Zad
First Post
Undying - Chapter 1
Undying - Chapter 1
(or “The Road to Rauxes” starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby)
OOC Notes:
Exp is 2000 this session
Note for the readers (ok for Nifft really): We’ve opted to revamp the Arcane Archer class to something different as detailed in the thread in the House Rules forum. This means Kayleigh’s abilities have shifted slightly, in case you got confused.
Reviewer’s Corner:
Well we’ve completely wrapped up the Lich Queen’s Beloved module published in Dungeon #100 (part of the Incursion cross-over event) and had some time to think about it. And we’re all agreed that it is an excellent module and well worth any DM looking at. It’s one of the rare modules that tries to tackle high level play and does an outstanding job at it. This isn’t just a matter of balanced encounters, but more a matter of basic intelligence. The enemies presented have depth and seem intelligent and logical. They react to the PC actions, and the lich queen, who has defended herself from many adventurers over time, reacts in a very believable and tactically sound way to her enemies.
The module also does not try to strangle high level players or simply negate their abilities as a way of dealing with them. The players earned their abilities and having an environment that takes them away is not only unjust but contrived and something of a cop out. It simply reduced play back to the first level dungeon but where it says “kobold” cross that out and insert “dragon”. Not so here. In some cases there are particular counters for PC abilities (divination blocking for instance) and in others, they’re just assumed into the equation.
Overall this adventure is a must-read for any DM looking at high level play. Even if you don’t choose to use it directly, it’s a fine example of how a high level module should read and definitive proof that high level play has no problem including dungeons. One of the reasons I wanted to comment on this specifically is that we’ve noticed a number of threads on high level play (and the lack of viability thereof) and we wanted to take a moment not only to point out the good work of the writers, but show anyone reading a fine example of a high level adventure.
(Disclaimer: not everything we encountered was part of the module as written. A few monsters were added – specifically the advanced psionic roper of legend and the phane, largely due to the fact that the six PC’s were a bit over the specified levels for the module. Also it’s up to the DM to tie this adventure into the campaign – the entire battle on the Prime was not part of the module directly. Mind you that remembering how we wiped out an attacking force of 500 githyanki is something that will always make us smile. I include this partly to let you know what was there as written, and to remind everyone that while you can use things as a drop in, if you add some time and story-glue, you can get a piece that fits so perfectly into your campaign it looks like you planned it for years.)
This Week’s Adventure:
So we came to the question of what to do next. There was certainly no shortage of things on our list for attention – it was more a question of when to do which. Some of us favored a fast strike on Rauxes – the situation had clearly gotten out of hand and we wanted to strike quickly before our enemies would be expecting us. But most of the group favored waiting a few days, and this is the course we followed. I was in favor of a fast strike – our enemies would know that we had killed the Lich Queen and they would know we had returned. They would be expecting us to follow our normal pattern – rest and prepare. That’s why I wanted to do something unexpected. But I confess I was tired – it had been all of two days since we had defeated the ShadowTaker, and I could use a rest in an elven bed.
While I was still in Celene, I stopped to find the new “advisor” to the Queen. The slaad was lurking around and wasn’t particularly hard to find. I had hoped he would have some understanding of the “bargain”; it was becoming most disturbing. Indeed he had quite a lot to say on the subject, but nothing we hadn’t already learned. I badly want to know who the parties in this bargain are, but he did not know, save for one formerly being the ShadowTaker. He knew of some death slaad who sought to investigate and perhaps serve one of the parties involved, but they never returned.
The Queen wanted to thrown a grand celebration and we settled on two days time. But there were things to do in the meantime, not the least of which was to find a new dress and jewelry. I returned the next day to the Land of Black Ice to prepare for the inevitable trip to Sigil that always followed our adventures any more. When I arrived, Scorch was waiting for me, holding the lich queen’s sword.
“We have a problem here,” he said.
“Of course we do. It’s probably some state sword for the Githyanki. If we’re lucky, it was just something Vlaakith created and we could dispose of it, but that was just my hope,” I smiled at him.
“No. You don’t understand. This sword. This is Gith’s sword. It was revealed in a Legend Lore,” Scorch added seriously.
There was only one answer possible, and I gave it. “Feh.”
We had planned to dispose of silver swords we had obtained. Most likely they would filter through Sigil back to the githyanki, which was fine as far as we were concerned – they were hardly worth fussing over at this point. But this… this was something entirely different. Bolo put an idea forward that had merit: he proposed offering it to Her Fey Majesty of Celene to use as a tool to broker a peace with the Githyanki. The group thought this was a sound idea, and would likely produce more good than any use we could put it to, and so it was agreed. When I brought the sword to the Queen the next day, she was very pleased and would do just that.
*****
I opened the door to Tsvar's Curios and Objectals, but was stopped short by a pile of boxes behind the door. I squeezed in sideways and saw that the entire shop was almost completely filled with boxes, shipping crates, bags, and other containers. I slid between the various stacks and found a tiefling bent over a desk talking to an assistant.
“Mister Fuvex-vex-vex. A pleasure to see you again. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
He turned to me and stood up, his face positively beaming. “Not at all Lady Kayleigh.” He waved at the assorted crates which I realized were all empty, waiting for something, and said “In fact, I have been expecting you.”
I smiled and nodded. “I thought you might have been. Excellent. Let’s get down to business…”
*****
Dravot had done a Sending to an ambassador of the Great Kingdom inquiring on the current state of things in that area. The reply was disturbing.
“Heard you were dead. Where the hell are you? In a tight bind here.”
You would think an ambassador would understand how to deal with a simple sending but apparently not. On the second try Dravot received this answer:
“The Overking is missing, the city is evactuated. Our forces in retreat. They assaulted us without warning and we were headed out for”
Not perfect but more useful. So the forces of Rauxes are on the move and have taken Kalstrand, the capital. Rauxes needed dealing with, and soon. This prompted the question of what else was happening out there, and we contacted Lord Gelban to see what the dragons knew of the situation.
Lord Gelban told us that you cannot fly very close to Rauxes – over a mile away there is a field of death that protects it, hiding what moves within. But outside of the field, legions of zombies, ghouls and wights muster, waiting for orders. There are countermeasures in place specifically against good dragons as well. However they believe the remainder of the black dragons now lurk there.
It then occurred to me that we have long taken the “Containment of Rauxes” for granted but I never actually knew what was contained there. When I asked, I learned that neither did Lord Gelban. The evil dragons knew, but they never shared this information – a source of some contention he noted. He knows that Ivid the Undying broke some barriers and let loose things that should never have been freed. Most of the clerics involved in the containment were killed so the knowledge of what lies within is lost. Those who did not die were turned insane by whatever evil they touched there.
Bolo asked if perhaps a Primal was there, and it was a thought that had crossed my mind as well. But Lord Gelban felt there was nto. Primals do not generally involve undeath – they are definitively powerful but they are also simple. Fire is fire and nothing more, but animating a corpse is a complicated business with interacting forces and that is not characteristic of the Primals. It is assumed that Ivid had a stockpile of his most foul creatures in Rauxes. What is not known is if he released something as a last-ditch effort or if there was some divine or demonic influence.
Nonetheless Rauxes is marshalling its forces and beginning to overrun cities on the east coast. The capital is in a state of chaos. Lord Gelban had no information on the fate of the Overking but most of the surrounding cities were taking in many refugees, including Hexpools which is now relatively safe. The Cupric believes that the Black Brotherhood faction of the Scarlet Brotherhood may be in league with Rauxes but not truly understand what is happening.
And while Rauxes moves, somewhere underground is Chavram’s army. The question is are they allies?
*******
The celebration was a grand one – the grandest I could ever remember. There was little enough to celebrate in recent years, and truly this was a good reason. It was a bit overwhelming to think of it being for us, but not so overwhelming that it made me enjoy it any less.
I had been at the palace preparing the last day, but the rest of the group was arriving that evening. The Queen’s own dressmaker was putting the finishing touches on my gown, and in the meantime I spent a completely decadent day of baths in scented oils, massages, and having my hair done. When it was all done, the result took my breath away. The shopping for fabrics and jewelry was enjoyable on its own, but the end result made me feel like a princess more than a returning hero. Not that I was complaining even the least little bit. Tonight I felt like a Lady, and while the lack of my usual arsenal of enchanted equipment left a strange empty feeling, it was more than compensated for by the way the celebration made me feel.
I made my way down to one of the many designated areas for magical transportation and took no small delight in the whispers and looks that followed my passing. There were several areas, as much to prevent accidents as to prevent diplomatic incidents. The entire palace was decorated in grand style, with floating will-o-wisps providing gentle illumination as twilight set in, and I walked in no particular hurry, taking in all the night offered. Just after I reached the garden area, Scorch transported them all to the palace. At their arrival, a half dozen pages went off in various directions to carry word while another stood ready to bring us to the main reception chamber.
We worked our way through the palace, in no particular hurry. At least I wasn’t – it would have been improper to move past the different groups without stopping to say hello or a few pleasant words. The page seemed a bit impatient but this was a matter of politeness and tradition. Dravot also knew these customs, and always shared a few words when passing dignitaries he was aquainted with. Indeed there were groups of people all over the palace, some more concerned with their appearance and location than others, all of which had subtle significance.
As we moved through the palace, I noticed more than a few elven courtiers taking notice of Scorch. Or perhaps it was more the black robes he was wearing, embroidered with an ornate gold brocade. I wasn’t sure where they came from but I started wondering if they had some significance.
The page said that the Queen would receive us in the formal audience chamber after which the party would retire to the outer gardens. When we came to the chamber, I could see a vast array of dignitaries – humans, dwarves, various elves, halflings, even a few gnomes. Their dress and bearing marked them as being from all over the Flanness – I made out representatives from the Uleks, the Yeomanry, Keoland, Bissel, Steirich, even a pair from Ket.
The Queen was near the throne, wearing a magnificent dress of green starsilk that flowed down several stairs before her. Near her was Onselven, wearing formal court robes and carrying an elaborate staff. The Queen stood up before Her throne and raised a hand, and all conversation ceased. And with all eyes on us, She brought us each into Her presence Herself.
“Behold these virtuous heroes and defenders of Celene, indeed of all nations. Protectors of the Prime and Most Favored of Our Court.”
“Lady Kayleigh Ladanna’al, Champion of Corellian and Celene.” As She called me, I went before the throne, trailing the midnight blue hues of my starsilk gown moving with me, and curstsied before the Queen. All eyes went with me as I did, and I made sure to catch Aran’gel’s stare and smile back at him as I went. It seemed all the preparation was well worth it, as I took his breath away too.
“Sir Aethramyr, Blade of Twilight, Chosen Champion of Sehanine.” Aethramyr looked perfect in fine but understated elven court dress. His confidence and serenity filled the hall as he came before the Queen, and I could see priests of Sehanine scattered in the crowd looking at him with special reverence.
“Lady Valanthe of Dyvers accompanied by Lord Hammer of Greyhawk.” Valanthe showed no hesitation as she moved down the aisle with all eyes upon her, but I swear I could see a grin on Hammer’s face thinking about how many people could see her all at the same time.
“Scorch, Master of the Grey Guild of Greyhawk.” Where each of us drew hushed whispers according to our nature, the tenor of the whispers as Scorch entered was somewhat different but it made little difference to him as he came forward, seeminingly indifferent to the ceremony.
“Lord Dravot d’Chandagnac, Baron of Brindinford, Living Saint of Pelor. At his side, Dame Zira bin Telbara, Paladin of Pelor, daughter of Ekbir, Sir Zara bin Telbara, Paladin of Pelor, son of Ekbir, and Sir Thorkeld, Lion of Brindinford, accompanied by Lady Thora d’Chandagnac.” They came together, as they always did of late, but this time it was for richly deserved thanks. Dravot today was more the nobleman than the priest, in a fine silk tunic in house colors, with only the holy symbol of Pelor to mark his faith. At his side, Zira wore a beautiful coat-hardie, ice-blue with small white and blew gemstones. Thorkeld and Thora made a lovely couple, he in an embroidered tunic similar to Dravot’s in his own colors, while she wore a silver dress with an elven style.
Zara… well, he tried. To others he looked strong and proud – but to those that knew him, he plainly didn’t want to be here.
“Master Bolo, Guardian of Beory’s grove, and Lonetooth, guardian and protector.” I suspect the lion drew more stares than anything else.
The Queen went on to describe our deeds in flowery but simplified terms. It was largely accurate – only once or twice did I raise a skeptical eyebrow. As she came to the destruction of the Lich Queen, she brought forth the silver sword of Gith.
“Know all that these defenders have turned over this powerful blade to Us, with the hope that it can be a tool to open a dialog with the githyanki in an attempt to reach an accord and find peace for the future. Since this is something that involves all the Flanness and with the lessons of the Greyhawk Wars in mind, We have opted to include representatives from many nations in these discussions.”
Then a new voice called from the throng. It belonged to an elf who was of slightly darker skin than usual, and it took me a moment to realize that this voice spoke from the Valley of the Mage. He said “What of those who have agreements already with the gith?”
The Queen was casting a wide net indeed, or perhaps it was more a statement of the times that an ambassador from the Valley of the Mage stood in the Celenian court.
The Queen answered “That is a matter that stands between the two of you then, however with the death of their queen, such an agreement may be voided. But you may want to stand with your neighbors that we may all leverage our weight together.”
Whether the valley elf was satisfied or not, the Queen considered it closed and went on. “For you see, while these are powerful defenders of the Prime, they cannot be everywhere at once. Should there be a full war, millions would die, and such a costly thing is not necessary. I will engage certain diplomats at my disposal to broach these subjects with the githyanki. Over the next days, the assembled ambassadors will be approached. We place this sword on display here tonight, that you may see and know it true. Let the celebration begin!”
The Queen left the blade hanging in the air and moved down the stairs to the garden, and the party truly began. There was music, fine drink, dancing, even fireworks supplied by the dwarves. I spent a wonderous evening feeling even more like a princess. I made sure Aran’gel stayed at my side the whole night and it didn’t even take much effort. We spent the night drinking, dancing, and being social. I think I must have been personally thanked by half the Flaness. It was perhaps one of the most wonderful nights of my life. I did what I did because I could and because it had to be done, but there was certainly no harm in being thanked for it just the same.
The others each had slightly different nights. Scorch spent most of the night talking to assorted arcanists in quiet corners. It seemed there were many wizards now without a home and they were looking to Scorch. Some of them were even formerly of the Horned Society, though of no particular rank.
I learned later that the ambassador from the Valley of the Mage approached Dravot with a most unusual proposition.
“The mage who has always led our kind has always been a mage and always been human. There has been more than one though that is not common knowledge beyond our borders. The mage’s name is Jonathan, and is always called Jonathan. Jonathan has died – he was assassinated. We are not sure if it was githyanki or something else, though we know the githyanki had no interest in our souls. We seek someone who would take up the mantle and protect our valley. And so I come to you, priest. What would you say to your friend doing this thing? Is he worthy?”
Dravot was shocked but covered it well. After a moment, he said carefully “I believe he is worthy, yes. But as to what his goals and plans for himself are, I cannot say. This you would have to take up with him. If you wish, I offer to act as an intermediary.”
The elf considered and responded “This would be most helpful. Perhaps he can discover who slew Jonathan. If the valley is long unprotected and it becomes known, the Yeomanry or someone else may try to take the valley back.”
[OOC: At this point I’d like to note that two things happened at the game session. First, Wizardru looked at Scorch’s player and said “Oh I’m gonna have *such* fun with you.” Second, we all started calling him “Jonathan”. “Hey, Jonathan, pass the chips.” And so on.]
It was a night to remember for everyone.
*****
The plan was fairly simple: reconnaissance in force. We would teleport to Brindinford and from there wind walk up the river to Kalstrand. On the way we would assess the situation and possibly attack targets of opportunity. As we cruised up the river, we saw the occasional bit of wreckage and soon came to a pile of dead bodies in the river partially blocking the flow. Some of the bodies were undead, crawling around like insects on a corpse. Many were zombies, while others were “the drowned”. The river itself was not obstructed but we took a moment to destroy the zombies just the same. There was evidence in the area of organized troop movements as well. As we moved further, we could see skeleton shock troops or squads of zombies led by ghasts. Bolo could make out tracks of some kind of other creature that was much heavier than anything else. At one point we saw an undead eyeball floating in the air, just watching.
A mile farther we saw large swaths cut into the forest. The sections had been cut by undead who continued to fell trees and smaller brush near the river. The pattern of the paths seemed rather random however and made little sense until Bolo drifted higher to better see the pattern. He then realized that if the river were to flood, the missing trees would mean massive damage from erosion. The whole thing seemed rather subtle and pointless for an undead army but there must be a reason. Rather than move towards the city, we moved farther up-river to see if we could find any other unusual activity.
It didn’t take long before we were hearing more chopping and some buzzing sounds. We came around one bend and saw it – undead laborers working on a dam. No not a dam, a floodgate. It wasn’t being built to last but they were going to use it to release a great deal of water at once.
The construction crews were zombies and drowned. In the area, fast moving skeleton patrols moved on their routes. There were also two large golem-like creatures – as if someone stretched metal skin over a huge skelton. Bolo thought this was the creature whose large tracks he saw. In their chest was some kind of glowing energy source and they looked reminiscent of a devourer. Scattered around were three undead eyes watching the operation and there was a human standing on the dam who seemed to be in charge.
We had found our first target of opportunity.
Undying - Chapter 1
(or “The Road to Rauxes” starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby)
OOC Notes:
Exp is 2000 this session
Note for the readers (ok for Nifft really): We’ve opted to revamp the Arcane Archer class to something different as detailed in the thread in the House Rules forum. This means Kayleigh’s abilities have shifted slightly, in case you got confused.
Reviewer’s Corner:
Well we’ve completely wrapped up the Lich Queen’s Beloved module published in Dungeon #100 (part of the Incursion cross-over event) and had some time to think about it. And we’re all agreed that it is an excellent module and well worth any DM looking at. It’s one of the rare modules that tries to tackle high level play and does an outstanding job at it. This isn’t just a matter of balanced encounters, but more a matter of basic intelligence. The enemies presented have depth and seem intelligent and logical. They react to the PC actions, and the lich queen, who has defended herself from many adventurers over time, reacts in a very believable and tactically sound way to her enemies.
The module also does not try to strangle high level players or simply negate their abilities as a way of dealing with them. The players earned their abilities and having an environment that takes them away is not only unjust but contrived and something of a cop out. It simply reduced play back to the first level dungeon but where it says “kobold” cross that out and insert “dragon”. Not so here. In some cases there are particular counters for PC abilities (divination blocking for instance) and in others, they’re just assumed into the equation.
Overall this adventure is a must-read for any DM looking at high level play. Even if you don’t choose to use it directly, it’s a fine example of how a high level module should read and definitive proof that high level play has no problem including dungeons. One of the reasons I wanted to comment on this specifically is that we’ve noticed a number of threads on high level play (and the lack of viability thereof) and we wanted to take a moment not only to point out the good work of the writers, but show anyone reading a fine example of a high level adventure.
(Disclaimer: not everything we encountered was part of the module as written. A few monsters were added – specifically the advanced psionic roper of legend and the phane, largely due to the fact that the six PC’s were a bit over the specified levels for the module. Also it’s up to the DM to tie this adventure into the campaign – the entire battle on the Prime was not part of the module directly. Mind you that remembering how we wiped out an attacking force of 500 githyanki is something that will always make us smile. I include this partly to let you know what was there as written, and to remind everyone that while you can use things as a drop in, if you add some time and story-glue, you can get a piece that fits so perfectly into your campaign it looks like you planned it for years.)
This Week’s Adventure:
So we came to the question of what to do next. There was certainly no shortage of things on our list for attention – it was more a question of when to do which. Some of us favored a fast strike on Rauxes – the situation had clearly gotten out of hand and we wanted to strike quickly before our enemies would be expecting us. But most of the group favored waiting a few days, and this is the course we followed. I was in favor of a fast strike – our enemies would know that we had killed the Lich Queen and they would know we had returned. They would be expecting us to follow our normal pattern – rest and prepare. That’s why I wanted to do something unexpected. But I confess I was tired – it had been all of two days since we had defeated the ShadowTaker, and I could use a rest in an elven bed.
While I was still in Celene, I stopped to find the new “advisor” to the Queen. The slaad was lurking around and wasn’t particularly hard to find. I had hoped he would have some understanding of the “bargain”; it was becoming most disturbing. Indeed he had quite a lot to say on the subject, but nothing we hadn’t already learned. I badly want to know who the parties in this bargain are, but he did not know, save for one formerly being the ShadowTaker. He knew of some death slaad who sought to investigate and perhaps serve one of the parties involved, but they never returned.
The Queen wanted to thrown a grand celebration and we settled on two days time. But there were things to do in the meantime, not the least of which was to find a new dress and jewelry. I returned the next day to the Land of Black Ice to prepare for the inevitable trip to Sigil that always followed our adventures any more. When I arrived, Scorch was waiting for me, holding the lich queen’s sword.
“We have a problem here,” he said.
“Of course we do. It’s probably some state sword for the Githyanki. If we’re lucky, it was just something Vlaakith created and we could dispose of it, but that was just my hope,” I smiled at him.
“No. You don’t understand. This sword. This is Gith’s sword. It was revealed in a Legend Lore,” Scorch added seriously.
There was only one answer possible, and I gave it. “Feh.”
We had planned to dispose of silver swords we had obtained. Most likely they would filter through Sigil back to the githyanki, which was fine as far as we were concerned – they were hardly worth fussing over at this point. But this… this was something entirely different. Bolo put an idea forward that had merit: he proposed offering it to Her Fey Majesty of Celene to use as a tool to broker a peace with the Githyanki. The group thought this was a sound idea, and would likely produce more good than any use we could put it to, and so it was agreed. When I brought the sword to the Queen the next day, she was very pleased and would do just that.
*****
I opened the door to Tsvar's Curios and Objectals, but was stopped short by a pile of boxes behind the door. I squeezed in sideways and saw that the entire shop was almost completely filled with boxes, shipping crates, bags, and other containers. I slid between the various stacks and found a tiefling bent over a desk talking to an assistant.
“Mister Fuvex-vex-vex. A pleasure to see you again. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
He turned to me and stood up, his face positively beaming. “Not at all Lady Kayleigh.” He waved at the assorted crates which I realized were all empty, waiting for something, and said “In fact, I have been expecting you.”
I smiled and nodded. “I thought you might have been. Excellent. Let’s get down to business…”
*****
Dravot had done a Sending to an ambassador of the Great Kingdom inquiring on the current state of things in that area. The reply was disturbing.
“Heard you were dead. Where the hell are you? In a tight bind here.”
You would think an ambassador would understand how to deal with a simple sending but apparently not. On the second try Dravot received this answer:
“The Overking is missing, the city is evactuated. Our forces in retreat. They assaulted us without warning and we were headed out for”
Not perfect but more useful. So the forces of Rauxes are on the move and have taken Kalstrand, the capital. Rauxes needed dealing with, and soon. This prompted the question of what else was happening out there, and we contacted Lord Gelban to see what the dragons knew of the situation.
Lord Gelban told us that you cannot fly very close to Rauxes – over a mile away there is a field of death that protects it, hiding what moves within. But outside of the field, legions of zombies, ghouls and wights muster, waiting for orders. There are countermeasures in place specifically against good dragons as well. However they believe the remainder of the black dragons now lurk there.
It then occurred to me that we have long taken the “Containment of Rauxes” for granted but I never actually knew what was contained there. When I asked, I learned that neither did Lord Gelban. The evil dragons knew, but they never shared this information – a source of some contention he noted. He knows that Ivid the Undying broke some barriers and let loose things that should never have been freed. Most of the clerics involved in the containment were killed so the knowledge of what lies within is lost. Those who did not die were turned insane by whatever evil they touched there.
Bolo asked if perhaps a Primal was there, and it was a thought that had crossed my mind as well. But Lord Gelban felt there was nto. Primals do not generally involve undeath – they are definitively powerful but they are also simple. Fire is fire and nothing more, but animating a corpse is a complicated business with interacting forces and that is not characteristic of the Primals. It is assumed that Ivid had a stockpile of his most foul creatures in Rauxes. What is not known is if he released something as a last-ditch effort or if there was some divine or demonic influence.
Nonetheless Rauxes is marshalling its forces and beginning to overrun cities on the east coast. The capital is in a state of chaos. Lord Gelban had no information on the fate of the Overking but most of the surrounding cities were taking in many refugees, including Hexpools which is now relatively safe. The Cupric believes that the Black Brotherhood faction of the Scarlet Brotherhood may be in league with Rauxes but not truly understand what is happening.
And while Rauxes moves, somewhere underground is Chavram’s army. The question is are they allies?
*******
The celebration was a grand one – the grandest I could ever remember. There was little enough to celebrate in recent years, and truly this was a good reason. It was a bit overwhelming to think of it being for us, but not so overwhelming that it made me enjoy it any less.
I had been at the palace preparing the last day, but the rest of the group was arriving that evening. The Queen’s own dressmaker was putting the finishing touches on my gown, and in the meantime I spent a completely decadent day of baths in scented oils, massages, and having my hair done. When it was all done, the result took my breath away. The shopping for fabrics and jewelry was enjoyable on its own, but the end result made me feel like a princess more than a returning hero. Not that I was complaining even the least little bit. Tonight I felt like a Lady, and while the lack of my usual arsenal of enchanted equipment left a strange empty feeling, it was more than compensated for by the way the celebration made me feel.
I made my way down to one of the many designated areas for magical transportation and took no small delight in the whispers and looks that followed my passing. There were several areas, as much to prevent accidents as to prevent diplomatic incidents. The entire palace was decorated in grand style, with floating will-o-wisps providing gentle illumination as twilight set in, and I walked in no particular hurry, taking in all the night offered. Just after I reached the garden area, Scorch transported them all to the palace. At their arrival, a half dozen pages went off in various directions to carry word while another stood ready to bring us to the main reception chamber.
We worked our way through the palace, in no particular hurry. At least I wasn’t – it would have been improper to move past the different groups without stopping to say hello or a few pleasant words. The page seemed a bit impatient but this was a matter of politeness and tradition. Dravot also knew these customs, and always shared a few words when passing dignitaries he was aquainted with. Indeed there were groups of people all over the palace, some more concerned with their appearance and location than others, all of which had subtle significance.
As we moved through the palace, I noticed more than a few elven courtiers taking notice of Scorch. Or perhaps it was more the black robes he was wearing, embroidered with an ornate gold brocade. I wasn’t sure where they came from but I started wondering if they had some significance.
The page said that the Queen would receive us in the formal audience chamber after which the party would retire to the outer gardens. When we came to the chamber, I could see a vast array of dignitaries – humans, dwarves, various elves, halflings, even a few gnomes. Their dress and bearing marked them as being from all over the Flanness – I made out representatives from the Uleks, the Yeomanry, Keoland, Bissel, Steirich, even a pair from Ket.
The Queen was near the throne, wearing a magnificent dress of green starsilk that flowed down several stairs before her. Near her was Onselven, wearing formal court robes and carrying an elaborate staff. The Queen stood up before Her throne and raised a hand, and all conversation ceased. And with all eyes on us, She brought us each into Her presence Herself.
“Behold these virtuous heroes and defenders of Celene, indeed of all nations. Protectors of the Prime and Most Favored of Our Court.”
“Lady Kayleigh Ladanna’al, Champion of Corellian and Celene.” As She called me, I went before the throne, trailing the midnight blue hues of my starsilk gown moving with me, and curstsied before the Queen. All eyes went with me as I did, and I made sure to catch Aran’gel’s stare and smile back at him as I went. It seemed all the preparation was well worth it, as I took his breath away too.
“Sir Aethramyr, Blade of Twilight, Chosen Champion of Sehanine.” Aethramyr looked perfect in fine but understated elven court dress. His confidence and serenity filled the hall as he came before the Queen, and I could see priests of Sehanine scattered in the crowd looking at him with special reverence.
“Lady Valanthe of Dyvers accompanied by Lord Hammer of Greyhawk.” Valanthe showed no hesitation as she moved down the aisle with all eyes upon her, but I swear I could see a grin on Hammer’s face thinking about how many people could see her all at the same time.
“Scorch, Master of the Grey Guild of Greyhawk.” Where each of us drew hushed whispers according to our nature, the tenor of the whispers as Scorch entered was somewhat different but it made little difference to him as he came forward, seeminingly indifferent to the ceremony.
“Lord Dravot d’Chandagnac, Baron of Brindinford, Living Saint of Pelor. At his side, Dame Zira bin Telbara, Paladin of Pelor, daughter of Ekbir, Sir Zara bin Telbara, Paladin of Pelor, son of Ekbir, and Sir Thorkeld, Lion of Brindinford, accompanied by Lady Thora d’Chandagnac.” They came together, as they always did of late, but this time it was for richly deserved thanks. Dravot today was more the nobleman than the priest, in a fine silk tunic in house colors, with only the holy symbol of Pelor to mark his faith. At his side, Zira wore a beautiful coat-hardie, ice-blue with small white and blew gemstones. Thorkeld and Thora made a lovely couple, he in an embroidered tunic similar to Dravot’s in his own colors, while she wore a silver dress with an elven style.
Zara… well, he tried. To others he looked strong and proud – but to those that knew him, he plainly didn’t want to be here.
“Master Bolo, Guardian of Beory’s grove, and Lonetooth, guardian and protector.” I suspect the lion drew more stares than anything else.
The Queen went on to describe our deeds in flowery but simplified terms. It was largely accurate – only once or twice did I raise a skeptical eyebrow. As she came to the destruction of the Lich Queen, she brought forth the silver sword of Gith.
“Know all that these defenders have turned over this powerful blade to Us, with the hope that it can be a tool to open a dialog with the githyanki in an attempt to reach an accord and find peace for the future. Since this is something that involves all the Flanness and with the lessons of the Greyhawk Wars in mind, We have opted to include representatives from many nations in these discussions.”
Then a new voice called from the throng. It belonged to an elf who was of slightly darker skin than usual, and it took me a moment to realize that this voice spoke from the Valley of the Mage. He said “What of those who have agreements already with the gith?”
The Queen was casting a wide net indeed, or perhaps it was more a statement of the times that an ambassador from the Valley of the Mage stood in the Celenian court.
The Queen answered “That is a matter that stands between the two of you then, however with the death of their queen, such an agreement may be voided. But you may want to stand with your neighbors that we may all leverage our weight together.”
Whether the valley elf was satisfied or not, the Queen considered it closed and went on. “For you see, while these are powerful defenders of the Prime, they cannot be everywhere at once. Should there be a full war, millions would die, and such a costly thing is not necessary. I will engage certain diplomats at my disposal to broach these subjects with the githyanki. Over the next days, the assembled ambassadors will be approached. We place this sword on display here tonight, that you may see and know it true. Let the celebration begin!”
The Queen left the blade hanging in the air and moved down the stairs to the garden, and the party truly began. There was music, fine drink, dancing, even fireworks supplied by the dwarves. I spent a wonderous evening feeling even more like a princess. I made sure Aran’gel stayed at my side the whole night and it didn’t even take much effort. We spent the night drinking, dancing, and being social. I think I must have been personally thanked by half the Flaness. It was perhaps one of the most wonderful nights of my life. I did what I did because I could and because it had to be done, but there was certainly no harm in being thanked for it just the same.
The others each had slightly different nights. Scorch spent most of the night talking to assorted arcanists in quiet corners. It seemed there were many wizards now without a home and they were looking to Scorch. Some of them were even formerly of the Horned Society, though of no particular rank.
I learned later that the ambassador from the Valley of the Mage approached Dravot with a most unusual proposition.
“The mage who has always led our kind has always been a mage and always been human. There has been more than one though that is not common knowledge beyond our borders. The mage’s name is Jonathan, and is always called Jonathan. Jonathan has died – he was assassinated. We are not sure if it was githyanki or something else, though we know the githyanki had no interest in our souls. We seek someone who would take up the mantle and protect our valley. And so I come to you, priest. What would you say to your friend doing this thing? Is he worthy?”
Dravot was shocked but covered it well. After a moment, he said carefully “I believe he is worthy, yes. But as to what his goals and plans for himself are, I cannot say. This you would have to take up with him. If you wish, I offer to act as an intermediary.”
The elf considered and responded “This would be most helpful. Perhaps he can discover who slew Jonathan. If the valley is long unprotected and it becomes known, the Yeomanry or someone else may try to take the valley back.”
[OOC: At this point I’d like to note that two things happened at the game session. First, Wizardru looked at Scorch’s player and said “Oh I’m gonna have *such* fun with you.” Second, we all started calling him “Jonathan”. “Hey, Jonathan, pass the chips.” And so on.]
It was a night to remember for everyone.
*****
The plan was fairly simple: reconnaissance in force. We would teleport to Brindinford and from there wind walk up the river to Kalstrand. On the way we would assess the situation and possibly attack targets of opportunity. As we cruised up the river, we saw the occasional bit of wreckage and soon came to a pile of dead bodies in the river partially blocking the flow. Some of the bodies were undead, crawling around like insects on a corpse. Many were zombies, while others were “the drowned”. The river itself was not obstructed but we took a moment to destroy the zombies just the same. There was evidence in the area of organized troop movements as well. As we moved further, we could see skeleton shock troops or squads of zombies led by ghasts. Bolo could make out tracks of some kind of other creature that was much heavier than anything else. At one point we saw an undead eyeball floating in the air, just watching.
A mile farther we saw large swaths cut into the forest. The sections had been cut by undead who continued to fell trees and smaller brush near the river. The pattern of the paths seemed rather random however and made little sense until Bolo drifted higher to better see the pattern. He then realized that if the river were to flood, the missing trees would mean massive damage from erosion. The whole thing seemed rather subtle and pointless for an undead army but there must be a reason. Rather than move towards the city, we moved farther up-river to see if we could find any other unusual activity.
It didn’t take long before we were hearing more chopping and some buzzing sounds. We came around one bend and saw it – undead laborers working on a dam. No not a dam, a floodgate. It wasn’t being built to last but they were going to use it to release a great deal of water at once.
The construction crews were zombies and drowned. In the area, fast moving skeleton patrols moved on their routes. There were also two large golem-like creatures – as if someone stretched metal skin over a huge skelton. Bolo thought this was the creature whose large tracks he saw. In their chest was some kind of glowing energy source and they looked reminiscent of a devourer. Scattered around were three undead eyes watching the operation and there was a human standing on the dam who seemed to be in charge.
We had found our first target of opportunity.
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