Sanguine Sunrise #21: Valiant Endings and Warped Beginnings
General Summary
Skek begins casting a spell to blind the guards ahead of him. The spell fails, and the guards draw weapons but continue the conversation. Onur steps forward and claims he is Skek and attempts to take his place, but as he is getting manacled, Skek fires at the guards to protect his father.
A strange fight ensues where Sandy immediately hypnotizes the two guards at one end and removes them from the fight. Meanwhile the other two attack Onur and Skek. An old man then appears and begins walking towards them through magical brambles. He begins casting spells at the group while the barrels above them burst open, revealing scarabs seeking blood. The guards are nearly killed by Skek when they say they weren't paid enough for this before knocking Skek to the ground and running for it. Skek manages to kill one of the fleeing guards and turns to fight the scarabs and old man who turns into what seems to be a giant frog of some kind. Luthrin and the others focus fire on what was once the old man and barely manage to slay it before it can make a smarter move. Then, they pick off the final scarabs.
Skek, Pep, and Onur begin running while the rest stay behind to talk to the guards they hypnotized. One of these guards, being of elven descent doesn't have much to say. The other, in a bad Titan accent says something to the effect of nothing to see here, blasts the party with finger guns of coolness and runs away with the other one cursing his name after him.
Skek, Pep, and Onur have a less cool interaction with the guards they run into. This patrol interrogates them and Skek fails to convince them of his lies. Thus a chase ensues and Skek stays back to let his dad and his dead friend's dog escape, killing a guard before the others beat him to the ground as a crowd watches on and the sun shines down in the city where it is never winter. The group come along and watch as a bloodied and beaten Skek is dragged away for the last time as the crowd watches on in silence, a final mark of a hero from the Pits and savior of his people.
The group go to the Armorer and have a make-over while laying low. They soon learn the info that a singular guard died in a scuffle with a creature that had been murdering others with a greatsword a month prior and all is well. At this point, the Northerners knew they were free.
They spend the next six days doing jobs. Luthrin, Azada, and Sandy help the Guild of Coin perform a heist and kill a couple of bug people and watch as a thief escapes with an inch of his life. Azada and Sandy then help the Harpers remove a Titan sympathizer with a strange neurosis for his desire to be like his oppressor. Azada continues on a hunt to find herself a master and does well. Then, the group finds Guy Wylde to learn about a way to get "back into the city."
Wylde tells the group that they have to accept a job, no questions asked, and then, they may enter. Reluctantly everyone agrees for Luthrin's sake, and The Hunter asks him to provide any notes of the location he ends up if at all possible.
Then, the group head to Waterdeep and find their way inside. There they meet a Loxodon by the name of Grattor who is looking for a person to return her to her family, and that person turns out to be Azada. Azada refuses, and the loxodon simply asks to follow to make sure things work out. They immediately head for Trollskull alley where they see the Bent Nail has grown and the Manor has had a makeover to resemble a pristine white building. However, the purity was blotted by a figure of darkness sitting on its roof. A female voice resounded from the body on the roof as she exclaims that they have finally arrived. Luthrin asks to go into the Bent Nail before they go to meet their employer and she obliges.
Luthrin heads inside and sees how much work has been put into the shop. Meeting with its owner, Luthrin begins to ask a question but he tells him to stop. He speaks of someone named the Ivory Maiden and is very careful in how he speaks and this causes him to eventually remove Luthrin from the building.
Then, Ramori goes to Blackstaff's tower to speak to him. Here we meet Dereck, a true hero by all rights known to basically anyone who is anyone. However, we ignore Dereck the mighty and instead focus on the conversation Ramori has with Blackstaff where he asks her to return some other time and warns the Chain Bound about the High Archon.
Finally, the group go to meet their employer in the Palace of Waterdeep walking alongside their guide named the Artillerist. Within, they are told by The Prince to find Ruathym's portal to the Abyss in order to deal with Graz'zt within 8 months. Then the deal is consummated with the Prince and Luthrin spending some time together.
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