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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mahiro Satsu" data-source="post: 304780" data-attributes="member: 4970">Episode IX Crown of Fire part 4The History of the Selûnite OrderVol. 12, From Bane to BoonCHAPTER FOUR: The Battle of the Lunar SpeculumSeverely weakened by their encounter with Nightscale, the party sought refuge in the ruined city. Walking through the empty avenues, they were amazed to find the ghostly figure of Daziel pointing them towards a trap door, leading to a shrine where they could rest and recover.It was here that Van Dyksun made his fatal mistake. Still young and naïve, although quickly learning the ways of diplomacy and secrecy, Van knew that the party was getting low on rations. A hunter and gatherer, he left the safety of the shrine to seek what food he could in the rubble, similar to the mushrooms they had gathered earlier to sustain themselves. What he didn’t expect was that he wouldn’t be the only hunter about, nor that what the others hunted would be him. Caught by a troll, the young ranger attempted a ruse, to offer to lead the troll to a spot where he could find dwarves for his supper. The troll took advantage of the offer, but upon arriving at the trap door, proceeded to eat the poor ranger first as an appetizer. Van’s cries brought the others of the Company to his aid, but it was too late. By the time they arrived, he had already been devoured, his mangled hand in the maw of the troll.Having lost three companions in the space of 24 hours, the remaining company paused long enough to fully recuperate, making sure that no others went off alone. When they did emerge once again into the ruined city, they discovered the ghost of Van Dyksun lingering in the spot where he had died. (Ironically, he who had been ridiculed for his ghostlike appearance had finally become one.) Hathos’ curse had prevented him from fully joining the ranks of the dead, just like Daziel before him, yet his hold on the world was stronger then hers. While Daziel could only lead the party to where they needed to go, Van was able to actually assist them in their next encounters.When the Company finally arrived at the Lunar Speculum, they discovered Selûne’s temple floating in the air above a huge crater in the cavern floor. Sometime during the sacking of the city, the goblins or the Coil had attempted to destroy it, yet Selûne’s power held, likely due to the power of the Speculum itself, a disc in which if you gazed into its depths just right, you could see Selûne herself. From the Speculum, a beam of pure moonlight shown down onto the floor of the temple, instantly transporting the Company to an interior of the temple called the Darkcrypt, inaccessible by any other means.Here, the company underwent the seven trials of Enthandas, for the rumors were true, and that segment of the Moonweb had indeed been placed there under the care of the clerics, now as ghostly as the rest of the original Aerunedar inhabitants. Through the first six trials, the Company performed well, if somewhat without much style—they still had a tendency to rush forward and attack at will rather than working together as a group, although some shimmerings of their future shone through. The sixth trial, a locked door with a riddle that indicated that you would lose your soul if greedy, proved easy to pass, but made the next room difficult. For in the library was what they had been seeking: Enthandas itself, as well as a collection of powerful artifacts left here for the worthy by Selûne. The ghostly Van prevented the party from taking anything, however, by arguing that this was the seventh test, that they had to forgo greed if they were to pass all trials. Still naïve in death, though, he entered the moonbeam portal, leaving his fellows behind, who all but Cara (who quickly followed Van, believing in his argument) proceeded to collect the items in this place.When they rejoined him, the ghostly Seneschal indicated that the seventh test was yet to come. Using some of the items, Van (understandably upset by the nature of the trials) was restored to life by the Seneschal and certain party members who had been trapped within the trials were restored to the group. As they nursed their wounds and prepared new spells, they realized that the seventh trial was likely waiting for them outside the Darkcrypt in the temple itself.So it was, for while they were celebrating their new possessions, Banites had reshaped the area around the entrance to the Darkcrypt and prepared an ambush for the Company, once again renamed, this time to the Champions of Selûne (for they now carried her artifacts). While the party had realized that they likely would meet an ambush, they didn’t realize the severity of it. Upon exiting the portal, Bronn Spellforger surprised one group with a deadly fireball, but the ambushers had stationed themselves all around the portal. As they were revealed, it looked like the Company had only won Enthandas to quickly lose it, for the Black Hand of Bane demanded that from them if they were to see any mercy.The company responded only with their weapons. Lined up against them were a number of new and old enemies: goblins, orcs, a bugbear named Backbreaker and an orc chieftain named Tonguebiter, an evil elf wizard, the Grand Terror of Bane and his mistress, and several Bane fighters. In the middle of this battle, the Zhentarim wizard “Leatherboots” arrived, although it was unclear if he had been invited or merely opportunistic. The party held their own against these overwhelming odds for a half a minute, but Roman was cut down by the orcish chieftain, and Saeita Neví attempted too much at once and fell before the bugbear. Van attempted to aid her by drawing the bugbear off, and found himself fighting it one-on-one. Shortly before the bugbear laid him unconscious, Van screamed in frustration, “Selûne, do not let them profane this, your temple!”Even as he was able to cleave the Grand Terror of Bane and several of the black-mailed fighters, Velm could note withstand the many enemies surrounding him. Cara, seeing that all was nearly lost, took up Hathos’ skul, which she had been studying, and played a song of panic. At the same time, a blinding white light emerged from the speculum, searing with truth the remaining followers of Bane celebrating over Velm’s prostrate body, while Leatherboots and the remaining orcs panicked and ran. Saeita, although unconscious, had stabilized, and Cara was able to reach Van before he died once again, but it was too late for both Roman and Velm. The party picked up their fallen comrades and took them through the moonbeam portal to the ghostly Seneschal, who merely shook his head. He did not have the power to restore them. He had only been able to restore Van because of the scroll obtained during the trials, but that scroll was now used and gone.After Cara restored Saeita and Van to consciousness, the party contemplated their next step. Bronn and Van, convinced that something could be done for the dead, decide to return to the temple, especially after Van was told of the blessing granted by his appeal to Selûne under the Speculum. Back in the temple, however, Leatherboots had returned and was busy ransacking the bodies of those left in the temple. Bronn, Cara and Van try to stop him—Van calling upon the aid of Enthandas for the first time to prevent Leatherboots from flying off—but in their weakened state, they were no match for the Zhentarim wizard and were forced to retreat to the safety of the Darkcrypt. A few minutes later, they attempted to return to the Speculum again. Leatherboots was gone, and none of their fallen foes had anything left of value, as the Zhentarim had taken everything.</blockquote>

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