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<blockquote data-quote="PHDungeon" data-source="post: 5546150" data-attributes="member: 86320"><p>From Melek:</p><p></p><p></p><p>It sounds hideously cold blooded to say that one of the first things that I did after notifying my companions of the tragedy that befell us was to dive into Bella’s ritual books. Unfortunately, there was little choice. We desperately needed to have access to some of the magics contained in her books. At least I can claim some moral right to some of the rituals contained within.</p><p></p><p>I had recognized the ring on the assassin’s finger as belonging to the Black Citadel. It is almost certainly the case that the assassin was given his assignment from a superior in the guild and would not have known much beyond the name of his target. He would be unlikely to have had any idea who he was working for or why Bella was a target. </p><p></p><p>I already know something of the Black Citadel. They are rumoured to operate out of a fortress in the Shadowfell- The Black Citadel. Pretty much all the assassins in the guild are Shadar-kai, and the leader of the guild is an enigmatic figure known as the Grandmaster of Assassins. They are feared throughout the region, and their reputation is such that patrons frequently come from the distant southern lands to hire their services. They are highly secretive. It is believed that there is some sort of means of accessing the Shadowfell near Saltmarsh, and that the assassins use this "gate" to travel back and forth between midgard and their secret citadel in the Shadowfell. Individuals wishing to hire the guild's services do so through underworld intermediaries in Saltmarsh. According to rumour and story, their only "guildhall" is the Black Citadel in the Shadowfell, but it is assumed that they have safe houses in Grimmsburg and other cities in the north. Their services are expensive, and they are only contracted for very important and dangerous jobs. The guild is very old, and stories of its existence date back hundreds of years to the days of Bhal Turath.</p><p></p><p>Although I expected to get little out of it, the first order of business was to question the corpses of the assassin and of Bella herself. And so the first spell from her book that I mastered was Speak with the Dead.</p><p></p><p>As expected, we got nothing of any use from the assassin. The guild’s network of informers in Grimmsburg told them of our trip, he didn't know why Bella was targeted nor by whom.</p><p></p><p>Talking to Bella was a little more useful although not much. She suspects that the Black Citadel itself wanted her dead, presumably because they didn't want the competition. There is no way to know if that supposition is correct, but it is not obviously wrong.</p><p></p><p>So, when time allows we have to destroy the Black Citadel. It’s nice to have a long term goal.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, at the moment we have the slightly more pressing business of stopping Ragnorak to attend to. So revenge will have to wait. I can talk solace in the old Turathi proverb, "Revenge is a dish best eaten cold".</p><p></p><p>We decided that it was time to finish off the last remaining piece of business here at Hammerfest. We returned to Turak’s labyrinth and discovered it empty, but we very easily picked up the tracks of the remaining demons of Baphomet by the wide trail of destruction that they were leaving. They had recently abandoned their lair and were on the move. Most certainly they were searching for mortals to torment and destroy. At one point we came across a band of ogres that had been torn apart by the Demons. It’s nice to know that my enemy can often be the enemy of my enemy.</p><p></p><p>While investigating the bodies of the ogres Ardyn noticed that we were being watched. It soon turned out that the watcher was an elf by the name of Kanis Lunark, a member of the Lythari Druidic order of shapechanging wolves.</p><p></p><p>The group of us, including Kanis, then proceeded on to a small steading formerly inhabited by some Dwarves who survived by a combination of hunting and extorting small payments from local passers by. Our quarry had arrived there before us and were eating the remnants of the dwarves as we arrived.</p><p></p><p>The ensuing fight was fairly short lived and reasonably one sided. The one new demonic form, a large horned demon, wasn't as dangerous as his appearance had led us to expect. Our new Lythari ally is a good archer and clearly about on a par with us in terms of combat ability. He seems to have a fair few tricks up his sleeve, vanishing into the Fey Wild on more than one occasion. I wonder if he goes to the same place there as I do.</p><p></p><p>I used the new mass charming ability that the Maiden had recently granted me to great effect. The effect itself is quite powerful and the fact that it seemingly NEVER fails to work is quite the advantage.</p><p></p><p>Kanis can shift back and forth from wolf form to human form incredibly gracefully and quickly, often moving a fair bit in the process. His shapeshifting is far more fluid than any werewolf I've previously encountered (although that is a quite small sample set) and definitely faster at it than Smar.</p><p></p><p>We desperately need all of the help that we can get and Kanis can clearly take care of himself so we asked him if he wished to join us in our attempt to forestall Ragnorok. He agreed to accompany us.</p><p></p><p>After dispatching the demons we returned to Hammerfast to collect the last of our reward (another 1,000 gp each) from the Tradesguild for dealing with the minotaur problem. We then headed back to Grimmsburg to consult with the Jarl, the Ice giantess, and the council.</p><p></p><p>In Grimmsburg, we privately informed Jarl Sturgleson that Belladonna had fallen so that he could make whatever preparations he thought appropriate to deal with the power struggle that now may ensue in the Styes.</p><p></p><p>I also went to visit Esme and pay off my loan. I gave her a 5% premium over the original value of the loan, a grossly extravagant payment given that I had the funds for less than a fortnight. She made noises as if she expected more, but I believe that to be just a vague attempt to get even more out of me.</p><p></p><p>The next event of significance that occurred was a meeting of the Jarl and his council to determine our next course of action. Three plans were proposed: Go into the icy chaos wastes and try and recover the Shard either before the Frost Giants could get it or before they could get away with it. A Jarl on the sea has an enchanted boat that would be very useful on such an expedition, although getting the vessel may not be trivial as he owes no fealty to Grimmsburg. Dean Danzig believes that he has found where another Shard is located. It is within the city of Moil, a city swarming with undead in the Shadowfell, a city cursed by the Gods. Briannah is of the opinion that we should go down to the Temple of Elemental Evil and enter the Chaos wastes from there.</p><p></p><p>After some discussion the issue remained unresolved. High Canon Wulgrim said that he would consult with the Gods to see if their guidance would help.</p><p></p><p>The next morning we reconvened. The Gods had given us some advice but, as is so often the case, the advice was somewhat cryptic.</p><p></p><p>As best as I can recall, the Gods message was:</p><p></p><p>The seas of ice are a perilous path that will lead to glorious battle and an ancient foe’s wrath.</p><p></p><p>The way of shadow may be more frigid than the icy seas. Here you risk aiding our enemies. Yet in darkness you may find… a chance to avert a threat to all mankind.</p><p></p><p>To travel south too soon may not be a boon, but to travel this path too late will seal our fate.</p><p></p><p>We interpreted the message as telling us that we should not yet go to the Temple of Elemental Evil although we WILL have to go there at one point. If there was any new information in the prophecy about the Frost Giants it was the fact that the prophecy did NOT state that we would gain a treasure, implying that the journey there would be fruitless.</p><p></p><p>My suspicion is that the Norns have weaved fate so that we will fail to acquire the Shards but that we will acquire sufficient knowledge and power as to be able to disrupt the final ritual, a ritual that will be performed at the Temple of Elemental Evil. I have no real basis for that suspicion except that it would seem dramatically appropriate. Recently I seem to see the world as one that often acts in dramatically appropriate fashion. Probably just more of Perrin leaking through.</p><p></p><p>So, we decided that the best course of action was to head into the Shadowfell. Dean Danzig can open a gate there and has also provided us with a Scroll of Planar Portal so that we can return.</p><p></p><p>Before we left I managed to acquire the Solace Bole ritual. If we can find time to cast it within Moil it should make resting far, far safer.</p><p></p><p>Given how cold the Shadowfell is known to be and how dangerous generally, I cast both Song of Sustenance and Endure Elements on our group. Dean Danzig then opened the portal to Moil.</p><p></p><p>We went through the portal and found ourselves in a great chamber. It was one level of a somewhat ruined tower. The tower itself was leaning at a good angle, making moving around it quite difficult. Two sides of the tower had partially collapsed, as had portions of the roof. There is one obvious exit from the chamber, an exit leading to a stone bridge.</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, the tower was occupied by some quite powerful and unusual undead, at least two sorts being present. The undead had the ability to breath out exceedingly cold and harmful breath. Their claws tried to drain the life out of those they hit. Perhaps most disturbing of all, some of them exploded in a great burst when they are finally slain.</p><p></p><p>The battle was fairly swift. Ardyn summoned up some wind spirits who attempted to blow one of the undead out the broken side of the tower. The foul creature kept managing to grasp on to the edge and attempt to make it back into the fray, while Ardyn kept blowing it back. This went on for some time before the undead become so frustrated with the whole thing that it fled out the hole on its own volition.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Kanis created a magical zone, a portal to the Feywild that befuddled all within it and that also teleported back into the centre those who tried to leave it. I used mass charm to move some of the undead within the zone. At that point, the fight largely turned into a comedy as the undead tried to leave the zone and the other undead tried to get away from the wind spirits.</p><p></p><p>However, there were very definitely some serious moments. Harbek was struck by the claws of one of the beasts and came close to dying as a result. As he slipped into unconsciousness I hurried over. Between my healing and his dwarven fortitude he managed to recover from the effect but it was far closer than I would have liked.</p><p></p><p>And it was about at that point that we discovered that some of the creatures explode when destroyed, exploding in a huge burst of necrotic and cold damage. It wasn't enough to kill any of us but it definitely hurt a lot</p><p></p><p>After the fight, as we rested for a little while to recover, we discovered one more ominous fact about the Shadowfell. The rest did not restore our energies to the extent that it normally does and healing magic is not as potent. After a short rest we were are all still somewhat tired. Even Turak was affected.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="PHDungeon, post: 5546150, member: 86320"] From Melek: It sounds hideously cold blooded to say that one of the first things that I did after notifying my companions of the tragedy that befell us was to dive into Bella’s ritual books. Unfortunately, there was little choice. We desperately needed to have access to some of the magics contained in her books. At least I can claim some moral right to some of the rituals contained within. I had recognized the ring on the assassin’s finger as belonging to the Black Citadel. It is almost certainly the case that the assassin was given his assignment from a superior in the guild and would not have known much beyond the name of his target. He would be unlikely to have had any idea who he was working for or why Bella was a target. I already know something of the Black Citadel. They are rumoured to operate out of a fortress in the Shadowfell- The Black Citadel. Pretty much all the assassins in the guild are Shadar-kai, and the leader of the guild is an enigmatic figure known as the Grandmaster of Assassins. They are feared throughout the region, and their reputation is such that patrons frequently come from the distant southern lands to hire their services. They are highly secretive. It is believed that there is some sort of means of accessing the Shadowfell near Saltmarsh, and that the assassins use this "gate" to travel back and forth between midgard and their secret citadel in the Shadowfell. Individuals wishing to hire the guild's services do so through underworld intermediaries in Saltmarsh. According to rumour and story, their only "guildhall" is the Black Citadel in the Shadowfell, but it is assumed that they have safe houses in Grimmsburg and other cities in the north. Their services are expensive, and they are only contracted for very important and dangerous jobs. The guild is very old, and stories of its existence date back hundreds of years to the days of Bhal Turath. Although I expected to get little out of it, the first order of business was to question the corpses of the assassin and of Bella herself. And so the first spell from her book that I mastered was Speak with the Dead. As expected, we got nothing of any use from the assassin. The guild’s network of informers in Grimmsburg told them of our trip, he didn't know why Bella was targeted nor by whom. Talking to Bella was a little more useful although not much. She suspects that the Black Citadel itself wanted her dead, presumably because they didn't want the competition. There is no way to know if that supposition is correct, but it is not obviously wrong. So, when time allows we have to destroy the Black Citadel. It’s nice to have a long term goal. Unfortunately, at the moment we have the slightly more pressing business of stopping Ragnorak to attend to. So revenge will have to wait. I can talk solace in the old Turathi proverb, "Revenge is a dish best eaten cold". We decided that it was time to finish off the last remaining piece of business here at Hammerfest. We returned to Turak’s labyrinth and discovered it empty, but we very easily picked up the tracks of the remaining demons of Baphomet by the wide trail of destruction that they were leaving. They had recently abandoned their lair and were on the move. Most certainly they were searching for mortals to torment and destroy. At one point we came across a band of ogres that had been torn apart by the Demons. It’s nice to know that my enemy can often be the enemy of my enemy. While investigating the bodies of the ogres Ardyn noticed that we were being watched. It soon turned out that the watcher was an elf by the name of Kanis Lunark, a member of the Lythari Druidic order of shapechanging wolves. The group of us, including Kanis, then proceeded on to a small steading formerly inhabited by some Dwarves who survived by a combination of hunting and extorting small payments from local passers by. Our quarry had arrived there before us and were eating the remnants of the dwarves as we arrived. The ensuing fight was fairly short lived and reasonably one sided. The one new demonic form, a large horned demon, wasn't as dangerous as his appearance had led us to expect. Our new Lythari ally is a good archer and clearly about on a par with us in terms of combat ability. He seems to have a fair few tricks up his sleeve, vanishing into the Fey Wild on more than one occasion. I wonder if he goes to the same place there as I do. I used the new mass charming ability that the Maiden had recently granted me to great effect. The effect itself is quite powerful and the fact that it seemingly NEVER fails to work is quite the advantage. Kanis can shift back and forth from wolf form to human form incredibly gracefully and quickly, often moving a fair bit in the process. His shapeshifting is far more fluid than any werewolf I've previously encountered (although that is a quite small sample set) and definitely faster at it than Smar. We desperately need all of the help that we can get and Kanis can clearly take care of himself so we asked him if he wished to join us in our attempt to forestall Ragnorok. He agreed to accompany us. After dispatching the demons we returned to Hammerfast to collect the last of our reward (another 1,000 gp each) from the Tradesguild for dealing with the minotaur problem. We then headed back to Grimmsburg to consult with the Jarl, the Ice giantess, and the council. In Grimmsburg, we privately informed Jarl Sturgleson that Belladonna had fallen so that he could make whatever preparations he thought appropriate to deal with the power struggle that now may ensue in the Styes. I also went to visit Esme and pay off my loan. I gave her a 5% premium over the original value of the loan, a grossly extravagant payment given that I had the funds for less than a fortnight. She made noises as if she expected more, but I believe that to be just a vague attempt to get even more out of me. The next event of significance that occurred was a meeting of the Jarl and his council to determine our next course of action. Three plans were proposed: Go into the icy chaos wastes and try and recover the Shard either before the Frost Giants could get it or before they could get away with it. A Jarl on the sea has an enchanted boat that would be very useful on such an expedition, although getting the vessel may not be trivial as he owes no fealty to Grimmsburg. Dean Danzig believes that he has found where another Shard is located. It is within the city of Moil, a city swarming with undead in the Shadowfell, a city cursed by the Gods. Briannah is of the opinion that we should go down to the Temple of Elemental Evil and enter the Chaos wastes from there. After some discussion the issue remained unresolved. High Canon Wulgrim said that he would consult with the Gods to see if their guidance would help. The next morning we reconvened. The Gods had given us some advice but, as is so often the case, the advice was somewhat cryptic. As best as I can recall, the Gods message was: The seas of ice are a perilous path that will lead to glorious battle and an ancient foe’s wrath. The way of shadow may be more frigid than the icy seas. Here you risk aiding our enemies. Yet in darkness you may find… a chance to avert a threat to all mankind. To travel south too soon may not be a boon, but to travel this path too late will seal our fate. We interpreted the message as telling us that we should not yet go to the Temple of Elemental Evil although we WILL have to go there at one point. If there was any new information in the prophecy about the Frost Giants it was the fact that the prophecy did NOT state that we would gain a treasure, implying that the journey there would be fruitless. My suspicion is that the Norns have weaved fate so that we will fail to acquire the Shards but that we will acquire sufficient knowledge and power as to be able to disrupt the final ritual, a ritual that will be performed at the Temple of Elemental Evil. I have no real basis for that suspicion except that it would seem dramatically appropriate. Recently I seem to see the world as one that often acts in dramatically appropriate fashion. Probably just more of Perrin leaking through. So, we decided that the best course of action was to head into the Shadowfell. Dean Danzig can open a gate there and has also provided us with a Scroll of Planar Portal so that we can return. Before we left I managed to acquire the Solace Bole ritual. If we can find time to cast it within Moil it should make resting far, far safer. Given how cold the Shadowfell is known to be and how dangerous generally, I cast both Song of Sustenance and Endure Elements on our group. Dean Danzig then opened the portal to Moil. We went through the portal and found ourselves in a great chamber. It was one level of a somewhat ruined tower. The tower itself was leaning at a good angle, making moving around it quite difficult. Two sides of the tower had partially collapsed, as had portions of the roof. There is one obvious exit from the chamber, an exit leading to a stone bridge. Unfortunately, the tower was occupied by some quite powerful and unusual undead, at least two sorts being present. The undead had the ability to breath out exceedingly cold and harmful breath. Their claws tried to drain the life out of those they hit. Perhaps most disturbing of all, some of them exploded in a great burst when they are finally slain. The battle was fairly swift. Ardyn summoned up some wind spirits who attempted to blow one of the undead out the broken side of the tower. The foul creature kept managing to grasp on to the edge and attempt to make it back into the fray, while Ardyn kept blowing it back. This went on for some time before the undead become so frustrated with the whole thing that it fled out the hole on its own volition. Meanwhile, Kanis created a magical zone, a portal to the Feywild that befuddled all within it and that also teleported back into the centre those who tried to leave it. I used mass charm to move some of the undead within the zone. At that point, the fight largely turned into a comedy as the undead tried to leave the zone and the other undead tried to get away from the wind spirits. However, there were very definitely some serious moments. Harbek was struck by the claws of one of the beasts and came close to dying as a result. As he slipped into unconsciousness I hurried over. Between my healing and his dwarven fortitude he managed to recover from the effect but it was far closer than I would have liked. And it was about at that point that we discovered that some of the creatures explode when destroyed, exploding in a huge burst of necrotic and cold damage. It wasn't enough to kill any of us but it definitely hurt a lot After the fight, as we rested for a little while to recover, we discovered one more ominous fact about the Shadowfell. The rest did not restore our energies to the extent that it normally does and healing magic is not as potent. After a short rest we were are all still somewhat tired. Even Turak was affected. [/QUOTE]
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