Background
It all started in the town of Sasserine, on the wild coasts of Tashalar on Toril. Lavinia Vanderboren, a minor noble down on her luck, sought to secure the fortunes of her recently deceased parents. Her vagabond brother, Vanthus, was missing, so she enlisted a group of unknowns to assist her. Mad Col she hired due to his previous reputation, little knowing the madness that had overcame him. Bin she hired due to his valor in the fighting pits. Others would be hired as well, but they would eventually fade from this tale and are thus not important.
After discovering Lavinia's inheritance had been stolen by her brother, and after being left for dead by the self-same rascal, the group tracked him down to a den of thieves—the Lotus Dragons—beneath the city. They killed many, saved one kobold cook (Bin wanted her dead after her impromptu poison stew trap got him, but Col saw something in her), and broke their leadership after driving away the villainous but beautiful Rowyn and giving her guardian drake to elves to be rehabilitated. But Vanthus was nowhere to be found, having fled to do dealings with the Crimson Fleet: A band of notorious corsairs.
The gang traveled after Vanthus. In an abandoned cove, all they found was madness. The betrayer had accidently unleashed a demonic plague ("Col's Maddening Fever", the mage called it in his published occult papers. Others named it the Savage Tide), turning all the pirates against each other. Fighting two-headed mutations, crazed dinosaurs, and other monstrosities, they saved another beautiful pirate, Brissa Santos. Convincing her they had nothing to do with Vanthus—indeed, they wished him dead—she informed them of her misaimed plan to kill Lavinia for Vanthus' meddling. Securing the only working vessel, the Sea Wyvern, the group set out to rescue their employer. It was a race against time, but the managed to save Lavinia from the bullywug thugs.
Lavnia put her brother behind her, focusing more on her future. Finding her parent's investment in a colony on the infamous Isle of Dread, she set about funding an expedition there. The party was hired to accompany her. The voyage was anything but standard: Crimson Fleet attacks, an attempted revenge by the stowaway Rowyn, and romance between Lavina and a swashbuckling member of the party. Even Col found companionship, after the captain of the Sea Wyvern, Amelia, decided she liked the cut of his jib. It was during this time, on a island filled with ruins from a lost Olman civilization, that they found Lyddie. Stranded (her entire previous party having been killed by the evil on the island), she joined the motley crew.
The boats were separated in a freak storm, with the Sea Wyvern being caught in a living sargasso of evil. Even though they freed themselves, they were soon wrecked upon the Isle of Dread, far from the safety of Farshore. After a vicious dinosaur ate their some of their number, they started a trek to safety. Through demon-haunted jungle they travelled. It was here that Churtle slew the gargoyled that dented her iron pot with its face. After dealing with a kidnapping demon acolyte of Demogorgon, the party was finally able to reach Farshore—just in time to see it being attacked!
Fending off the Crimson Fleet party, the group was reunited with a happy (and very pregnant, thanks to one of the party) Lavinia. Knowing it was only a scouting attack, the group scoured the island for allies and resources. They placated an angry god of fire, made deals with a coatl guarding the treasures of ancient warriors (though it took offense at Col's demon-dealing ways), and fought the deadliest thunderous beast on the Isle (again losing a companion to its jaws, the same which was eaten before). Through cunning, foul rites (Col reanimated the felled beast with the possessing spirit of a bound demon), and luck, the group drove off the Crimson Fleet attack, lead by no less than the now half-fiendish Vanthus Vanderboren!
The party was coming into its own now. Bin's martial prowess and growing fleet (having commandeered the Crimson Fleet's attack ships with Col's help) drew him many follower to her mercantile-warrior banner. Col's power of fiends grew; not only was he known for summoning throngs of the evil outsiders in combat, now he was never without one guarding him at all hours. His use of fiends to dispose of the Savage Pearl was drawing ire from other powerful Faerun mages, especially after one of his vrocks caused havok in Waterdeep. In addition, his apprentice Churtle was learning the secrets of hellfire. Lyddie was establishing a thriving Church of Tymora in Farshore, and her influence was growing. With the death of two of their fellows, however (the father of Lavinia's child and the unlucky Tolliver "He-Who-Tyrannosaurauses-Eat"), they were down in strength. That would soon change.
Stirring in the island's depths lead the group to discover the growing threat of the Savage Tide and the Isle's role in it. Seeking to discover the Crimson Fleet's involvement, the group—with a reluctant guidebook writer Roundabout in tow—travelled deep beneath the island. After making deals with aboleths, killing the mother of madness, plumbing the depths of an alien city, and teleporting directly into the creation forge of the savage pearls, the group were able to destroy an ancient artifact and release a great evil to eliminate a greater one. However, they discovered the true source of the pearls was a forbidden temple in the middle of the island. An assault on it soon followed, and after many travails, they slew the aspect of Demogorgon in charge of the the Demon Prince's plans on the island. They had struck a major blow against the Savage Tide, but the Prince of Demon was fully aware of them now.
Things did not remain static. Returning from their victory, they found their employer Lavinia missing, kidnapped by the returned to life Vanthus! Though her recently born child was safe (and under the legal control of Col, after some shady dealings), Lavania was not. Thus, they sailed to the vile pirate town of Scuttlecove in search of the kidnapper. Beset on by traps (Lyddie being surprised kissed by a succubus lead to amusement but almost death), the group made more deals with questionable sorts to the growing discomfort of the luck priestess. An assault on the fortress of the kidnappers on Scuttlecove went very quickly (Col's ice devil quickly closing all routes of escape and driving the afeared masses into Bin's blade) and they discovered the true location of the threat—the Crimson Fleet's base of operations at "The Wreck": A mad conglomeration of boats stacked atop each other in a crazed arrangement for defense.
The assault on the wreck was epic. Col called forth fiendish Tyrannosauruses and an extra-planar kraken, Churtle shot hellfire from hundreds of feet away, Roundabout crossed vast distances to heal and dart out again, and Bin's blades demolished the half-fiend pirates and snake-men. Lyddie fared poorly, being killed by assassin's blades repeatedly before discovering the true reserves of her battle-magic: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned who has destruction.
The Crimson Fleet broken, the party discovered the incestuous Vanthus has stolen his sister to the Abyss in hopes of transforming her into a fiend like him. Hot on his tail, the group ventured deep into the mad prison of Divide Ire deep in Demogorgon's domain. Their they found a prison in revolt, with major demons and captured fiends and celestials fighting over control. Using deals and betrayals to weaken those within, the group also found time to rescue those worth saving, including a little boy named Timmy that Lyddie took favor too. After killing a repentant fallen Solar and making deals with a bullywug lich (in an arrangement Col found profitable), they found the betrayer Vanthus. The battle was stuff of legends. Roundabout fell, being drained of life and returned as a foul wraith. Churtle fell to a soul trap. Lyddie and Bin were on the brink of death. Only Col and his summoned minions remained. And when hope seemed lost, Mad Col Tobinson shot a green ray from his hand and turned the murderous and vile Vanderboren brother to dust, leaving nothing of the traitor behind.
Or so Col says. No one saw the event, and all know the very casual relationship the Mad one has with the truth.
Regrouping, the party finally found the marilith prisoner that kept Lavinia hostage after stealing her from Vanthus. The demon was dealt with, though not before several other deaths (Lavinia's included). Powerful magics were used to return them to life, and the group returned triumphant to mortal plane. But the group now knew Demogorgon's plan was afoot, and that the Savage Tide was imminent if they did not do something soon.
Tracking a lead on a former succubus mistress of the Demon Prince, the group found themselves on the plane of prisons in the Abyss. After making a deal with Ahazu, demon jailor, they freed the imprisoned Shami-Amourae, who Demogoron imprisoned because she knew his secrets. But the Demon Prince laid traps to keep this secret safe, including dumping the River Styx on her rescuers. The group successfully found out her secrets—the the Demon Lord's two halves warred with themselves and the savage half Hethradiah was going to use the Savage Tide to absorb his more calculating half Aameul. This would result in the Demon Prince gaining unforeseen power: A true threat to all worlds!
The group new they had to act. When visited by Charon is response to the despoiling of the Styx, some quick diplomacy convinced the Lord of the Dead to help them. He advised to recruit an army to fight Demogorgon, turning his enemies to the party's cause. They turned first to the infamous Iggwilv, the Witch Queen. Far more knowledgable than even Mad Col, they were able to convince her of their purpose. For her own reasons, she enabled them audience with Orcus, the Court of Stars, and the Queen of Succubi, Malcanthet. For Orcus, Bin destroyed one of his powerful minions in single combat to convince the Demon Prince of Undead of their worth. For the Court of Stars, they slew a great evil at the foot of the Yggdrasil to win their support. But, in the flesh orgies of the Queen of Succubi, they paid a high price: Lyddie was tempted by Malcanthet's power and the false hope of turning the the succubi's power to good. With a kiss, a bond was created and the priestess' connection to her good goddess destroyed. Malcanthet laughed at Lyddie's distress, but her help was given in the form of a powerful flask that could be used to bind an aspect of a demon lord.
Lyddie fought with herself for a time, eventually reluctantly accepting the patronage of Tymora's rival, Besheba, goddess of ill fortune. Meanwhile, the group used trickery to infiltrate on of Demogorgon's supply camps where an aspect of Obox-Ob, the original Prince of Demons, was imprisoned. After freeing the aspect to destroy the camp, the party captured the insect lord in Malcanthet's artifact, securing even more power for the coming battle.
In their final task to secure an alliance, they sought Bagromar, one of Demogorgon's aspects and leader of half his forces. Kin to Demogorgon's more savage half, Bagromar resented Tetradarian, the aspect of Demogorgon's cunning. The party tried to use this jealousy to turn aspect versus aspect, but it fell apart. Churtle and Bin fell in the waves of demons that followed, but a new callous Lyddie and Col's fiendish legions held them back enough to destroy the aspect. If you did not join the party, you would not work against them.
Allies gathered, the group set up a war council in the magic null Outlands. But Demogorgon would not them off so easily. He sent powerful assassins after them: Hasted, Flying Bodak T-Rex's ridden by giant ju-ju zombies. The battle was dreadful, but Col's acid fog, Bin's flying mounted charges, Lyddie's rampant destruction, and timely healing by Churtle and Roundabout drove off the menace.
So, we open the tale in the dead magic zones of the Outlands, as the War Council begins....
