Session Nine: DEVILS AND DISEASE

The party pressed on through the jungle. Valra, upset about how they had just killed the Giant Constrictor Snake, transformed herself into a snake as she traveled, slithering alongside the rest of the party in silent disapproval. They kept walking until they reached the shore of the lake.

With the daylight receding and the foliage thinning out near the water, they were able to see the flickering light of a campfire further along the shoreline. Hoping to approach stealthily, Adamir cast a Pass Without Trace spell, extending a veil of shadow and silence around the party. Tessel, however, did not quite grasp what he was intending. “Hail!” she called out, before Ralnur grabbed her and shushed her. Luckily, there was no indication that anybody heard the shout. Led by Adamir and Ardwyn, they crept closer and closer to the campfire until they could see it properly.

Sitting cross-legged beside the fire was a monk with a shaved head and symmetrical red tattoos on his head and body. Further away, sitting still halfway in the water, was a Giant Crocodile. The monk did not seem disturbed by it, nor did he take any notice of the party. Ardwyn emerged from the trees and approached, greeting the monk and asking if they might share his fire. The monk just shrugged disinterestedly and stared into the flames. Adamir asked if he knew about the crocodile lurking nearby. The monk slowly looked over, then back at the ranger, and nodded. Tessel told him that they were seeking the monastery, and the monk shrugged again. “You can’t,” he muttered. “It’s... not allowed. I’m supposed to stop you...” He trailed off.

Their conversation continued like this for some time. The monk showed little concern or interest in anything that they did or said. They speculated that he might be enchanted by the fire in some way, or perhaps drugged. Tessel cast a Zone of Truth around the campsite, magically preventing the monk (and most of the party) from speaking lies. But the monk did not change his story. In the ensuing interrogation, the party began to get a clearer picture of what had happened to the monk. His name was Adso. He had been charged by Venkai, the leader of the monastery, to guard the shore and prevent anyone from crossing over to the island. Apparently, devils had attacked the monastery, though they had been sealed away. He had crossed the lake by means of a Water Walk potion, and he had two more with him.

Ralnur was the first to suggest that Adso might be a victim of Soul Sickness, recognizing the symptoms as a more severe version of those that afflicted his mother. And indeed, it seemed to fit what they were seeing. The monk confirmed that he had abandoned most of his supplies, and he offhandedly mentioned that he had not eaten for at least a couple of days.

Concerned about the enormous crocodile lurking nearby, Ralnur carefully approached it, hoping to get a sense for whether or not it was preparing to attack. It seemed a bit jumpy, and definitely unfriendly, but it wasn’t actively hunting for prey. The party decided that they needed to rest, and decided to stay near Adso to make sure he survived long enough to travel to the monastery with them. They began laying out their bedrolls, and Ardwyn made an attempt to rig up hers as a hammock in the trees. It didn’t look very sturdy, but she did her best to hide her lack of confidence in her handiwork.

Unfortunately, it was at this moment that the crocodile shifted, facing the party and tensed to fight. Ralnur drew his greataxe, looked back at the rest of the party, and announced his assessment: “Guys. It’s crocodile time.”

Everybody moved at once. Ardwyn was the first to rush forward, smacking the crocodile on the nose with the flat of her battleaxe and firmly saying “no!” But the monstrous reptile was only angered. It rushed forward with its mouth wide open and chomped down on the dwarf with frightening force. Bleeding and battered, she lost consciousness and began to slip towards oblivion.

The others hurried to help, and Adamir hit the crocodile with a well-aimed arrow. Ralnur charged forward in a rage, but the wild swipes of his axe missed the beast entirely. Tessel, worried for her friend that was still locked in the monster’s jaws, reached out and sent forth a small burst of healing power, just enough to wake Ardwyn from consciousness. The paladin followed up with a Sanctuary spell. When the crocodile tried to bite down and kill the dwarf, it found itself magically repelled, and instead turned its jaws on Tessel. But the croc’s teeth bounced harmlessly off the paladin's brand new plate armor. Frustrated, it lashed out its tail and struck Ralnur, but the half-orc barely felt the blow in his battle rage, and he managed to keep his feet.

Adamir began to cast a Cure Wounds spell on Ardwyn, but she called out, “why aren’t you fighting?” He drew another two arrows and fired them into the crocodile instead. Ardwyn then jumped forward to take her revenge. “It was fun,” she told it, “but a little too much tongue for me!” With that, she threw her dagger right into the crocodile’s eye. It reared its head back in pain, arcing its body into the air, before it finally collapsed, falling dead on its side. Ralnur, coming out of his battle rage, collapsed as well, exhausted.

Adso, the monk, watched all this with slightly raised eyebrows.

Adamir set to work retrieving the hide of the giant crocodile, while the rest of the party went ahead with making camp. They rested, recovering somewhat from their various wounds, though Ardwyn found that the teeth marks were slow to heal.

The next morning, Ralnur gently took the two Water Walk potions from Adso, who did not resist. Both he and Tessel downed a potion, and they steeled themselves to carry the entire party, including Adso, across the lake. Tessel carried Ardwyn, who held out her battleaxe and called “CHARGE!” as they walked, while Ralnur carried the other two.

(Valra, for her part, transformed into a crocodile and continued to silently haunt the party. She did not like how they treated the wildlife.)

Tessel was feeling quite tired by the time they reached the island, about 3 hours later. They were met by a trio of monks, each dressed and tattooed like Adso. The one in the middle was apparently Venkai, the head of the monastery, and he approached them with a scowl. “Thank you for bringing our brother back to this island. You may leave now,” he pronounced. They told him about Adso’s soul sickness and their fight against Baldric, but he merely told them that the Red Monks would not help them, since they did not involve themselves in politics. He insisted that they were not welcome and must go.

He began to waver, however, when Tessel offered to take care of the devils infesting the monastery. Venkai was surprised to hear that they knew about the devils, but after confirming that the party did not expect any reward in return for slaying them, he reluctantly agreed to allow them to stay. The party asked if they could rest and heal before their battle. Venkai agreed, but told them that he would be posting guards around them at all times.

The monks led them up a grassy slope toward the monastery. This turned out to be a large structure centered on a large dome, but most of the monks appeared to be camping out in front of the building in tents. Nearby were other buildings of a similar kind, but completely in ruins; Ralnur recognized the style as similar to the ones he had seen in his journey to the north, where he had found his crow totem. Many of the monks were milling around, setting up fires and gathering food, but it was clear that they were used to living inside the monastery itself instead of this makeshift camp.

The party was led to an empty tent and surrounded by a rotating group of 5-6 monks. They rested the entire day, but they were not totally idle. Ralnur spoke to the guards, and before long, Venkai returned to speak with them again. “Thank you again for bringing Adso back with you,” he began. “I did not realize how far this illness had progressed. He will not take food or water... I apologize if I was rude to you before.”

In the conversation that followed, he told the party much about the monastery and about the attack of the devils. According to Venkai, the Red Monks were an order dedicated to guarding a magical gateway in the center of the domed building that served as their monastery. They were charged with preventing anyone from passing through, and they had fulfilled this mission for millennia. But six months ago, three Barbazu (“bearded devils”) emerged from the other side of the gateway and attacked. One of the devils was killed, but the others slew the monks nearby. In desperation, the last monk broke the “Orb of Forbiddance”, a magical artifact that served as a defense of last resort. With the Orb broken, the monastery was magically sealed and the gateway suppressed, but control of this effect was tied to the current leader of the order, i.e. Venkai himself. He could maintain the seal and selectively allow certain people to pass, but the spell would be broken forever if he died. The monks were proceeding with caution, but they knew that they needed to kill the devils before they could be safe, and even then it was clear that their mission to guard the gateway had changed forever.

The next day, the party assembled outside the monastery. Venkai gave them strict instructions to enter quickly when he signaled. On the count of three, he opened the barrier to them, allowing them to pass. The burst through the outer doors, feeling the energy of the magical barrier as they passed through it. They found themselves facing an inner hallway leading to the monks’ cells on either side, and a double door to an inner dome right in front of them. Tessel used her Divine Sense and immediately detected the two devils waiting on the other side of the doors, prepared to ambush them. She silently signaled this to her companions, and they readied their attack.

Ardwyn began the assault, bursting through the doors and slashing with her daggers. She landed two blows, but she found that her nonmagical dagger didn’t cut nearly as effectively. Unfazed, she gave a wink and slipped back behind the others. The devils responded in perfect coordination, moving to block the entrance to the inner dome, where the gateway lay dormant. First they struck with their glaives from a distance, then they stepped closer to press the attack. The tentacles on their beards thrust forward, trying to strike out at the front line of the party. But despite their coordination, none of their attacks were able to find a target. The party was unscathed.

Ralnur retaliated with two mighty strikes of his greataxe. He made contact both times, striking the already-injured devil on the left, but again it was able to resist most of the nonmagical blade’s effect. Adamir stepped back and fired three rays from his Spicy Buffalo Rings. Arcing through the air, they twisted around the devil, with one of them hitting him straight in the chest. But the devil absorbed the fiery blast with little more than a grin. Its hellish nature, apparently, protected it from fire.

Tessel was quick to wipe the grin off its face. Infusing her sword with immense amounts of holy power, she struck the devil on the right with two mighty blows, each bursting with radiant energy. That was all it took to send the devil flying backward, crumpling dead in a heap on the ground.

Ardwyn attacked again, striking first with her magical dagger and second with the Ceiling Whacks that she had bought from Jilbin. She successfully attached the wax to the remaining devil, but before it could be slammed into the ceiling, it succeeded in breaking free, shattering the wax into pieces in the floor. The devil, now badly injured, struck out with its beard again, hitting Ardwyn and poisoning her. Then it drew its glaive... but instead of attacking her, it grinned once more and drew the glaive against its own throat. Instead of simply falling dead, it dissolved into a pool of ichor.

The corpse of the other devil lay dead on the floor. Tessel explained that it was truly dead because it had died by the holy power of her blade, while the devil that committed suicide would reform somewhere in the Nine Hells. Adamir, never one to waste an opportunity, began to gather what he could from the dead devil’s horns and hide. Tessel took a horn herself and brought it outside to present to Venkai. Though he barely believed that they had conquered the devils so easily, he was quickly convinced and thanked them profusely for their assistance.

Venkai reaffirmed that he could not bring the monks into the fight against Baldric, but he offered to help them get back to the mainland. Luckily, one of the monks had a scroll of a druidic spell, Transport Through Plants, which would allow them to teleport to any of the trees in the nearby forest/jungle. After some discussion, they asked to be sent to the northern end of the jungle, close to the city of Balenor. On the signal, they stepped through the tree (with Ardwyn unfortunately clipping the edge and stumbling through) and emerged at the edge of the forest...

Session Eight: SNAKES AND SECRETS

As the party exited Jilbin’s shop and walked out into the plaza, their attention was caught by a man stepping onto a platform to address the small crowd of people milling about. “Hear ye!” he proclaimed in a booming voice. “An official declaration from the Duke of Wayport! It is announced with great sadness that Duke Seyta Nazir, like so many of his people, has been stricken with the disease known as Soul Sickness. Due to this illness, he has decided to immediately abdicate his title to his son, who will henceforth be known as Duke Rasha Nazir of Wayport. On this day and the next, the Duke will open the doors of his palace to all those of noble blood who wish to greet him. Long live the Duke!”

As the crier stepped down from his platform, the people in the plaza began chattering about the news. One man, a noble wearing puffy clothes and trailed by an equally well-dressed servant, approached the party with his own idle thoughts. “Soul Sickness! Here in Wayport! Can you believe it? It’s one thing when it’s a bunch of Valish peasants falling ill, but a Duke!” However, the brief conversation that followed was strained and awkward for all, and the man quickly moved on.

But Ardwyn still wanted to hear more, and she ran to catch up to the nobleman. She apologized and proceeded to charm him with skillful flattery. The man turned out to be a minor noble named Ocean Talash, and he was happy to answer her questions. He informed her that, although the Duke’s audience was restricted to nobility, “nobility in Wayport could be bought for, oh, about a hundred pieces of gold.”

The rogue returned to her companions and they discussed the news. Ralnur speculated that, if Baldric was responsible for the Soul Sickness, perhaps he had intentionally caused the death of the old Duke. Perhaps the new Duke was different? Tessel decided to investigate this theory by approaching some of the merchants chatting nearby in the plaza. She asked them about the current and former Dukes of Wayport, but they told her that they didn’t expect much to change, implying that the main focus was always on business and wealth. “New Duke, same as the old Duke.” The party set aside the barbarian's theory for the time being.

Ralnur also put forward a plan: “We could go to this party thing, and then beat up everyone! Or steal from them!” Ardwyn decided to teach him a lesson by nimbly snatching his coin purse from his belt. “Yeah, just like that!” he responded enthusiastically. But ultimately, the party talked him down and collectively decided that meeting the Duke of Wayport was not their highest priority.

Instead, they decided to head to the Gold Tower, since they might get answers about the Soul Sickness (and since it was relatively nearby). They tried to figure out a cover story to use when they arrived, but Adamir suggested that they could simply (but carefully) be honest about the fact that they knew victims of the Soul Sickness and wanted to learn more. They set off on the road to the south.

After two days of travel, they stopped at an inn and spoke for a while with the innkeeper. Despite being somewhat hostile toward the half-orc in the party, he was happy to chat. He told the party a bit about the Gold Tower, including the fact that the Sage had not left his quarters at the top of the Tower in generations, and that the Tower was mostly being run by a mage who called himself “Golden Galen”. The innkeeper rolled his eyes a bit when he mentioned the name. He also informed the party that a Seraph had recently passed through, also heading toward the Gold Tower. He described her as a big woman who showed little interest in talking. The next morning, they set off on the road with a bit more trepidation.

The reached the Gold Tower later that day. It was unmistakable: a 12-story square tower made of yellow stone with a magical illusion causing it to glitter in the sunlight. On the lawn were dozens of students practicing simple cantrips, while several teachers strode between them, correcting their spells and giving advice.

The party was able to walk straight into the Tower itself before being greeted in the lobby by Galen Allidale (“Golden Galen”). He, too, was unmistakable. He wore richly decorated robes, bright spiked blonde hair, and a huge toothy grin. “Welcome! WELCOME to the Gold Tower!” he said, nearly shouting. He inquired as to their purpose, and was quick to advertise the variety of instructional courses and spellcasting services available at the school.

While he pitched, Valra decided to look around the lobby and noticed two portraits on opposite sides of the wall. One depicted Galen, while the other portrait showed the face of a rather ugly elf. Ardwyn noticed the portraits as well and spoke up: “Wow, Galen, that portrait of you is AMAZING! But who’s that in the other one?”

“Ah, yes,” he said somewhat grudgingly, “that is our... illustrious Sage, Zeno Caridove.” He explained that the Sage was happy to speak with visiting adventurers, but also suggested that such a meeting would be fruitless, and again began pitching the Tower’s various magical services. While Ardwyn continued to distract him, Tessel began marching up the stairs, and the rest of the party followed. Galen quickly noticed them leaving and showed a hint of dismay, but reassured them that he would be happy to discuss things further when they returned.

After twelve long flights of stairs, they entered a room filled with scattered books, scrolls, and bits of paper. In the center was the Sage of the Gold Tower, Zeno, an elf with stringy white hair and short, squat features. “Adventurers?” he asked brusquely, seemingly annoyed at the interruption. He grabbed a quill and paper. “Very well. Sit down! Answer my questions and let’s get this over with quickly.” There was only one chair in the room, but they made do as best they could. He proceeded to ask each of them for their name, their trade, and their “purpose in life”. The answers ranged from lies (“Arlav”) to truths (“I’m a Paladin”) to nothing at all (“pass”). Simmering with annoyance, the elf proceeded to ask the party how they had come to Rakos (“boats”), how they met (“boats”), what battles they had fought together, et cetera.

Ralnur’s excitement initially got the better of him. “These are the heroes!” he exclaimed. The others were quick to shut him up, but his attempts at covering his mistake (“erm... boats?”) were unconvincing to the suddenly-interested Zeno. Once it was mentioned that the party had fought a demon, his attitude began to change. It quickly became apparent that Zeno had deduced the party’s true identities. “Promising, promising!” he muttered to himself, “but... potentially dangerous...”

“Very well,” Zeno announced, concluding his interrogation. “You came to me for advice, I presume? I will help you. But on one condition: you must agree that when we are finished talking, you will leave this place and never seek me out or speak to me again!” They agreed. And with that, he awaited the party’s questions.

Valra began by inquiring into the nature of his research. “I study echoes,” he replied. “You know, patterns, repetitions, resonances!” He spoke grandiosely about the common threads that could be detected in history, in people, in societies, and in the structure of the multiverse itself. He further implied that some rare adventurers (perhaps including the party) seemed to leave “unusually clear echoes, as if they were marked by fate”, which made them especially interesting to study and especially dangerous to have personal contact with.

Soon the questions turned to their main focus: how to cure the Soul Sickness. Zeno initially professed ignorance, but he mentioned that he had a “pet theory” to which he had not given much credence in the past. “But if you are here asking about it... perhaps it’s possible?” he mused.

“Well... I think it sounds like the Mantella!” This proclamation was met by stares and silence from all members of the party. “Oh, nobody reads their history anymore,” the Sage complained. Valra was quick with a retort: “We are history.”

Zeno told the party that “in ancient days” Rakos was home to a group of powerful wizards who were working on a device or machine of some sort, which they believed would grant them a kind of godhood. As they neared their goal, they realized that they would need a source of energy, and they created the Mantella: a stone that would absorb the life force of creatures from a great distance and channel that power to the mages’ great project. Some time after that, they all disappeared. Nobody knew whether that meant they had failed utterly or succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

The Sage apologized for the uncertain translations of some of the terms. Tessel was curious about one particular detail. Zeno had mentioned that the ancient wizards had been inspired to begin this project by the guidance of a demigod (“or some sort of extraplanar entitity”) named Corvax. He explained that the name Corvax translated to “crow” or “raven”, but he had assumed it was merely a name, since they never talked about this entity as if it were truly a bird.

The paladin turned to Ralnur. “Don’t you have a crow?” The half-orc enthusiastically showed off his totem. Tessel began to ask more about where he had found the crow talisman, how it spoke to him, and what it spoke about. Soon, Zeno was sitting very stiffly in his chair. Before long, he interrupted the conversation. “Well... if it’s all right with you, I would very much like you to leave now,” he said, obviously in great discomfort. The party agreed, though Tessel had to forcefully pull Ralnur along.

They were able to make it out the main door before running into Galen again. This time he stood alongside a tall, broad-shouldered woman wearing ornate plate armor trimmed in white. “Ah, I hope you weren't too disappointed with the Sage. But you’re in luck! There’s no safer way to travel the roads than alongside a Seraph! Isabel, you wouldn’t mind walking with them, would you?” Isabel looked them over with a thin smile. She politely responded that, although she could travel with the party for a day or so, she was not allowed to make camp with strangers.

Ardwyn, recognizing the name “Isabel” as the commander of the troops they had killed a few days ago, decided to overwhelm the Seraph with annoying flattery. It was not difficult to persuade Isabel that traveling alongside the party would be undesirable, and she abruptly mentioned that she would prefer to rest a bit longer at the Gold Tower before setting off. The party hit the road, leaving Isabel behind.

They did not, however, return to Wayport. Instead, they took a turn to the east, following a road that would lead them toward Lake Balen, where they had heard there was an island that was home to a mysterious “Red Monastery”. It was best to investigate it while they were already in the area, they figured.

After about a half day of walking, Tessel stopped to confront Ralnur once more about his crow totem. The half-orc agreed to try to speak to the crow to get more information about it. Valra prepared an Entangle spell in case things went wrong. Ralnur began asking questions to the mysterious crow spirit, and at first he received no answers. But, after a few tries, it began to answer him, replying directly into his mind. Tessel asked him what he was hearing. “Oh, it says everything’s fine!” said Ralnur. “It says our goals are aligned. It just wants us to get really powerful!”

Although this did not fully reassure the party, it was enough for now. Coincidentally, Ardwyn spotted a crow nearby, and she called out to it using her Mouthbeast. The clever bird was happy to inform the party that nobody was following them, and it mentioned that there was a village and a stretch of jungle between them and the lake.

They pushed on, reaching the village a few evenings later. It was a pleasant and quiet spot, humid and shaded by the dense forest that grew to its edge. The innkeeper identified it as Westwend, and he chatted amiably with the party. He warned them that the jungle beyond was not easy to travel through, and he didn’t know of any ferries or other means of crossing to the island.

The next morning they set off into the forest, which rapidly turned into a true jungle, almost too thick to navigate. Ralnur happily pulled out his greataxe and began chopping a path through the foliage. Following this narrow alley, they made fairly good time. Ardwyn, however, figured that she could do better by going up into the treetops and climbing along the branches. She climbed nimbly up the nearest tree. Seeing this, Adamir decided to prove his own climbing ability, and swung effortlessly into the canopy as well. He moved with such dexterity that he was able to spot the Giant Constrictor Snake before it began its attack on Ardwyn.

Drawing his swords, Adamir unleashed a flurry of blows, but the snake retaliated by coiling itself around the ranger and biting him over and over with its sharp fangs. They struck at each other again and again, each sustaining gruesome injuries. But by this time, the others were starting to enter the fight. Ralnur, down on the ground below, turned his axe upon the trunk of the tree on which the battle was taking place, nearly felling it in a couple of swift chops.

Valra took a different tactic, casting a Speak with Animals spell and asking the snake (through a series of short hisses) why it was attacking them. It hissed back at her: “They came right into my tree! Die die die die die!!!” Valra attempted to placate it, telling it that they meant no harm and would be happy to just move on. The agitated serpent did not stop its assault, but it noticeably relaxed its grip on Adamir.

Ardwyn, however, was not privy to the conversation, and ran forward to save her ally. With one swift swing of her battleaxe, she cut the injured snake in two. It slid off of the ranger's body, falling down from the tree with a muffled thump.

Ralnur nonetheless swung his axe one last time, causing the tree to come crashing down and giving the rogue a painful bump. Tessel took a moment to heal some of Adamir’s wounds once they were all safely on the ground, and they pressed on further into the jungle...

Session Seven: HAVOC AND HIDEAWAYS

Ralnur’s sudden charge took nearly everyone by surprise. Only Tessel was able to keep her head and respond quickly, running forward to support her new half-orc companion. Together, they swiftly surrounded the captain of the band of Peacekeepers. They hacked and slashed furiously, but the captain was somehow able to dodge attack after attack, until finally Ralnur was able to land a hit with his greataxe. By then, however, the captain was ready to retaliate. He struck at the half-orc with his longsword, striking a solid blow... but in his battle rage, Ralnur seemed to barely feel it.

The others swung into action. Ardwyn landed an incredible hit with a thrown dagger, while Adamir swung in from behind with his twin blades. When one of the Peacekeepers pulled out a crossbow, Valra cast a Heat Metal spell, causing him to drop the weapon and frantically try to remove his red-hot chainmail shirt.

“For God’s sake, get the chest!” shouted the captain. One of his soldiers hurried to pull out a small locked storage chest from the bottom of the wagon and tried to open it. Tessel and Ardwyn moved to stop him, but they were too late. He threw open the chest and pulled out a silver locket, which he clutched tightly in his fist, as well as two swords, which he tossed to the ground beside the wagon before bolting away from his pursuers. But just before he was able to open the locket, Adamir caught up with him and ran him through with a sword.

Near the wagon, however, the two swords that had been pulled from the chest suddenly rose into the air and began flying around, attacking the party. The battle descended into chaos. Adamir dueled with the flying swords, which proved to be nimble and slippery opponents. The captain began to shout orders to his men, but was cleaved in half by Ralnur’s axe. Valra was pursued by a spearman, but when he accidentally stuck his spear into the ground, she used a magical Thunderwave to send him flying back away from his weapon. Ardwyn teleported to her cleverly-hidden Tagger Dagger to assist the druid. In the center of the battle, despite dishing out massive damage with each swing of his axe, Ralnur was taking the brunt of the Peacekeepers’ attacks. Tessel moved in and used her Sancturary spell to protect him. Luckily, when one of the spearmen turned his attacks on the paladin herself, he slipped and stabbed himself in the foot instead.

Gradually, the tide of the battle turned decisively in the party’s favor. Tessel used her healing powers to keep the others in the fight, Adamir began to successfully shatter the flying swords, and Valra used a second Heat Metal spell to put an end to her remaining pursuer. Finally, the last soldier fell, and all was quiet. Ralnur slowly came out of his rage as if waking from a trance. They stripped the soldiers of their valuable armor, as well as the silver locket. Inside the chest, they also found a paper containing the Peacekeepers’ orders to patrol the road, signed with the name “Isabel”.

They were soon interrupted, however, by the arrival of two strangers holding longbows, who seemed unconcerned (or even impressed) by the carnage. It was soon established that these were indeed members of the band of Outcasts that the party was hoping to find. After leading the party into the nearby woods, they blindfolded and tied them up, getting the party’s tacit permission. It was all quite civil. As they were led deeper into the woods, some in the party tried to note their surroundings and memorize the path, but only Adamir was able to keep a clear trail in mind.

Eventually, the two Outcasts removed the blindfolds, revealing that they were standing near a dark crevasse, and they instructed the party to jump in. Adamir, looking down, saw that there was a bright light in the cave below. One by one, they jumped down, landing on a slanted net that cushioned their fall and gently launched them into the cave. The exception was Valra, who stunned everyone present by casting Spider Climb and walking calmly straight down the wall.

At the bottom, they saw the Outcasts’ hideout. A huge tapestry covered one wall of the cave, depicting a beautiful landscape and shining magical sunlight into the cave. The ground was covered with luxurious carpets stained with mud, and one of the Outcasts offered the party a bottle of expensive drink. Apparently, robbing merchants had left them with an overabundance of luxury goods. Near the entrance to the cave, below the net, was a pair of soft leather boots with feathers attached to the ankles; the party recognized them as Jilbin’s Flitter Slippers, which allowed the wearer to fly (albeit very slowly).

Soon the party was approached by Emmon, the leader of the Outcasts, who was unmistakable thanks to his resemblance to his uncle Rawley (excepting his blond hair and grim demeanor). He was upset after hearing that the party had killed the soldiers. “Peacekeepers we can handle,” he said gravely, “but now they’ll send Seraphs.” The party offered him the silver locket and the written orders that they had found on the soldiers, which he gladly accepted. Emmon asked them why they were seeking him out, and they tried to explain that they were hoping for his help against Baldric, but they were met by skepticism. “Let’s cut the bullshit,” he eventually said. “Why are you dressed up like the Dauntless?”

“The Dauntless?” asked Ardwyn. Ralnur explained that it was a nickname sometimes used to refer to the party, originating as the name of a popular tavern song. They asked to hear it, and he began to sing:

In yesteryear the darkness came and gazed upon our land

An evil god of madness reached out with his foul hand

But yesteryear the gods of light upon our land bestowed

A ranger, druid, paladin, a wizard and a rogue

The people and their lords alike knew danger had arrived

A demon loosed upon the land against these dauntless five

They raced to stop its mission to unlock the gates of hell

To take their stand against the foe before our nation fell

They battled monster, man, and beast before they caught their prey

Beneath the earth they saved us when the demon they did slay

Then all at once they disappeared, their dauntless service done

But if the darkness strikes again... perhaps once more they’ll come...

The rest of the party applauded his impromptu performance, and even Emmon had to smile.

Adamir explained that they were exactly who they appeared to be, resurrected 44 years after their death. Emmon narrowed his eyes. “If that’s true, tell me: what’s the last thing you spoke to Rawley about?” The half-elf responded that Rawley had gifted them silver arrows and new armor. “Yes,” said Emmon, “but what did you talk about?” Adamir reluctantly told him about the conversation about his grandfather, while Ardwyn and the others listened intently. When he finished, Emmon nodded. “Follow me,” he said. “I have something to show you.”

He led them into a separate chamber of the cave, separated from the main room by a hanging curtain. On the other side, they saw another magical tapestry depicting a moonlit lake. And on the far side of the room, sitting on a chair with a blanket over his legs, was Rawley.

The former Head Ranger looked to be in his 80s or 90s. His body seemed too small for the bits of old armor he still wore. But when Emmon gently shook him awake, he looked up with sharp eyes and spoke clearly. “I don’t think this is the afterlife,” he commented dryly, “so can someone explain to me what's going on?” Adamir told him about their death and resurrection. “That’s the second time you’ve come back from the dead, Adamir,” said Rawley. “Don’t make it a habit.” He smiled and told Emmon that he would vouch for the party.

The seven of them all shared their stories with the others. It turned out that Rawley had faked his own death when it became apparent that Baldric considered him an enemy, and they had gone underground (literally) after the Rangers were disbanded. (Rawley apologized for not stopping Baldric early, when it would have been easier.) Emmon led the new band of Outcasts to rob the rich merchants, partially to rob Baldric of the potential tax revenue and partially because they could not find a more productive way to spend their time while safely supporting themselves in hiding.

Now, knowing that Cedric and the other clerics were mounting a resistance, they seemed to find a new source of hope and purpose. The party asked Emmon about deposing his brother, the Duke of Revo. Emmon told them that he had always known he might someday need to wrest control of the duchy from his brother, but he asked them to let him do it in his own way. “I know the politics in Revo. I think I can remove my brother from power without assassination,” he said pointedly.

There was only one problem: the other dukes would not look kindly on a former outlaw taking over a duchy. If a majority of the dukes aligned against him, they could prevent him from keeping his new position. At least two of the other dukes would need to commit to supporting him. Ardwyn suggested that the party could help, and she asked Emmon which dukes they should try to persuade. “Cindre and Highrock, certainly,” he told her. “Cindre has always been the greatest opponent of the Regency. And once they’re on your side, Highrock can be encouraged to follow.” The rogue pointed out that the Duchess of Cindre was said to be a supporter of Baldric, but Rawley scoffed at the idea. “I met her when she was just a pipsqueak, maybe eight years old,” he said. “She idolized her grandmother. People don’t change that much.”

The plan slowly came together. Emmon would head to Revo with a few of his men, telling the party that “when I make my move, you’ll hear about it” and to disregard any stories they might hear about his premature demise. Rawley would be moved to Avisha’s shrine to hide with her. Emmon asked what the rest of the Outcasts should do, but without a clear job for them, it was decided that they would continue to hide in the countryside outside the shrine and await further orders.

They also discussed some of the other potential goals that the party might pursue. Emmon claimed that he was certain Baldric was somehow behind the soul sickness, while Rawley suggested seeking out the Red Monks who lived on the island in Lake Balen, since they were said to guard some powerful ancient secret.

When the party mentioned seeking out other allies, however, Rawley became tense. Mustering all his tact, Rawley informed Adamir that his grandfather, who had likely killed his parents, was the one who had unified the Elfwood clans. They treated him as some sort of prophet or war leader, and they were now one of the only forces that openly defied Baldric. “Adamir... it was so long ago,” implored Rawley. “Promise me you won’t seek your revenge. At least not yet. Not until Baldric is dealt with. Please, Adamir.”

An awkward silence filled the room. Valra, seeking to escape it, began to pace the floor, then the walls, then the ceiling. Ardwyn, hoping to join her, threw the Tagger Dagger to the ceiling, teleported up to it, and said hello. Sadly, the dagger did not stick to the stone ceiling of the cave, so the rogue quickly came back down to the ground with a loud and painful crash. On the bright side, this did cut the tension in the room somewhat, and ultimately Adamir agreed that he might be able to delay his vengeance.

The party began to leave, but before they did, they asked Emmon if he could spare any funds for them. He protested that he would need most of the Outcasts’ financial resources for his own work, but he agreed to spare 750gp for the party. They gladly accepted. One by one, they used the Flitter Slippers to ascend to the entrance of the hideout. (All except for Valra, who attempted to walk up the wall again. Unfortunately, her Spider Climb spell expired halfway up the wall, causing her to fall down into the net. She ended up using the flying boots like all the others.) Once they all reached the top, Adamir led them back to the road.

With their new gold in hand, they decided that their next step would be to visit the city of Wayport and seek out Jilbin, the gnomish merchant who had sold them their magic items in Cindre so long ago. After a few days of walking, they approached the city and beheld its gleaming white towers and walls looming over an enormous, sprawling refugee camp. Peacekeepers and local guards patrolled the roads, keeping the refugees away from the travelers. One of them approached the party as they walked, offering to sell them falsified papers, but they refused. After waiting in line at the gate, they were examined closely by a guard, but Valra’s Druidcraft spell (a flower blooming in her hand) and a handful of Tessel’s Zoomy Bloomies succeeded in convincing the guard that they were some sort of floral-themed troupe of entertainers. He waved them on into the city.

Wayport was a small, clean, wealthy city, at least if you ignored the sea of slums and refugees just outside the walls. Ardwyn asked around and quickly got directions to Jilbin’s shop. Like her shop in Cindre, it was located in a back-alley in a high-end shopping district. As the party approached, they noticed an oak tree sprouting through the middle of the cobblestone alleyway, as well as a huge hot air balloon on the roof of the shop. They had clearly found their destination.

Jilbin was sitting behind the counter of the small shop when they entered. “Oh, there you are,” she said happily. “Wait, did we have an appointment? Are you late or am I early?” Without waiting for an answer, she gleefully began pulling out her collection of magic items from under the counter. It was apparent that she had not sold many of them in the past 44 years, but there were a handful of new additions and upgrades that caught the party’s attention.

The gnome was most excited when the party offered to test out some of her inventions. Tessel allowed Ardwyn to apply the “Ceiling Whacks” to her, which slammed her violently into the ceiling before the paladin easily broke its hold. They spent quite a while scraping the wax back together. Jilbin also joyously tested a magical longbow called “Mr. Ballista” on Tessel, shooting an arrow at her with incredible force. Ardwyn also tested the Muffle Puffer (a pipe that could send silent messages) and the Portable Ram (a statue that transformed into an actual full-sized male sheep if you called its name, which was apparently “Rodney”). Valra turned herself into a ram as well and butted heads with Rodney. Seeing this, Ardwyn used her Mouthbeast to have a short conversation with the annoyed ram. Calming down, it soon decided to transform back into a statue.

Adamir briefly snuck out to sell the armor they had gathered from the dead Peacekeepers, getting an extra 100gp in return, as well as a large “feather crest” that was intended to decorate a helm. He then helped organize the party’s purchases, due to their limited funds. Ultimately, it was decided that Tessel would buy the Charmor (a set of plate armor that can charm others until they hear you speak), Valra would buy the Giver Quiver (a quiver that creates magic arrows when you say “thank you”), and Ardwyn would buy the Poser Composer (a lute that allows you to play melodies by plucking random strings).

Jilbin also asked everyone if they had any requests, offering to make them anything they wanted. Valra, still in the form of a ram, just bleated “baaaaaaaaa” in response. Tessel asked for something that would let her use her healing powers at a distance (“like a healing gun,” Jilbin suggested). Adamir gave her the crest he had gotten when selling the armor, which Jilbin accepted with great excitement. Ralnur asked for a big axe, possibly with powers involving blood in some way. Ardwyn asked for a communications device (potentially an “eye pod” of some sort), or perhaps a false mustache that could be double as a set of handcuffs or some other useful object, or maybe something that would allow her to conjure simple illusions.

Jilbin energetically noted their requests, then started to put away the unsold merchandise. It was time to move on...

44 Years Later

[The following is a summary of major events in Rakos since the death of the party 44 years ago, as related to them by Cedric and his friends shortly after their resurrection. It reflects the clerics' limited knowledge and understanding, and it is not an objective, omniscient historical account. This is not necessarily the truth, the whole truth, or nothing but the truth.]

- At the Grand Council, shortly after the death of the party, the main topic was the war between Cindre and Valen over a slice of contested territory. After much negotiation and political wrangling, the duchy of Valen generously offered to stop fighting and to relinquish the territory to Cindre, but asked for a modest payment in exchange and, as a gesture of goodwill, an official pardon for the Duke of Valen's new behind-the-scenes advisor, Baldric. (Avisha suspects that he may have attained this position through mind-influencing spells.) The Duke of Cindre agreed to the deal, though she lived long enough to regret it.

- In the years after their death, the party became famous, thanks mostly to a famous tavern song and to an endless series of stories originating from the village of Fairway, traditionally attributed to a villager named "Old Tuck".

- Baldric rapidly grew his reputation as a competent adviser and administrator. About 40 years ago, five of the dukes (all except for the Duke of Cindre) voted to appoint Baldric as the first "Regent" to the figurative throne of Rakos. At first, the idea was that he would hold very limited power, but could better coordinate the joint endeavors of the six duchies and ensure peace among them. (And indeed, there has not been a true war between any of the duchies since that date, largely thanks to Baldric's mediation and political maneuvering.) But before long, he began to assume a greater role. The Regency (as his administration became known) was authorized to levy its own taxes, and it took direct responsibility for running the Treasury and the Capital Hall.

- About 30 years ago, Baldric established the Peacekeepers, (essentially his own personal army) who were originally intended to patrol the roads between the duchies. Their numbers have grown immensely since then, while the armies of most of the duchies have correspondingly dwindled.

- Also about 30 years ago, Rath (the halfling Sage of the Silver Tower) abruptly announced that he was graduating all the current students in the Tower, kicked out everyone except a small circle of close colleagues, and refused to admit any new students. Visitors are sometimes welcomed, but the few that actually do visit the Silver Tower unanimously report that Rath has gone mad and established a sinister cult around himself.

- The old Duke of Cindre, Lanna Greydale, was known to be a fierce opponent of Baldric. Coincidentally, she and her family were the target of multiple assassination attempts. (Her cousin Galbarth was killed defending her from one such attack.) She ultimately died of "food poisoning" about 25 years ago. She was succeeded by her cousin Saphira, who took a much more friendly stance toward the Regency. However, many rumors claim that she remained a steadfast enemy of Baldric behind the scenes, and it's well-known that Cindre maintains the strongest army among the duchies.

- About 20 years ago, Rawlish Boswell (the head of the Capital Rangers) was killed by wild beasts while traveling. He was succeeded by his nephew Emmon, but shortly thereafter, Baldric disbanded the Rangers, claiming that they were no longer capable of fulfilling their purpose. Emmon and most of the remaining Rangers later resurfaced as a group of bandits calling themselves the Outcasts, robbing merchants on the road between Wayport and Balenor.

- Soon after disbanding the Rangers, Baldric formed a new elite corps of bodyguards and soldiers called Seraphs. They are easily recognized by their trademark uniform (plate armor trimmed with white), and their fighting prowess is widely respected.

- About 7 years ago, Duchess Saphira Greydale and most of her family died in a tragic fire, leaving only one heir: Anna Greydale, granddaughter of the Duke who hired the party. But Duchess Anna was only eight years old. The other dukes agreed to let Baldric take responsibility for her, and she has lived most of her life since then in the Capital Hall of Balenor. She is reputed to be a shy, bookish girl who has passively accepted her situation and supports Baldric's regime.

- In the last six months or so, "soul sickness" has begun to strike the people of Rakos. The symptoms progress from apathy and listlessness to outright catatonia and eventual death over the course of several weeks. Nobody knows the source or cause. The epidemic appeared to start in the northern duchies and is more severe there, but there have been isolated cases throughout the island. Neighboring nations have set up a naval blockade in hopes of preventing the spread of the epidemic.

- In the last year, Rakos has fallen into crisis, which has been greatly accelerated by the emergence of the soul sickness epidemic. The cities and roads have been flooded by desperate refugees. Famines have struck several regions, and when the Regency collects food for its relief efforts, it seems to spread the famine rather than subdue it. To make the roads more safe, the Regency has begun to demand that travelers carry travel permits or risk arrest. Many of those arrested and some of the refugees have been shipped off to be "resettled", but are never heard from again.

Session Six: RUIN AND RETURN

The party exited the Treasury and proudly reported their success to Davros. The gnome was impressed, but warily asked about how much damage had been done. When he was told that “almost everything” had been destroyed, his dismay was palpable. “You’d best go off to the Grand Council, then. I would appreciate it if you would inform the Duchess of Highrock about what happened here.” Ardwyn spoke up: “Oh, I think I forgot my knife down there, do you mind if I go and grab it real quick?” The gnome narrowed his eyes, replying that “we’d be happy to retrieve it for you.” The rogue quickly retreated. “Oh, never mind! Found it right here, haha!”

The party set off for Balenor along the same road they had arrived on. Shortly after they passed an old man in loose brown robes, however, their journey was interrupted when a magical Forcecage sprung up around them.

“Please, calm yourselves. This is merely a precaution,” said the old man. He reached inside his robes and retrieved an object that appeared to be the severed hand of a devil. Adamir drew his bow, while Ardwyn retrieved her Tagger Dagger. The man pointed the hand at Adamir, and one of its fingers curled inward menacingly. The party was alarmed and protested, but he responded with a steady stream of reassurances. “I know it looks frightening, but don’t worry. Forgive an old man his caution.” One by one, he pointed the hand at each of them, and one by one the fingers curled. When he was done, he threw the severed fist to the side of the road.

“That,” he explained in a soft and measured tone, “was an exceedingly generous gift from my patron. The Hand of Belial. It contains, or contained, five words of power. Five of the same word: ‘Kill’. Suffice it to say, I can snuff out your lives in an instant. So don’t try anything...” He made a magic gesture, and his magical disguise faded away to reveal a younger man, with thin features and closely cropped brown hair. “You probably know who I am.” They did: he perfectly matched the description they’d heard of Baldric, the mage (or warlock) who had eluded them so far.

“Answer my questions, and I will let you go,” he told them. “First, who sent you? Who do you work for?” Ardwyn immediately shot back “your mom!” but Baldric merely glared and repeated his question. Daelon was incredulous. “You mean to tell us that you don’t know who sent us?” Baldric addressed him: “of course, Daelon, you are the Duke of Cindre’s lapdog. But the rest of you arrived all at once from afar. Who sent you?” The party looked at each other in confusion. “Yeah, I think you’ve got the wrong idea here,” said Tessel. Baldric seemed confused. “Then why did you risk your lives pursuing the demon?” They briefly explained their various motives, from money to holy idealism.

But Baldric just seemed more and more perplexed. “You’re just... a mere band of adventurers?” He shook his head and continued, speaking almost to himself. “My patron warned me that fate sometimes weaves strange patterns around those like you... that I must not underestimate you. But... I just don’t see it.  You seem so... ordinary.” He looked at them with obvious distaste.

“Another question, then. I offered you a deal: I would tell you where the demon was, if you would agree not to pursue me. Why did you not take the deal?” Ardwyn pointed out that a devil was perhaps not the most trustworthy representative, and maybe he should have sent a different messenger. “Or used a better illusion,” he muttered thoughtfully.

“One last question. I understand that your time in Rakos has been... messy. First the sage, then the assassin, then the demon. And I want to apologize for my part in it. I have no fundamental quarrel with you. I only seek to fix this broken nation. So... if I were to let you go, would you continue to oppose me?”

“If that’s true,” said Adamir, “why did you summon the demon in the first place?” Baldric admitted that it was not his best moment, but said that the demon was Sylvan’s idea, not his. For his own part, Baldric claimed that he desired power, but quickly realized that the demon was too chaotic and destructive to be useful. Fearing for his safety, he told the demon about the Gate scroll to make it go away. Then, realizing that he would be hunted down and punished for what he had done, he sought power elsewhere, praying to the demon’s enemies, the devils. It was confirmed: he had become a warlock, bound in service to a devilish patron.

Tessel challenged him next. “You say you seek to ‘fix this broken nation’, but unleashing a horde of demons doesn’t sound like it would do that.” Baldric answered that he had never believed that the demon would succeed in opening a Gate, and that he knew that the demon and the party were on a collision course. “Better to let you fight, and then deal with the survivor,” he explained. “Also, have you ever heard the saying, ‘never waste a good crisis’? I have a plan, and I needed something to frighten the people of Rakos.” But despite these rationalizations, and despite pressing each of the party members in turn, they refused to give in, and insisted that they would continue to fight his plans.

“I am out of questions,” the warlock finally announced. “Can you guess what happens now?” Tessel hesitatingly spoke up. “We go to the Grand Council?” Baldric slowly shook his head, muttering “they’re always so... stupid.” He raised his hand toward the party, fingers outstretched. Ardwyn quickly spoke up, challenging him once again, but he barely listened. “Trying to keep your enemy talking,” he observed. “A good strategy. But it won’t work.” Suddenly, he closed his fingers into a fist, triggering the spells he had placed on the party, and in an instant, they fell dead.

Four of them (all except for Daelon) woke up a moment later in a basement, surrounded by strangers and feeling awful. Most of the strangers around them were obviously clerics: a stout middle-aged man, a male dwarf, a young woman, and a very old dark-skinned woman. “It worked!” one of them cried. “Praise Bahamut!” In one corner of the room stood a young male half-orc, while in the opposite corner was a bed with the apparent corpse of a female dwarf. The party, needless to say, was confused.

The stout man spoke to them first, addressing Tessel. “What is the last thing you remember? Do you remember slaying the demon?” The paladin confirmed this. “Do you remember me?” the man asked in a hopeful tone. She couldn’t quite place him, but he continued, “I believe the last time we met I knocked you to the floor with a stick. My name is Cedric. I am the son of Celestahn, the priest you spoke to before setting off to slay the demon...

“That was 44 years ago.”

The party was shocked. But Valra, remembering the boy she had met just last week, decided to transform into a panther, and nuzzled Cedric just as she had when he was a boy. He smiled, and some of the tension in the room drained away. “Wait,” said Valra, after transforming back. “Are we zombies?” Cedric rushed to reassure her, “oh no, no, of course not.” He explained that they had been resurrected by the use of very powerful (and expensive) spell scrolls, which were capable of bringing to life those who had been dead for up to 100 years. (Daelon’s body, unfortunately, had been sent back to Cindre for burial at the request of the duke.) Less advanced resurrection spells were unable to do the job, since the party’s hearts had been removed from their bodies after they died...

In fact, Cedric explained, nobody understood how the party had died, since no wounds appeared on their body. What's more, the severed hand of a devil had been found nearby. That, along with their victory over Sylvan and the demon, had led to all sorts of stories and legends growing up around them.

They were known to be great heroes, so Cedric and his associates had teamed up to resurrect them. Over the next couple of days, the clerics told the party much about what had happened during their time in the afterlife. The party was horrified to hear that Baldric now ruled the nation under the title of Regent.

Cedric introduced the party to the others in the room. The young woman was an acolyte of Bahamut’s temple, named Rose, who had heard many of the stories about the party and idolized them. The dwarven cleric was named Thordan Orixbane, a local of Highrock who lived in the shrine where they all were speaking. The old woman turned out to be Avisha, the archer who had once tried to assassinate them as part of Danica’s crew; she had been taken in by a merciful priest of Pelor after her capture, and after a long period of reform and penance (and the magical healing of her once-missing tongue), she had decided to become a cleric of Pelor herself.

Tessel used her Deathoscope to investigate the corpse of the dwarf woman in the corner, and was stunned when it reported the impossible fact that the dwarf had been dead for less than a minute. The party asked the clerics about this. By way of explanation, Cedric introduced the young half-orc, Ralnur Unghart. (Ardwyn was shocked to hear that this half-orc shared her last name, and she gladly accepted Thordan’s offer of several strong drinks. Despite drinking copious amounts as she absorbed the news, she remained surprisingly unimpaired by the alcohol.)

Ralnur told the party about the "soul sickness", a recent mysterious epidemic that apparently sapped its victims of the will to live. When his adoptive mother Lorwyn Unghart fell ill, he sought out his friend Thordan. The cleric did not know of any way to treat Lorwyn, but they decided that he would repeatedly cast Feign Death, a spell that makes someone appear to be dead and which, as a side effect, halts the progress of any disease. It might not be safe to undo the spell yet, but it would hopefully buy them enough time to find a cure.

Ralnur was an interesting lad. Although only an adolescent (12 years old), he was bigger than anyone in the party, with greenish skin and unusual black eyes. Hoping to discover a cure for his mother, he had traveled far to the north, to the old ruins where it was rumored that the ancients had dabbled with powerful magic. There, he found a magical crow’s beak, which spoke into his mind and sometimes granted incredible fighting prowess (though he doesn’t remember what happens when he enters this “rage”). Now, he hoped to join the party and help them in their adventures. He kept the beak in a pendant around his neck, which he referred to as a totem. “I have a totem too! It’s a cat,” said Valra. Ralnur was ecstatic. “That’s so cool! Is there a spirit in that one too?” Valra shook her head. “Oh...” said Ralnur. “Well... that’s still cool!”

The conversation turned to their current situation. The clerics said that they had set up five safehouses scattered throughout Rakos, with each of the safehouses assigned to one of the clerics (plus one assigned to Perrin, the mage they had met in the Silver Tower long ago). The safehouses had protective wards, as well as teleportation circles that could be used (albeit with some expense) to move the party around. The clerics had also recovered the party’s stored equipment, and they had arranged for fake travel permits for each of them, claiming that they were a traveling band of entertainers. Each of them was assigned a fake name in these papers: Arlav, Michelle, Fartwyn, Petey, and Bigboy.

As for the question of what to do next, the clerics all had ideas:

• Thordan said that the party needed money and equipment, and he suggested that they return to the Treasury and rob Baldric’s regime of its wealth. Security had been improved since the party’s earlier visit, but their earlier experience would still be an advantage. 

• Rose said the party needed information about Baldric’s plans. Who better to speak to than Rath, the new Sage of the Silver Tower, and the only one who knew Baldric before his rise to power? Admittedly, everyone knew that Rath had gone mad nearly 30 years ago, but surely they would be able to persuade him to help.

• Avisha said that the party needed to find allies. She suggested either making contact with the clans of the Elfwood (who had recently begun fighting openly against the Regency) or replacing the Duke of Revo (an ally of Baldric) with his brother. This brother, Emmon, was the leader of the Outcasts, a group of bandits that formed out of the remnants of the old Capital Rangers after they were disbanded by Baldric.

• Cedric, finally, said that the party needed rest most of all, but perhaps there was a way to find money, information, and allies all at once. The new Duchess of Cindre was fifteen-year-old Anna Greydale, the granddaughter of the duke who had originally hired the party. Baldric kept her practically imprisoned in the Capital Hall in Balenor, ostensibly to tutor her. Thanks to the efforts of her forebears, Cindre was a hotbed of unrest against Baldric’s regime, and rescuing the Duchess could be extremely helpful. The only problem was that, according to those who had spoken with her, the Duchess was a willing prisoner and a passive supporter of the regime. 

The party gathered together to discuss their options. Ralnur walked in before too long, asking his “auntie” if he could join in. Still shocked by recent events, Ardwyn lashed out at him. They walked outside together, and Ralnur tried to explain his feelings. “It’s just... you’re so cool! And, I just wanna kill stuff with you, and I was thinking that, y’know... maybe we could kill stuff together?” They spoke a bit more about his mother and his upbringing, before Ardwyn softened her tone and invited the young half-orc to join them in their discussions, as long as he wouldn't call her "auntie" anymore. They went back into the shrine’s basement to rejoin the others.

At first, Adamir suggested that their best bet was doing as Thordan said and robbing the Treasury so they could afford better equipment for the trials ahead. Tessel objected to the idea of outright theft, and instead suggested that their best bet was following Avisha’s advice and deposing the Duke of Revo, possibly through assassination. “Wait a sec,” said Ardwyn, “is the paladin seriously talking about offing someone?” Tessel explained that it was righteous to slay evildoers, but, thinking along the same lines, she also began to reconsider the idea of stealing from the Treasury.

Other concerns were voiced. Valra said that she wanted to keep a low profile, especially while they were still believed to be dead. Ardwyn suggested minimizing their travel costs, and argued that trying to “rescue” the Duchess of Cindre was a big risk if she didn’t actually want to be rescued. Perhaps it was better to stick to situations where they could be honest about their identity, rather than immediately getting involved in a messy and unfamiliar political situation.

After much conversation, the party made a decision. The next day, they approached Avisha and told her that they wanted to help find the Outcasts and depose the Duke of Revo. The old cleric smiled and told them that they would need to teleport with her back to her safehouse: a shrine along the road between Wayport and Balenor. The Outcasts were based nearby, and often robbed the merchant caravans along that road. After saying their goodbyes, the party squeezed into the teleportation circle with Avisha and disappeared. They immediately arrived in a cozy room situated underneath an open-air shrine. Avisha pointed them in the right direction, and they set off on the road again, for the first time in 44 years.

Shortly after reaching the main road, they encountered a wagon, filled with six Peacekeepers and their captain, who called out to them: “Halt, citizens!” Ardwyn immediately hid behind a boulder. The captain, showing a nasty disposition, approached the rest of the party and demanded to know their business. Ralnur met his eyes and offered their falsified papers, claiming to be entertainers. The captain glared and examined the papers for a long while before handing them back. “You should be more careful. It’s dangerous to travel these roads alone.” Seeing that the coast was clear, Ardwyn left her hiding place, claiming to have been dealing with some private business. The captain grimaced and refused to shake her hand.

His troops, however, were distracted by the party’s cover story. “Do a trick!” called out one of them. Thinking fast, Tessel reached into her pouch of Zoomy Bloomies and threw a handful of them toward the captain. He drew back and drew his sword, sputtering, but he relaxed as the seeds sprouted into colorful flowers, drawing scatted applause from the soldiers on the wagon. Adamir, meanwhile, tried his hand at juggling as he walked around the side of the wagon. He quickly fumbled, and had no better luck at balancing arrows, but even these failures were entertaining to the soldiers on the wagon, who showered him with jeers and mocking laughter.

Ardwyn spoke to the captain, begging to be allowed to travel with the Peacekeepers for protection. He refused, claiming that it was against policy. But he took a more gentle tone when she pretended to be horribly frightened, and he offered to wait with them until a merchant caravan showed up.

They briefly considered this offer. But suddenly, Ralnur let out an ear-piercing “CAWWWWWWWWWW!” The half-orc drew his great-axe and charged toward the soldiers...

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...