OK! SO since it's been a long time coming I've done a RECAP of the Campaign so far!
WARNING! WALL OF BULLET POINTS!
Summer is almost upon the land of Drazi and for The Comedy of Errors it has been a few busy few months.
Starting off!
Let's Make A Bit Of Coin...
This Carstine Guy Needs To Die!
The Untempered Schism
Summer is almost upon the land of Drazi and for The Comedy of Errors it has been a few busy few months.
Starting off!
- Chasing after a kidnapped Duke’s Daughter who turned out to have run away in search of a “Lost Capstone” helped her search for it but decided that it best if she stay someplace safe “Susan’s Safehouse & Sundries” was on the way, run by the famed retired hero Susan Stormbringer and his adopted Ogre son Banner.
- While helping the Duke’s Daughter Lady Elenna out the group came across a talking halfling head “Corki The Legendary Immortal!” (no, you wouldn’t have heard of him) going north up to a great Dam and entering The Valley of the Drazi Demon Kings. A large mostly flooded valley with the tombs of the Demon Kings built into the mountains.
- Fighting “Bandits” that were soldiers for Duke Ironheart (in Duke Blackhands lands) they found a… crashed ship in the mountains. Inside they met Millhouse Manastorm, Archmage and world traveller from the fabled lands to the far east across the Skyreach mountain range that no one crossed.
- These “Bandits” had opened one of the tombs though the bodies of the unlucky explorers were all that was found. Searching around this tomb the party found undead (some fresh “bandit” undead) and a stranger in the middle of poisoning the water supply (As the water that flowed from these tombs went right out to the sea running around the great city of Kracken’s Fall, home of Duke Blackhand)
- Killing this necromancer, but accidently spilling plagued pot into the water in the process. They continued to explore the rest of the tomb as they believed the necromancer might have other allies around. Dropping the talking severed head of Corki into the fast flowing plagued water along the way.
- They came to a main chamber and found a half-orc battling with some of these fresh undead. He claimed to be a hired explorer and that the now slain necromancer had turned on him and the soldiers. With his help you opened a sarcophagus and fought of the undead that were defending the tomb. It seems that this “Tomb” was home to a long unpowered teleport ring to the real tomb of this Drazi demon king. While the party was distracted this half orc named Carstine took something out of the tomb and teleported away, but not before they put some tracking magic on him. Running through the tomb back to where the necromancer was slain they attacked Carstine only to have half the party left dying on the floor before Carstine retreated, his task seemingly done.
- The party raced to the city of Kracken’s Fall to warn them that the water was tainted.
- Too late as a plague had already hit, but it was a weak and limited plague, only the Upper Docks had victims, but the place was still in quarantine. As healers and city watch had been attacked by Drow Assassins when helping victims, and no one was allowed in for the moment. The party talked the way in, saying they would deal with the assassins and find the missing captain of the city guard. It turns out that the Duke was wounded by assassins and his advisers were too worried to risk more troops.
- Exploring the Upper Docks (oddly named Down Below because of it’s partly sunken nature) they asked around and went to a few locations and found the missing Knight Captain Irrealis was last seen up by Brickers Lane. When they arrived they found the estate barricaded. Hundreds of people were standing in the rain half-starved chanting around something the party couldn’t see. They appeared to be in some sort of trance.
- A great skeletal beast was what they were worshiping, inside the ribcage a now plagued head of Corki! As the now clearly insane Corki attacked and they chased it away, unable to get hands on him to try and cure him. They saved most of the people who were free of the trance who told them that a few days ago a stranger named Morden used a plagued head to entrance them all. Morden took 100 + into the sewers.
- The party then went sewer crawling, met a Rat Catcher who aided them in tracking down the assassins hidden base. Hired mercenaries from Dilgar, half were away on some mission, the Knight Captain said just behind those doors where over 100 already infected people, if they die they would turn into plagued zombies and could infect the whole city unless dealt with. So, the party agreed to block them in and burn them alive while they were still mortal and in a trance.
- More of the mercenaries came back, lead by a Half Orc. Carstine had brought with him an Intellect Devourer which escaped during the battle, Carstine fled again but the assassins and intellect Devourer were slain. Sworn to secrecy about the deaths caused in the name of public safety.
Let's Make A Bit Of Coin...
- Next the party agreed to take out a young woman by the name of Tam the Quarterling (Adopted daughter of KRULL WARRIOR KING, famed retired hero and leader of the Head Takers guild) to go hunt down some bandits.
- Taking a quick side trip the got chased down by Perfect the Tiefling, and Ex Lover of Sarin, he was angry about how the killed one of the hatched dragon eggs he was smuggling in the sewers and seeing how he was charming her to steal the party gold a fight happened and Perfect’s allies were mostly slain while he ran Amon hunted him down and slew him.
- Going north to Drakenhoff Fort, they found Orcs infesting the keep and using the Dark Iron dust to make some sort of crazy Boom Sticks, as there was a mine under the ruined Fort. Exploring the mine, they met a strange intelligent golum working with some goblins to make BOOM POWDER! This Golum was one of the crew owned by Millhouse Manastorm, but fell off the flying ship as it crashed.
- Further in the mine they found a hidden entrance to a long-lost Sanctum of Garak the Destroyer (Rumoured to have build a number of them all over Drazi)
- Guardian monsters slain, angelic warriors defeated in honourable combat and loot taken from the Sanctum they headed back to Kracken’s Fall, Tam having gained lots of experience on this trip.
- The party picked up Lady Elenna from Susan’s Safehouse and Sundries (Once Canton Keep, long since abandoned but given over to Susan in his retirement with his dwarven relatives) assassins had come to kidnap or kill Lady E, Susan did NOT take kindly to this and after butchering them all.
- On the trip back to Kracken’s Fall, a knight named Sir Marlin Mooney tried to take Lady E away from the party, whether or not he was with the assassins he tried to take Lady E by force to his master Baron Montoya (Lady E said he had been trying to convince her father to marry her off to him for awhile now) Mooney slain with his soldiers they carried on only to have Lady E fall down screaming in horror and pain as her right hand blackened and turned demonic, a sign that her father was dead and she was now Ruler of Kracken’s Fall and the last living Blackhand.
- A now Governor Montoya rules in Kracken’s Fall by order of the King, the party hid Lady E with the people of the Upper Docks until they could find out what was going on.
- Back in the city, Millhouse Manastorm had arrived and wanted to recruit them to head east towards Naggaroth to work for another Gnome, do what this man wanted and return with the Elemental Core Millhouse needed to either Rebuild his Skyship or open a Gateway back to his homeland and Millhouse promised to craft some magical items for the group.
- This worked well with going to Naggaroth to seek allies for Lady E.
- So eastward bound, they passed a small town where a ship had been run ashore, there was talk of a Headless Halfling body walking around but soldiers from Naggaroth under of the orders of Duke Ironheart took it away.
- Getting to Naggaroth was easy, but the city was being attacked, demons were randomly being summoned in around the city and going on a rampage. Duke Ironhearts men were searching for the source but since the party charged at the biggest demon they could see the duke offered them a reward if they found any information about who was summoning these demons.
- Talking quickly with the gnome Finklestien, who wanted the party to get a bunch of monster body parts in exchange for the Elemental Core Millhouse Manastorm wanted.
- They used some very skilled divination magic and inspiration insight to figure out the location the demons where likely summoned from and into another mine they went.
- This mine had just breached another Sanctum of Garak the Destroyer. Slaying monsters and exploring this sanctum they found a halfling named Malachi the Eighth, from the line of The Marvellous Malachi famed hero (Who along with Krull, Susan and Garak where part of a group of heroes named The Tarsonis Ten) Malachi the Eighth said he was hired to explore these ruins but his party betrayed him, he knew nothing about demons.
- The found the source of these demons, a Cleric of Grabthar (last living one of 5) held in his had an artefact of demonic power, unleashing this power was the only way he knew of to hold back the rift to a realm of abominations that a Half-Orc had opened when the clerics came exploring down here. Sur Albert risked his soul to close the rift by forcing the artefact into the rift. The cleric was too corrupted and had to be dealt with.
- Exploring more they found the mercenaries who betrayed Malachi the Eighth, most of them slain and now zombies, and Carstine trying to break into the bed chambers of Garak the Destroyer. They ALMOST killed him this time, but once again that slippery sorcerer got away. They brought back to life one of his mercenaries, a half orc named Vera who Carstine betrayed and killed as he fled.
- They searched the bedchambers once they finished breaking in, and found that the place had been emptied in a hurry a long time ago, they found a hidden room with an amulet of rare power a bust of Garak’s mother who held a strong resemblance to a much older Lady Elenna Blackhand, maybe he was related to her family?
- Since they stopped the demons and were praised by Duke Ironheart they managed to see the nobles Lady E wanted to talk to, they were guests of honour at the party. These nobles wouldn’t defy the King for a young girl without power but would protect her if she came to them. Also, they repeated the offer of marrying lady E to form an alliance with another Duke to claim back her city, but they thought this unlikely.
- They heard a rumor about a headless body escaping the city of Nagaroth and tracked it to the graveyards north of the city and found that someone had burnt a talking head and headless body but searching the ash they found that something had crawled away.
- Now the party had a plan after speaking with Vera, Carstine had hired her out of a mansion in the city of Narn to the north west, home of Duke Moonshroud.
This Carstine Guy Needs To Die!
- Rather than go back to Kracken’s Fall, the party hoped to get ahead of Carstine and with the aid of Duke Ironheart’s Court Wizard they managed to get teleported half way to Narn, far ahead of anyone riding even with the head start that Carstine had.
- They came to the waystation the Inn named “The Kobayashi Maru”, where they met an old party member. While staying the night at the inn they hear that giants have attacked a nearby farm. Even though some don’t want to get involved they go out and almost get ambushed by the giants but won the day. They giants where part of a Orc Warband “The Skull Crushers” from The Shadowlands across the mountains to the north, they had a map of places to raid. One of which was the town of Glass Shadow, a town Amon had once saved by mistake.
- Now Amon wanted to go and save the town from these Orc’s and Giants, but most the party wanted to head on to Narn so they parted ways.
- Amon raced eastward and with the aid of Hern and some recruited folks from The Kobayashi Maru they managed to get to Glass Shadow just as it was being attacked, they helped fend them off but it was only a small raid. The larger one was coming soon. Rallying the people of the town, humans as well as the Goblin and Drow members of the town Amon led a counter raid and found out that some of the “Prisoners” taken by the tribe were in fact cultists.
- Lots and lots of killing Orcs, Goblins and Giants later the town of Glass Shadow had been saved, the cultists that had been working with the Skull Crusher tribe where found out. It seems that these cultists wanted to break into a bank within Glass Shadow with help of the raiders… to get a safe deposit box belonging to someone named Carstine.
- After turning down a reward, saying to invest it into rebuilding the town, Amon travelled west to catch up with the others. But along the way allies of Hern asked him to deal with more of these same cultists.
- Finding them was easy, so was killing the guards and sneaking into their camp. These cultists were killing a now whole Corki, and each time he died and came back to life a small rift appeared and abominations were summoned through. These cultists were then binding these abominations. Saving Corki and avoiding the main force of cultists Amon and his followers from Glass Shadow kept going to Narn.
- Meanwhile the party had rushed to Narn, as they entered the city the guards tried to arrest Sarin for stealing from Ezri the mapmaker. Now Sarin had never been here and found this very odd… could her twin sister be alive after all? No time for that as the party went right to the mansion where Carstine had stayed, they tried to use magic to force their way past the city guard on watch outside and got arrested for their trouble. The Mansion was under the protection of Duke Moonshroud in accordance with the Khitomer accord, as it was an Embassy for the Shadowlands currently owned by “The House of He that Was” while being arrested the guards were attacked. It was assumed that these attackers where part of the rebellion that was brewing within the city of Narn.
- They didn’t escape, but one of them never got arrested and agreed to meet with these rebels later. Most the party where held by the city watch of Narn, after talking to a general and explaining things how they had come from two cities attacked by Carstine they were told that Carstine was once a general that had died during a raid from the Shadowlands years ago. They were told to not get into any trouble.
- They then went to meet with the rebels, but were SO obvious and loud they scared the rebels off after they said a few slightly racist things towards the Drow an Half Orc members of the group (Races found mostly in the Shadowlands and now in Drazi after the accords were signed)
- Sur Albert received a note from his sister he had not spoken to in many years, so the group went to the docks where they were attacked by yet more hired assassins from Dilgar (The same clan as the ones who were involved in Kracken’s Fall) they lived through the assassins, being helped by a stranger Fia who would join them on their travels.
- The city watch basically told them to fuck off out the town because they just brought trouble, they also kicked out the Dilgar ship the assassins had come from (Dilgar have a reputation for being mercenaries) as the city guard didn’t want any trouble with the Shadowlands and wanted to investigate this news about Carstine quietly without bloodshed and beheadings in the streets.
- Sarin met with Ezri the Mapmaker and found out that her twin Alicin was alive, or at least someone using magic to look like her. Ezri had part translated a book for her “The Untempered Schism”, a book stolen from the Shadowlands Embassy and a book that their new Tiefling ally Fia wanted (Fai had been following them before the assassins thinking Sarin was in fact Alicin)
- So, with their new companions (and parting ways with some old ones) the party headed south back towards Kracken’s Fall as Alicin and the book went south, to uncover a hidden Sanctum of Garak under the city.
- On their journey south, they passed by Drakenhoff Fort, now occupied by the Governors men. Likely the governor had found out about the sanctum (They did sell off the information) and his men were digging out the rest of the sanctum in order to gain what ever magical riches the party didn’t get the first time (A far number of items behind very very nasty traps)
The Untempered Schism
- Back in Kracken’s Fall. Trying to find Lady E, the house she was staying at had been burnt down. But a watcher left for them leads them to the sewers below the city where Lady E has started her rebellion with a small force of Goblins that she has granted Warlock Powers to.
- Not quite sure where Alicin is at the moment they debate about helping Lady E, they don’t want to hurt any of the city guard, but they do end up robing the Tax Convoy coming into the city, without anyone being really hurt and a lot of chaos caused.
- They then agree to go and meet with a baron who may be willing to aid Lady E. Once more they find themselves in the Upper Docks at the large pub / play house known as The Abstract Fiddler. The Baron who turns up is in fact Carstine who gained his title under the Governor using a different name. Carstine warns that battle here would see many other bar patrons slain.
- Distracted during this talk with Carstine, Sarin notices a small rat headbutting her ankle, she follows it and it turns into a gnome druid named Zibbie. Who was quiet angry that Sarin had hired her friend Pipes and he’s now gone missing, Sarin starts explaining that she may have an Evil Twin while Sur Albert talks to Carstine.
- Carstine claims to want to see Lady E not only take back the title of Duke but proclaim her a Queen. As he has seen a vision of the future and all he has done was ally with cultists in order to gain power to stop the coming apocalypse. Now Carstine had submitted to a Zone of Truth spell so Sur Albert at least believes that CARSTINE believes what he is saying.
- A Drunk Corki buts into the conversation at this point, dancing and singing on their table, Carstine says he needs proof that Sur Albert believes him “Cut the Halfling down” so Sur Albert forgetting the warnings of Abominations and only remembering that Corki can not die cuts down Corki.
- Rifts open and freakish creatures come out and start killing people, Carstine claims that these are the creatures that will swarm the world killing all life unless his plan succeeds. He says to meet tomorrow for more, as he backs away from a fight with Fia who freaked out and tried to burn Carstine when he tried to banish some of the party to test the skills of the others.
- The meeting the next day, at Bricker’s Lane, didn’t go massively well. Carstine used an illusion of himself over a tied-up citizen (in case Sur Albert and the party attacked him, forcing them to murder an innocent rather than Carstine) no fight happened. They agreed to bring Lady E to see him in 3 days. The poor bloke tied up was freaked out, the party talked about maybe killing him so he doesn’t tell the Governor that they are working with Lady E. Though they untied him so he ran, Sur Albert was over come by a dark force and chased after this fellow and almost beat him to death with his bare hands. The party helped him come to his senses.
- With the aid of Zibbie and Ezri translating “The Untempered Schism” again they found the way down to the hidden Sanctum below the city. The book spoke of how there were two paths down there. One filled with trials and traps and one you could pass… if you had the amulet they found in the other sanctum worn by a blood relative of Duke Blackhand.
- So, with Lady Elenna Blackhand and some of her Goblin bodyguards they went down into the Sanctum. They found out that other people where in here (Magical Spirt Servants where quiet helpful) and they went to the Viewing Room.
- Traveling there they finally caught up with “Alicin” and her party. Sarin cried out that it wasn’t her sister but an evil Hag creature, the same Fae Hag that killed her sister and her dog in the fire years ago!
- The party soundly thrash “Alicin” and her mercenaries, though Pipes was no where to be found, Alicin seemed to think that Sarin was an evil Fae Hag, so they tied her up to sort out later.
- It was around this point, after the Sanctum alarm spells had been going off for awhile due to the fight, that Garak The Destroyer long dead member of the Tarsonis Ten turned up. Well a magical projection of him. Now a half-rotted Lich, extremely sassy and greeted Fia calling her “Aunty” and Elenna Blackhand as “Mother”
- Garak invited them into the Viewing Room where Carstine was waiting.
- Garak had long since given up on trying to save the world, after breaking the laws of time and space to try once he decided to build his own plane of existence. Carstine had been gathering artefacts for him in exchange for knowledge to fight against the tide of abominations that would one day come as a final apocalypse.
- Garak claimed to have come from a future where this apocalypse had happened, traveling back to a time over 230 years before the current date.
- The information he had given Carstine was, among other things, how to Raise The Kracken that the party could now see lay dormant buried far under Kracken’s Fall. This monumental beast could be controlled by a member of the Blackhand family line, so Carstine claimed, and once he unleashed this beast destroying a few cities the rest of the Dukes would have no choice but to proclaim the one who stopped it Ruler. For Carstine believed that only a united Kingdom could stand against the abominations.
- Garak seemed to not care either way, but far more interested in how his “Aunty” and “Mother” reacted. Saying how their fates had already been changed by his actions (Mostly by mocking Fia for not being a skilled mage, and you know… no longer human)
- Lady Elenna seemed extremely unconvinced that ANY of this were true other then that Carstine wanted to unleash a monster upon her city. When he tried to use his magic to compel her to join him a deadly fight occurred with a frantic race to defeat Carstine and take away the horn he was blowing that made the whole sanctum shake.
- Alicin, now freed helped fight Carstine, the Ravenwood Sisters once again side by side.
- Finally, at long last the party slew Carstine, though as he died his corpse let out a chuckle… “…you think I learnt nothing from Garak… Death is only the beginning!” as he turned to ash.
- The Kracken still slumbered and Garak gave a few backhanded complements but now required a new agent to gain him the artefacts needed to help build his own demi plane.
- And so, they agreed to help him for his own aid in dealing with the coming apocalypse. He told them they could ask Six Questions of him as he hates being nagged and if they did a small task for him he would unlock the Armoury here within the Sanctum.
- Lady E went back to city, worried about what she had learnt.
- Pipes was found, stuck in a trap, and he and Zibbie were happy to leave these crazy dangerous people as quickly as possible.
- Alicin was sorry for the damage she had caused and gave Sarin a healing potion as way of apology, it was of course poison. Alicin was once again convinced Sarin was an Evil Hag (The magic spells cast to calm her down faded near the end of the fight) after attack Sarin she fled but due to magical darkness fell off the edge of the cliff down into the dark towards the Kracken sleeping below.
- Garak told them to go to a Demi Plane known as Sanctuary, a place he was currently barred from, to meet with someone and gain a circlet off him. If they bring back that circlet then he would open the armoury and maybe discuss further trades. He told them that they needed to find a rare portal to this world. The party pulled out a portal they had SITTING IN THEIR BAGS FOR MOST OF THE CAMPAIGN (I’m not bitter :P ) and had never really gotten around to using.
- They rested and used the portal to enter the realm of Sanctuary. Which turns out to be an inn with Half-Gold Dragon servers. No one can steal or attack another within this place, the main room was an overlapping extra-dimensional space that had all the guests out of phase with each other unless both parties agreed to meet. Complete with shop keepers and rooms a person of any race could stay here safely and return to the point where they came from, for a fee.
- Sarin noticed the far wall which looked golden, was a single golden scale of a dragon of mind blowing size. She used her newly awakened psychic powers to touch minds with the Dragon and was invited outside to the garden (Will post this bit by itself after this)
- They got a message from Garak telling Fia that their contact knew her name and would call her, while they waited their waitress came over and asked them a favour. She said that someone related to Fia had broken into Sanctuary by mistake and to send him back to their world without leaving with someone from their world could hurt the poor fellow so Fia agreed to take responsibility for this stranger, a Tiefling named Arux (Who would join their group) the only relation Arux has to Fia is that they both are Tieflings from the same world.
- Fia and Arux (who phased along with her) met with a halfling named Malachi the Forth. He would be happy to trade the circlet to the party for the right price, 50,000 gold. The Skullcrusher tribe destroyed and at least 100 of their hearts torn out and burnt as a sacrifice (including their leader) or his forbears old dagger last seen on display within Garak’s Obsidian Sanctum (The one under Drakenhoff Fort, the first one the party went to)
- Returning back to their own realm Fia and Arux quickly found out they could not go more than 100ft from each other without crippling pain.
- In their time away Lady Elenna had made a public speech condemning the Governor saying it was one of his Barons (Carstine under a different name) that brought the Death Plague to the city and caused the abominations to appear and kill people at The Abstract Fiddler last week. Guards turned up and clashed with supporters of Lady E. KRULL WARRIOR KING had a heart attack during the battle and died at the ripe old age of 245-ish.
- Meeting up with Elenna they told her that her rebellion should wait till after they gained weapons from Garak’s Armoury as it would be a quick trip up to Drakkenhoff Fort, to grab the Dagger. Lady E sent her political ally, The High Elf Bard Aethylthryth (Yes, my players hate me with hard to say names) who agreed with the party that Lady E needed to cool her jets with this whole rebellion thing as a band of Warlock Goblins isn’t going to take over one of the oldest and largest cities in the world.
- The city was still in lockdown after the fight between Lady E and the Guards, but the party teleported out easy enough due to Sarin’s ever increasing psychic abilities.
- They travelled north and avoided several hundred soldiers loyal to the King, likely sent to reinforce the Governor. They had been using Goblins and Rebels to set off all the traps (there were a lot of them) and just scrap up the mess off the walls until they got the items.
- Getting into Drakkenhoff Fort was as easy as walking up to the gates as the guards mistook Aethylthryth for a wizard they were expecting. The dagger was no longer in the sanctum below as most the treasure had been taken by the governors men back to Kracken’s Fall.
- They went to THIS sanctums Armoury which was opened with a code word. Believed to be “That which Garak truly loved” / “What is most precious to Garak” the guards had not managed to go through this door yet, though two mercenaries figured it out but did so without telling the guards and they never came out.
- Inside the “Armoury” was an aquarium with the same abominations that were summoned when Corki died / that Sur Albert had seen through the rift under Naggaroth. At the centre of the room was a large crystal ball, Fia grabbed it and went into a trance. The glass broke and the abominations attacked and were slaughtered as these were only the small kind, a Dispel Magic spell managed to close one of these small rifts.
- Convincing all the guards above that this place was about to be overrun the party left the area, and raced back to a small villa outside Kracken’s Fall that Fia somehow new about and under a swing hanging from a tree Fia dug up an amulet with the symbol of an Arch Mage of the Minbari Empire, she saw it buried in the vision the orb gave her but was very lose with the details.