And that’s how it began… our 1st level Teifling Gestalt Sorcerer/Blackguard (named Jharun) was drawn across the area to find the other Chosen, and upon meeting them, he “touched” them, where they received a vision of a possible future, with them ruling the world.
Our first sitting comprised almost solely of getting the characters together. The Wizard of Ice turned out to be a Drow Evoker named Pious, the Dancing Fool was a Minotaur Gestalt Duelist/Swashbuckler named Rankles the Deft, the Singer was a Fae Touched ½ Snow Elven Bard called Ell, and the Knight was a Human Dark Knight (Homebrew, converted from 4.0) – named Eldred. Rankles was the Chaotic Neutral. Once they were all together they went back to the first Farmhouse where Jharun “ate” – and set up temporary headquarters. There they all shared bits and pieces of their respective visions (note: Pious lied his butt off). And they planned. With the exception of Jharun, they were all from the immediate area, fairly close to Suzail – Ell having recently performed at the White Owl, an Inn located inside the city walls, near the northwestern gate of Suzail. They brainstormed, and decided on an initial course of action:
To infiltrate one of the Thieves Guilds in the city – hiring on as muscle, with a secondary goal of gaining information about the Zhentarim. After a week or so in the city, they joined a group of rogues and thugs that operated near the docks, called the Docknobbers. After a month or so of taking on various minor missions and such, Eldred managed to kill the their leader – Dimm. Over the course of the next several months, the Docknobbers (renamed the Grey Fist) slowly transformed their gang of thugs into a well trained, fairly disciplined group of criminals, taking out the rival dock area guild, the Red Man’s Band in the process. This all took roughly 5 sittings…
By this time the other Gangs and Guilds in the City began to take notice of the upstart group, and while some saw a nice stable trading partner, others (most frankly) saw a threat, especially with the fall of the Red Man. At this time, they had now purchased a few ships, were providing muscle for security at most of the warehouses in their area, owned the local watch, and even had one of the local Magistrates on the take. This is when the Nightmaster of the Major Thieves Guild in the city, the Nightwalkers, a human going only by the name of ‘The Haunt’ arrived to recruit them. Loosely translated, they either joined the Nightwalkers, clearly with the understanding that their activities were no longer decided by them – that, or they all died. Eldred and Jharun were waiting for just this moment, and carefully negotiated with The Haunt – retaining at least a small degree of absolute control confined to an area of the westernmost docks and warehouses (that area the Docknobbers originally controlled). They became Lieutenants within the Nightwalkers. This took roughly 3 sittings…
Over the course of the next year or so (in game) the Grey Fist evolved into the Night Fist. The two Nightwalker members that were forced upon them by the parent guild ended up becoming double agents, very well paid double agents, one of whom was killed in this role. About this time, they start avenues into introducing an Opiate Market, and add two more ships. Eldred become a senior ranked member of the Guild, and he and Ell discover where the local Zhentarim members meet, and nearly die trying to join. Two more sittings…
Note: Understand, they’re mixing their adventuring time and their city time roughly 60/40 at this point.
Lord Ainsley, the Copper Baron – becomes Merchant Lord of Suzail. Jharen kills him and changes self to replace him, replaces several key positions in the local government with members of the party, and Guild. Council of Merchants grows restless, eventually vote Lord Ainsley out of office with a vote of no confidence, replacing him with the ½ Sea Elven Captain Iffanstar. Civil unrest breaks out in the streets with factions loyal to Ainsley, fighting those under the Council. Epic duel between Rankles and Iffanastar settles it, Rankles now Merchant Lord – Council disbanded. Over the course of next six months or so, Opium trade booms, spreading throughout region. Eldred becomes Guildmaster of the Nightwalkers, first non-rogue to assume that mantle. His first act is to hunt down and kill every member of the Zhentarim in the city – leaving evidence that the Harpers were behind the attacks. A long 5 day weekend of marathon gaming at KEATTSCON III…
The end…
Paladins of Tyr… 50 of them, with roughly 50 more men-at-arms… are dispatched to the region to determine the source of the vile poison “Opium”. With them are 20 priests, and two Hazrid Class Mages. Their network of spies and informants tell our villains of their movements, and they devise an ambush in a densely forested area to the north of the city. The mages foresee the ambush, in fact have been scrying the party for some days now. The villains are the one’s ambushed. They lose Jharen and Ell. Jharen is killed, Ell is put to “the Question” – spills his guts. Pious manages to teleport himself, Rankles and Eldred back to the original farmhouse. A Zhentarim Death Squad is here waiting for them – and attack almost immediately. Eldred is both poisoned and terribly wounded. Pious and Rankles, though hurt, manage to kill all but one of the assassins – who escapes. They look at each other and leave Eldred for dead.
Eldred dies.
They travel on foot for weeks until they come across an abandoned ruin. They explore, eventually finding a series of caves leading from a basement beneath the ruins to a nearby mountain. They find a cursed portrait – Rankles touches it and becomes one of the figures depicted in it. Pious shrugs, and goes looking for a way back to the underdark…
