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Raiders of the Overreach
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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 8053173" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 30: RITES OF INITIATION</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Cramer Appleknocker, gnome cleric 9</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Jhasspok, lizardman 3/barbarian 2/fighter 4</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Khari Hammerslammer, dwarf fighter 9</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Marlo Pendragon, human sorcerer 9</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Utred "Buckets" Butterflinger, dwarf barbarian 9</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 30 July 2020</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>The six figures stood in a field of blue grass. A city was visible about a mile away. Lauren identified it as the Guilded City, the capital of the Azure Glade, so that's where the group all headed - on foot, as they'd had to abandon their horse and wagon back in Ossirna. Fortunately, it was a nice day out and the walk was a pleasant one.</p><p></p><p>Once inside the city's boundary, Lauren led them unerringly to the Diviners Guild tower, the first floor of which was the Diviners Library. As the group entered, they heard a booming voice berating one of the young initiates to the Guild. "You have aided in the first successful theft of a book from this library in recorded history!" called out the voice, which echoed throughout the otherwise silent library.</p><p></p><p>"That sounds like Grandfather," said Lauren in a hushed tone - one more appropriate for inside a library, Marlo thought to herself. "Come on - he's this way."</p><p></p><p>She led them to a white-robed man of some sixty years or so, scowling at the sight of a young wizard in the robes of a Diviners Guild initiate being dragged off by a pair of blue-robed members of the Azure Guard, the security force among the Azure Glade's arcane-focused guilds. The young wizard's face was nearly as white as his robes, for he likely knew the dire fate awaiting him.</p><p></p><p>Arcturus's face, however, softened at the sight of his tattooed granddaughter and he beamed at her arrival. "I foresaw the likelihood of your presence today," he said, looking at the strangers she'd brought with her into his Guild's library.</p><p></p><p>"These people saved my life - on several occasions, actually. If not for them I wouldn't be here. But I must warn you of King Velkis's treachery. He tried to have me killed!"</p><p></p><p>"Come," decided Arcturus, gesturing for the others to approach. They did, and with the uttering of a few magical syllables the seven of them <em>teleported</em> away to Arcturus's private chambers. "We can talk undisturbed in here," he said, indicating the others were to help themselves to a decanter of wine and a series of crystal goblets he'd had laid out on a side table. Cramer was impressed with the diviner's ability to bring all seven along in the casting of a single <em>teleport</em> spell - so far, he'd only been able to transport himself and three others at one time. Arcturus was apparently very skilled in spellcraft to be able to handle so many at once.</p><p></p><p>"You are, then, familiar with the Seekers of Eternity?" Arcturus asked the Overreach slaves.</p><p></p><p>"We are, to some extent," admitted Cramer. "I understand that the Ossirnan king belongs to a different faction than your own?"</p><p></p><p>"That is correct. The Seekers of Eternity was originally founded by a man known as the Mithral Mage and his friend <strong>Hirek</strong> to find a cure for death - they believed they could discover the secret to immortality, so that they need never die. However, upon the disappearance of the Mithral Mage, the original group fell apart. The Seekers were refounded by a previous king of Ossirna, a man named <strong>Selvik</strong>, in order to complete the Mithral Mage's work on immortality. However, once it became known that the Mithral Mage had become a lich with an indestructible phylactery, the Seekers splintered into several different factions.</p><p></p><p>"The largest group became infatuated with the idea of becoming indestructible liches like the Mithral Mage, so they sought to free him from Hell, where he was imprisoned, that he might teach them to become as he was. Another group, seeing that one form of undeath had become an acceptable end goal, took to calling themselves the Followers of Hirek and decided vampirism was a much simpler solution; after all, the means of becoming a vampire were already well known and didn't require the preparation of a phylactery of any kind, let alone the indestructible one the Mithral Mage had somehow stumbled upon. This, naturally, was also easier in that the Followers of Hirek could advance their own agendas without having to find and free the Mithral Mage - they just needed the services of a vampire willing to sire them into vampires themselves."</p><p></p><p>"So this Hirek was a vampire?" Cramer asked.</p><p></p><p>"That was the belief, although some legends differ on that front. In any case, while I am the leader of the entire Seekers of Eternity organization as a whole, I am also the leader of the third faction, the Mithral Redeemers, which believes the Mithral Mage's descent into lichdom was accidental in nature and an incorrect path that has prevented him from carrying out his true work: finding the formula for a <em>potion of longevity</em> which will greatly expand the human lifetime, if not extend it indefinitely. We seek to not only find and free him from the Hell in which he has been imprisoned but also to reverse his lichdom and restore him to his full humanity, so he can get back on the original path of the Seekers.</p><p></p><p>"And that leaves the fourth and final faction, led by King Velkis of Ossirna, who have formed a religious cult that worships the Mithral Mage, although it's become apparent King Velkis seeks to somehow take over the Mithral Mage's phylactery and usurp his position as the god of their religion."</p><p></p><p>"Nice," laughed Cramer. "'Start off worshiping this guy, and then transfer your worship to me.' A good job, if you can get it."</p><p></p><p>"Quite right," agreed Arcturus. "In the past some of the other factions have attempted to undermine my authority over the Seekers, but Velkis's attempt upon my granddaughter's life - which I am indeed grateful you were able to prevent - is the first time they have physically made an attack upon us. I fear my time leading the Seekers will soon be at an end, and without me to protect the members of my own faction, I will be unable to prevent their destruction by these...lich worshipers."</p><p></p><p>Marlo had on her <em>circlet of persuasion</em> and figured now was as good a time as any to push her own agenda forward: getting the Azure Glade to assist in the upcoming battle against the drow forces of Overreach, who would soon be attacking Greenvale - after all, Arcturus was the one who had brought up how much he owed the heroes for saving his granddaughter. Lauren added the details of the attacks upon her in Durnhill, when four elementals had been sent to slay her and the arena slaves had fought them off. But the capper was when the details of the prophecy wherein the five arena slaves would rescue "the metal man from Hell, who would put an end to the Undying One" was revealed, for Arcturus recognized in the tale the fact that they would be instrumental in finding and rescuing the Mithral Mage, which aligned very nicely with his own goals.</p><p></p><p>"This is what I can do," offered Arcturus. "Tomorrow I will convene the Council of Guilds, the ruling body of the Azure Glade, in order to discuss your call for aid and assistance. But whatever their overall ruling, I can pledge the support of the Mithral Redeemers to your cause. I would ask, in return, that Greenvale be open to offering asylum to those members of my faction who might need to seek refuge from the other Seekers who will very well try to slay them."</p><p></p><p>"I believe that can be easily arranged," promised Marlo.</p><p></p><p>"Very well, then. I will see to it you are given room and board for the evening. Until tomorrow, then - and again, my thanks."</p><p></p><p>True to his word, Arcturus put them up for the evening in a building in the richer part of the Guilded City. "I could get used to this," Utred observed. "These Mithral Redeemers are okay!"</p><p></p><p>The next morning, Lauren led the group to the meeting hall of the Council of Guilds. They stood together in a group in the middle of a circular room, under the watchful gaze of nine members seated in alcoves above them, their chairs spaced equidistant along the perimeter of the circle. Lauren had explained the colors of the robes denoted the arcane school specialization of the Guild: diviners, as an example, wore gowns of white. The one exception was the man in gray robes, for he was no arcane spellcaster at all but the leader of the Church of <strong>Boccob</strong>, God of Knowledge. Each Guildmaster wore a mask covering his or her face, for their identities were not necessarily known to the city at large. The heroes, of course, knew the white-robed man seated above would be Arcturus.</p><p></p><p>Arcturus explained why he had called this session together, then he gave the floor over to Marlo, who made a heartfelt plea for help for the Greenvale elves, her words aided by her <em>circlet of persuasion</em>. After giving her speech and answering a few questions from various members of the Guild leaders, the representatives took a vote on whether or not to render aid.</p><p></p><p>The Guilds of Abjuration, Conjuration, and Divination all pledged support for Greenvale. Khari frowned that only a third of the Guild members were on their side, but Marlo seemed pleased that they'd at least gotten that many - after all, she had no idea how many members there were in each Guild, but any number of wizards being added to the Greenvale armies could only be a good thing.</p><p></p><p>The Guilds of Evocation, Necromancy, and Transmutation all voted against granting assistance to Greenvale; they had other, more pressing matters to attend to, they argued, and Greenvale was distant enough the Azure Glade was in no likely danger from the drow invasion of a land so far away.</p><p></p><p>The three other Guilds - Evocation, Illusion, and the Church of Boccob - abstained from voting one way or another. "That's three for, three against, and three undecided - now what?" asked Cramer.</p><p></p><p>The Council decided upon the following ruling: while the Azure Glade as a nation would remain neutral in the upcoming battle against the drow armies of Overreach, any who wished to aid Greenvale were welcome to do so in a mercenary capacity, making their own separate alliances with the beleaguered kingdom that did not bring the rest of the Azure Glade into any alliances or commitments. It was, Marlo admitted later to the others, more than she had hoped for.</p><p></p><p>Upon the dissolution of the meeting, Lauren led the others to a smaller building nearby. Inside were 25 robed figures, all with the Seekers of Eternity neck tattoos like Lauren's, as well as Arcturus. They wore a variety of colors of robes, indicating members of various different Guilds were willing to come to Greenvale's aid; while the white Diviners were the largest group, the heroes saw robes of every color represented save for the black Necromancers and the gray robes of the Church of Boccob.</p><p></p><p>"These are the immediate members of the Mithral Redeemers," Arcturus explained. "They will be aiding Greenvale and hiding there from those who would try to slay them. I will be staying behind with a few of my closest associates in our faction to try to recruit a few more members to your cause, but Lauren and these wizards will <em>teleport</em> to Greenvale directly."</p><p></p><p>"Do they know where they're going?" asked Cramer. "<em>Teleporting</em> in the blind..."</p><p></p><p>"They have <em>scried</em> upon Greenvale and will appear just outside the city gates," Arcturus explained. "We would not want them mistaken for a marauding force."</p><p></p><p>"I should probably try to send word of your impending arrival," began Cramer, suddenly realizing he did not have the means to do so currently at hand.</p><p></p><p>But then Arcturus passed him over a scroll. "It's a <em>sending</em> spell," he explained, smiling and adding, "There are times having a diviner at hand makes things so much easier."</p><p></p><p>Cramer cast the spell, warning T'puuli Tine of the impending arrival of the wizards from the Azure Glade and assuring him they were allies. As part of the spell's casting, he received an acknowledgment from T'puuli that the message had been received and understood. "We're good," the little gnome informed the Diviners Guild leader. At Arcturus's nod, Lauren and the 25 wizards <em>teleported</em> away, leaving only the six of them remaining in the building.</p><p></p><p>"Now then, I have a final favor to ask of you," he said. "There was an abjurer by the name of <strong>Dave Quillbender</strong> I was trying to recruit into the Mithral Redeemers, and due to certain events that man's life is now in jeopardy. The Lich Seekers - those wishing to follow the Mithral Mage into lichdom - are attempting to slay him and he's currently on the run. I would like you to find him and take him with you when you return to Greenvale. If you agree, I will <em>teleport</em> you to Dave's last known location. Having saved my granddaughter - twice! - I have full faith in your abilities to keep this man alive and slay his would-be assassins."</p><p></p><p>The heroes looked at each other for confirmation they were all behind this plan. "Sure," Cramer answered for the group.</p><p></p><p>With another group of arcane syllables, Arcturus <em>teleported</em> the five arena slaves to the interior of a darkened warehouse. One corner was illuminated by a series of candles, gathered around a <em>magic circle</em> inscribed upon the floor - in some haste, judging by the way it seemed to be scrawled; most <em>magic circles</em>, in both Cramer's and Marlo's experience, were assembled with much more care and precision. There were three figures standing just outside the circle: a half-orc and two human women, the women dressed in dark combat leathers and wielding unsheathed weapons; the man in full plate armor. "Any sign of him?" one whispered softly to the others.</p><p></p><p>"None," answered another. The half-orc was the closest to the heroes and the two dwarves could see quite clearly even in the flickering candlelight the shattered hourglass tattoo upon the back of his thick neck.</p><p></p><p>Fortunately, there were boxes, barrels, and crates stacked haphazardly around the room, so Cramer was fully hidden from sight. In a low tone, he started casting a <em>bear's endurance</em> spell upon himself, beefing his stamina before the upcoming fight, for he had no doubts these were the assassins seeking to slay Dave Quillbender.</p><p></p><p>One of the women turned her head immediately in Cramer's direction. "What was that?" she demanded, having heard his quiet voice. Squinting in the dim light, she saw piles of boxes and crates...and the unmistakable head of a lizardfolk staring right back at her. Jhasspok, at a full six feet tall, towered over the two dwarves, gnome, and the diminutive human woman with whom he traveled and had not thought to duck his head upon suddenly arriving in an unknown warehouse. As the ranger focused her attention on the reptilian face, the other slaves scattered quietly to find hiding places in the deep shadows in the murky building.</p><p></p><p>"Wh--what are you doing there?" the woman demanded, her two companions turning to see who she was addressing. They, too, were quite surprised to see a lizardfolk inside the warehouse with them.</p><p></p><p>Jhasspok knew he had to come up with a good excuse for his presence - and quickly. His reptilian brain focused immediately upon the subject of so many of the former fisher slave's thoughts.</p><p></p><p>"I cannot read the words on these crates," he said. "Can you tell me which ones contain fish?"</p><p></p><p>"Wh--what?" repeated the astonished ranger.</p><p></p><p>"I want to buy some fish," repeated Jhasspok. "Do not be concerned: I know all about how money works!"</p><p></p><p>"How'd you get in here?" demanded the half-orc.</p><p></p><p>"Through the door," Jhasspok replied, thinking it a logical answer and idly wondering where this door he was supposed to have entered through might actually be situated - he had no idea. "But getting back to the fish: where do you keep them?"</p><p></p><p>"Um...in the marketplace?" suggested the ranger, slowly realizing she was dealing with an idiot.</p><p></p><p>"Isn't this part of the marketplace?" asked Jhasspok, a look of confusion crossing his reptilian features.</p><p></p><p>"No. It isn't."</p><p></p><p>"Then where is this marketplace - the one with the fish?" Jhasspok looked around, as if it might somehow be within sight while standing inside a dark warehouse.</p><p></p><p>"Back outside, take a right, down the street a ways."</p><p></p><p>"Back outside..." echoed Jhasspok, looking around for the door. The exasperated ranger stepped forward to lead the idiot out of the building into which they were pretty sure they'd tracked down Dave Quillbender. Jhasspok stepped forward to walk beside her toward the door, mostly to allow his bulk to block the woman's view of what was behind him: the other four arena slaves hiding as best they could behind stacks of boxes.</p><p></p><p>The ranger opened the door and pointed off to the street to her right. "That way," she said, her brow furrowed in puzzlement at the lizardfolk's appearance, for from the light spilling in from the open door she saw his turtle shell shield, his spears, and the battleaxe he held gripped in his right hand. This was not a lizardman on his way to the fish market....</p><p></p><p>At about the same time, the other woman caught sight of the other Overreach slaves hiding in the shadows. She started to warn the others but Marlo beat her with the words to the spell she'd been readying - and suddenly a tangle of black tentacles rose up from the warehouse floor, entangling the black-clad woman and the armored half-orc in the back of the warehouse by the hastily-scratched <em>magic circle</em>.</p><p></p><p>Seeing the jig was now up (and frankly, quite amazed Jhasspok had stalled successfully for as long as he had), Utred raced across the warehouse, his greataxe out and swinging toward the ranger, who was just now coming to the realization that she and her fellow assassins were under attack. The knowledge came too late, for as she swung her swords about in a defensive posture Utred's blade was already slicing into her upper arm. Her left arm went numb and she almost dropped the short sword she held in that hand as she gritted her teeth, convinced herself that there was no pain, and pressed on with the battle at hand.</p><p></p><p>But now Khari Hammerslammer was upon her as well, his warhammer crashing into the side of her leg and almost causing her to fall to the warehouse floor. Jhasspok attacked her with his battleaxe as well, explaining to her as he did so - as if she hadn't figured it out by herself by this time - "I was lying about looking for fish."</p><p></p><p>The half-orc did his best to wrest himself free from the black, rubbery tentacles starting to crush him to death - but fell just short of success. He grunted in the effort and immediately regretted the expulsion of air, for the constricting appendages were squeezing the breath out of him and black dots were already beginning to form at the edges of his vision. To pass out now, he realized, was to die; he redoubled his efforts, to no avail.</p><p></p><p>Cramer, in the meantime, mentally triggered the <em>freedom of movement</em> effect that came so freely to those who served Fharlanghn, God of Travelers, and stepped boldly into the mass of writhing tentacles. They were unable to get a grasp upon him as he stepped up to the struggling woman and cast an <em>inflict serious wounds</em> spell upon her. There was little she could do to resist the spell; this was rather like shooting fish in a barrel (a simile the gnome was sure Jhasspok would appreciate, although then he supposed he'd have to explain what a simile was, and that there weren't actually any fish in any of the barrels...he mentally dismissed the very notion of ever using the phrase within the lizardfolk's hearing).</p><p></p><p>Faced with three foes at hand, the ranger focused her attacks on the hulking lizardfolk who she blamed for the predicament she was in. Longsword and short sword flashed out in a flurry of strikes, Jhasspok doing his best to deflect the blades with his shield but failing twice; each blade managed to pierce him once between his scales, causing twin rivulets of blood to drip down his green body. But like his black-clad foe, he had trained himself to ignore the pain of any wounds he received until after combat had been completed and the lizardfolk fought on. But the combat didn't last much longer in any case, for Utred brought the ranger down with another blow from his greataxe. At that, Jhasspok set his weapon down on the warehouse floor, grabbed the dead ranger by her ankles, and dragged her back inside the warehouse while Khari stepped up to the door. "Mornin'," he smiled to a passerby on the street before closing the door tight, keeping anyone outside from seeing what was going on inside the building.</p><p></p><p>The rogue struggled against her tentacular bondage, to no avail; she was helpless against the little gnome cleric's spell attacks and couldn't understand why the black tentacles were ignoring him as if he wasn't even there beside her.</p><p></p><p>Khari, by the warehouse door - seemingly the only entrance into or out of the building - cocked his head to the side suddenly and strained to hear what he thought he'd just heard. Yes, there it was again: the unmistakable sound of a wheezing breath. Following the sounds of heavy breathing trying to be stifled, the dwarf walked up to a barrel and pulled the lid off it. There, inside, huddled an elderly human man in orange robes. As he fit the description of the man they had been sent to protect, Khari gave him a big, bearded smile and said, "Dave Quillbender, I presume? Arcturus sent us to see to your safety. We're just finishin' up with the others who were out to kill you."</p><p></p><p>Marlo took the opportunity of two pinned and nearly helpless opponents to try out a new spell. She cast <em>phantasmal killer</em> at the half-orc, curious to see the result of him imagining his worst fears had come to life. But the brute's mind was stronger than the sorcerer had imagined and he shrugged off the spell's effects much more easily than he was having any success in shrugging off the tentacles that were even now crushing the very life out of him. Beside him, the rogue was having no better luck with escaping Marlo's previously-cast spell.</p><p></p><p>Cramer stepped nonchalantly out of the field of waving tentacles and cast a <em>spiritual weapon</em> spell as he did so. A shimmering field of energy in the shape of a quarterstaff appeared in the air above his head, striking down to crush into the rogue's head with one flat end of its length. The rogue's head snapped back, her skull crushed in and her neck snapped; her head lolled at an unnatural angle as the tentacles crushed whatever life might have remained within her.</p><p></p><p>Not wanting to miss out on any of the fun, Utred uncoiled his <em>life-flame whip</em> as he stepped up to the field of tentacles and sent it snapping out to strike the half-orc's face - about all that was left uncovered by tentacles by this point. As Khari remained to help Dave out of the barrel in which he'd been hiding and Jhasspok pulled the dagger from the sheath at his hip to remove the eyes from the dead ranger on the warehouse floor before him (they were a delicacy, the lizardfolk had decided, even if none of the mammals he traveled with shared his opinion), Marlo cast an <em>empowered magic missile</em> at the half-orc, hastening his path into death.</p><p></p><p>But then, in an act of pure desperation, the half-orc gave a hiss of effort - all the air he had to spare in creating the roar of triumph he'd attempted - and pulled himself from the grip of the ebon tentacles entwining around his body. Staggering with each hard-fought step, he pulled himself out of the field of grasping appendages, even though in the act of doing so he received another whip-slash from Utred for his efforts. Cramer redirected his <em>spiritual quarterstaff</em> at the assassin's head, then stepped up to the staggering brute and brought his little mace crashing into an armored kneecap. Almost dead upon his feet from the ruthless attack, Marlo surmised it wouldn't take much, at this point, to bring the oaf down and tested that theory with one of her weakest spells. The <em>acid splash</em> struck the half-orc in the face and he fell dead to the floor like a felled tree.</p><p></p><p>"It was a valiant effort, I'll give him that," remarked Cramer.</p><p></p><p>The group grabbed whatever looked to be of value from the trio of assassins; most of their armor and weapons looked to be magical in nature, so whatever they couldn't personally use they were sure could be put to good use by those defending Greenvale in the upcoming skirmish with the Overreach drow.</p><p></p><p>"I don't understand," Dave said to the five who had saved him from the assassins. "Why would Arcturus save me? I thought it was the Seekers of Eternity who were trying to kill me in the first place!" He pointed to the shattered hourglass symbols tattooed on the backs of the necks of the three dead assassins.</p><p></p><p>"There are different factions of the Seekers," explained Marlo. "These guys are trying to take over the Seekers as a whole and remove the faction to which Arcturus belongs." She briefly caught the elderly wizard up on what she'd been told about the various splinter groups of the Seekers of Eternity. "But in the meantime," she finished, "We need to take you to somewhere you'll be safe from any further assassination attempts."</p><p></p><p>"That sounds perfectly acceptable to me!" agreed Dave.</p><p></p><p>Cramer explained about the passenger limitations he currently had with the <em>teleport</em> spell and Dave agreed to ride in the <em>bag of holding</em> with Jhasspok. The fact the elderly mage had missed out completely on the lizardfolk's quick eyeball snack helped him not feel threatened being alone, however briefly, with a six-foot-tall lizardman. But the others opened the <em>bag of holding</em> mere moments after he had stepped in, and now Dave Quillbender found himself standing before the Pantheon Wall of Greenvale. "You'll be safe in here," Marlo assured him.</p><p></p><p>Once inside Greenvale, T'puuli Tine took the five arena slaves aside and explained what they'd learned about the <em>Tarrasque soul prison</em> since last they'd met in person. "There are two methods of activation," he said. "Smashing it releases the Tarrasque's soul permanently - and causes the creature to rampage directly to the area where the prison was shattered."</p><p></p><p>"That sounds great!" enthused Cramer. "Then let's smash the thing in the middle of the Overreach and let the big monster do our work for us!"</p><p></p><p>"Unfortunately," replied the celestial drider, "the Tarrasque's body currently lies in slumber on the other side of the world, in a land called Jakura. Smashing the <em>soul prison</em> doesn't simply <em>teleport</em> the beast to the site of its destruction, it causes the Tarrasque to head there in a direct path. Getting it to head to the Overreach from its present location will cause it to wreak a path of destruction along half the planet."</p><p></p><p>"Oh," frowned the gnome. He liked the image of the Tarrasque taking apart the entire Underdark city of Overreach, but that was certainly not the way to go about it. Plus, he needed to find Honeycomb Buzzwort and free him before any thoughts of destroying Overreach could be entertained. "So what's the second method?"</p><p></p><p>"There is an ornate ritual that can be performed to release the Tarrasque's soul and command it to action while still allowing it to be resealed inside the <em>prison</em> afterwards. Both methods require the relic to be in the place the Tarrasque is to be brought to."</p><p></p><p>"So even that second method brings it lumbering across the world?" asked Cramer. "What if we went to Jakura and performed the ritual there?"</p><p></p><p>"I believe it would be best not to mess with the <em>soul prison</em> at all," replied T'puuli. "Our main goal is not to use the Tarrasque ourselves, but to ensure the Mortal Queen is unable to use it."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, that makes a lot more sense," agreed Marlo. "So we're going to try to steal it away from the Mortal Queen?"</p><p></p><p>"That is indeed the plan. Matron Ky'hulcressen will draw out the Mortal Queen and while she is distracted we will send you to in to infiltrate House Bel'vior to reobtain the <em>Tarrasque soul prison</em>."</p><p></p><p>"I like it," Cramer replied, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Striking a blow against the drow always put him in a good mood. "When do we start?"</p><p></p><p>- - -</p><p></p><p>This ended up being another short session, since Marlo's single casting of the <em>Evard's black tentacles</em> did most of the work for us. But it was nice seeing the events of this adventure plugging in so seamlessly into the "Durnhill Conscripts" campaign: the poor diviner student taken away for aiding in the theft of a book from the Diviners Library was the poor schmuck Galen, Kaspar, and Syngaard had paid to remove the book for them after their own efforts failed spectacularly; that was Ashfall Dave we were saving from the assassins, grandfather to <strong>Maria Quillbender</strong>, cousin to Syngaard's dead wife. And, of course, the Durnhill conscripts slew Arcturus in the last campaign after he tried slaying their mentor Skevros in their own tavern headquarters, being brought to trial in the Azure Glade in the exact same circular courtroom our PCs found themselves in during this adventure. Running through "subsequent but concurrent" campaigns is kind of cool!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 8053173, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 30: RITES OF INITIATION[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Cramer Appleknocker, gnome cleric 9[/INDENT] [INDENT] Jhasspok, lizardman 3/barbarian 2/fighter 4[/INDENT] [INDENT] Khari Hammerslammer, dwarf fighter 9[/INDENT] [INDENT] Marlo Pendragon, human sorcerer 9[/INDENT] [INDENT] Utred "Buckets" Butterflinger, dwarf barbarian 9[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 30 July 2020 - - - The six figures stood in a field of blue grass. A city was visible about a mile away. Lauren identified it as the Guilded City, the capital of the Azure Glade, so that's where the group all headed - on foot, as they'd had to abandon their horse and wagon back in Ossirna. Fortunately, it was a nice day out and the walk was a pleasant one. Once inside the city's boundary, Lauren led them unerringly to the Diviners Guild tower, the first floor of which was the Diviners Library. As the group entered, they heard a booming voice berating one of the young initiates to the Guild. "You have aided in the first successful theft of a book from this library in recorded history!" called out the voice, which echoed throughout the otherwise silent library. "That sounds like Grandfather," said Lauren in a hushed tone - one more appropriate for inside a library, Marlo thought to herself. "Come on - he's this way." She led them to a white-robed man of some sixty years or so, scowling at the sight of a young wizard in the robes of a Diviners Guild initiate being dragged off by a pair of blue-robed members of the Azure Guard, the security force among the Azure Glade's arcane-focused guilds. The young wizard's face was nearly as white as his robes, for he likely knew the dire fate awaiting him. Arcturus's face, however, softened at the sight of his tattooed granddaughter and he beamed at her arrival. "I foresaw the likelihood of your presence today," he said, looking at the strangers she'd brought with her into his Guild's library. "These people saved my life - on several occasions, actually. If not for them I wouldn't be here. But I must warn you of King Velkis's treachery. He tried to have me killed!" "Come," decided Arcturus, gesturing for the others to approach. They did, and with the uttering of a few magical syllables the seven of them [I]teleported[/I] away to Arcturus's private chambers. "We can talk undisturbed in here," he said, indicating the others were to help themselves to a decanter of wine and a series of crystal goblets he'd had laid out on a side table. Cramer was impressed with the diviner's ability to bring all seven along in the casting of a single [I]teleport[/I] spell - so far, he'd only been able to transport himself and three others at one time. Arcturus was apparently very skilled in spellcraft to be able to handle so many at once. "You are, then, familiar with the Seekers of Eternity?" Arcturus asked the Overreach slaves. "We are, to some extent," admitted Cramer. "I understand that the Ossirnan king belongs to a different faction than your own?" "That is correct. The Seekers of Eternity was originally founded by a man known as the Mithral Mage and his friend [B]Hirek[/B] to find a cure for death - they believed they could discover the secret to immortality, so that they need never die. However, upon the disappearance of the Mithral Mage, the original group fell apart. The Seekers were refounded by a previous king of Ossirna, a man named [B]Selvik[/B], in order to complete the Mithral Mage's work on immortality. However, once it became known that the Mithral Mage had become a lich with an indestructible phylactery, the Seekers splintered into several different factions. "The largest group became infatuated with the idea of becoming indestructible liches like the Mithral Mage, so they sought to free him from Hell, where he was imprisoned, that he might teach them to become as he was. Another group, seeing that one form of undeath had become an acceptable end goal, took to calling themselves the Followers of Hirek and decided vampirism was a much simpler solution; after all, the means of becoming a vampire were already well known and didn't require the preparation of a phylactery of any kind, let alone the indestructible one the Mithral Mage had somehow stumbled upon. This, naturally, was also easier in that the Followers of Hirek could advance their own agendas without having to find and free the Mithral Mage - they just needed the services of a vampire willing to sire them into vampires themselves." "So this Hirek was a vampire?" Cramer asked. "That was the belief, although some legends differ on that front. In any case, while I am the leader of the entire Seekers of Eternity organization as a whole, I am also the leader of the third faction, the Mithral Redeemers, which believes the Mithral Mage's descent into lichdom was accidental in nature and an incorrect path that has prevented him from carrying out his true work: finding the formula for a [I]potion of longevity[/I] which will greatly expand the human lifetime, if not extend it indefinitely. We seek to not only find and free him from the Hell in which he has been imprisoned but also to reverse his lichdom and restore him to his full humanity, so he can get back on the original path of the Seekers. "And that leaves the fourth and final faction, led by King Velkis of Ossirna, who have formed a religious cult that worships the Mithral Mage, although it's become apparent King Velkis seeks to somehow take over the Mithral Mage's phylactery and usurp his position as the god of their religion." "Nice," laughed Cramer. "'Start off worshiping this guy, and then transfer your worship to me.' A good job, if you can get it." "Quite right," agreed Arcturus. "In the past some of the other factions have attempted to undermine my authority over the Seekers, but Velkis's attempt upon my granddaughter's life - which I am indeed grateful you were able to prevent - is the first time they have physically made an attack upon us. I fear my time leading the Seekers will soon be at an end, and without me to protect the members of my own faction, I will be unable to prevent their destruction by these...lich worshipers." Marlo had on her [I]circlet of persuasion[/I] and figured now was as good a time as any to push her own agenda forward: getting the Azure Glade to assist in the upcoming battle against the drow forces of Overreach, who would soon be attacking Greenvale - after all, Arcturus was the one who had brought up how much he owed the heroes for saving his granddaughter. Lauren added the details of the attacks upon her in Durnhill, when four elementals had been sent to slay her and the arena slaves had fought them off. But the capper was when the details of the prophecy wherein the five arena slaves would rescue "the metal man from Hell, who would put an end to the Undying One" was revealed, for Arcturus recognized in the tale the fact that they would be instrumental in finding and rescuing the Mithral Mage, which aligned very nicely with his own goals. "This is what I can do," offered Arcturus. "Tomorrow I will convene the Council of Guilds, the ruling body of the Azure Glade, in order to discuss your call for aid and assistance. But whatever their overall ruling, I can pledge the support of the Mithral Redeemers to your cause. I would ask, in return, that Greenvale be open to offering asylum to those members of my faction who might need to seek refuge from the other Seekers who will very well try to slay them." "I believe that can be easily arranged," promised Marlo. "Very well, then. I will see to it you are given room and board for the evening. Until tomorrow, then - and again, my thanks." True to his word, Arcturus put them up for the evening in a building in the richer part of the Guilded City. "I could get used to this," Utred observed. "These Mithral Redeemers are okay!" The next morning, Lauren led the group to the meeting hall of the Council of Guilds. They stood together in a group in the middle of a circular room, under the watchful gaze of nine members seated in alcoves above them, their chairs spaced equidistant along the perimeter of the circle. Lauren had explained the colors of the robes denoted the arcane school specialization of the Guild: diviners, as an example, wore gowns of white. The one exception was the man in gray robes, for he was no arcane spellcaster at all but the leader of the Church of [B]Boccob[/B], God of Knowledge. Each Guildmaster wore a mask covering his or her face, for their identities were not necessarily known to the city at large. The heroes, of course, knew the white-robed man seated above would be Arcturus. Arcturus explained why he had called this session together, then he gave the floor over to Marlo, who made a heartfelt plea for help for the Greenvale elves, her words aided by her [I]circlet of persuasion[/I]. After giving her speech and answering a few questions from various members of the Guild leaders, the representatives took a vote on whether or not to render aid. The Guilds of Abjuration, Conjuration, and Divination all pledged support for Greenvale. Khari frowned that only a third of the Guild members were on their side, but Marlo seemed pleased that they'd at least gotten that many - after all, she had no idea how many members there were in each Guild, but any number of wizards being added to the Greenvale armies could only be a good thing. The Guilds of Evocation, Necromancy, and Transmutation all voted against granting assistance to Greenvale; they had other, more pressing matters to attend to, they argued, and Greenvale was distant enough the Azure Glade was in no likely danger from the drow invasion of a land so far away. The three other Guilds - Evocation, Illusion, and the Church of Boccob - abstained from voting one way or another. "That's three for, three against, and three undecided - now what?" asked Cramer. The Council decided upon the following ruling: while the Azure Glade as a nation would remain neutral in the upcoming battle against the drow armies of Overreach, any who wished to aid Greenvale were welcome to do so in a mercenary capacity, making their own separate alliances with the beleaguered kingdom that did not bring the rest of the Azure Glade into any alliances or commitments. It was, Marlo admitted later to the others, more than she had hoped for. Upon the dissolution of the meeting, Lauren led the others to a smaller building nearby. Inside were 25 robed figures, all with the Seekers of Eternity neck tattoos like Lauren's, as well as Arcturus. They wore a variety of colors of robes, indicating members of various different Guilds were willing to come to Greenvale's aid; while the white Diviners were the largest group, the heroes saw robes of every color represented save for the black Necromancers and the gray robes of the Church of Boccob. "These are the immediate members of the Mithral Redeemers," Arcturus explained. "They will be aiding Greenvale and hiding there from those who would try to slay them. I will be staying behind with a few of my closest associates in our faction to try to recruit a few more members to your cause, but Lauren and these wizards will [I]teleport[/I] to Greenvale directly." "Do they know where they're going?" asked Cramer. "[I]Teleporting[/I] in the blind..." "They have [I]scried[/I] upon Greenvale and will appear just outside the city gates," Arcturus explained. "We would not want them mistaken for a marauding force." "I should probably try to send word of your impending arrival," began Cramer, suddenly realizing he did not have the means to do so currently at hand. But then Arcturus passed him over a scroll. "It's a [I]sending[/I] spell," he explained, smiling and adding, "There are times having a diviner at hand makes things so much easier." Cramer cast the spell, warning T'puuli Tine of the impending arrival of the wizards from the Azure Glade and assuring him they were allies. As part of the spell's casting, he received an acknowledgment from T'puuli that the message had been received and understood. "We're good," the little gnome informed the Diviners Guild leader. At Arcturus's nod, Lauren and the 25 wizards [I]teleported[/I] away, leaving only the six of them remaining in the building. "Now then, I have a final favor to ask of you," he said. "There was an abjurer by the name of [B]Dave Quillbender[/B] I was trying to recruit into the Mithral Redeemers, and due to certain events that man's life is now in jeopardy. The Lich Seekers - those wishing to follow the Mithral Mage into lichdom - are attempting to slay him and he's currently on the run. I would like you to find him and take him with you when you return to Greenvale. If you agree, I will [I]teleport[/I] you to Dave's last known location. Having saved my granddaughter - twice! - I have full faith in your abilities to keep this man alive and slay his would-be assassins." The heroes looked at each other for confirmation they were all behind this plan. "Sure," Cramer answered for the group. With another group of arcane syllables, Arcturus [I]teleported[/I] the five arena slaves to the interior of a darkened warehouse. One corner was illuminated by a series of candles, gathered around a [I]magic circle[/I] inscribed upon the floor - in some haste, judging by the way it seemed to be scrawled; most [I]magic circles[/I], in both Cramer's and Marlo's experience, were assembled with much more care and precision. There were three figures standing just outside the circle: a half-orc and two human women, the women dressed in dark combat leathers and wielding unsheathed weapons; the man in full plate armor. "Any sign of him?" one whispered softly to the others. "None," answered another. The half-orc was the closest to the heroes and the two dwarves could see quite clearly even in the flickering candlelight the shattered hourglass tattoo upon the back of his thick neck. Fortunately, there were boxes, barrels, and crates stacked haphazardly around the room, so Cramer was fully hidden from sight. In a low tone, he started casting a [I]bear's endurance[/I] spell upon himself, beefing his stamina before the upcoming fight, for he had no doubts these were the assassins seeking to slay Dave Quillbender. One of the women turned her head immediately in Cramer's direction. "What was that?" she demanded, having heard his quiet voice. Squinting in the dim light, she saw piles of boxes and crates...and the unmistakable head of a lizardfolk staring right back at her. Jhasspok, at a full six feet tall, towered over the two dwarves, gnome, and the diminutive human woman with whom he traveled and had not thought to duck his head upon suddenly arriving in an unknown warehouse. As the ranger focused her attention on the reptilian face, the other slaves scattered quietly to find hiding places in the deep shadows in the murky building. "Wh--what are you doing there?" the woman demanded, her two companions turning to see who she was addressing. They, too, were quite surprised to see a lizardfolk inside the warehouse with them. Jhasspok knew he had to come up with a good excuse for his presence - and quickly. His reptilian brain focused immediately upon the subject of so many of the former fisher slave's thoughts. "I cannot read the words on these crates," he said. "Can you tell me which ones contain fish?" "Wh--what?" repeated the astonished ranger. "I want to buy some fish," repeated Jhasspok. "Do not be concerned: I know all about how money works!" "How'd you get in here?" demanded the half-orc. "Through the door," Jhasspok replied, thinking it a logical answer and idly wondering where this door he was supposed to have entered through might actually be situated - he had no idea. "But getting back to the fish: where do you keep them?" "Um...in the marketplace?" suggested the ranger, slowly realizing she was dealing with an idiot. "Isn't this part of the marketplace?" asked Jhasspok, a look of confusion crossing his reptilian features. "No. It isn't." "Then where is this marketplace - the one with the fish?" Jhasspok looked around, as if it might somehow be within sight while standing inside a dark warehouse. "Back outside, take a right, down the street a ways." "Back outside..." echoed Jhasspok, looking around for the door. The exasperated ranger stepped forward to lead the idiot out of the building into which they were pretty sure they'd tracked down Dave Quillbender. Jhasspok stepped forward to walk beside her toward the door, mostly to allow his bulk to block the woman's view of what was behind him: the other four arena slaves hiding as best they could behind stacks of boxes. The ranger opened the door and pointed off to the street to her right. "That way," she said, her brow furrowed in puzzlement at the lizardfolk's appearance, for from the light spilling in from the open door she saw his turtle shell shield, his spears, and the battleaxe he held gripped in his right hand. This was not a lizardman on his way to the fish market.... At about the same time, the other woman caught sight of the other Overreach slaves hiding in the shadows. She started to warn the others but Marlo beat her with the words to the spell she'd been readying - and suddenly a tangle of black tentacles rose up from the warehouse floor, entangling the black-clad woman and the armored half-orc in the back of the warehouse by the hastily-scratched [I]magic circle[/I]. Seeing the jig was now up (and frankly, quite amazed Jhasspok had stalled successfully for as long as he had), Utred raced across the warehouse, his greataxe out and swinging toward the ranger, who was just now coming to the realization that she and her fellow assassins were under attack. The knowledge came too late, for as she swung her swords about in a defensive posture Utred's blade was already slicing into her upper arm. Her left arm went numb and she almost dropped the short sword she held in that hand as she gritted her teeth, convinced herself that there was no pain, and pressed on with the battle at hand. But now Khari Hammerslammer was upon her as well, his warhammer crashing into the side of her leg and almost causing her to fall to the warehouse floor. Jhasspok attacked her with his battleaxe as well, explaining to her as he did so - as if she hadn't figured it out by herself by this time - "I was lying about looking for fish." The half-orc did his best to wrest himself free from the black, rubbery tentacles starting to crush him to death - but fell just short of success. He grunted in the effort and immediately regretted the expulsion of air, for the constricting appendages were squeezing the breath out of him and black dots were already beginning to form at the edges of his vision. To pass out now, he realized, was to die; he redoubled his efforts, to no avail. Cramer, in the meantime, mentally triggered the [I]freedom of movement[/I] effect that came so freely to those who served Fharlanghn, God of Travelers, and stepped boldly into the mass of writhing tentacles. They were unable to get a grasp upon him as he stepped up to the struggling woman and cast an [I]inflict serious wounds[/I] spell upon her. There was little she could do to resist the spell; this was rather like shooting fish in a barrel (a simile the gnome was sure Jhasspok would appreciate, although then he supposed he'd have to explain what a simile was, and that there weren't actually any fish in any of the barrels...he mentally dismissed the very notion of ever using the phrase within the lizardfolk's hearing). Faced with three foes at hand, the ranger focused her attacks on the hulking lizardfolk who she blamed for the predicament she was in. Longsword and short sword flashed out in a flurry of strikes, Jhasspok doing his best to deflect the blades with his shield but failing twice; each blade managed to pierce him once between his scales, causing twin rivulets of blood to drip down his green body. But like his black-clad foe, he had trained himself to ignore the pain of any wounds he received until after combat had been completed and the lizardfolk fought on. But the combat didn't last much longer in any case, for Utred brought the ranger down with another blow from his greataxe. At that, Jhasspok set his weapon down on the warehouse floor, grabbed the dead ranger by her ankles, and dragged her back inside the warehouse while Khari stepped up to the door. "Mornin'," he smiled to a passerby on the street before closing the door tight, keeping anyone outside from seeing what was going on inside the building. The rogue struggled against her tentacular bondage, to no avail; she was helpless against the little gnome cleric's spell attacks and couldn't understand why the black tentacles were ignoring him as if he wasn't even there beside her. Khari, by the warehouse door - seemingly the only entrance into or out of the building - cocked his head to the side suddenly and strained to hear what he thought he'd just heard. Yes, there it was again: the unmistakable sound of a wheezing breath. Following the sounds of heavy breathing trying to be stifled, the dwarf walked up to a barrel and pulled the lid off it. There, inside, huddled an elderly human man in orange robes. As he fit the description of the man they had been sent to protect, Khari gave him a big, bearded smile and said, "Dave Quillbender, I presume? Arcturus sent us to see to your safety. We're just finishin' up with the others who were out to kill you." Marlo took the opportunity of two pinned and nearly helpless opponents to try out a new spell. She cast [I]phantasmal killer[/I] at the half-orc, curious to see the result of him imagining his worst fears had come to life. But the brute's mind was stronger than the sorcerer had imagined and he shrugged off the spell's effects much more easily than he was having any success in shrugging off the tentacles that were even now crushing the very life out of him. Beside him, the rogue was having no better luck with escaping Marlo's previously-cast spell. Cramer stepped nonchalantly out of the field of waving tentacles and cast a [I]spiritual weapon[/I] spell as he did so. A shimmering field of energy in the shape of a quarterstaff appeared in the air above his head, striking down to crush into the rogue's head with one flat end of its length. The rogue's head snapped back, her skull crushed in and her neck snapped; her head lolled at an unnatural angle as the tentacles crushed whatever life might have remained within her. Not wanting to miss out on any of the fun, Utred uncoiled his [I]life-flame whip[/I] as he stepped up to the field of tentacles and sent it snapping out to strike the half-orc's face - about all that was left uncovered by tentacles by this point. As Khari remained to help Dave out of the barrel in which he'd been hiding and Jhasspok pulled the dagger from the sheath at his hip to remove the eyes from the dead ranger on the warehouse floor before him (they were a delicacy, the lizardfolk had decided, even if none of the mammals he traveled with shared his opinion), Marlo cast an [I]empowered magic missile[/I] at the half-orc, hastening his path into death. But then, in an act of pure desperation, the half-orc gave a hiss of effort - all the air he had to spare in creating the roar of triumph he'd attempted - and pulled himself from the grip of the ebon tentacles entwining around his body. Staggering with each hard-fought step, he pulled himself out of the field of grasping appendages, even though in the act of doing so he received another whip-slash from Utred for his efforts. Cramer redirected his [I]spiritual quarterstaff[/I] at the assassin's head, then stepped up to the staggering brute and brought his little mace crashing into an armored kneecap. Almost dead upon his feet from the ruthless attack, Marlo surmised it wouldn't take much, at this point, to bring the oaf down and tested that theory with one of her weakest spells. The [I]acid splash[/I] struck the half-orc in the face and he fell dead to the floor like a felled tree. "It was a valiant effort, I'll give him that," remarked Cramer. The group grabbed whatever looked to be of value from the trio of assassins; most of their armor and weapons looked to be magical in nature, so whatever they couldn't personally use they were sure could be put to good use by those defending Greenvale in the upcoming skirmish with the Overreach drow. "I don't understand," Dave said to the five who had saved him from the assassins. "Why would Arcturus save me? I thought it was the Seekers of Eternity who were trying to kill me in the first place!" He pointed to the shattered hourglass symbols tattooed on the backs of the necks of the three dead assassins. "There are different factions of the Seekers," explained Marlo. "These guys are trying to take over the Seekers as a whole and remove the faction to which Arcturus belongs." She briefly caught the elderly wizard up on what she'd been told about the various splinter groups of the Seekers of Eternity. "But in the meantime," she finished, "We need to take you to somewhere you'll be safe from any further assassination attempts." "That sounds perfectly acceptable to me!" agreed Dave. Cramer explained about the passenger limitations he currently had with the [I]teleport[/I] spell and Dave agreed to ride in the [I]bag of holding[/I] with Jhasspok. The fact the elderly mage had missed out completely on the lizardfolk's quick eyeball snack helped him not feel threatened being alone, however briefly, with a six-foot-tall lizardman. But the others opened the [I]bag of holding[/I] mere moments after he had stepped in, and now Dave Quillbender found himself standing before the Pantheon Wall of Greenvale. "You'll be safe in here," Marlo assured him. Once inside Greenvale, T'puuli Tine took the five arena slaves aside and explained what they'd learned about the [I]Tarrasque soul prison[/I] since last they'd met in person. "There are two methods of activation," he said. "Smashing it releases the Tarrasque's soul permanently - and causes the creature to rampage directly to the area where the prison was shattered." "That sounds great!" enthused Cramer. "Then let's smash the thing in the middle of the Overreach and let the big monster do our work for us!" "Unfortunately," replied the celestial drider, "the Tarrasque's body currently lies in slumber on the other side of the world, in a land called Jakura. Smashing the [I]soul prison[/I] doesn't simply [I]teleport[/I] the beast to the site of its destruction, it causes the Tarrasque to head there in a direct path. Getting it to head to the Overreach from its present location will cause it to wreak a path of destruction along half the planet." "Oh," frowned the gnome. He liked the image of the Tarrasque taking apart the entire Underdark city of Overreach, but that was certainly not the way to go about it. Plus, he needed to find Honeycomb Buzzwort and free him before any thoughts of destroying Overreach could be entertained. "So what's the second method?" "There is an ornate ritual that can be performed to release the Tarrasque's soul and command it to action while still allowing it to be resealed inside the [I]prison[/I] afterwards. Both methods require the relic to be in the place the Tarrasque is to be brought to." "So even that second method brings it lumbering across the world?" asked Cramer. "What if we went to Jakura and performed the ritual there?" "I believe it would be best not to mess with the [I]soul prison[/I] at all," replied T'puuli. "Our main goal is not to use the Tarrasque ourselves, but to ensure the Mortal Queen is unable to use it." "Yeah, that makes a lot more sense," agreed Marlo. "So we're going to try to steal it away from the Mortal Queen?" "That is indeed the plan. Matron Ky'hulcressen will draw out the Mortal Queen and while she is distracted we will send you to in to infiltrate House Bel'vior to reobtain the [I]Tarrasque soul prison[/I]." "I like it," Cramer replied, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Striking a blow against the drow always put him in a good mood. "When do we start?" - - - This ended up being another short session, since Marlo's single casting of the [I]Evard's black tentacles[/I] did most of the work for us. But it was nice seeing the events of this adventure plugging in so seamlessly into the "Durnhill Conscripts" campaign: the poor diviner student taken away for aiding in the theft of a book from the Diviners Library was the poor schmuck Galen, Kaspar, and Syngaard had paid to remove the book for them after their own efforts failed spectacularly; that was Ashfall Dave we were saving from the assassins, grandfather to [B]Maria Quillbender[/B], cousin to Syngaard's dead wife. And, of course, the Durnhill conscripts slew Arcturus in the last campaign after he tried slaying their mentor Skevros in their own tavern headquarters, being brought to trial in the Azure Glade in the exact same circular courtroom our PCs found themselves in during this adventure. Running through "subsequent but concurrent" campaigns is kind of cool! 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