Journal – Session 6
Having explored an eldritch tower of high Wizardry, a party of five bold adventurers – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Luke, a mysterious half-elven Wizard, an expert in the arcane arts who carefully guards his unknown past; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – returned to the town of Folkestone, their temporary base of operations, to rest, relax and prepare for their next quest.
Upon entering the town to no real fanfare, Ur-Kadar and Luke agreed to go and get their companion Syxia, the tiefling Rogue who had been placed under a form of “house arrest” by her companions for her attack on Fastieth, owner of the upscale inn The Gilded Lilly after the latter had provided information to a Rogue seeking information about her. The companions had learned that no less than two contracts had been placed on Syxia – one for her capture, the other for something worse involving The Devil’s Canvas, an infamous and feared assassin. The Paladin and Half-Elf discussed the end of Syxia’s punishment with Meldrick, the innkeeper of the Crested Cock, the inn and tavern serving as the adventurers’ base of operations in Folkestone. Syxia’s equipment was returned to her (along with the sincere apologies of Meldrick), and all was forgiven and forgotten. Syxia told her friends that she was able to discover very little while they were gone, owing to the nature of her confinement. The trio then set off for the shop of the Wizard Neltharian, where the rest of the companions already were questioning the old man.
Neltharian greeted Barrack warmly, and inquired as to where the other party members were, and expressed his hope that none of them had been hurt while on their quest. Barrack stated that the others had gone to retrieve Syxia and would join them shortly. Neltharian immediately asked for the book that the party had been commissioned to secure for him, A Complete Guide to Gates and the Planes. Barrack told the Wizard that the magical book was being carried by Luke, and that the party had some questions for Neltharian to answer before the mystical tome would be given to him.
Barrack, in his typical blunt and direct style, began to demand answers to a number of questions: “Whose tower did we steal from?” Neltharian explained that the tower was now officially the property of House Talnivarr (the Soltara-wide house dealing in all things magical and mystical), but he did not mention any past owner(s) of the tower.
In answer to the question, “Why was the tower abandoned?”, Neltharian answered that the Wizards there accidentally unleashed something they could not control. He further explained that the inhabitants of the tower were researching gates to other planes of existence and accidentally let something out that they should not have. They were unable to send the thing back from whence it came, but they were able to seal it into a room inside the tower. Neltharian did not indicate how he came by this information. Next, Barrack demanded to know why the Wizards of the tower researching gates and demons (although Neltharian had not mentioned demons, the party had fought demons in the tower). Neltharian merely stated that gates and planar connections are areas of arcana that are understudied, and the Wizards in the tower determined that further research was needed. However, they miscalculated, and almost wrought disaster.
Neltharian answered the question, “Why do you want the book?” in the following manner: “Because I believe that it remains the best current source of information on gates, the planes and planar connections, and I needs to know more about these topics.” Barrack suggested that the Wizard might use the book to summon demons himself, a charge the old Wizard absolutely denied. He claimed that he only required the knowledge contained in the book in order to increase his skill and knowledge for the purpose of closing – not opening – gates to other planes.
Under the relentless and pointed questioning of Barrack, Neltharian did admit that he was unable to find the book for himself because the area had been sealed, and he could not risk being discovered “borrowing” the book. When the party wondered aloud “What are the ramifications of us stealing the book?”, Neltharian asked if there had been a large construct guarding the door. The party confirmed that indeed, there had been. Neltharian asked if the construct had blinked at the party and, if so, how many times? The adventurers confirmed that it had blinked, three times. Neltharian then explained that there was therefore a chance that the House now had an image of their appearance. Neltharian asked the dwarf if the party had found something with the remains of the construct, and was told that the party had found a crystal (which the party was still carrying). “Smash it, smash it now. Then take the shattered remnants with you to wherever you are headed next and drop them off” was the cryptic advice of Neltharian. He further told them that the crystal can and should be destroyed because it possessed a specific magical signature that can be tracked by the House. (The party did this as they left town the next day).
Ur-Kadar, Luke and Syxia then arrived at the shop and were quickly brought up to speed by their friends and Neltharian. With a serious look on his face, the old Wizard forthrightly told Luke that he would likely never be able to join House Talnivarr, and that if the House ever discovered that Luke was involved in taking the book from the tower, he could be in serious trouble. As for the rest of the party, Neltharian seemed to believe that they were safe, although he did warn them that it was possible (but very unlikely) that the House could come looking for them. He did reassure the party when he stated that if the House was really keeping the tower under surveillance and were determined to keep people out, they would have greeted the party on the way out of the tower. Several party members were puzzled and/or angry at these developments, and asked Neltharian “Why shouldn’t we just go to the House and tell them that you had us steal the book?” While Neltharian admitted that it was an excellent question, he made it clear that the facts were the facts, i.e., the party did, in fact, steal the book. He also assured them that they need him to have the book. Neltharian told the party that the Wizard Janglemere, an acquaintance of his, had written the book years before; Neltharian indicated that he had not seen him in a long time.
The party had many other questions for Neltharian, and he seemed willing (if not eager) to answer these many queries. When asked, “Are the head in the box and the book connected?”, Neltharian stated that these two things are possibly linked, but he was unsure of the nature of the link (if indeed there was a link between the two at all).
He was also asked about the Temple of Shar-Ngrond. The actual location of the infamous Temple remains lost. It is rumored to be an area of great magical power and might, a nexus of the planes. Neltharian went on to explain that throughout Soltara, there are places where certain connections to other worlds are much stronger; in some of these places, planar gates are easier to open than would otherwise be the case; these places of eldritch power also allow certain entities and things to enter into Soltara through gates opened or otherwise located there; it is also said that these gates can be sustained for much longer than is usually the case.
Neltharian also related to the party a terrible tale of woe: nearly 2,000 years ago (the 2,000 year anniversary will fall in less than three years), several gates were opened, and a great horde of demons was unleashed; these fiends ravaged the land, destroying most of Soltara. It has taken the world an extremely long time to recover from this demonic assault. Neltharian confided in the party his fear that a cult is planning to reopen these gates in an attempt to summon the demon lord Orcus, freeing him from his otherwordly prison. In exchange, these cultists expect a great deal of power to be granted to them by Orcus.
In his usually rude and gruff style, Barrack rounded on Syxia and demanded to know – on the spot – whether or not she was still a pure virgin. After the initial shock wore off, and with much indignation, she admitted that she was (although this meant that a large measure of the effects of her banter and mystique were now gone forever, at least among the members of the party). In making this admission, Syxia was deeply embarrassed, and became very fidgety and averted her eyes from everyone present. All of the party members now seemed convinced that her marriage to the horrible tiefling Warlord that had been planned by her father (and which she had thwarted by running away before the wedding, provoking an inter-tiefling conflict) was likely nothing but a sinister scheme by the underworld realm of the tieflings to join in the plot to free Orcus by means of a virgin sacrifice.
While Syxia was still deeply embarrassed by Barrack’s forced interrogation, even she had to admit that nothing could be put beyond the wicked tieflings, even the sacrifice of a beautiful, buxom bride like her (although she could never, ever see how a husband could allow such a thing, considering it was *her* they were talking about – and seeing as how she would look absolutely stunning and enchanting as a bride in the dress her father had allowed her to buy (for thousands of gold pieces), such that everyone would be mesmerized by her beauty, and couldn’t even think of hurting her). None of the party members’ suspicions were allayed by Neltharian, who enlightened them concerning the shadowy realm of the tieflings as best he could – the descendants of the ruling nobles of an ancient empire who had worshipped and trafficked with demonic fiends. The tieflings see themselves as superior to all other races, and long for their return to domination, ruling over all other races who would be the tieflings’ servants and slaves. In the meantime, as they dream of their eventual return to power ruling in the name of their dark and infernal masters, they conduct themselves on the fringes of human society, dealing little with the outside world; but in their secluded manor houses and fortresses, they live on as if they had always remained in power, with the various noble houses each trying to out-do their rivals in terms of wealth, influence and power. Behind the scenes, the secret realm of the tieflings does indeed influence the wider, outer world, although very few know of this secret.
Syxia’s arranged marriage would have secured wealth, power and influence for both her father’s house of Thantos, as well as that of her would-be husband, a Warlord of noble lineage claiming considerable might and prestige. By fleeing from this arranged marriage, Syxia had enraged both houses, and set both against her (and against each other) – while her life in her father’s important, influential and wealthy manor house was miserable (she was treated as little more than a slave or servant to her 12 brothers and her father; although tiefling females are considered by the males to be so far above other races as to be royal and noble, they are still only worthy to be little more than the servants, slaves and/or sexual playthings of male tieflings), she had gained some measure of respect and freedom after her father had arranged her marriage to the elderly Warlord, even given her half-human lineage (her human mother, taken in marriage by her tiefling father out of lust only, had been killed by her father in a fit of rage several years before). As the time for her impending marriage approached, although pretending to love and respect her father, Syxia planned her escape, and fled the night before her wedding, leaving both families to wonder whether she had run away, been abducted or whether there was some other reason for her disappearance. Hence the two contracts placed by House DeNethryn on her (and she doesn’t know who wants her back – her father or her would-be husband – and who wants a more terrible fate to befall her).
The party then pressed Neltharian concerning how the Wizard was charged with stopping the opening of gates and the freeing of Orcus. He replied that he was a member of the Order of Candrical, and had sworn an oath to be a force for good in Soltara. Barrack demanded further information on Candrical, which Syxia once again dismissed as a myth or fairytale – some sort of magical realm that is rumored to be the force behind all good magic. In his typical manner, Barrack brushed her explanation aside, and turned the conversation to another issue; he asked Neltharian if the Wizard thought that there was a possible connection between the severed head in the box and A Complete Guide to Gates and the Planes? Neltharian admitted that he believed that Tathairn (the dead man) was looking for, or possibly found, the Lost Temple.
Neltharian also told the party that when he left a few weeks ago, he did so to consult with the Masters of his Order (a group of seven powerful individuals who direct the activities of the Order of Candrical); the Masters of the Order believed that is what Tathairn was indeed looking for. The Wizard went further, and explained that the Order is different from what one might expect, as it is a loose affiliation of people of different races and skills spread out all over Soltara. While the Masters know each others’ identities and direct the activities (and recruitment) of the Order, most of the members know very little about the identities or activities of their fellow Order members; this serves to protect information, as well as the lives and safety of other members. In any event, Neltharian wished the adventurers to know that the Order is not a central organization giving directions to its members.
Neltharian could not state with certainty why the head of Tathairn was sent back to Folkestone. In fact, he was not entirely sure that the contents of the box that the party had delivered were meant for someone in Folkestone at all. It was possible that it was going to someone in the town who would in turn take it to the port of Inequity – one will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy – or to a ship waiting there. It was also possible that the contents of the box were also meant to be a message to Neltharian.
Barrack continued his interrogation of Neltharian, asking “Why are you in Folkestone?” He answered that he was in Folkestone because the place allows him to carry out his work without many questions and, more importantly, he believes that the Lost Temple of Shar-Ngrond is somewhere relatively close to the town. Remembering another potential lead, the party asked Neltharian if the Temple of the Red Crescent could somehow be connected to the Lost Temple, and about the possibility that an extra-planar gate could be found there. Neltharian stated that he had not been there for some time, but he clearly felt that there was no connection whatsoever between the Temple of the Red Crescent and the plot to open gates; he further stated that there should not be a gate there. He also provided some additional background material on the Temple of the Red Crescent itself - the founding of the Temple dates back over 1,000 years to a time before the lake rose and created the trackless marshes and fetid swamps surrounding the place. It was a pagan temple to a long forgotten god, and rumors persist that it was built over the ruins of an older, pre-human settlement.
The party then turned their attention to the haunted box recovered from the Wizards’ tower, which Luke produced from beneath his robes. The party wanted Neltharian to tell them everything he knew about the ghastly, ghostly extremity. Neltharian looked long and hard at the note, and asked if anyone had opened it. Luke indicated that he had indeed opened the box. Neltharian asked “Did the hand escape?” Luke answered, “Yes, but we were able to get it back in the box.” Neltharian seemed pleased with this response; the party then related to him how Luke was possessed by the thing, and how he had attacked the party before he was able to muster enough inner strength and willpower to expel the hand. Neltharian then told the party that the ghostly hand belonged to Ven-Ghol, a powerful necromancer who lived some 400 years ago; he was associated with Marzoth and his wife Lucritica. The hand is said to possess the power to dominate anyone it touches - it is rumored to have the ability to take over a person’s body, and in so doing return Ven-Ghol to the realm of the living. Neltharian told the adventurers that the hand was a powerful, evil artifact; if the House noticed anything missing, it will surely be the Hand of Ven-Ghol.
The party was concerned about the hand, and asked if they should take it to the priest of the temple of Pelor in Folkestone, Father Corus, to see if the Cleric could destroy it. Neltharian ruled out such a course of action, stating that the artifact would be far too powerful for Father Corus to deal with. In any event, Neltharian reminded everyone that neither he, nor the party, wants the fact that they recovered the hand to get out – to anyone, even a trusted Cleric. Luke asked Neltharian to take the hand, which he agreed to do, in order to consult with the Order about how to destroy it.
Luke then confronted Neltharian, telling him that the price for the book had gone up. Neltharian replied that he and the party had an arrangement. He reminded them that he had warned them that there were complications, that the party could deal with them and that he had asked the party to name the price at that time. He pointed out that he had been correct in his assessment that the party could deal with the complications and successfully return the book. For the first time, Neltharian looked upset. He asked what the party wanted in return for the book, and stated that he had met every one of the requests, reminding everyone “That was our deal!”
A clearly angry Luke told Neltharian that he should have told him that he would have to abandon the House, and that it wasn’t fair that Neltharian had kept this crucial piece of information from him when sending him on the quest for the book. Ignoring Luke’s anger, Neltharian told the young half-elf Wizard that he should thank him, “For while I have closed one door, I am opening up another that is much more beneficial to you.” Far from satisfied by this cryptic exchange, Luke told Neltharian that he needed one more thing, the ritual components to send an Animal Messenger. Neltharian agreed, and did not ask about why Luke needed the components or about the message he would be sending (or to whom). It was obvious to those present that there is a trust between the two Wizards that does not go both ways.
With that, the party left Neltharian’s shop and returned to the tavern room of the Crested Cock, where they discussed their next plan of action. It was decided that they would go next to the Temple of the Red Crescent via the surrounding hills, and then cut across the swamp instead of going straight through its dangerous and dismal reaches. The journey was largely uneventful, although both Ur-Kadar and Luke succumbed to Swamp Fever. Both were healed by the ministrations of Jaeran.
As the party stumbled through the mire of the swamp, they happened upon an outer ruin of the larger temple complex. Moving closer through the dense undergrowth, the could see a religious ceremony of some kind taking place on a makeshift altar, where a Lizardfolk shaman was preparing to sacrifice a Bullywug. Blasting forth magical energies, Luke struck with surprise, and slew the Bullywug before the foul ritual could be completed, and a furious battle ensued. Issuing from the small ruin were a Blackscale Bruiser, the shaman, four Lizardfolk warriors, several minions and two darters with blowguns (who remained hidden until they struck with ruthless accuracy). Syxia and Jaeran moved to the right, and Syxia unleashed a Blinding Barrage of daggers, sending the thick, black blood of the Lizardfolk warriors streaming into their eyes, blinding them. In the meantime, Barrack, Ur-Kadar and Marik had moved against the rest of the Lizardfolk and quickly dispatched them, even after a giant lizard had joined the fray. The party could see the main temple rising from the festering swamplands a short distance away.
The party quickly, but carefully, advanced to the main Temple area. At the top of the temple they saw a shaman, as well as two hulking Blackscale Bruisers and two Lizardfolk warriors guarding the base of the temple. There were also a horde of Lizardfolk whelps (minions) and two more darters, who used their deadly blowgun darts to crippling effect. While their needles struck the hearty dwarf multiple times he was able to fight off the effects of the poison. However, the poison was particularly effective against Ur-Kadar and the mighty dragonborn was afflicted for many rounds of combat. The party moved forward, using a large fallen column as cover. Marik teleported on top of a standing column, only to have a Blackscale Bruiser charge and try to topple it. Syxia did a running handspring to launch herself onto a fallen column alongside the Warlock. The party concentrated its attacks on one of the Blackscale Bruisers who had been cursed by Marik; when the brute fell, Marik was able to teleport away. The party then charged the temple, and fought their way up a narrow staircase that was slick with blood and slime. Barrack shoved one Lizardfolk off, and Syxia was shoved off of a lower tier of the pyramid by a Lizardfolk warrior. Jaeran seemed to be particularly effective so far this day. Whether the product of divine favor or simple luck, his effectiveness was without question. After a fierce battle in which Barrack and Ur-Kadar were affected by the deadly poison of the darters, the shaman and a Lizardfolk warrior were taken prisoner. In the Draconic language, the dragonborn questioned the shaman, who told them to beware a trap below (where the levels meet; it was a falling rock trap) and warned the party that there are as many or more Lizardfolk below, as well as the powerful chieftain of the tribe. The shaman also indicated that parts of the dungeons were excavated by the tribe, while the older portions of the underworld maze dated back to the founding of the Temple (if not before, to its pre-human origins, cloaked in mystery and shrouded in secrecy).
Syxia took her customary place in front as a scout as the party descended the steeply-pitched stairs into the bowels of the Temple – a ghastly smell issued forth from the lightless depths of the underground complex, as the party members tried to keep their balance on the muck-covered, ancient stone steps, which were slick and covered with glistening slime. Going to the east, the party stopped at a large drop-off, nearly 30’ down; beyond this steep underground cliff, a lightless underground lake could be seen, still and black. Doubling back, the party found a large room with many Lizardfolk whelps, who fled. Splitting up, the party chased the whelps, and killed several of them before they entered a hallway that split. Beyond this area, the whelps had staged an ambush there, but it went very badly for the minions. The whelps eliminated, the party proceed down a narrow corridor that led to a huge room containing a horde of Lizardfolk.
Inside the room were the Lizardfolk chief, the head shaman of the tribe, four Blackscale Bruisers, a huge constrictor snake, six Lizardfolk warriors and countless whelps. At first only a few charged the party, including two Blackscale Bruisers. The party was puzzled by this development, but thought that the trap that the shaman had warned them about might be further back in the room, barring the others from joining the fight. At a Command from Jaeran, a number of Lizardfolk lumbered forward, forced as they were by the Cleric’s magical compulsion. The trap they had expected did not spring (as there was no trap there), and the party resolved themselves to the fact that a battle would ensue. As the fight was joined, a titanic roar and a massive upheaval of water from a barely-noticed pool to the south of the room announced a Visejaw Crocodile, which advanced on Luke. The Lizardfolk rushed to meet Barrack and Ur-Kadar. The two defenders struggled but were very effective in creating a defensive line to keep attackers off of the wizard and cleric. The cleric’s good fortune continued and it seemed most of his attacks found their mark, often in critical areas.
As the Visejaw Crocodile attempted to swallow Luke, Syxia rushed to his aid. Although the beast knocked her down and attempted to kill her, she was able to use a cunning attack that bewildered the crocodile, allowing her to vault onto and run along its back, forcing it to change positions with her as she slid home her magical sword. The beast roared and attacked, but Syxia’s acrobatic move allowed Luke time to escape and concentrate his attacks where they were needed; he began hurling blasts of magical energy at targets around the cavern. The crocodile was soon dispatched, and Syxia turned her attention to the area where Ur-Kadar and Barrack were locked in mortal combat with the Blackscale Bruisers. After these threats were eliminated, the shaman and the Lizardfolk chief remained. The shaman used his staff to blast magical energy throughout the cavern, and the chieftain was a formidable warrior. Like the Blackscale Bruisers, he used his powerful tail to knock the party members prone before pressing his attacks. Eventually, under the concerted and coordinated attacks of the party, the chief and the shaman were slain, and the victors slumped to rest and recover in victory.
The party found themselves pushed to the limit; virtually everyone exhausted the full range of his or her powers, as well as nearly all of the healing available to them, either from their own inner resources or from the divine assistance provided by Jaeran (which proved valuable and accessible, even in the hellish depths of the swamp temple). Magical potions were used by Barrack and Syxia. The Lizardfolk chieftain’s armor was taken (+1 Delver’s Plate), and a store of other magical items was discovered as well (including +1 Leather Armor, a +1 Dagger, and the magical staff of the shaman, a +1 Staff). In addition, treasure was recovered that brought the party an additional 480 gold pieces in value.
