The Forty-Sixth Session

May 29, 2021, Campaign: As the ground quakes, evil wakes

Last session

We sent Zelrathi and Moon off to meet their destinies. Zelrathi we left atop the World Spire. Moon, well, we're dropping her off at the Temple of Ioun in Quadroads. And Dirius is there.

Dealing with Dirius

Ryltar drops his "Go-Away Dust", turning the Party invisible. Jerry casts Pass Without Trace. Salris adopts his human disguise. Bugfood turns into a mouse and climbs Jerry's arm.

The Party exits the Temple of Ioun, leaving Moon to her fate and possible punishment into the temple.

Invisible, we head to the Death's Door Inn. It's midday.

We had previously determined to deal with the spiders; as we walk to the Death's Door we brainstorm places to go to: the graveyard where the bean was planted, the ravine that Jerry set afire.

As we walk, a voice stands out from the crowd of shouting: a soapbox performer asking for initiates of the Guild of Performers. We ignore them and keep going.

We arrive at the Death's Door Inn, a single-story black-on-grey building. Bugfood leaves Jerry's sleeve and enters the inn, and ends his Wildshape. No one notices him. He grabs a seat and orders his favorite beer, but he's still invisible. "Hello?" calls the barmaid. A moment later, his invisibility drops.

The Party enters and pull up a table next to Bugfood, and order a meal.

The barkeep asks us whether we're the "Knights". Bugfood answers in the affirmative.

"I hear that word has gotten around that you were the ones who saved West Haven," says Lillia the Bartenter. "I had a sister up there. She said that people like you saved the entire city from being frozen."

The Party avers, saying that other people helped save it, that it had other problems than being frozen. She asks whether we'll be staying; Jerry says that it depends on where we'll be going next. She asks, "Do you know where the spiders come from?"

The spiders have cut off the North Passage to the South Haven, and have begun to encircle cities. The Ascendants, the governing council of the Quadroads, have begun to offer bounties for killing the spiders. We express interest, Vurguron particularly, and are told to ask directions from a guard.

We finish the meal, treated to some extras on the house.

Outside, we walk until we find some guards, who wear half-capes with the two-circle-and-cross logo of the Quadroads.

Jerry nudges Leon. Together they explain they're looking for the Ascendants, because we heard that there was a bounty on the spiders. The guards direct us to the north side of the Quadroads, towards the side of town that is more of a military encampment. But the Ascendants are mostly the heads of temples; the better people to talk to are the Bounty Office, off to the northeast side of town.

As we leave, the guards give us a lingering look.

There's a small line of less-than-friendly folk of all sizes, shapes, body plans, lining up in front of a booth. The booth dispenses bounties; some of the people in line are carrying sacks or small tusks. The Dwarf manning the booth asks us how many fangs we have to sell; we realize that he's not the person to talk to. He calls a human named Xavier to answer our questions.

Xavier is young and spindly, blonde and human. He explains it's 25gp per pair of spider fangs. To coordinate a raid on spiders, talk to the garrison. Jerry raises the possibility of a strategic solution, perhaps getting resources to back an expedition to confirm the source of the spiders.

Xavier stutters, points behind us, to a group of five guards with spears in full plate. "You should ask them," he says.

The middle guard, with a mohawk and removed helm, asks us if we're the Knights of the Summer Court. The Party's response is multifaceted and tends towards, "who, us?" The guard says that she has orders to relay only to the Knights of the Summer Court, and we eventually come around to Salris dropping his Leon disguise and saying that we are, apologizing for our hesitancy.

The guards are here to summon us to talk to the Ascendants, and lead us to the center of town, with the four guards standing at corners around us, escorting us through town. We draw eyes as we go.

Past the center courtyard of town, a 200-foot-diameter circle plaza with a pillar in the center, the pillar with arrowheads pointing to the four Havens, we pass through the markets and crowds of refugees. We end on the west side of the courtyard, entering a massive stone building. White marble steps lead to double doors. The leader of the guards nods; the doors are opened by four more guards. We are led into the foyer of a stone building, with doors to the left, left back, front right, right, and back. We are told to wait by one door before we are called.

After a few minutes' wait, the door is opened by an Elf in fine robes, and we are ushered into an octagonal room, with an open floor and rows of benches on all sides. Some people sit on the benches. The eight walls rise 70 feet to a domed glass oculus, and each wall has an opening where someone sits in regal robes. Below them are banners, each depicting a major temple within the Quadroads.

• an orange banner with ring of flame, representing Pellor
• a black banner with a raven skull: the Raven Queen, represented by a figure in shrouds and grey and black.
• the green of Melora
• the sky blue and silver-platinum of Bahamut, with a silver Dragonborn standing above it, in full plate
• Selene, the Moon
• the dark brown-black of Cord
• an empty white banner

Vurguron notices the Dragonborn.

The Ascendant who speaks is seated above Pellor, a tanned Human, bald, with glowing white eyes. He speaks: "Knights of the Summer Court, you have been brought here in this dire hour. The monstrosities and aberrations which plague this land have grown greater and thickerevery day. Our forces grow thin." He tells of someone who found the heart of the swarm, the epicenter of corruption.

Jerry calls out, "Where was the epicenter? We had some theories, and confirmation would be very interesting."

The crowd reacts: a female Goliath with dark braids, wearing leathers in green and brown. She stands and says, "I will lead you to it."

"I thank you for your guidance."

The Pellorian cleric: "Razorleaf was the last to return. We have found the entrance to whatever is corrupting."

Ryltar asks if it's the Underdark; Razorleaf says that she's not sure. They were ambushed.

Word has traveled of a group of remarkable individuals who had saved the city before; the Ascendants name us the Knights of the Summer Court and charge us to seek out the heart of corruption and destroy it. The Ascendants will give aid where they can, with Razorleaf guiding us.

"If you succeed and return, the reward will be land, a deed for you for land south of here, to the west of Leen, as well as twenty thousand gold. And with Razorleaf's approval, ten thousand in advance for supplies and weaponry. Do you accept this charge?"

We say yes.

The glow diminishes from his eyes.

Shopping

We identify that we need some healing potions, now that Zelrathi isn't around.

Razorleaf says that we need better armor, as ours is "substandard", and she leads us through the citadel to an empty table with chairs around it. She lays down some scrolls and paper.

She shows of a map of their expedition; the location of the Pit where the spiders are.

The mission is to destroy the source of the corrupting stones. We need weapons, armor, and things to get us out of a pinch. The spiders deal poison and acid and psychic damage.

We go to Bertio's, a shop which sells armaments and armor. It has many, many wares. We look around as Razorleaf calls behind the counter for Bertio. She acts like a regular here.

Bertio is a middle-aged male Human, bald on top of his head and hairy on the sides, blind in one eye, deep scars running across his face. His every other step clunks on the ground. He greets Razorleaf as "Thri".

Jerry sees a breastplate. It has three layers, each graven with lightning bolts. "This is the Heartkeeper breastplate. It'll keep you alive more than just anything else." It's partly made of Adamantine, graven with runes. It's +1 AC and can't be crit upon. 2600 gold.

Vurguron sees some plate armor, hanging on the wall. It's mithril, lighter and sneakier. 2000 gold.

Salris looks for an upgrade to his beat-up dragonscale shield. There's an Arrowcatching Shield and a Staunch Defender shield (+1) for 1500 gold. He eventually buys the Staunch Defender.

Bertio consults with a weasel, and makes an offer of 4500 for the armor and breastplate.

Glassmore's Tinctures

We go off to the same potion place we visited last time. We get 2 Superior Healing potions and 5 Greater Healings for 1650 gold.

Goodbarrel Goodmagics

Once again we see the elderly Gnome, Dee Goodbarrel, and her Orc storehand. She has four staves for Salris:

• A trumpet which flares like a trumpet at one end, holding an item floating above the bell.
• A double-headed cane, with a depiction of birds. Blow on it and it does bird calls.
• A staff ending in a necrotic hand, a melee attack to wilt a creature. 3000gp

But Salris is looking for ranged weapons, so Dee pulls out a tray of rings:

• A ram design which conjures a spectral ram, 3000gp
• Ring of Blasting, 1500gp

Salris buys the Ring of Blasting.

Goodbarrel has a new shipment of cyphers from Sky Diamond, for 50gp each:

• Salris: A dragon's claw with alien symbols. When held and activated, the cypher conjures a maul of ice (2d6 bludgeoning and 2d6 cold damage, heavy, two-handed) for one minute.
• Vurguron: A broken platinum ring smeared with black ichor. When thrown at a target, the cypher explodes into a fireball (3d6 fire damage, Dex save half).
• Jerry: A mangled scrap of silver chainmail smeared with crimson blood. When worn and activated, the cypher grants you advantage on Strength saving throws for one minute.
• Salris: A jagged platinum shard smeared with black ichor. When held and activated, the cypher grants you a +1 bonus on melee attack rolls for 1d6 rounds.

End of session

We're stopping early because Ryltar needs to purchase stuff.

Other stuff:

• We know how to trap the Jester, with Magic Circle
• What's going on with the stars? Are Ryltar's theories about colors and significant plot-relevant things' colors correct?
• How can the Mummy Lord be defeated?
• Determine how to resolve the Eta'el-Kerjes plot
• Remember to un-petrify Ockoh in the Ice Lord Wint's Lair — if Dirius didn't shatter him. Grab the de-petrification potions from the Elven town.
• Is Salris' brother also a bearer of the curse?