you. Suddenly the Top Hat man stands a little bit taller and you see his skull like white face with bright purple glowing eyes as he grins widely.
[DM Note: To counter flying utilize crossbows and long bows from rooftops. Also Anaxis will use the remaining members of the Crimson Vettel. There are 3 left and they will fly into action and attack, all of their eyes glowing a bright purple. If necessary Anaxis will combine them together in a body horror like merging. This will increase the size of the creature and their power.]
A Choice...
As the chaos threatens to engulf you things begin to slow. Thousands of angry purple eyed faces look in your direction a level of malice and rage on their faces unlike any you have ever seen. Now frozen as time begins to slow to a crawl. A wasp flees the area in front of you imperceptibly slow as it's wings splay out in haphazard fashion. The golden sunset in front of you takes on a purplish pink tinge as the top hat man approaches you at normal speed. He walks easily and a bit jauntily as he stands in an opening on the street and bows. "Greetings travelers, I thought it a good time to finally meet and perhaps chat about the future. Let me introduce myself, I go by many names. Anaxis, The wanderer, The Top Hat Man, The Bone White Devil, The Deadwrought, there are many more because I have visited many places." He leans on his cane and tilts his head a bit as he studies you."
"Perhaps we have got off on the wrong foot? I fail to see any reason why we need to be set against one another. Our objectives and rewards seem to overlap more often than not. Watching you I have noticed that you value gold, do you not? You seem to enjoy power and the odd bit of violence. The study and usage of magical artifacts or weapons, You see we have many things that we see eye to eye on."
"Let us reevaluate our relationship! I can offer you all of the things that you value so dear, and so much more. It is a big world, bigger than you even realize. Perhaps you do not want to be involved in business, I understand, Then wouldn't it be more lucrative to just avoid one another?"
[DM Note: If the players agree to this they are each presented with a coin. These coins will be difficult to shake once accepted. The coins always seem to show up in a pocket or pouch even after a person has given it away or thrown it out. "The deal is done! Let us drink to our newfound accord! To future prosperity and power!" A small skull tattoo will show up on their arms later that day. Enough of these tattoos will allow Anaxis to control a PC with a Will save fail.]
[DM Note: If the players try to attack Anaxis or just disagree verbally he takes the news congenially. Or deflects the attack with illusion. "Ah such is the way of the righteous and weak minded. I assumed as much." With a wave of his hand he opens small windows that depict different scenes.
"Let me present you with three scenarios. All of which are ocurring at this moment and will continue to unfurl as I loosen my grip on time. " He motions to the first window. It is surrounded by a thin crackle of purple energy and as you focus on the scene within you see several figures standing in a large chamber. Dim blue light surrounds these shadowy figures as they crouch down and touch the floor. You realize that the chamber is the one under the theater in the city of the Great Salt Steppe. Where you defeated the Abyssal Knife before they could summon the world shattering demon. A kaiju sized monstrosity to destroy civilization. The shadowy figures begin to complete the summoning circle.
"Do you recognize this place? It resides in the city where your mother lives does it not, Mew?"
He motions to the next window. An army of Adherents of Iron command over one hundred warforged automatons who like Cog. They march on the Eastern Road and cross a Bridge. The Town of Morden's Bridge. They begin to grab residents of the town and torture them, peppering them with shouts and questions. The set fire to several buildings and you watch as the warforged seize a man who is clearly resisting and they tear his arms off as easily as snapping dry twigs.
"Oh, whoops they are a bit more zealous than I accounted for. They are marching on Tellenor next, looking for infidels. Looking for you."
The last window shows another siege. An army sets up camp outside of a mountain stronghold. You recognize the sigil on the flags. That of the Knights of Aventador. A tall figure in a golden helmet leads them as they make perparations to attack. Then the stronghold comes into view. Agrimor's Stronghold. The place where you have stashed a half dozen of the most powerful artifacts in existence and hundreds of pounds of magically infused Shard rock.
"And alas, This one I had nothing to do with! I swear just a happy coincidence! Now I bid you Adieu and when I make my leave all of these things will resume. It seems like you have some difficult choices ahead, which one will you choose I wonder? Maybe none and you all walk away and leave all of this nonsense behind."
With that he blinks out and time resumes. The thousands of angry citizens remain however and they descend on you with a bright purple rage!
[DM Note: Roll wisdom Saving throws versus fear]
As you watch transfixed on the crowd you see the purple begin to multiply. A human man wearing a white tunic looks down as his shirt turns purple rapidly, a dwarven woman in a lacy white gown watches as her fabric turns bright purple. Then another and another as all the white clothing now turns purple, it pulses out from where you see the top hat slowly approaching. The center of the street now looks purple and gold instead of white and gold. The lanterns begin to change as well as the purple wave spreads out. As you look closer the crowd's eyes begin to change to purple glow as their iris' fills with purple light. The sound around you goes from a loud celebration of the days festivities to an eerie calm. As the purple spreads out all faces begin to turn towards you. Thousands of eyes now look in one direction and they see you. Suddenly the Top Hat man stands a little bit taller and you see his skull like white face with bright purple glowing eyes as he grins widely.
[DM Note: To counter flying utilize crossbows and long bows from rooftops. Also Anaxis will use the remaining members of the Crimson Vettel. There are 3 left and they will fly into action and attack, all of their eyes glowing a bright purple. If necessary Anaxis will combine them together in a body horror like merging. This will increase the size of the creature and their power.]
A Choice...
As the chaos threatens to engulf you things begin to slow. Thousands of angry purple eyed faces look in your direction a level of malice and rage on their faces unlike any you have ever seen. Now frozen as time begins to slow to a crawl. A wasp flees the area in front of you imperceptibly slow as it's wings splay out in haphazard fashion. The golden sunset in front of you takes on a purplish pink tinge as the top hat man approaches you at normal speed. He walks easily and a bit jauntily as he stands in an opening on the street and bows. "Greetings travelers, I thought it a good time to finally meet and perhaps chat about the future. Let me introduce myself, I go by many names. Anaxis, The wanderer, The Top Hat Man, The Bone White Devil, The Deadwrought, there are many more because I have visited many places." He leans on his cane and tilts his head a bit as he studies you."
"Perhaps we have got off on the wrong foot? I fail to see any reason why we need to be set against one another. Our objectives and rewards seem to overlap more often than not. Watching you I have noticed that you value gold, do you not? You seem to enjoy power and the odd bit of violence. The study and usage of magical artifacts or weapons, You see we have many things that we see eye to eye on."
"Let us reevaluate our relationship! I can offer you all of the things that you value so dear, and so much more. It is a big world, bigger than you even realize. Perhaps you do not want to be involved in business, I understand, Then wouldn't it be more lucrative to just avoid one another?"
[DM Note: If the players agree to this they are each presented with a coin. These coins will be difficult to shake once accepted. The coins always seem to show up in a pocket or pouch even after a person has given it away or thrown it out. "The deal is done! Let us drink to our newfound accord! To future prosperity and power!" A small skull tattoo will show up on their arms later that day. Enough of these tattoos will allow Anaxis to control a PC with a Will save fail.]
[DM Note: If the players try to attack Anaxis or just disagree verbally he takes the news congenially. Or deflects the attack with illusion. "Ah such is the way of the righteous and weak minded. I assumed as much." With a wave of his hand he opens small windows that depict different scenes.
"Let me present you with three scenarios. All of which are ocurring at this moment and will continue to unfurl as I loosen my grip on time. " He motions to the first window. It is surrounded by a thin crackle of purple energy and as you focus on the scene within you see several figures standing in a large chamber. Dim blue light surrounds these shadowy figures as they crouch down and touch the floor. You realize that the chamber is the one under the theater in the city of the Great Salt Steppe. Where you defeated the Abyssal Knife before they could summon the world shattering demon. A kaiju sized monstrosity to destroy civilization. The shadowy figures begin to complete the summoning circle.
"Do you recognize this place? It resides in the city where your mother lives does it not, Mew?"
He motions to the next window. An army of Adherents of Iron command over one hundred warforged automatons who like Cog. They march on the Eastern Road and cross a Bridge. The Town of Morden's Bridge. They begin to grab residents of the town and torture them, peppering them with shouts and questions. The set fire to several buildings and you watch as the warforged seize a man who is clearly resisting and they tear his arms off as easily as snapping dry twigs.
"Oh, whoops they are a bit more zealous than I accounted for. They are marching on Tellenor next, looking for infidels. Looking for you."
The last window shows another siege. An army sets up camp outside of a mountain stronghold. You recognize the sigil on the flags. That of the Knights of Aventador. A tall figure in a golden helmet leads them as they make perparations to attack. Then the stronghold comes into view. Agrimor's Stronghold. The place where you have stashed a half dozen of the most powerful artifacts in existence and hundreds of pounds of magically infused Shard rock.
"And alas, This one I had nothing to do with! I swear just a happy coincidence! Now I bid you Adieu and when I make my leave all of these things will resume. It seems like you have some difficult choices ahead, which one will you choose I wonder? Maybe none and you all walk away and leave all of this nonsense behind."
With that he blinks out and time resumes. The thousands of angry citizens remain however and they descend on you with a bright purple rage!
Conflict
Possible Story idea going forward:
Possible that Top Hat Man completes the ritual the Abyssal Knife was trying to do. He raises the great Kaiju Demon in the city of the great salt steppe!!
Completion Date
3/27/22
3/27/22
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