Session Five: TALK AND TALONS

Departing the Capital Hall, the party followed Tessel across to the opposite hill, where the mighty marble Temple Complex stood. As they approached, they saw the temple of Pelor on the left, the temple of Erathis on the right, and in the center, the temple of Bahamut. The paladin confidently strode through the main doors and found herself in a small chamber, where an acolyte sat behind a desk. After requesting a place to rest for the night, which was immediately granted, Tessel began to explain that the party was seeking information as well. They were directed to speak to the head cleric of the temple, Celestahn.

The party proceeded into a circular room with a font of holy water in the center flanked by four large statues of Bahamut. Inside stood a man wearing massive plate armor. He turned to them and spoke in a booming voice: “I am Celestahn, priest of Bahamut. Welcome, paladin!” United in their faith, the two greeted each other warmly, and Tessel explained that they had come looking for information about the demon they were tracking. “So it is true, then. Demons in Rakos...” the cleric intoned darkly.

He asked to hear what the party knew, and they explained what had happened so far. Celestahn identified two points of interest. First, he took note of the strange fact that they had encountered a devil on the road, who had interceded on behalf of Baldric. He voiced a suspicion: that Baldric had made a pact with a powerful devil, thereby becoming a warlock, while abandoning the demon to pursue its own aims. “Devils and demons would never work together,” he said, and explained the difference between the two: devils were creatures of order who sought to conquer and rule, while demons were creatures of chaos who sought only to destroy.

But that led him to his second observation: “This confuses me. Why have we not seen cities in flames? This demon is surely capable of greater destruction.” According to Celestahn, a demon would never pass up the opportunity to sow chaos unless it was working toward some even greater goal. Hearing this, Tessel spoke up: “Are there any magic artifacts or other sources of power that this demon might be looking for?” Celestahn went silent and thought for a moment. “There is one thing... Some years ago, a scroll was found in the catacombs beneath this temple. We could not identify it, so we sought the help of the Sage of the Silver Tower-- the former Sage, that is. He told us that it was a Gate scroll,” capable of opening a portal to the Abyss through which dozens or hundreds of greater demons could pour through. “We sent it to the Rangers for safekeeping.”

Shaken by this revelation, Celestahn offered to give the party more information on their foe, which they identified as a Vrock. But he was interrupted as the doors on the other side of the room swung open, and a five-year-old boy walked in the room, wearing a papier-mache copy of Celestahn’s armor and wielding a stick. He walked up to Tessel and struck her armor with the stick, calling out “I smite thee!” The paladin went down to the floor, playing along. Celestahn scolded him, “Cedric! This is a paladin of Bahamut!” “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were righteous,” Cedric replied. He then walked toward Valra and looked her up and down. “Are you a druid? Daddy says druids are just cats in disguise.” “No,” said the increasingly exasperated cleric, “I said they could turn into cats, among other animals.” The druid responded by immediately transforming into a panther, allowing the boy to pet her head.

Celestahn apologized for the interruption, but since that the party didn’t seem to mind, he decided to go ahead with the discussion of the Vrock. Pulling out a large tome, he opened it to show a terrifying illustration of the vulture demon, and went on to explain their strengths and weaknesses. They were resistant to most magical effects, as well as the elements of cold, fire, and lightning. Their skin would resist most weapons, except those imbued with magic or silver. Their shriek could stun almost any mortal who heard it. They were immune to poison, and they could spread a cloud of poisonous spores from their wings. A vial of holy water could cure this poison, however. Celestahn offered to lend some holy water to Tessel on the condition that she would consider her hunt to be a holy quest of the gravest importance. She agreed. Once all their questions were answered, they bade the cleric goodbye, and Cedric proudly led the party to their beds for the night, petting Valra one last time before leaving them to their rest.

The next morning, the party decided to head to the Warren, the headquarters of the Capital Rangers. Before they arrived, Daelon shared a word of caution. “I still consider us to be a party working on behalf of Cindre. Though most people seem to trust the Rangers, their leader is brother to the Duke of Revo.” Given the fact that Revo had just turned against Cindre, “it could be a sensitive situation.”

A guard at the entrance directed them down a dark, narrow hallway to the office of the Head Ranger, Rawlish Boswell. They were passed by a messenger clutching a rolled-up paper. Ardwyn attempted to stealthily snatch the paper, but accidentally ended up punching the messenger in the stomach. Doubling over in pain, he shot the dwarf a nasty look. “Don’t you know that’s how dwarves flirt?” she asked, twirling her hair. He departed in a hurry, and the party entered the Head Ranger’s office.

Inside, they found a big man behind a desk, wearing scale armor and an enormous greatsword. “Huh? Can I help you?” he asked impatiently. By prior arrangement, Daelon took the lead, asking careful, delicate, pointed questions about what the Rangers might know about the demon. Rawley (as he called himself) responded openly, complaining about the lack of manpower due to the upcoming Grand Council and gladly welcoming the party’s help. He was expecting to get the report from Birch soon (and eagerly asked about what the party found at Inverelle), but the only new piece of information was a potential demon sighting near the village of Tarnsworth, a day’s travel east of Balenor.

Daelon began to gently approach the subject of the Gate scroll, but Tessel, who had been asked by the party to keep quiet, finally ran out of patience and burst out with an explanation of what had happened at the temple. Ardwyn, hoping to divert the paladin, flew into a violent coughing fit, pulling the alarmed Tessel into the hallway with her. Rawley gave a hearty laugh before turning back toward Daelon. “So what’s this about the temple?” The wizard reluctantly relayed what they had heard about the Gate scroll and asked what had happened to it. “We sent it to the Treasury in Highrock for safekeeping, of course,” Rawley said. He paused. “Are you saying that the demon might be trying to summon a Gate to the Abyss?” Daelon nodded. Rawley stared back for a moment, before declaring, “Fuck.”

The party agreed with his assessment and decided that Highrock would be their next destination. Rawley informed them that a gnome employed by the Duchess of Highrock was in charge of the Treasury and would be able to give them more details. With that, the party set off. All except for Adamir. The ranger waited in silence until the door closed behind his departing companions.

(In actuality, Ardwyn had tried to stay behind, crack the door, and eavesdrop. But, slipping once again, she accidentally slammed the door shut. The rogue nonetheless attempted to listen in by putting her ear to the door, but she strained to hear the conversation on the other side.)

“Hello, uncle,” said Adamir quietly. Rawley scowled for a moment at this oddly familiar greeting, but after a moment of confusion, his face softened. “Adamir?” he asked, in wonder. “I thought you were dead...” Rawley, it seemed, had not recognized Adamir until now. But the half-elf had recognized Rawley as a member of his father’s ka-tet. They had not seen each other since his father’s murder. Rawley, caught off-guard, greeted Adamir with awkward warmth, clearly not knowing what to say.

Adamir, on the other hand, had questions. He asked the Head Ranger to tell him everything about the day his father died. Rawley proceeded to haltingly tell the tale: they had made the mistake of taking an anonymous job, which was to involve driving off a small band of orcs in the nearby grasslands. But when they arrived, they instead found a full war party, and the orcs seemed to be expecting them. Badly injured, they were able to escape. Rawley believed they had not left a trail, “but clearly I was mistaken.” Adamir’s father had bitterly accused Adamir’s elven grandfather of setting them up, but said that he was sure his home would be safe, since the grandfather would never endanger Adamir’s mother. Later, the rest of the ka-tet got the news. “Bilston heard from the elves that all three of you had been killed by orcs. She was so upset, she left the Vastwood entirely, without even saying goodbye to that druid she’d been training. Gerra and I left as well... It was a dark time in my life.”

Adamir shared his own memory of that night: that before he was knocked out by a falling beam, he could swear he saw his grandfather stabbing an orc, shouting “too soon!” Rawley quietly absorbed this troubling story. “You know,” he said after a moment, “I’ve tried to keep my ear to the ground, listening for word about your grandfather. I may know where he’s heading. In fact...” He trailed off. “But, no, not yet. Adamir, you’re about to go hunting a demon. I don’t want you distracted. You go deal with this monster, come back here, and we’ll have a chat about your grandfather. Maybe we can go hunting together again. Like old times.”

There was little else to say. Adamir asked for any assistance or supplies that Rawley could offer. The Head Ranger said he had no money to offer, but took the half-elf into the neighboring room (brushing awkwardly past Ardwyn, still stationed at the door), where the Capital Rangers stored their arms and armor. Adamir was able to find a quiver of six silver arrows, and took a new set of splint mail armor for Tessel to use. With this new equipment in hand, he rejoined his companions outside the Warren. They asked what he had been doing, but Ardwyn interjected: “They were, like, ranger bonding over ranger stuff, and you’re a terrible liar Adamir. Let’s go!”

The party set off for some of the nicer shops that were clustered near the center of the city. Ardwyn spent the gold piece she had found in Saphira’s couch to buy a small lump of wax that could serve to deafen the party from the Vrock’s dangerous screech. Looking for more funds, they visited a dwarven alchemist, where Adamir attempted to sell the wereboar hair that he had acquired. “What? Does wereboar hair have alchemical properties?” asked the confused dwarf. But he was eventually persuaded to buy the hair for a mere 2gp. Luckily, just then, the party remembered that they had collected some money from Danica’s body after defeating her ambush a few days ago. Daelon decided to buy a vial of acid from the alchemist, while Valra and Adamir bought a few extra silver arrows in preparation for the fight ahead.

With their preparations complete, Ardwyn  suggested one final detour. Leading the party toward the rougher parts of town, she started looking for an appropriately seedy inn or tavern where she could get information from her fellow rogues. Sure enough, she spotted graffiti on the side of a building and immediately recognized it as Thieves Cant. The message promised information and gave directions to a nearby intersection.

Taking Adamir along as her bodyguard, Ardwyn approached the indicated alley and found a man leaning against the wall, whittling a small piece of wood. They greeted each other in Thieves’ Cant before she began to ask about where she might find Danica, not mentioning that the elf had died trying to ambush the party. At first, the man was uncooperative. Seeing her confusion, he explained that he was an information dealer, and that he would need to be paid “in coin or in kind”. At first, Ardwyn tried to haggle his price down from 10gp, with some success. But, unwilling to give up her last few coins, she instead tried to signal her bodyguard to rough up the man, though she was unable to communicate this clearly. Still, Adamir spoke up, telling the man that they could confirm that there was only one Capital Ranger currently in the entire city. Perking up at this, the shady information dealer started to answer their questions. Apparently, Danica had left town four days ago, heading north toward Inverelle.

But he also shared a more interesting tidbit: about three days ago, someone had arrived in town and shaken up the local Thieves’ Guild, “throwing lots of money around”. He didn’t know much about this new arrival, but had heard the name “Baldric” through the grapevine. Satisfied, Ardwyn asked for the man’s name, in case she ever wanted to find him again. “Cyrano,” he answered with a smile. “You can find me right here most days.”

Fully prepared, they set off on the road, deciding to skip over the village of Tarnsworth and head straight for Highrock. A few days later, about halfway to their destination, they encountered a large carriage on the road, which was flanked by several mostly-dwarven guards. “Keep your distance!” warned the woman who seemed to be leading them. “The Duchess of Highrock is proceeding to Balenor for the Grand Council!” Daelon approached and asked to speak to the Duchess. A voice from inside the carriage called out in response. “Let them in, Lena. I’ll speak to them.” The carriage came to a halt.

As the party climbed inside, they found themselves speaking to an old halfling woman with short white hair and a wrinkled face. Daelon identified her as Nellis Mirra, the Duchess of Highrock. “Are you here about the...” she prompted. Daelon nodded in response. She smiled and continued. “The demon? ...I was expecting to see a squadron of Rangers. But we’ll take what help we can get.”

The Duchess went on to explain what had happened in Highrock. “Several days ago, the demon attacked from the skies, heading straight into the Treasury. We were unable to stop it, but several of our brave guards were able to seal it inside.” She went on to tell them that her steward, a gnome by the name of Davros, was in charge of managing the Treasury. He would be able to tell them more and grant them access. Thanking her, they departed and continued on their journey.

After a few more days of travel through open green hills, the party arrived at the city of Highrock. As they approached, it looked like nothing more than a circular wall, standing alone on a flat plain. When they passed through the gate, they found that the the city was just built into the ground, with hundreds of small hill dwellings lit by skylights, and small stalls and parks above. In the center of the city was a huge circle of stone. A guard at the inner gate identified it as the Citadel of Highrock and sent them in, directing them to an inner room.

There they met Davros, an irritable gnome constantly adjusting the tiny set of spectacles resting on his nose. “I suppose you’re the ones who will save us all from this demon, then?” he asked, his voice flat. “Let me be clear. This is already the greatest disaster to strike Rakos in over a century.” He explained that the demon had been sealed inside the Treasury, but it had surely destroyed many (if not all) of the items kept inside. Luckily, the Gate scroll, along with “any other items that could be used by a potential thief to enter or escape”, was kept in a specially-warded chest. There was no guarantee that the demon would be able to be kept out forever, but Davros was hopeful that it had not broken through yet.

He explained what would come next. “I have placed a magical lock upon the entrance to the Treasury. I have set a magical alarm on the other side to ensure that the demon is not too near. I can suppress the lock briefly to let you pass. When you return, you will identify yourself by means of a passphrase of your choosing.” The party choose “Galby sucks”. “Ah,” said Davros, “Galbasux. Very well. I won’t ask what it means. One last thing. Do not think that you can take whatever you like from the Treasury. I know exactly what it contains, and if anything is not accounted for, the Duchess will be hearing about it. Are you ready, then?” He then led the party through the corridors until they reached a gate that was blocked by a huge disc of stone. The gnome ordered a couple of guards to shift the stone, and he then proceeded to whisper something to the gate. It opened, and he stepped aside. The party passed through, and the door was closed, locked, and sealed behind them.

They were plunged into utter darkness and silence, made worse by the wax that each of them had pressed into their ears. Most of the party could see in the dark, but Tessel needed to light a torch to see ahead. However, they worried that the torchlight might alert the demon to their presence. It was decided that Ardwyn would proceed slightly ahead of the others, stealthily scouting the halls and reporting back what she saw. With this plan in place, they began walking down the ramps, further and further beneath the ground.

As they walked, they encountered a series of horrors. First they found the bloodied, mutilated bodies of the guards who had been locked inside the Treasury. One corpse was being continually stabbed by some kind of enchanted dagger. At the bottom of the ramps, they began to see what had happened to the storage rooms. In one, piles of silver and gold had been scattered and partially melted. In others, precious books and documents were burned to ash or ripped into pieces. Another held a variety of objects, most of which had been apparently dissolved in a pool of acid. One held four apparently precious magical objects that had been utterly destroyed, as well as one intact specimen: a shining, perfectly spherical black orb.

Once they reached the middle of the storage rooms, Tessel took the opportunity to call upon her Divine Sense. It seized her with the sudden knowledge that a fiend was indeed present, perched on the side wall of the final storage room. The party gathered to put together a plan of attack. They determined that they should capitalize on the element of surprise and rush the demon all at once. Daelon was the first to run in, and he found the vrock, a foul creature with huge wings and claws, clinging to the wall exactly where he expected it.

The wizard began the assault with a flurry of spells, summoning a Flaming Sphere and slamming it into the demon twice, plus throwing a fire bolt and his vial of acid for good measure. The demon was able to resist much of these spells, but the acid, along with a well-shot silver arrow from Adamir , struck true. Valra nearly stumbled on her way in, but she called on her Lucky Ducky and was able to follow on the ranger's heels, casting Faerie Fire along the way. Miraculously, the spell penetrated the demon’s spell resistance, surrounding it in purple flames. Ardwyn, tapping into her expertise as an assassin, expertly threw her magic dagger at the monster, piercing through its thick hide in just the right spot to injure it severely. Tessel waited until the right moment, then ran in and cast a magical Protection from Evil on the rogue.

Enraged by this sudden and devastating attack, the vrock launched itself into the middle of the group, attacking Tessel with its beak and Ardwyn with its claws. It followed up by throwing its wings wide, scattering a cloud of poisonous spores. Most of the party was able to fight off its effects, but Adamir felt the poison sink in. Luckily, Tessel was quick to empty a vial of holy water on the ranger before the poison could seriously hurt him. Ardwyn teleported to recover her dagger and ran to attack again, while Valra and Adamir struck with more silver arrows, aided by Valra's Faerie Fire.

The vrock, now truly at the edge of death, unleashed its terrifying screech. Thanks to their homemade ear plugs, they were again able to mostly resist the awful sound, but Ardwyn, standing right next to the demon, caught the full blast, momentarily stunning her. The demon took the opportunity to fly over to the other side of Tessel and Adamir, again lashing out with its beak and claws. But a final flurry of fire from Daelon struck the vrock once more with his Flaming Sphere, finally killing it. With one last demonic shriek, it melted into a pool of vile ichor.

Adamir used the empty holy water vial to scoop up a few drops of ichor as proof of their victory. After briefly looking around, they decided to head back (without pilfering any of the intact treasures). They uttered their passphrase “Galby sucks”, and after a moment the door slid open once again, and they stepped back into the Citadel...

Session Four: BEASTS AND BURDENS

After a few more hours on the road, Valra noticed a hidden Druidic message on the edge of the forest: “Mortal danger. Unnatural beast in forest. Road is safe.” The others were alarmed, but since they had no plans to enter the forest anyway, they continued on their way.

That night, as they got the campfire started, a chipmunk appeared, examining Ardwyn first, then hopping down to see the rest of the party. All of a sudden, it transformed into an elf-- a druid! The elf bluntly informed the party that a “fell beast” in the shape of a boar was killing travelers, and only the intervention of the elves of the forest was keeping the road safe (since the beast avoided getting too near to them). But, he declared, he could see that the party was able to handle itself in battle. Therefore, the elves were going to retreat, and the party was going to slay this beast. “Build your fire high tonight,” he told them.

This one-sided declaration was met with hostility from Ardwyn and the others. The elf did not improve their disposition by deriding Adamir and Valra for “smelling of the city” and not being “a true druid”. As their mutual dislike grew, the strange elf only reluctantly gave information on the threat, revealing that it had shrugged off a shot from his longbow and that it had “mostly targeted dwarves”. Only Tessel indicated a sure willingness to help, but this was enough for the elf, who departed into the forest in a huff.

The party decided to try to prepare for this unwelcome surprise as best they could. Adamir and Ardwyn spent a few hours digging a trench, while Tessel stoked the fire to great heights. Valra decided to prove her druidic prowess by transforming into a bear, but unfortunately was unable to sniff out the boar. Daelon, for his part, went into his trance and rested.

Several hours after dark, the boar finally emerged. But to the party’s surprise, it appeared to be more of a boar-person hybrid, standing on two feet and gripping a massive maul in its hands. Snorting and snarling, it charged toward the party.

Two members of the party were especially fast to respond. Adamir fired off a well-aimed shot from his longbow, hoping to keep his distance from the creature, but to his dismay, the arrow merely bounced off the beast’s hide. Tessel ran forward, striking the boar with her longsword, but similarly drew no blood. The quick-thinking Adamir, seeing that his arrows were of little use, pulled out the new toys he bought from Jilbin, the Spicy Buffalo Rings. Three rays of fire sprouted from the rings on his hand, arcing through the air and striking the boar, scorching it and causing it to roar in pain.

Ardwyn, crafty as ever, had stealthily hid in the woods before the boar arrived, but she now saw that her options to attack were limited. Recalling the creature’s apparent hatred of dwarves, she stood out in the boar’s path, shouting out a string of vicious insults, trying to draw it towards the fire. “Bitch,” growled the boar as it charged towards her. The beast succeeded in goring her with his massive tusks, though the swing of his massive maul did not find its target.

The party wracked their brains trying to recall any useful knowledge about a monster such as this. It was Daelon who suddenly understood: “Of course! It’s a shapeshifter! A lycanthrope! A wereboar!” He struck it with a Flaming Sphere and began to ram it into the creature, painfully burning it over and over again.

The beast initially shook off Valra's signature Faerie Fire spell, but when she heard that it was a shapeshifter, she cast a druidic Moonbeam spell, calling down a cylinder of silver light. When it hit the wereboar, it screamed as its skin sizzled and split, shrinking down into the form of an ordinary dwarf (albeit naked, angry, and with oddly boarlike features).

Around this time, the party’s prisoner, Avisha, decided to make a run for it. Struggling in her bounds, she shimmied off into the woods as fast as she could. Tessel caught up to her with little effort, held her ropes to a tree, and magically fixed her Stiffy Staff in place to bind the captive woman to the tree.

Adamir, running out of options, charged the dwarf and shoved him into the pit he had dug before. The dwarf fell prone, even dropping his maul for a moment, but was able to climb out of the pit. With his beast blood, he was able to continue taking all this punishment and keep fighting, but the party was slowly wearing him down. The ranger followed this up by lighting a torch and attacking again, but though the fire dismayed the dwarf, his attack were still unable to pierce the wereboar’s skin, even in its humanoid form.

Ardwyn, having put a safe distance between herself and the wereboar, threw her new Tagger Dagger, and was glad to see that its magical blade succeeded in hurting the wereboar. She quickly teleported to the dagger, retrieving it for a follow-up attack. But before she could strike again, the mad dwarf swung twice with his maul, knocking her to the ground, leaving her unconscious and on the verge of death.

Daelon fired a quick Fire Bolt, finally killing the wereboar... Or so he thought. Incredibly, the reeling beast recovered its balance and prepared to attack again. Luckily, Valra’s Moonbeam continued to follow her target as he moved, and with one final burst of burning silver light, the wereboar finally fell dead. Tessel quickly revived Ardwyn with her holy healing powers. The party burned the body in the raging fire and took a well-deserved rest.

Leaving camp the next day, Ardwyn again found herself facing a chipmunk in a tree. Recalling the druid from the day before, she pulled out the Mouthbeast, using the puppet to ask the cute animal if it was just a normal chipmunk. “What you mean, just normal chipmunk?” it replied indignantly. Just then, the strange druid walked up from further up the road. “WHAT are you doing?” he demanded haughtily. After dispensing with his confusion, he gruffly thanked them for killing the wereboar, and offered a handful of herbs that would prevent any lycanthropy infection from taking hold. Ardwyn, thinking it better to be safe than sorry, applied the herbs to her wounds before the party continued to Inverelle.

Upon reaching the village, the party was met by a very young woman, who seemed to be in charge. The woman demanded to know the party’s business and why they were carrying a captive into town. “You’re in luck,” she told them. “There’s a Ranger in town.” She directed them to the man further in town, a member of the country’s Capital Rangers.

The Ranger introduced himself as Birch. He recognized Avisha as a member of “Danica’s crew”, seemed unsurprised to hear that they had been caught on the wrong side of the law. He used a magic set of iron bands to bind Avisha and, knocking her to the ground, forced her to drink from a small canteen he produced from his pocket. “You try to break those bounds or make a run for it,” he told her, “and your heart will burst before you make it ten paces.” He took the party around a corner and took a swig from the bottle himself, revealing it as harmless. “Usually scares them enough that they don’t try anything” he explained. “Now what brought you to Inverelle?” The party explained that they were investigating the attack, and Birch brought them over to the burned-out tavern to discuss what had happened.

He explained that he had been investigating the wreckage and speaking to the few surviving witnesses. His working theory was that it was, indeed, a demonic attack, that nobody fitting Baldric’s description had been seen, and that it seemed to be a “recreational” attack. The disaster had left “a lot of widows and orphans”, including Maya, the young woman who had declared herself the “acting mayor” of the town. Adamir inspected the grounds and saw the evidence in the rubble, including bones that may have been damaged by claws or talons. The party informed him that it may not have been a demon after all, relating the story of Sylvan’s trickery. The Ranger promised to take this into consideration, but confessed his confusion. After all, he said, the witnesses had described a flying, vulture-like creature, not a mage.

The party, presuming that the attacker would continue south toward the city of Balenor, headed back toward the main road. Along the way, Daelon told them that it was imperative that they destroy the demon before the Rangers; otherwise it would be interpreted as other duchies picking up Cindre’s slack.

“Pardon me.” Their walk was suddenly interrupted by a devil appearing behind them at the crossroads. “Relax! I’m only here to talk.” The devil (who revealed that he was appearing as a magical projection and thus “not really here”), proposed a deal: he would tell them about the demon’s aims and location, but only if they would pledge not to pursue Baldric any further.

Tessel was the first to refuse. “Ah, Tessel,” said the devil, “uncompromising as ever. I expected nothing less.” But he pressed the paladin, asking if no champions of Bahamut had ever compromised for peace, and if order was not preferable to chaos. But she stormed off, ready to lead the others away from evil.

They did not immediately follow. The devil tried to persuade the others. Valra stubbornly refused to answer to his offers of “enlightenment”, while Daelon was unconvinced by his pressure to “help clean up Cindre’s mess”. The devil offered to “sweeten the pot,” tantalizingly telling Ardwyn that “I know where your sister is”. But even this was ultimately not enough to sway the party, and after Tessel came storming back, this time they followed her away. “Despite everything, I’m surprised at you,” said the devil, as he disappeared in a swirl of smoke. Adamir checked for some means of tracking it, but found none. Returning themselves to their path, the party continued onward.

They reached Balenor the next day, passing through the giant crumbling walls and ring of abandoned buildings of the old capital city. Eventually, the party reached the center of the city, where the nicer shops, the Temple Complex, and the Capital Hall were located. Ardwyn asked around and heard about an alchemist and a shop for magic weapons, but Daelon suggested visiting the Capital Hall and dropping in on the Cindrean ambassador to get an update on what the Duke was up to.

The ambassador turned out to be a charming and somewhat flighty young woman named Saphira Greydale, the younger sister of the infamous Galby. She warmly greeted them and offered drinks, though Valra spotted that she was served from a separate pitcher. The druid looked closer at the pitchers, prompting Saphira to offer to trade glasses; it turned out that hers was a non-alcoholic version of the fruity drink, but she happily downed Valra’s glass in one gulp.

Saphira informed them that the Duke had “set everything to right” in the city and had set off for Balenor a couple days ago. She asked them where they were headed next, and cried out in horror when Daelon pulled out his hand-drawn map. She quickly searched through her cabinets and pulled out a map of Rakos for them to examine. Saphira went on to chat about some of the other regions, including Valen (“all they have up there is snow and orcs”), Highrock (“now that’s where I’d want to live if I were a sheep”) and Cindre itself (“in my great grandfather’s day you were either a pirate or a farmer, but now!”).

Fortified by the drinks and the spirited conversation, the party said their goodbyes and exited to the streets of Balenor once more, though not before Ardwyn rescued a forgotten gold coin from the cushions of Saphira’s couch...

Map of Rakos

Session Three: TREATS AND TRICKS

Rushing over to Sylvan’s corpse, Daelon patted out the flames on the dead sage’s scrolls, trying to recover as many as he could. With this done, he searched the body, discovering a magical glass lens ringed with ornately-carved gold, which he pocketed for later.

Galbarth Greydale re-entered the room, having watched the battle from the safety of the side room. Ardwyn and Adamir immediately surrounded him, distracting him with a strange and intimidating dance until the hapless man was able to extricate himself. “I’ll send a rider out for the duke to let her know what happened,” he suggested. “You all can finish handling these two [captured bards] and get some rest.” With that, he left, saying he would search for the remaining loyal guards.

The bards were duly interrogated, but yielded little new information. It seemed that both of them had joined Sylvan more for the impressive speed of his coup rather out of any real belief in his cause. One of the guards, seeing that there was no way to talk himself out of imprisonment, even admitted to recognizing the Faerie Fire spell that Sylvan had pretended was “demon fire”.

Galby returned alongside a large dark-skinned man in battered armor, who introduced himself as Djonnos, or Jon for short. “And where were you during all of this?” asked Ardwyn, with a hint of accusation. “Following Galbarth’s orders, of course,” he answered. “We did what we could to gather the loyal guards and make an assault on the great hall, but, well...” He gestured to the bodies scattered throughout the room. “I’m just grateful that Galby was able to find you and lead you back here.”

Galby again suggested sending a rider to inform the duke of what had happened, but the party was skeptical that a single rider would be certain to navigate any dangers remaining near the city. Daelon spoke up to note that he had been able to identify some of the recovered scrolls (except for a single especially-complicated one), and they included a scroll of Sending, which would allow them to send a 25-word message to the duke and receive a reply in like kind.

The party took a moment to carefully craft a 25-word message, informing the duke of what had occurred, mentioning Rath and Baldric, and closing with the code word “Galby sucks”. Less than a minute after the message was sent, a reply came back: “Already heard about attack on Cindre, turned army around. I ride ahead, will arrive by morning. Appreciate the warnings. Good work so far. Galby sucks.” With that, they took a well-deserved rest in the guest rooms upstairs.

The next morning, they were woken by a nudge from a servant (except for Ardwyn, who coolly warned the man not to touch her), informing them that the duke was downstairs awaiting them. On the walk down, Adamir quietly questioned Daelon about the nature of the final scroll. The wizard began to explain, but upon hearing the ranger’s exclamation (“holy shit!”), the rest of the party became curious as well. Tessel recognized the Planar Ally spell from her training as a paladin: it would allow them to beseech a god for aid and receive some otherworldly servant, who, for the right price, could then be persuaded (or magically bound) to do a service for the spellcaster. Tessel surmised that this was how Sylvan had originally summoned the demon.

They soon entered the meeting room, where they found the duke shuffling through reports, still wearing her armor and the dust of the road. She invited them to sit down, and Adamir opened the discussion by asking for payment. The duke was quick to grant 250gp to each of them, and even to allow them to permanently keep the magical items on loan, but she insisted that this was only a “bonus” and that the job was not complete until the demon was dealt with.

The duke went on to proclaim that the events of the past few days to be “a fucking disaster”. “The city is full of looters and terrified commoners, half my guards are dead, the war with Valen is a fucking mess, and I was embarrassed in front of my entire army.” She revealed that, after her army had turned around, her ally (the duchy of Revo) had surrendered rather than fight against Valen alone. In exchange for peace, Revo had agreed to support Valen and to call a new Grand Council (a meeting of the dukes). Now the legal basis for the war (and all of Daelon's hard work on that front) was in jeopardy.

The duke also had questions for the party, starting with Valra. “Druid, we have a captured guard who swears that he saw you summoning ‘demon fire’. Care to explain yourself?” Valra told her about the Faerie Fire and other spells. “Do you mean to tell me,” said the incredulous duke, “that this madman took over my city with a bunch of PARLOR TRICKS? Didn’t he know I had an ARMY?” The party could only shrug. “Then tell me, what exactly happened at the Tower?”

After hearing their story, the duke put her head in her hands. “So that’s how the demon showed up. We received a report this morning that a village called Inverelle was burned.” The duke tasked the party with tracking down and destroying the demon as soon as possible (likely starting at Inverelle), then meeting her in Balenor (the capital) to help with the Grand Council. The Council would start in about two weeks, and would last another three or four after that, so she presumed that there would be plenty of time.

In parting, the duke suggested that they get whatever supplies they may need from the shops in town, perhaps including the magic items from Jilbin’s shop. Daelon spoke up to comment that this was an excellent idea, though he knew Jilbin to be “a bit of a strange one”.

That turned out to be a polite understatement. Jilbin’s shop, located in the back alleys of a commercial district, turned out to be little more than a small room with a huge oak tree growing out the ceiling. Jilbin herself was a small gnome, who leapt to her feet when the party arrived. “You! Whatsyername!” she cried, pointing at Adamir. He declined to answer. The gnome turned to Tessel, still pointing at the ranger. “You! Whatshisname?” she yelled again. “Adamir”, replied the confused paladin. The gnome whispered the name to a small white envelope, then threw it into the air, where it folded itself into a paper airplane and gently glided toward Adamir, unfolding itself and falling into his hands. “Ha! I call it the Airmail Envelope!” said Jilbin, throwing a small card toward the ranger that gave a small description and price for the item.

So it went for the others. “You! Druid, right? So... you like animals! Here! And... here! Yes yes.” Jilbin handed a series of animal-themed items to Valra, and went on to each member of the party, placing strange items before them for their consideration. “Can you believe that Jilbin was passed over for the position of Sage of the Silver Tower?” asked Daelon. “How differently things might have gone!” Jilbin agreed, demonstrating her “Sandwriting” invention by throwing a handful of dust in the air, which briefly floated in the shape of the words “Sylvan is a twat”.

After much consideration, Tessel ended up buying the Airmail Envelope and Sandwriting, as well as the Stiffy Staff (an iron rod that could be magically fixed in place), Zoomy Bloomies (a pouch of flower seeds that could grow instantly), and the Deathoscope (a spyglass that revealed how long someone had been dead). Daelon bought the Zippy Skippes (pebbles guaranteed to skip on water) and Jarring Jar (a scream trapped in a glass jar), while Adamir chose to buy the Splattercat (a whittled cat figurine that could absorb falling damage) and the Spicy Buffalo Rings (a set of three rings with the power to shoot rays of fire).

Ardwyn spent some time considering the Mouthbeast, a sock puppet that allowed the user to speak to animals, and she decided to give it a try. Spotting a squirrel on the oak tree, she spoke through the Mouthbeast: “how do you keep your tail so lustrous?” The squirrel, obviously touched by the compliment, stroked her fluffy tail and chattered back. “Take good care of it!” But Ardwyn ultimately chose to be practical, purchasing the Tagger Dagger (which allowed the wielder to teleport to its location) and two Masquereggs (which could each be used to craft a magical disguise).

Valra was the only one to spot Ardwyn's conversation with the squirrel, and she quietly took Jilbin aside. After a whispered conversation and an exchange of gold coins, Jilbin presented the Mouthbeast to the rogue as a free gift. For her own part, Valra purchased only one item: the Lucky Ducky, a duck statuette that grants an occasional lucky break to whoever carries it.

After their purchases were complete, Jilbin’s eyes suddenly filled with tears of gratitude. “You just bought more than anyone ever has,” she said with a quavering voice. But she soon perked up again. “I’ll make more! Yes, I’ll meet you in Wayport with more magical things!” The gnome scratched the location of the city of Wayport on the party’s hastily-drawn map, then started to hastily put away the clutter of unsold items, seeming to forget about the party’s presence in an instant.

They hit the road soon after, and by dusk they were able to reach the village of Fairway for the third time. Upon entering the inn, they again found Tuck, the old villager who they had encountered on each of their visits. This time, however, he was in better spirits, surrounded by other villagers at a large table. “There they are,” he shouted as they entered, “the ones who I was telling you about! The ones who slew the demon!” The party was soon awash with new fans, and tried to tell their own versions of the story. Valra, hoping to get a bit of space, used her Druidcraft to give off the faint odor of a skunk, but the adoring tavern-goers politely tried to ignore this. After some prodding from Ardwyn, one villager even drew a crude picture of a horse as a gift for the druid (with a tiny skunk in the corner as well). After a long evening with lots of attention and lots of free drinks, the party finally made it to bed.

The journey to Inverelle would take about five more days, however, and for the first time since arriving in Rakos, the next few days passed uneventfully.

Eventually they met a group of travelers on the road that stood out from the usual traffic, including a half-orc with a greataxe, a dark-skinned woman with a bow, an extremely stout pair of twins, and a red-haired elf leading the entire group. “Hail, friends!” The elf introduced herself as Danica and chatted briefly with Daelon, claiming to be the leader of another party of adventurers as she approached.

But when she reached the wizard and shook his hand, she drew a hidden dagger and jammed it toward the wizard’s gut. Only a reflexive magical Shield was able to deflect the attack. Cursing, Danica slipped behind her compatriots as they pressed the attack.

The battle began as a farce, with both of the twins utterly failing to hit Tessel. One of the twins flailed out with his club so hard that he dropped it, and Adamir retaliating by losing control of his shortsword in the same way. Daelon and Danica traded insults in Elvish, while the half-orc proved to be so surprised by the surprise attack that she briefly forgot to join in.

Nonetheless, the fighting quickly turned fierce. Daelon began with his trademark Sleep, but only the archer fell victim to his spell. Valra cast Faerie Fire, highlighting Danica in purple flames. Ardwyn moved to grab the fallen club, but ended up grappled by the twin who had dropped it. After a struggle, she was able to throw the thug to the ground and finish him off with her dagger. Without his usual backup, the other twin was soon set upon by Adamir’s twin swords.

Seeing the tide turning, Danica shouted to her remaining minions: “Kill that fucking wizard before he gets away!” The half-orc dutifully pursued Daelon with her greataxe as he tried to maneuver his Flaming Sphere toward Danica, who in turn struck Adamir with a sneak attack. Luckily, Valra was able to fit a Healing Word between shots of her shortbow, and Tessel was able to heal Daelon just before running up to the half-orc and sending her lifeless body flying with a divine smite.

With her party mostly dead, Danica tried one final ploy: running up to the injured Ardwyn and threatening to strike her down unless the party backed away. The rogue flirted in response. Tessel quickly cast a Sanctuary spell, redirecting Danica’s attack toward herself. With the danger gone, Daelon threw a final Fire Bolt, catching Danica in the chin and sending her to the ground, finally dead.

That left the archer, quietly snoring on the ground. Valra relieved her of her longbow, while Adamir expertly hogtied her, leaving her face in the dirt when the Sleep spell wore off. Adamir began a harsh interrogation, but even his kicks and threats failed to elicit even a word of response. Tessel took the next turn, lecturing the tied-up woman on justice, but the woman only began to laugh. As she laughed harder, the paladin saw the reason for her silence: she had no tongue.

The party needed information, and was only getting spat upon by this stubborn captive. Daelon eventually decided to try a Charm Person spell, despite knowing that it was unlikely to succeed. In a stroke of luck, the charm took hold, and the archer suddenly became as friendly and cooperative as she was recalcitrant before. With paper and quill in hand, the woman (who identified herself as Avisha) began to answer their questions.

Avisha claimed that she lost her tongue as a child in Artha, a nation across the sea to the southeast. Danica had led her and the others to try to kill the party for a simple reason: money. They had been hired by a somewhat nondescript man who fit the description of Baldric. In her charmed state, Avisha promised not to follow or attack her captors if they would just agree not to kill her.

This was not an obvious decision, as killing her was Adamir’s first suggestion. She would have done the same to them, after all. But Tessel spoke her mind plainly: “in good conscience, I cannot kill this woman”. Valra and Daelon suggested simply leaving her tied up, out of sight and out of mind. Avisha herself wrote the suggestion that was ultimately adopted: the party could take her to Inverelle and leave her captive there. She had traveled through recently, and despite the demon’s attack, the town was far from deserted. The party agreed, though they left the job of carrying the woman to Tessel. Adamir finished their work by expertly tying the woman up, with her full cooperation, before Daelon canceled his charm and allowed her to return to her original hostility.

With their new captive in hand, the party again set off on the road to Inverelle...

Session Two: SONGS AND SAGES

Floor by floor, Ardwyn, Adamir, Valra, Tessel, and Daelon climbed to the top of the Silver Tower, passing by the assembly hall and libraries until they entered the quarters of the Teachers, the Masters, and the Sage.

Marcilinus, carried along on Tessel’s back, informed the party that his colleague Rath was being imprisoned in the Sage’s closet. After the party (with Valra’s Guidance) thoroughly checked for traps, Daelon opened the closet and found the fat halfling bard sitting in the corner, bound and gagged. Though they didn’t trust him immediately, the party was soon convinced to release him, and he quickly deduced that they had been sent from the Duke.

Rath’s first priority, however, was taunting Marcilinus. “Welllll, look what happened here! I always knew it would end like this, but you made it happen even sooner than I thought!” After confirming with the party that they were not planning to let the already-injured mage die, Rath clocked him on the chin, knocking out Marcilinus yet again.

With that business out of the way, Rath and the party began swapping information, trying to piece together the events of the past few days. After some brief arguments with Ardwyn and Daelon as he vigorously asserted the Tower’s independence, Rath apologized for being “testy” and shared what he knew. He confirmed that the sage, Sylvan, had apparently “gone mad” and convinced himself and his masters that the world was to be conquered by a demon god, and the broken Magic Circle on the ground was evidence that they had in fact summoned and released a demon of their own. It seems that Sylvan was headed west toward the city (much to Daelon's alarm), while the demon and the third Master (Baldric) might be headed south. Rath was saddened by the news of a student’s execution, but was prepared to try to lead the Silver Tower and “set things right”.

Adamir expressed the hope of getting some new equipment or other assistance on the way out, but Rath pointedly reminded the party that whatever remained in the Tower still belonged to its residents. He did, however, offer to send them off with some “inspiration” from a song. After a brief detour down to his quarters to retrieve his sorely-missed lute, Rath treated the party to a magical bardic performance, benevolently ignoring Ardwyn as she longingly handled all the silver in the room. After this pleasant pick-me-up, the party turned around and headed back toward the city, accepting a generous lift from their carriage driver.

They traveled steadily, reaching Fairway by nightfall. The village was totally deserted. Or so they thought, until Tessel spotted a pair of eyes poking out from the corner the inn, which quickly disappeared. Following along, the paladin called out, promising protection. Eventually a frightened voice replied, and the man emerged from hiding. Tessel quickly recognized him as Tuck, the man they had met in the inn’s common room on the previous night, though sadly he was not able to remember them (or anything else from that night).

Tuck explained that a man (soon determined to be Sylvan) had come through town prophesying doom, claiming that a demon had taken over, and that they were all conscripted into his army on pain of death. This madness was made more persuasive by a display of magic including floating in the air, purple flames, glowing eyes, and other fearsome spells. Tuck, paralyzed by fear, was the only one who didn’t follow the man toward Cindre or flee to the countryside. After the party calmed him down a bit, he suggested they spend the night in the abandoned inn. While Adamir guarded the door and others helped themselves to a few free drinks, Ardwyn tried to help bolster the poor man’s confidence. Though he was still frightened, they at least left Tuck feeling a bit better, and after a nice rest, they set off for the city.

They passed almost no one on the road all day, until eventually spotting a man on the road, garbed in the armor of a Cindrean soldier. “Halt, citizens!” he called out haltingly. Ardwyn quickly melted into the forest, while Daelon approached him to speak directly. Before the conversation could proceed very far, however, he flipped up the visor of his helm to reveal that it was Galbarth Greydale, the Duke’s cousin and captain of the guard. “Daelon?? Oh thank god!”

Galby hurried to tell the party what had happened: in a sudden and bewildering coup, Sylvan had brought an army of confused commoners to the city and soon took over the palace. His tricks had even convinced some of the guards to join him. Galby had responded by encouraging the loyal guards to fight back, while he escaped out of the city to find help. The party reprimanded him for abandoning the city in its hour of need, and Ardwyn decided to reveal herself by flipping down from a tree and flipping the visor off of Galby’s helm.

After stashing Galby and Daelon in the bottom of the carriage, the party rolled into the city without incident. A woman ran up to Tessel begging for food, claiming that the shops were all closed. Indeed, it seemed that most people were staying indoors, with an air of fear hanging over the city. Tessel shared her rations, and the party followed Daelon along a back-alley path to the palace.

There was a brief detour when the party saw the light of a fire and backtracked to investigate. They found a bonfire in a plaza, surrounded by a small crowd. Adamir and Ardwyn crept forward stealthily, and determined that there were a few apparent looters and several drunken commoners partying by the fire. After assessing their priorities, the party decided to leave the looters for another day, creeping away toward the palace.

They entered the Duke’s palace by a side door, and soon the party had access to the great hall. Ardwyn crept in stealthily... and found herself face-to-face with a guard dragging a dead body to the wall. With a startled shout from the guard, the battle commenced.

Sylvan was sitting on the Duke’s throne, shuffling through scrolls in a panic. “GET THEM!”

Daelon immediately cast Sleep on the throne, and the two bards flanking Sylvan dutifully collapsed on the floor in slumber. Valra soon followed up, Entangling the bards (and, for a moment, Sylvan himself) in a patch of magical vines. Ardwyn was nearly bowled over as Tessel and Adamir bolted into the room, quickly bringing the guard near the door to the edge of death. And soon the rogue herself was throwing her daggers and making nimble attacks with her battleaxe. The guards ran forward to attack, but they did little to stop the adventurers’ momentum.

The Sage of the Silver Tower was not going to go quietly, however. Using a scroll, he cast a Fear spell upon most of the party. Adamir briefly fled from a terrifying vision of an ogre before regaining his senses and sending arrows back in retaliation. But Sylvan used magical Shields to protect himself, and tried to turn the tide by casting a magical Suggestion upon Tessel, encouraging the paladin to stop the fighting. Amazingly, she was able to keep talking without even a moment's break, but now she turned around and began righteously asking her friends to lay down their weapons. Luckily for them, she continued to heal them as she fruitlessly pled for peace.

Valra was able to turn one of the sage’s tricks back on him, casting Faerie Fire to engulf Sylvan in purple flames. With such an easy target, the rest of the party was able to to hit Sylvan again and again. Daelon struck him with a Fire Bolt, nearly burning some of the scrolls, and a well-placed shot from Valra’s bow was finally able to strike him dead...

Session One: BEGINNINGS AND BASILISKS

On a clear day in late summer, a ship arrived in Cindre, the capital of one of the duchies of Rakos, with four adventurers onboard:

• Ardwyn Unghart, an attractive dwarf rogue, hoped to pick up the trail of her lost family while staying a step ahead of those who wished to see her dead. 
• Adamir Dubhach, a surly half-elf ranger, came in pursuit of revenge for his slaughtered parents. 
• Valra, a quiet elf druid, was beginning a new search for the meaning and enlightenment that eluded her during her long seclusion in the wilderness. 
• And Tessel Evenstrike, a human paladin raised in the Temple of Bahamut, was setting out to fulfill her oath to serve her god and rid the world of evil.

As the four of them disembarked, they were met on the docks by a high elf wearing fine robes and flanked by guards, who introduced himself as Daelon Illinistra, vizier of the Duke of Cindre. The mysterious elf said that he had been expecting them, and he invited them to join the Duke to discuss an opportunity. Though some were suspicious, the party agreed and followed him through streets bustling with soldiers toward the Duke’s modest palace, introducing themselves and making small talk along the way.

Inside the palace’s great hall, they found the Duke Lanna Greydale, a young woman lounging casually in her armor, as well as the more formal Captain of the Guard, her younger cousin Galbarth Greydale, dining together at a well-laden table. The Duke invited the party to join them, and explained that she wished to hire the adventurers for a sensitive job. Galbarth spread handfuls of gold coins across the table, offering 250gp apiece for completion of the task. Most in the party did not take this especially well, though Daelon assured them that they would be also serving the greater good of the realm.

But first, the Duke asked for a fair, sportsmanlike demonstration of skill, having promised Galbarth that she would make sure the adventurers were worth more than his guardsmen. Four confident guards stepped forward, twirling their maces. Their confidence was quickly shattered after one got the wind knocked out of him by Tessel, while the unimpressed Adamir shot the mace right out of the hand of another (who quickly fled). To their credit, the remaining guards continued to fight, and they did succeed in getting a few good hits in. But after the paladin healed her partymates, and after two of the guards were knocked out, the last one surrendered, and they pulled back to tend to their wounds.

This quick victory was met by gracious applause from the Duke. The party sat down again more confidently, with Adamir taking a place especially close to the nervous Galbarth. The Duke went on to explain the details of the job: Arstan Sylvan, the Sage who leads the Silver Tower (one of two independent schools of magic in Rakos), had disappeared a few days ago, after speaking cryptically about making some discovery about a basilisk. Then, all communication had ceased from the Tower, and travelers reported that it had been closed. The Duke, seeking to maintain Cindre’s prestige, didn’t want the fuss and attention that would come with an official inquiry, and since she was about to lead her army elsewhere, she wanted some freelancers to make this problem go away.

Galbarth loaned the party some magical amulets, a Bag of Holding, and Everlasting Rations for their journey, which was enough to convince them that the job might be worthwhile. the Duke also announced that she would send along her vizier, the wizard Daelon, with her signet ring. Ardwyn welcomed him into the party with a somewhat fumbling flourish of her dagger, to the Duke’s amusement. After some haggling about money for a carriage, the Duke agreed to give the party an extra 10gp in advance for travel expenses. Galbarth brought in some bards to heal the party, Daelon arranged a carriage, and the party set off for the Silver Tower.

After an uneventful day of travel (except perhaps for Valra’s annoyance at Daelon), the party arrived in the village of Fairway to spend the night. Ardwyn found an admirer in the common room and attempted to get information, but didn’t find much that was useful. Tessel approached a drunk man in the corner, who was alternately raving about demons and crying to himself. The man (identified by a villager as “old Tuck”), incoherently claimed to have been set on fire, to have seen demons, and that he “didn’t want to do it”. The paladin was unable to calm Tuck down before being pulled away by a sympathetic villager. The party spent the night in Fairway and set off for the Tower the next morning.

Along the road, they came across a band of armed villagers and farmers, arguing amongst themselves. Ardwyn hid in the trees, while Daelon signaled to stop the carriage. Upon sighting the party, the villagers started to advance on them, arguing about whether they “had to” attack and kill the four adventurers.

The party attempted to settle this confrontation with words. Daelon used a spell to send a silent message to one of the villagers, who cried out that a voice in his head had told him to turn around. The rest were still unconvinced and approaching aggressively, but Ardwyn came out of hiding to talk to them, and after some persuasion, they began to back off. One of the villagers approached and explained their dilemma. They believed that a demon had ordered them to travel to Cindre, convert followers to his cause, and kill anyone traveling toward the Silver Tower, on pain of death. They had “seen terrible things” and one of them claimed he had been set aflame by the demon’s wrath (though Valra noticed he seemed unburnt, like Tuck).

After more persuasive words from Adamir (and the help of a “Friends” spell from Daelon), the party was able to convince the villagers to give up their murderous quest, at least for a day. Unfortunately, when the wizard's spell wore off, the subject of his enchantment became enraged at this magical intrusion into his mind, attacked the elf, and tried to threaten Ardwyn as well. Luckily, he was calmed before he could do any damage, and the rest of his dejected band had no will to fight.

Passing the strange villagers, the party continued along the road until reaching the Tower, a large 12-story octagonal structure of light grey stone. The houses and shops outside seemed abandoned. The party approached the main doors, and knocked.

They were greeted by a curmudgeonly dwarf, Dunya, who firmly informed them that the Tower was closed and turned them away. The party knocked again, and tried to claim that they were on business from the Sage himself. The dwarf softened her tone, but asked for proof. Tessel brandished the Duke’s signet ring, and Dunya, impressed but increasingly confused, demanded to know the party’s identity and purpose. Ardwyn made an impassioned plea, claiming again to be on business from the Sage. The perplexed dwarf finally agreed to let them in, asking only that she be kept out of any trouble.

The party carefully crept up the stairs, past the entry hall and dining area. On the third floor, they found students in the halls, speaking in quiet tones, and shooting alarmed looks when they spotted the party. One, wearing robes instead of the more common uniform, approached the party flustered, and ushered them into one of the student’s quarters. The man, introducing himself as Perrin, a Teacher in the tower, told the party that they were in danger. The Sage had departed a few days ago, and Marcilinus, one of the three Masters (the direct pupils and assistants of the Sage), was in charge. He had executed a student for “betraying the Tower” shortly after the Sage left, had closed the Tower, and had started giving strange lectures to the student body (as well as private lessons to a smaller group he deemed especially promising). Perrin was frightened and nervous, but gladly welcomed the party’s help. He soon left to gather some uniforms for the party to use as disguises, and handed over his own robe for good measure.

The party proceeded carefully, with Tessel trying to detect the presence of any demons or otherworldly creatures. (None were present, but she did feel a strange, unsettling echo...) Ascending past the student’s quarters and into the classrooms, the party heard voices above. Ardwyn crept stealthily up the stairs and found Marcilinus discussing demons with a small group of students. The party agreed to confront him, and charged up the stairs. The magi reacted with hostility, with Marcilinus imperiously demanding to know their business and hiding behind his students.

Daelon broke the standoff by casting Sleep on the students, immediately sending two of them into a slumber. The remaining students shot Rays of Frost and Fire Bolts, and Marcilinus tried to trip up the party with magical Grease, but they found little success, and Valra was able to conjure magical vines to Entangle several of the students. Unfortunately, the usually reliable Adamir took an especially poor shot, shooting Daelon in the back of the leg and taking him out of the fight.

By by this time, the tide of battle had already turned to the party’s advantage. With only one student awake (and with a hole in his hand). Marcilinus changed his strategy. Barely deflecting an arrow from Valra with a magical Shield, the mage cast a spell to enhance his speed and dashed out of the room.

Unfortunately for Marcilinus, despite his magically augmented speed, the quick-thinking Valra was able to slash him with her scimitar on his way out, and Ardwyn quickly emerged from hiding to plant a well-aimed dagger in his shoulder. Adamir was able to catch up in time to knock out the fleeing mage, sending him crashing into the stairs, no doubt spoiling whatever nefarious plans he might have set into action if he had made it past the party. Tessel used her holy powers to heal the fallen Daelon. Since his Sleep spell had been interrupted, the two slumbering students woke up, but Ardwyn approached and demanded that they stand down. With two of them still entangled by the druid’s vines, and one still whimpering from the injury to his hand, the students gave up the fight.

Adamir tied up the defeated magi (with special attention to preventing them from using their hands) and the party interrogated the students. They had little information to give, but confirmed that Marcilinus had taken over the Tower, executed a student, and started giving lectures about “the nature of demons and the birth of gods”. They hadn’t seen the Sage for days, and one of them had seen one of the other Masters (Baldric) leaving. After getting tired of hearing the students try to defend their behavior, the party gagged them and left to interrogate Marcilinus in another classroom.

Once woken, Marcilinus was quick to test his restraints and look for an escape, and even quicker to surrender when he saw no way out. The party demanded to know what had happened. Marcilinus denied any responsibility, claiming he was under orders from the Sage, but nonetheless agreed to tell what happened.

It was a strange tale. Apparently, the Sage, Sylvan, had been researching Tharizdun (the chaotic evil God of Madness, who is said to have created the Abyss, from which all demons are spawned, and who was imprisoned there by the other gods for this terrible crime). Sylvan came to believe that Tharizdun was the most powerful of the gods, and that it was inevitable that he would one day escape his prison and take over the multiverse.

Sylvan believed that Tharizdun would reward those who had helped him escape, and even more importantly, that he would punish any who realized that they could help and yet refused to do so. Since merely seeing this truth would therefore bind a person to serve Tharizdun, he named this idea “the Basilisk”, and he committed himself to serving the God of Madness, starting by passing this idea to his most powerful and closest students, the three Masters of the Tower.

Of the three Masters, Marcilinus and Baldric were quick to agree to his theories and join him, though “Rath was less cooperative”. Together, they cast a Magic Circle and used a scroll to ask Tharizdun to send a servant. They successfully summoned a demon, who told them that their ideas were absolutely correct, and that they should spread the word and conquer in Tharizdun's name. They set the demon free at his command, and later split up to pursue their new evil goals. Marcilinus took over the Tower and began preparing to convert the students there. Baldric and Sylvan departed, with Baldric heading east and Sylvan heading west toward Cindre. The plan was to convert some villagers along the way, using magic and trickery to persuade them that their demonic overlords were already taking over.

Concluding his confession, the smug Marcilinus began to declare in triumph that the party, having gazed upon the Basilisk, was now bound to serve Tharizdun, but he was interrupted by the hilt of Tessel's sword connecting with his skull.

The party briefly discussed this new information, and they determined to ask a few more questions, once again awakening the battered mage. After securing a promise from the paladin (but no one else) to refrain from hitting him again, Marcilinus answered their questions, informing them that the executed student had been killed as punishment for informing the Duke about the events at the Tower. When asked about Rath, Marcilinus smirked and said that he was still captive upstairs.

Satisfied with these answers for the time being, Tessel slung Marcilinus roughly over a shoulder, and the party prepared to ascend further, climbing toward the libraries and the Sage’s quarters in the upper floors of the Tower...

The Gods of Rakos

This world is overseen by the "Dawn War" pantheon, which includes the following gods:

Avandra
Alignment: Chaotic Good

The god of change, Avandra delights in freedom, trade, travel, adventure, and the frontier. Her temples are few in civilized lands, but her wayside shrines appear throughout the world where the gods of the Dawn War are followed. Halflings, merchants, and all types of adventurers are drawn to her worship, and many people raise a glass in her honor, viewing her as the god of luck. Her commandments are few:

• Luck favors the bold. Take your fate into your own hands, and Avandra smiles upon you.
• Strike back at those who would rob you of your freedom, and urge others to fight for their own liberty.
• Change is inevitable, but it takes the work of the faithful to ensure that change is for the better.

Pelor

Alignment: Neutral Good

God of the sun and summer, Pelor is the keeper of time. He supports those in need and opposes all that is evil. As the lord of agriculture and the bountiful harvest, he is the deity most commonly worshiped by ordinary humans, and his priests are well received wherever they go. Paladins and rangers are found among his worshipers. He directs his followers thus:

• Alleviate suffering wherever you find it.
• Bring Pelor’s light into places of darkness, showing kindness, mercy, and compassion.
• Be watchful against evil.

Bahamut

Alignment: Lawful Good

Called the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut is the god of justice, protection, nobility, and honor. Lawful good Paladins often revere him, and metallic dragons worship him as the first of their kind. Monarchs are crowned in his name. He commands his followers thus:

• Uphold the highest ideals of honor and justice
• Be constantly vigilant against evil and oppose it on all fronts.
• Protect the weak, liberate the oppressed, and defend just order.

Corellon 

Alignment: Chaotic Good

The god of spring, beauty, and the arts, Corellon is the patron of arcane magic and the fey. He seeded the world with arcane magic and planted the most ancient forests. Artists and musicians worship him, as do those who view their spellcasting as an art, and his shrines can be found throughout the Feywild. He despises Lolth and her priestesses for leading the Drow astray. He urges his followers thus:

• Cultivate beauty in all that you do, whether you’re casting a spell, composing a saga, strumming a lute, or practicing the arts of war.
• Seek out lost magic items, forgotten rituals, and ancient works of art. Corellon might have inspired them in the world’s first days.
• Thwart the followers of Lolth at every opportunity.

Erathis 

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Erathis is the god of civilization. She is the muse of great invention, founder of cities, and author of laws. Rulers, judges, pioneers, and devoted citizens revere her, and her temples hold prominent places in most of the cities of Terras. Her laws are many, but their purpose is straightforward:

• Work with others to achieve your goals. Community and order are always stronger than the disjointed efforts of lone individuals.
• Tame the wilderness to make it fit for habitation, and defend the light of civilization against the encroaching darkness.
• Seek out new ideas, new inventions, new lands to inhabit, new wilderness to conquer. Build machines, build cities, build empires.

Ioun 

Alignment: Neutral

Ioun is the god of knowledge, skill, and prophecy. Sages, seers, and tacticians revere her, as do all who live by their knowledge and mental power. Corellon is the patron of arcane magic, but Ioun is the patron of its study. Libraries and wizard academies are built in her name. Her commands are also teachings:

• Seek the perfection of your mind by bringing reason, perception, and emotion into balance with one another.
• Accumulate, preserve, and distribute knowledge in all forms. Pursue education, build libraries, and seek out lost and ancient lore.
• Be watchful at all times for the followers of Vecna, who seek to control knowledge and keep secrets. Oppose their schemes, unmask their secrets, and blind them with the light of truth and reason.

Kord 

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Kord is the storm god and the lord of battle. He revels in strength, battlefield prowess, and thunder. Fighters and athletes revere him. He is a mercurial god, unbridled and wild, who summons storms over land and sea; those who hope for better weather appease him with prayers and spirited toasts. He gives few commands:

• Be strong, but do not use your strength for wanton destruction.
• Be brave and scorn cowardice in any form.
• Prove your might in battle to win glory and renown.

Melora 

Alignment: Neutral

Melora is the god of the wilderness and the sea. She is both the wild beast and the peaceful forest, the raging whirlpool and the quiet desert. Rangers, hunters, and Elves revere her, and sailors make offerings to her before beginning their voyages. Her strictures are these:

• Protect the wild places of the world from destruction and overuse. Oppose the rampant spread of cities and empires.
• Hunt aberrant monsters and other abominations of nature.
• Do not fear or condemn the savagery of nature. Live in harmony with the wild.
• Melora is sometimes worshiped outside of the Dawn War Pantheon as Gaia the Earth-Mother.

Moradin 

Alignment: Lawful Good

Moradin is the god of creation and patron of artisans, especially miners and smiths. He carved the mountains from primordial earth and is the guardian and protector of the hearth and the family. Dwarves from all walks of life follow him. He demands these behaviours from his followers:

• Meet adversity with stoicism and tenacity.
• Demonstrate loyalty to your family, your clan, your leaders, and your people.
• Strive to make a mark on the world, a lasting legacy. To make something that lasts is the highest good, whether you are a smith working at a forge or a ruler building a dynasty.

The Raven Queen

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

The name of the god of death is long forgotten, but she is called the Raven Queen. She is the spinner of fate and the patron of winter. She marks the end of each mortal life and mourners call upon her during funeral rites, in the hope that she will guard the departed from he curse of undeath. She expects her followers to abide by these commandments:

• Hold no pity for those who suffer and die, for death is the natural end of life.
• Bring down the proud who try to cast of the chains of fate. As the instrument of the Raven Queen, you must punish hubris where you find it.
• Watch for the cults of Orcus and stamp them out whenever they arise. The Demon Prince of the Undead seeks to claim the Raven Queen’s throne.

Sehanine 

Alignment: Chaotic Good

God of the moon and autumn, Sehanine is the patron of trickery and illusions. She has close ties to Corellon and Melora and is a favourite deity among Elves and Halflings. She is also the god of love, who sends shadows to cloak lovers’ trysts. Scouts and Rogues ask for her blessing on their work. Her teachings are simple:

• Follow your goals and seek your own destiny.
• Keep to the shadows, avoiding the blazing light of zealous good, and the utter darkness of evil.
• Seek new horizons and new experiences, and let nothing tie you down.

Asmodeus 

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Asmodeus is the evil god of tyranny and domination. He rules The Nine Hells with an iron fist and a silver tongue. Aside from Devils, evil creatures such as Rakshasas pay him homage and evil Tieflings and Warlocks are drawn to his dark cults. His rules are strict and his punishments harsh:

• Seek power over others, that you might rule with strength as the Lord of Hell does.
• Repay evil with evil. If others are kind to you, exploit their weakness for your own gain.
• Show neither pity nor mercy to those who are caught underfoot as you climb your way to power. The weak do not deserve compassion.

Bane 

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Bane is the evil god of war and conquest. Militaristic nations of humans and goblins serve him and conquer in his name. Evil Fighters and Paladins serve him. He commands his worshipers to:

• Never allow your fear to gain mastery over you, but drive it into the hearts of your foes.
• Punish insubordination and disorder.
• Hone your combat skills to perfection, whether you are a mighty general or a lone mercenary.

Gruumsh 

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Gruumsh is the chaotic evil god of destruction, lord of marauding hordes. Where Bane commands conquest, Gruumsh exhorts his followers to slaughter and pillage. Orcs are his fervent followers, and they bear a particular hatred for Elves because Corellon put out one of Gruumsh’s eyes. The One-Eyed God gives simple orders to his followers:

• Conquer and destroy.
• Let your strength crush the weak.
• Do as you will, and let no one stop you.

Lolth

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Lolth is the chaotic evil god of shadow, lies, and spiders. Scheming and treachery are her commands, and her priests are a constant force of disruption in the otherwise stable society of the evil Drow. Though she is properly a god and not a demon, she is called Demon Queen of Spiders. She demands that her followers:

• Do whatever it takes to gain and hold power.
• Rely on stealth and slander in preference to outright confrontation.
• Seek the death of Elves at every opportunity.

Tharizdun 

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Tharizdun is the chaotic evil god who created the Abyss. A few scattered cults of demented followers revere him, calling him the Chained God or the Elder Elemental Eye. Tharizdun doesn’t speak to his followers, so his commands are unknown, but his cults teach their members to:

• Channel power to the Chained God, so he can break his chains.
• Retrieve lost relics and shrines to the Chained God.
• Pursue the obliteration of the world, in anticipation of the Chained God’s liberation.

Tiamat 

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Tiamat is the evil god of wealth, greed, and envy. She is the patron of chromatic Dragons and those whose lust for wealth overrides any other goal or concern. She commands her followers to:

• Hoard wealth, acquiring much and spending little. Wealth is its own reward.
• Forgive no slight and leave no wrong unpunished.
• Take what you desire from others. Those who lack the strength to defend their possessions are not worthy to own them.

Torog 

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Torog is the evil god of The Underdark, patron of jailers and torturers. Common superstition holds that if his name is spoken, the King the Crawls burrows up from below and drags the hapless speaker underground to an eternity of imprisonment and torture. Jailers and torturers pray to him in deep caves and cellars, and creatures of The Underdark revere him as well. He teaches his worshipers to:

• Seek out and revere the deep places beneath the earth.
• Delight in the giving of pain, and consider pain you receive as homage to Torog.
• Bind tightly what is in your charge, and restrain those who wander free.

Vecna 

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Vecna is the evil god of undead, necromancy, and secrets. He rules that which is not meant to be known and that which people wish to keep secret. Evil spellcasters and conspirators pay him homage. He commands them to:

• Never reveal all that you know.
• Find the seed of darkness in your heart and nourish it; find it in others and exploit it to your advantage.
• Oppose the followers of all other deities so that Vecna alone can rule the world.

Zehir 

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Zehir is the evil god of darkness, poison, and assassins. Snakes are his favored creation, and the Yuan-Ti revere him above all other gods, offering sacrifices to him in pits full of writhing serpents. He urges his followers to:

• Hide under the cloak of night, that your deeds might be kept in secret.
• Kill in Zehir’s name, and offer each murder as a sacrifice.
• Delight in poison, and surround yourself with snakes.