Thirty-Third Session

Intrigue

Dramatis Personae

  • Benjamin, a 15-level Wood Elf Ranger
  • CoralKing, a 15th-level Gnome Monk
  • Orky, a 15th-level Half-Elf Paladin
  • Tasbros, a 15th-level Sky Elf Sorcerer
  • Viker, a 15th-level Eladrin Druid
  • Wulrif, a 15th level Human Warlock

Summerday +1408 hours

From the journal of Countess Orky

CoralKing doesn’t want to get squished by the Dragon. We decide to investigate the chaos surrounding Brother Basil’s disappearance. Tasbros lets us into the Magisterium. Everyone is shocked about Doctorate Julian Yewshade's death, who was well-known and adored. We find the bodies left by the black spheres are strange because there is no signature; they don’t seem to match any clade lines of Illithids that are known. The Chancellor and Provost are busy, so we head to the Department of Necromancy. A Gnome greets us creepily. He tells us the Chair Maeve Shadowdusk is busy and wants to take a message. He directs us to the classroom where Professor Shadowdusk is teaching and we follow. We listen to the lecture about Autumnset and The Shadowfell. We speak after she finishes and she expresses how confused she is by the whole Brother Basil situation. She is very concerned about the Illithids ability to cast darkness that is impervious to the Arclight. She said The Shadowfell wouldn’t be powerful enough to do so, only something from the Far Realm would be capable of that. We decide to leave and regroup.

I ask Lord Varkosian about the situation and he says Brother Basil wasn’t the beginning of his downfall, but he definitely contributed to it. He asks if we ever found Basil’s mother. I suddenly remember her and how we never tracked her down. Then, I realize we never asked Lord Varkosian why he became a Death Knight in the first place. He said he felt it was the right thing to do at the time. He said the Illuminati wanted him to summon Baphomet to control or consume all beings that were raised from the dead. He said there were more steps in the ritual. They needed an artifact, a gigantic sacrifice, and Baphomet.

We decide to track down Basil's mother in the mines. Benjamin tracks her and we find there was an industrial accident and a lot of people died. However, she went missing outside of Neverwinter about 10 cycles ago. It seems that she staged this incident as a breakout. Her tracks change as she moves. That indicates to Benjamin that she is a shapeshifter. She seems to have a set of Drow and a set of Human footprints. We found out that she stole a vehicle when she escaped.

We go back to my Manor, open The Book and attempt to read the writings between Brother Basil and his mother. We find out she is a Drow noble and was instructed to bear a child that may have been to create a receptacle for a possession by Llolth. Her last message to Brother Basil is that she is leaving to reclaim her House and Throne. I ask where Menzoberranzan is and CoralKing recalls there was a war fought a generation ago between Menzoberranzan and Blingdenstone. So, the Deep Gnomes might know.

Our new goal is to recapture Brother Basil. We recall Grazillaxx the Illithid from the Society of Brilliance and how it may know what's happening in the Underdark. We decide we need to plan and prepare to head back into the Underdark. So, prepare spells, prepare teleportation circles, protection, friends, etc. I ask Lord Varkosian if he knows if Brother Basil’s mother was Drow. He said he knew she was elven, but not Drow. She said she was a refugee from her people and he had no reason to doubt her.

I receive an official summons from Lord Commander Sozenskaat. I attend to his office and he passes a letter to me. It reads:

Come at once to Gauntlgrym for an audience with King Bruenor Battlehammer, to discuss matters of grave importance concerning your experiences in the Underdark.

Incidentally, King Bruenor is holding a convention and wants a representative of the Templar. By attending I can accomplish both at once. Lord Commander Sozenskaat has procured an airship for our party since Gauntlgrym is in the mountains. As it’s getting close to Winternight (when it's too dangerous to fly), we should return by Teleportation.

Tasbros and Tysnera are also summoned by the Provost of the Magisterium. They were asked for by name by King Bruenor to attend a convention in Gauntlgrym within 1 cycle.

Meanwhile, Wulrif is researching guides to the Far Realm to track down the author of The Book. He comes upon the Demilich Acerak, an Archlich who travels between worlds and is known to take sick pleasure in devouring the souls of adventurers, whom he lures into trap-ridden dungeons where they suffer horrible deaths. One such dungeon is at the Spine of the World, called the Tomb of the Nine because Acerak slew 9 false gods and sealed their souls within it.

We return to the Manor and suddenly a smell perfuses the room ...

Through the construction of the ballroom, we see 6 globes of darkness. Suddenly 6 giant Duergar appear alongside the globes of darkness.

Round 1

  1. Viker, CoralKing, Tasbros, and Wulrif are grappled. I react and hit the creature for 27 damage, killing it!
  2. Viker is no longer grappled. She readies her action.
  3. Tentacles come out of the globes and Viker, Tasbros, and me all take 24 damage. Everyone else takes 12. Tasbros took 35 damage on the next attack, everyone else takes 17. The remaining tentacles deal 20, 16, 16, & 20 Hit Points of psychic and cold damage. Tasbros goes down.
  4. CoralKing is still grappled.
  5. Benjamin is no longer grappled, and heals himself.
  6. I make a Vow of Enmity and attack 2 Duergar, killing them.
  7. Wulrif casts misty step and scatter on us, so we are all outside the building now. He yells “close the door!”

Round 2

  1. The Duergar rush the door and fail to shove through me.
  2. Viker enables her unicorn totem. Everyone is healed 30 HP.
  3. 2 tentacles lash through us. I took 60 HP damage and all the Dwarves are killed by them.
  4. Tasbros recovers
  5. CoralKing shuts the door and barricades it with his ring of telekinesis.
  6. Benjamin
  7. I heal myself
  8. Wulrif went to the book to banish these creatures and he hears 4 popping sounds.

Round 3

  1. Viker heals everyone 41 HP.
  2. I prevent something from opening the door again.
  3. Tasbros casts Bigby's hand to keep the door closed and I help him.
  4. CoralKing uses his telekinetic ring to hold the door
  5. Benjamin heals himself and
  6. I hold the door
  7. Wulrif tries again to banish the creatures, but they persist.

Round 4

  1. Viker readies her action.
  2. Tasbros and I hold the door against another attack.
  3. Wulrif banishes the rest of the creatures. He notes the location of the specialized banish spell in this book for future use.

We want to meet with the Dwarven King next chance.