Corky's Revenge: Sessions

This page chronicles each installment of the Corky's Revenge campaign, as well as the resources and information gathered by PCs during the adventure.

Recap
It all starts with a dwarf who wears an interesting helmet, named Maurice Skilldigger. One of his mines went silent and fearing bandits or worse, he recruits a band of adventurers to check things out. He brings together Absolution, Sorin, Bartholomaus, Donna and T’amantha, and they head out from the town of Ironridge to the Glint-iron Mine. There they find the miners had broken into a buried temple where they fight a shadow creature and find a mysterious magical stone on an altar emblazoned with a symbol T’amantha recognizes as the symbol used by the Dark Lord Smellefasse.

On their return, their queries about the stone are directed to Banruse, a young gnome scholar, who theorizes that it is The Stone of Shadow, a part of an ancient and evil artifact known as the Crown of Dal-Ebos. She requests the adventurer’s aid in discovering more about the stone and accompanying her to the Monastery of the Stone (no relation). While there, the party finds that the Circlet portion the Crown is gone. Presuming that another person or persons are trying to recreate the Crown, Banruse sends the adventurers to the original Tomb of the Crown’s creator, the Sorcerer King Dal-Ebos. On the way to the tomb, the adventurers have a run in with a pack of gnolls and meet Jimi the Barbarian, who joins in their quest. At the tomb, they find the fading spirit of Dal-Ebos as well as a tome chronicling the Demise of Dal-Ebos as well as the outcome for his infamous Crown. Once the book is translated by Banruse, they learn that the crown was not initially destroyed because it wielded incredible mind-control powers and permanently bonded itself to those it enslaved. It was instead dismantled so that it would outlive anyone bonded to it and only then destroyed. This was all 1000 years ago, during which time History forgot the Crowns existence. With further study, Banruse concluded that another part of the crown, The Stone of Judgement, resides in Sevenports as a royal heirloom.

En Route, the adventurers pass through the village of Gimmel’s Den, saving it from a swarm of rats. When the party arrives at sevenports, they witness a public mass hanging of pirates, and they see the King overseeing and see the Stone of Judgement as the prominent feature in his crown. They also see a pair of kobolds, who seem to be plotting something after noticing the same detail. Sorin reconnects with a thieves guild friend from his past and the party plans to infiltrate a royal ball utilizing several methods. They all convene when the King falls dead with a crossbow bolt in his head, and the kobold assassins take flight with the Stone of Judgement, and the party chases after them, except for Donna who tends to the King.

Partway through the city, they almost catch one and see the symbol of Dark Lord Smellefasse on their armor. The kobolds fight off the pursuit outside the city, but the party regroups and, except for Donna, follows the trail that leads to a hidden path at the base of a mountain and the hideout of the kobolds. They try to fight their way in, but the kobolds outmatch and capture them using magic and a paralyzing dagger. They escape with the help of Donna and other guards, though the kobolds escape and Jimi is taken to Sevenports to recover from his injuries.

The party tracks the kobolds to a cavern full of traps, encountering a water weird guarding a neat sword and a giant stalactite monster. The party flees by jumping into a rushing river, ending up at a peaceful lake where they make camp. They search for the kobolds to no avail, then choose to seek out the Stone of Glory in a citadel north of Yelalot. The party meets T'amantha's mother in Yelalot and learn of a band of goblins razing villages, but the group can't afford to spend more time than a night helping the survivors and tending the dead and wounded. All the while, Banruse warns of a traitor among the monks in the Monastery of Stone where she relocated for her safety.

They reach the Serpentine Citadel at the top of a great dormant volcano, driving out looting orcs (sparing 2 they'd later befriend) and ousting a devious manticore that briefly gained their trust. They meet Donovan, a traveling scholar, who helps them fight their way into the Citadel's main chamber. There, they find the remains of Dunkel, one of the ancient heroes who was tasked to keep the Stone of Glory. Soon after finding the Stone, the mountain begins to collapse, and they discover the Citadel is a giant construct. Surviving the collapse and learning to pilot the Citadel, Donovan drops the party off at Ironridge on his way back to the Golden Empire to study the Citadel further.

The group gets word of a red dragon named Infernus killing heroes and destroying villages in the north. They make their way along the main roads until they reach Newport, where Sorin must wait outside due to having faked his death there previously. Inside, Donna nearly gets her pocket picked by an urchin child, instigating a conflict between those wanting to turn the other cheek (T'Amantha and Absolution) and Donna, who takes her to a guard for justice. Violence erupts, and the guard is reduced to ashes as Absolution and T'amantha flee from the guards and Donna attempts to track them down. Meanwhile, Sorin discovers a potential slave trade.

TL;DR
Dark Lord Smellifasse is trying to recreate and evil artifact, and y'all gotta stop him.

Synopsis
The Gilded Pot is one of the most popular taverns in the city of Ironridge, which is itself one of the most populous areas in the realm of Valden. A worried dwarf makes the rounds, seeking out the most able-bodied and promising among the tavern's patrons and asking them if they'd be willing to undertake an urgent request on his behalf. He wears a distinct horned helm with flexed arms taking the form of its horns.

He first gathers a well-meaning half-elf bard named Bartholomäus Songwood and a human paladin by the name of Donna, eager to do good, as well as a gallant elf ranger called T'amantha Witherdleaf. As they gather near the bar, the dwarf notices a tiefling, Absolution, who shrugs off the request as a personal favor until the dwarf reveals lives are at stake.

Meeting at the bar, the dwarf introduces himself as Maurice Skilldigger and explains the situation: he is the owner of a series of glintiron mines in the area, and one of his mines has been overrun - at least, he hasn't heard from any of his workers, as they've seemed to have disappeared entirely. Worse, his son, John Cena Skilldigger, is among the missing. He assures the group that his glintiron mines are bountiful and profitable, as glintiron has a rich history as a component of magical items, and tells them that if they can save his son and their mine they'll be rewarded. He introduces another tiefling, Sorin, somehow even quieter and less sociable than the other (as this one doesn't even talk), who had already agreed to help him. He asks that they keep their quest on the hush, so as not to spread rumors and potentially harm his business or cause a panic in town.

The party accepts, introduces themselves to one another, and head out to Maurice's mine.

Lore established

 * N/A

Locations visited

 * Valden
 * Ironridge
 * The Gilded Pot
 * Maurice Mining Co. glintiron mine

May 22, 2018
Synopsis

Arriving at Maurice's mine, Sorin chooses to wait outside and keep watch as the rest of the party investigates within.

Almost immediately, the group encounters the miners - they're clearly not in their right minds. In fact, they barely seem alive. They lurch toward the adventurers as Bart tries to speak to them and fails, drawing the initial attack. Absolution attempts to intimidate them into standing down, but it becomes clear that there is powerful magic afoot, and though the miners are no longer in control of their faculties, they're likely still alive and in there somewhere. Complicating matters further, one of the miners is a younger dwarf wearing a distinct horned helm, with flexed arms taking up the place of horns - Maurice's son, John Cena. A voice booms in the entry chamber, its origin unknown, warning the group to leave, lest they face its wrath. They refuse.

A battle ensues, with the adventurers struggling to down the miners without dealing mortal damage. Panicked, Bart fires his crossbow and strikes one of the miners in the skull. The wound leaks blood slowly, as if the miners are halted in a stasis and controlled from beyond. As the miner's life slips away, the stasis fades and he dies on the floor to Bart's horror. Absolution attempts to discern the source of the magic, but finds only that its source is great and powerful.

After a prolonged struggle, the miners are subdued and the spell is broken. Suddenly, a disembodied voice booms, taunting the group that their actions are immaterial and that there's still a chance for them to escape. Ignoring it yet again, they collect the miners (less the deceased) and allow them to come to outside the mine's entrance with Sorin. Searching the mine for clues in the mine's dorm area, the group finds a potion of fire-breathing, a healing potion, and a deck of playing cards.

The party pushes deeper in the mine and finds a hidden passage obscured by a magical barrier, blue and rebuking attempts at passage with force. One by one, the group manages to get past the magic despite some difficulty, and enter into a hidden chamber that appears to be a crypt or shrine of some sort, long-forgotten and foreboding.

The walls of the shrine are covered in a bas relief depicting a king rising above a mound of bodies, his foot on someone's neck as he fends off a dragon. T'amantha mentions that it looks like Smellyface, an evil elf lord with a cult following. On his head, he wears a thorned crown adorned in jewels. Also present is an evocative symbol: /•/. In the center of the room, across the entryway, is an open, empty sarcophagus and an altar with a dark stone.

Their investigation is cut short when the voice booms again, taunting them. This time, however, a spectral ghast made of smoke and slender claws forms between the stone and the group, who are then flanked by large bats. The battle is hard - Sorin and Absolution are both downed and resuscitated, though finally the foes are vanquished. During the scuffle, any attempts to strike the dark, swirling stone resulted in a sudden discharge of force. Tired, beaten, and finished with this mine, Donna takes the stone as the party exits back toward The Gilded Pot to tell Maurice the good news.

Lore established

 * Smellyface

Locations visited

 * Maurice Mining Co. glintiron mine
 * Secret shrine

Synopsis
Returning to the Gilded Pot, Maurice is overjoyed to have his son (and mine) returned to him. He tells the adventurers that he isn't sure how much he's able to provide in the way of a reward, but Absolution and Sorin assure him that there's room to negotiate so that everyone benefits. By the end of their discussion, they agree that the party will take no immediate monetary reward in exchange for 20% of Maurice's mining company and the opportunity to franchise additional mines for resources, as long as they vow to protect the mine and their assets. Once the deal is struck, the party resumes and the surviving miners revel in their positive turn of fortune.

Leaving the festivities, Sorin consults his contact, Snake Eyes, in search of a referral to appraise the mysterious and powerful stone they took from the hidden shrine. Snake Eyes suggest Banruse, the owner of the local oddities shop, and Sorin sets off for answers with Donna and Absolution.

Meeting with Banruse at the oddities shop, they tell her all about the shrine and the stone: the bas reliefs, the vengeful spirit, the magic, the symbol - everything. She tells the group that what they've encountered is a shrine to the ancient, evil sorcerer Dal-Ebos, though it seems to be a recent copycat rather than a relic of an ancient order. Though he was similar to Smellyface, to whom the group previously attributed the shrine, Dal-Ebos was far more evil and powerful. His crown was formed by the four Stones of Power, which gave him terrifying powers, including the ability to enslave minds for his horde. The stones were named after the powers they exuded: Glory, Power, Judgment, and Shadow. The stone in Donna's hand, she surmised, was the latter - curious, considering that these stones shouldn't exist anymore.

He was defeated by Valden's greatest warriors long ago, who destroyed Dal-Ebos' crown to prevent its power from falling into anybody else's possession. The stones were dismantled, separated, and hidden - presumably destroyed, though the exact fate has been lost history as intended.

Fearing the implication of the Stones' apparent resurfacing, as the recreation of the crown would spell disaster for the realm, Banruse tells them that Dal-Ebos' remains are guarded by an order of monks in the mountains outside of Ironridge and offers to accompany them on their journey.

Lore established

 * Dal-Ebos
 * Crown of Dal-Ebos
 * Stones of Power
 * Shadow stone
 * Judgment stone
 * Glory stone
 * Power stone

Locations visited

 * Ironridge
 * The Gilded Pot
 * Banruse's Oddities

June 5, 2018
Synopsis

After conversing with Banruse, the party made their way to the Monastery of Stone to have the stone identified and seek guidance. As they approach, they see the monastery perched atop rocky cliffs.

Arriving at the monastery, Donna claimed a bunk in the dormitory. Absolution met Brother Drubble in the work building, and began a tenuously amicable rapport by engaging in banter. Bart and Banruse chat up Sir Rufus, a devout paladin of the order, regarding a great statue at the entrance of the monastery, who tells them that it is a depiction of their creator - engraved on the side of the statue is the Creator Myth the monastery proclaims.

Turning their attention back to the stone they found in the shrine for Dal-Ebos, the group introduces themselves to the Abbess, Mother Deerheart. Mother Deerheart is initially skeptical of the group, especially in their claims of a shrine to Dal-Ebos, but changes her tune once Donna shows her the stone. The party confirms that this is indeed the Shadow Stone, but it was supposed to be lost in a bottomless pit. She tells the party that the monastery is actually Dal-Ebos' final resting place: his body lies beneath their feet in their sacred catacombs. Deerheart agrees to aid the adventurers, fearing that the stone's reappearance bodes ill for the realm as the stone should've been lost.

Descending into the catacombs, Deerheart takes them to the crypt of Dal-Ebos, and to her horror finds that the sarcophagus is empty - no body, no crown. Fearing the worst, Deerheart confides in the adventurers that this crypt is not the only one. In fact, the original tomb that held Dal-Ebos' body lies within a crater somewhere in the Swordpoint Badlands. To safeguard the body and his magic crown, the monastery exhumed both and brought them to the Monastery of Stone to lay under their guard and watchful eye. Evidently that watch may have slipped, and this is no threat to take lightly. Deerheart explains how to get to the real crypt and sends them to investigate further.

On their way to the old crypt, they were ambushed by a band of gnoll bandits. Donna was downed, but the party was victorious. One gnoll survived, hobbled and terrified, and he gave up their makeshift camp over a nearby ridge. After allowing the lone survivor to flee, Absolution ignored Bart's plea to keep moving forward on their important quest and chose to investigate the camp, intending to destroy it so that it couldn't be used in the future to unsuspecting travelers. The camp was small and temporary, meant for nomads, and consisted of small tents and an extinguished campfire. Beside the tents lay a dead halfling with no possessions save his clothes. Searching further, Absolution found a small chest, freshly buried, containing 40gp, a large gemstone, and an ornate lute, presumably belonging to the late halfling. Sorin took the stone out of Absolution's hand as he held it to examine the contents of the chest to little protest, and Absolution gave the lute to Bart. Banruse suggested that the gold be distributed evenly among them, and the party sets to distributing their findings.

Lore established

 * Creator Myth

Locations visited

 * Monastery of the Stone
 * Tomb of Dal-Evos (monastery)
 * Gnoll bandit camp

Synopsis
A stranger approaches the gnoll camp wielding a large warhammer and introduces himself as Jimi. He explains that he'd been tracking the gnoll bandits, and after tenuous introductions he agrees to join the group on their quest.

The next morning, the group begins their trek toward the Swordpoint Badlands. The terrain is red and barren, a treacherous cliffside, until a large forest of stone pillars. Through the forest, they come to what appears to be a clearing - a crater roughly a quarter mile wide made by a meteorite (still present) and a small tomb. A figure stands before the tomb, heavily armored and skeletal. Donna approaches to greet the guard, who asks them if Dal-Ebos fears them and what their business is. Donna claims Dal-Ebos should fear them as they aim to destroy the crown, but Sorin tries to convince the guard that they want to make an offering to Dal-Ebos.

Unconvinced, the skeletal warrior swings his sword at the party and a battle ensues. To avoid further injury, Sorin runs past the guard and ducks into the tomb. After Absolution deals the final blow, Donna takes the armor off the guard and notices that its sword is engraved with the symbol of Pelor, her patron god. They enter the tomb.

Inside the square entry chamber, Sorin finds two pedestals midway through the room against the side wall, each topped with a claw clutching glass orbs emitting a pale blue light. Bart attempts to pass and is overcome by a sense of overwhelming dread. Absolution grabs the guardian's skull and claymore and attempts to past, but is also overcome by dread and is compelled to leave the chamber. Out of ideas, Jimi attempts to climb over the orb as Donna hits the other orb and cracks it. The orb cracks and dims as the other orb begins to chill the room, damaging Jimi. Donna cracks the other orb and breaks both the chill and the compulsion on Bart and Absolution.

The continue through the chamber and down a darkened hall to a three way intersection, and Donna senses a strong undead presence down one of the paths. Donna heads to the right and finds a now-empty treasure room with a single skeleton clutching an ancient tome. As they enter the room, the entire room is bound by ropes - Donna and Absolution are dragged to the floor. Absolution realizes that the skeleton is not bound by ropes, but it's T'amantha that sees it's just an illusion. Eventually, the group frees themselves and Bart checks the book. Unable to decipher it, Absolution examines it and sees an illustration reminiscent of the bas relief Dal-Ebos - he takes the book. Donna takes the opportunity to fill Jimi in on their quest, explaining the plot of Dal-Ebos and the intent to keep the crown from being remade.

Down the left passage, the group reaches a dead end with a door straight ahead and stairs on either side that lead to doors directly above and below the door before them (e.g. 3 doors, vertically in a column, easily accessible by stairs). Donna checks the middle door and sees a gelatinous cube. Sorin tosses some ball bearings into the top room, seemingly empty, and nothing happens. As he enters, the floor shakes and collapses into the cube, causing the entire column of room to collapse into the cube, trapping Bart in the cube. Sorin tosses a rope down to Bart and is able to pull him out (nearly losing his grip), as Donna helps free an injured Bart.

The party returned to the junction and pressed down the final, center path - the passage toward the undead presence Donna felt earlier. The hall enters into a similar chamber to the pedestal chamber earlier. Flanking the doorway are statues of two human soldiers with bright sapphire eyes - they animate to block their advance. Bart walks up to pass and is swiped by one of their stone swords and a battle ensues. Jimi punches the statue in the face and manages to pry one of its eyes out, causing the statue to deanimate. The group targets the other statue, which puts up a greater struggle and shakes them off before return to defend the door. Sorin tosses more ball bearings to trip up the statue as Absolution blasts its eyes, surrounding it's head and cracking the sapphires. Though Sorin celebrates, Donna senses a great evil beyond the guarded door. They prepare themselves, then enter.

Inside the final chamber is Dal-Ebos' burial site. Empty sconces rim the chamber, at the center lies an empty coffin. There's a dreadful presence and lingering whispers. Sorin rings a small bell, and a distant voice addresses him - it's the voice of Dal-Ebos. Bart and Donna (who holds the Shadow Stone) immediately escape, but the rest of the party is held by his presence. Sorin tries and fails to bluff the voice, who lets them leave after he learns his crown still exists.

Outside the tomb, Absolution gives the book to Banruse, who identifies it as ancient Valden lore and begins to translate it on the way back to Ironridge. She sets up translating the book as the party begins back toward Ironridge.

Arriving in town, the party attends to their personal business. Donna visits Maurice to get the platemail from the skeletal guardian fitted, who refers him to a friend and armorer. Jimi appraises the sapphires and gets a good price, then shops for handwraps - he finds a magical set that spark and flame with the magic word, "Razzmatazz." Sorin meets with Snake-eyes and learns that a pair of kobolds have been going around town asking about a group of adventurers that fits the party's description. T'amantha meets with the Pirate Queen to purchase a cloak of protection, but is stonewalled in negotiating a lower, affordable price. Absolution elects to stock up on adventuring supplies.

As the group finishes their errands, Banruse completes the translation, revealing the book to be the Chronicle of the Demise of Dal-Ebos, an ancient history written by a prince of Valden. After sharing the translation, the group decides to head to Sevenports to search for the next stone.

Lore established

 * Chronicle of the Demise of Dal-Ebos

Locations visited

 * Gnoll bandit camp
 * Swordpoint Badlands
 * Tomb of Dal-Ebos (original)
 * Ironridge

Synopsis
Banruse offers the party a pack donkey to help their travels to Sevenports, which Sorin names Xote (pronounced ho-tay).

The road out of Ironridge is peaceful and well-travelled, if somewhat busy from traffic. Donna notices an old woman carrying a giant barrel on her back and attempts to help, but is gently rebuked - she's under the impression Donna is a chauvinist male. When she sees that Donna is in fact a woman in full plate armor, she offers the party her whisky for sale. Strapped on coin from their resupply, they decline and instead pursue conversation, learning that she too is on her way to Sevenports. They consider traveling with her, but find her pace too sluggish and part ways.

On the fourth day of traveling, the come to a sign for the small hamlet of Gimmel's Den, reading "Come to The Helmed Bog in Gimmel's Den. Bart discerns that it's probably an inn, and the party decides that it would be a welcome respite from the road. On their way, they meet a family coming from the direction of Gimmel's Den, panicked that the town is overrun with rats.

Approaching the hamlet, they reach a small fork in the road leading to The Helmed Bog, and further in the town they see the town is truly overrun and swarming with plump, yet fairly unaggressive rats. Donna begins to attack the rats while Absolution tries to find where they're coming from. Bart and Jimi look to help those panicking and see if there's something attracting the rats. Sorin observes that the large, town hall building is the hotspot. A screeching woman approaches and rants about a magic flute and the old mayor being at fault, that it's happening again.

Sorin finds the mayor and learns that his family is in trouble and begs the party for aid. Their attempts to disperse the rats by attack and flame barely work. Jimi parts the rats near the door to the mayor's quarters as Absolution blows the door open with magic, causing rats to pour into their room. The adventurers run in and shut the door and are beset upon by the swarming rats. Dispatching the vermin, the group finds the mayor's wife and son huddled in a corner while his daughter is fighting rats with a wooden sword. Bart sings a song to support her, and she lets out a war cry while killing the last rats. Sorin asks for the location of the magic flute and goes to investigate. He finds the flute among the clutter in the office, and comes back down.

The mayor's wife asks if they have a plan to escape. The part inspects the magic flute and declares it is indeed magical. Impressed by the girl's courage, Absolution gifts her his mace and tells her to never lose her spirit and bravery. Bart begins to play the flute as the mayor's wife unbars the door and the party exits the building. The rats an enraptured by the flute song and follow Bart in a daze. They direct Bart toward a nearby swamp to lose the rats.

They return to the mayor victorious and are thanked profusely. He introduces himself as Tam Smith and officially welcomes them to stay in the town, though their stores are obviously short and the town is at least moderately contaminated by the swarming vermin. Soon, the rest of the town celebrates the party in the streets and hold a humble feast in their honor. Tam slips 50 gold to Absolution as thanks for saving the town and inspiring his daughter. He asks Bart about the flute, and Bart in turn inquires about the "last time" the flute was used. They learn that it was at least 100-150 years prior that the town was plagued by rats.

Misunderstanding the situation entirely, Bart snaps the flute in half, shocking the party and Tam. The party reels, wondering how Grimmel's Den could repel another rat swarm without the flute while Bart slowly realizes what he's done. Nonetheless, Tam offers them a night's stay in the Helmed Bog and they graciously (if guiltily) accepts. However, it becomes readily clear that it's not that big of a deal.

In the morning, the party finds a number of traveling merchants in a caravan have begun the pass through town. Sorin examines papers he found earlier in the chest among the flute and finds that he'd absconded with childrens' drawings.

Leaving Grimmel's Den, party presses on toward Sevenports. They come to a pass between two mountains and see a grand castle with red roofing and white stone walls - Sevenports. Passing through the gates, it's clearly well-maintained and wealthy and bustling economically and socially. In a large courtyard, a mass hanging is taken place. An official reads the charges for dozens of prisoners as they are hanged - though many charges are read, the majority are piracy. However, the party notices that none of the prisoners are the the captain.

King Zain Belaroth III presides over the hangings with his emblem of a glowing white stone. A pair of kobolds sees the adventurers, whisper to one another, then point to the king and disappear into the crowd.

Lore established

 * N/A

Locations visited

 * Ironridge
 * Gimmel's Den
 * The Helmed Bog
 * Sevenports

Synopsis
Bart approaches the king, who is elevated on a tall platform. As he does, the party notices that the stone in the king's crown is glowing. T'amantha recalls that Banruse mentioned that the Stone of Power were passed down from generation to generation. A guard confronts the party, and they tell the guard they seek an audience with the king, who refers them to Corporal Donell Chom, a half-orc, in the palace.

As they approach the palace, they bicker about their plan once they meet Donell, but decide that's a later problem. Bart asks about making an appointment for an audience with King Zain, and Donell produces a large leather tome and tells them they can see them in 2 days for an hour. Jimi implores that his life may be in danger, which catches his attention. He says there's a ball tonight, and the party struggle to find a way to fit into the ball - as security, help, etc. - and Jimi asks to pass a message to the king through Donell in order to expedite the process. The party gives a recap of their adventure thus far to Donell, who promises to relay the message and takes their contact info for a follow-up, if necessary. He recommends a couple of inns, from The Velvet Boar, where many of the ball's guest will be staying, to the more affordable Slipped Shoe - he regards Bart's acid-burned clothing and gear with mild disdain.

Sorin, Jimi, and Absolution make their way to The Velvet Boar. The inn looks reminiscent of a cathedral, with vaulted ceilings and colored windows and fancy decor. The other guests seem incredibly affluent, and the group feels somewhat out of place. Almost immediately, a butler approaches asking if they need help. Sorin asks for a room, but the butler informs them they're at capacity, adding that they're free to enjoy the lounge. Absolution notices a guest is in similar garb, though more clean cut, than the group. He's a human in likely his early 20s, chatting up with a few debutante-types - Absolution nudges the others to draw their attention to him. The man sees the group and approaches them, sitting down at their table and says he wasn't expecting to see them here and asks if they recognize him. Sorin sees past his disguise and recognizes him as Sampro - a former member of Sorin's gang in Newports (?).

Sorin and Sampro catch up, and introduces everyone. Sampro leads them to a more comfortable place to talk as T'amantha enters the Velvet Boar in a fancy dress. The butler greets her and offers her a room, and it's revealed that Donna already has a room as well. She takes up conversation with a noble elf from Yelalot, Wilhelm, who requests her presence as his +1 for the king's ball.

Sampro explains that after the gang's collapse, they feared Sorin was dead. He made his way to Sevenports and has been there ever since. Sampro leads them to a Thieves Guild hideout, where there are two others - both significantly older, a half-elf man, Baldrin, and a halfling woman, Tadasha. Baldrin appears to be the leader, and Tadasha is the leading burglar, but the guild is not in a great place. King Zain's reign has bolstered the police force and been incredibly tough on crime, causing the Guild to struggle for survival in the face of certain execution were they found. Sorin asks about what businesses they have running, and Baldrin reaffirm that they're not in a position to do much, including doing anything related to the ball. However, he reveals that they have a secret means of entering the castle. As they plan their infiltration, Baldrin warns of the leader of the king's guard, Durna, and that the palace guards are possibly the most well-trained and efficient guards in the world. The guild outfits the group with a grappling hook, disguises, and other equipment for their infiltration.

Bart performs in The Slipped Shoe and captivates the audience, with word spreading throughout the district.

The group begins their infiltration, but are hardly stealthy and the guards call for help while they escape. Bart and Jimi flee, but Absolution and Sorin return and scale the wall. They make their way through a garden and to a window, but the window creaks as Sorin tries to enter it. Absolution suggests using oil to soften the creak, and they enter, finding themselves nearby the king's quarters. They find a small kitchen and disguise themselves as chefs. Ducking a guard's patrol, they explore an adjacent lounge. They pour drinks and relax as Rudolph, a dwarf chef, enters and begins to drink with them as they prepare for tomorrow's ball.

T'amantha, Wilhelm, Donna, Jimi, and Bart arrive at the ball and are announced as they enter. The ball is fully catered and well-attended, and Absolution and Sorin hang out behind the buffet table to monitor the food situation. King Zain presides over the ball, occasionally visited by attendees. T'amantha recognizes one of the guards approaching Zain as the Pirate Queen Taylia and starts conversation. She asks if the Queen intends to steal something, and she explains she did before and was caught (her crew was the group that were hanged earlier), but for some reason the crown princess, Margretta, spared her from the gallows and brought her into the palace guard. She touches her choker necklace and T'amantha notices that she hadn't worn it before and it appears magical. She explains it was given to her by Margretta when she was put on "probation" and into the guard. However, she says she can't give much more detail beyond it's a way to keep tabs on her.

King Zain stands up to give a speech, but falls to the ground - his crown, however, levitates as if held on a string. Behind him, the kobolds attempt to make off with the crown. Sorin shuts a window in front of the second kobold with magic (the first already escaped through the window) as he and Absolution make pursuit. Sorin misses a tackle as Absolution slings a bolt of magical flame at one of the escaping kobolds, who falls short of the roof it was jumping for and slid down to the street below. The rest of the party gives chase as well, catching up to the kobold that fell to the ground. Taylia hits the kobold with a crossbow bolt as T'amantha rips her dress for mobility.

Jimi scales a wall to keep up with the first kobold as Sorin and Absolution struggle to do the same. Bart attempts to interrogate the kobold they captured, and he tells them they followed the party to Sevenports to capture the stone, pointing to the symbol of Smellyface on his chest. The kobold disappears into a body of fog, swirling up to the rooftops where he rematerializes. One of the kobolds produces a crossbow and takes a shot at Jimi, wounding him. Absolution, Sorin, and Taylia pursue on horseback, telling guards to give the rest of the party horses. Absolution and Sorin hit the horse with magical fire and a crossbow bolt, but the kobolds manage to keep from being bucked off. Absolution intuits that the kobolds are leading them on and can't manage to catch up to the kobolds as they reach the outer city gate.

Guards flood the streets attempted to corral the kobolds, but they seem to know every corner of the city and evade them. One of them summons a fireball and blows open a gate and they flee from the city. Taylia stops short, as she can't leave the city, but the party continues their pursuit. They hurl another fireball at the party, and only Sorin and Absolution emerge unscathed due to their resistance to fire as tieflings and manage to stay on their horses. The kobolds escape toward Ironridge with the king's stone.

The party meets Taylia at the city gates, dismayed that the kobold assassin's escaped and tells the party that King Zain has been pronounced dead. Bart informs her that one of the kobolds had Smellyface's insignia on his chest. T'amantha is confident that she could track the horse they escaped on, especially if they left tonight. The party gathers their gear back together as the city mourns the king's death.

T'amantha follows the horse tracks to the pass they encountered earlier, then they divert to a somewhat overgrown side path into the mountains. By dawn, they approach a small, defended gorge on the side of the mountain guarded by two bugbears. One of the bugbears is knocked into the gorge as the others focus their fire at the one across the bridge over the gorge. The bugbear in the gorge attempts to climb back up, but grabs a loose rock and falls to its death as the party defeats the remaining bugbear - Jimi lifts it over his head and heaves it into the gorge.

Lore established

 * N/A

Locations visited

 * Sevenports
 * The Velvet Boar
 * The Slipped Shoe
 * Royal Palace
 * The gorge

Synopsis
After dispatching the bugbears, T'amantha ascends a nearby staircase and finds an entryway guarded by goblins and a kobold, fortified behind overturned tables, who fire on her with crossbows. T'amantha, Bart, Sorin, and Absolution each miss their shots during the hail of arrows toward them but manage to escape injury in the firefight.

T'amantha notices a kobold hovering over Jimi's prone body with a dagger and fires at it, striking it square with an arrow. Absolution attempts to finish it off, but the kobold dodges his flames, jumping onto the staircase and stabbing him - he falls, paralyzed but not terribly injured. Bart tries to attack with a rapier, but is parried with the kobold's dagger. After a prolonged skirmish of parries and trading blows, they finally down the kobold assassin and he tumbles down the stairs, poisoned knife clattering away from him.

Sorin peeks through the doorway with his small mirror to check on the other foes and sees the kobold they were pursuing earlier. It launches a fireball at the party, incapacitating those still standing.

The group awakens in a room, chained to walls without their belongings.

Lore established

 * N/A

Locations visited

 * The gorge
 * Kobold hideout

Synopsis
Donna learns of her companions' departure from Sevenports and heads out after them aided by two city guards: Treetrunks, the homely Half-Orc, and Yelpo, the Dwarf. They find their way to the hideout as Bart, T'amantha, and Sorin wake in a bare room with their hands bound. Jimi and Absolution do not wake.

Bart uses an unseen servant spell to help untie everyone, and they hear a conversation in the next room. An unfamiliar voice orders one of the kobolds to bring them the stone and leave the party without further harm. Outside, Donna, Treetrunks, and Yelpo witness two goblins and two kobolds leaving the hideout, and move to confront them. The kobolds send the goblins into battle as a distraction, allowing them to flee. Donna slips into the hideout and releases her friends from their cell, helping them retrieve their gear. Treetrunks and Yelpo take the maybe-dead Jimi back to Sevenports, and the party sets out following the tracks of the kobolds to the northeast led by T'amantha and Bart to retrieve the Stone of Judgement.

Eventually, the tracks lead to a cave in a small valley. Once they are all inside, the opening behind them magically appears to seal up. Sorin scopes out a pit trap, and they head further in unhindered until they come into a cavern with multitudes of stalagmites and stalactites and the sounds of gently flowing water. A gentle snoring comes from a cluster of stalagmites without any obvious source, while the water appears to sound from an underground stream (Sorin cracks wise) with wooden posts on either bank and a cut rope that used to be between. The party stealths past the snoring, and reaches the water. Sorin neatly lassos the far post, and the party crosses tight-roping, sloth-crawling, and Donna-powering across. A long passage leads the party further in and slightly up.

After a good trek, the party emerges into another cavern, this one containing an underground lake that feeds the stream they crossed earlier, fed by a "pretty" waterfall. Donna casts detect magic to find two auras in the water: one stationary at the bottom, one moving about the water. As they throw stones in the lake, several of them notice that the ripples move in unconventional ways, off-sync or otherwise slightly off of normal. Sorin also notices that there were no tracks from the kobolds after the stream crossing.

Theorizing that the stationary aura could be from the Stone, Donna removes her armor, tethers herself to a handy stalagmite, and jumps in. The moving aura moves to attack and the party has a rather smashing battle against a Water Weird, a water elemental of serpentine nature that attempts to drag adventurers into the depths. After saving each other multiple times over, T'amantha strikes the final blow, and Donna retrieves the magic object from the lake bottom. It's a neat longsword.

Disheartened that they haven't found the stone, the party retraces their steps back to the stream crossing and the snoring cavern, where they investigate the snoring closer and awaken a creature 8 feet tall made of stalagmites. Weary from the earlier battle, the brave adventurers jump, as one, into the stream and are carried away and eventually ejected out a waterfall and into a lake, where they regroup and make camp.

Lore Established

 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Kobold Hideout


 * Trap Caverns

Synopsis
The party returns to Gimmel's Den in search of a nearby kobold settlement, or any lead on the escaped kobolds. Unfortunately, Mayor Tam mentions that they haven't seen a kobold come through since they came through following the party toward Sevenports.

Surmising that the kobolds are still in search of the Shadow Stone, Donna and T'amantha decide to return to Ironridge and wait the kobolds out. The group motions to seek out Banruse and find that the markets are still bustling, when they run into Sir Rufus of the Monastery of Stone, who also seeks her presence. Inside her shop, Banruse is excited to see the group and promises good news, but asks for an update on their travels. The group informs her that the king is dead now and kobolds got the best of them. Banruse suggests that the group pivot to find the other stones, causing Sir Rufus to point out that her knowledge makes her a target and asks if she feels safe in Ironridge knowing that the kobolds are seeking out the stones. The group agrees that she should relocate to the Monastery

In the meantime, Banruse reflects that Dunkel, keeper of the Stone of Glory, is only well-known for one other historical fact: creating the now-abandoned fortress called the Serpentine Citadel at the northern edge of the Forest of Yelalot. Banruse explains that it's so far-removed from anything useful that it would be the perfect place to start their search for the next stone. Resolved to their new goal, the group sets out from Banruse's shop. Sorin makes sure not to say hello to Snake-Eyes.

Unfortunately, Snake-Eyes finds him and asks why Sorin told him Banruse was still interested in him. She gave him a note, addressed to the group from Banruse, which he hands to Sorin - he walks away, obviously bummed out he was lied to. Sorin opens the note and reads it: Banruse suspects a double-agent within the Monastery of Stone, though she still plans to travel there for its defensive potential. She warns of potential, perhaps inevitable, treachery, encouraging the group that they'll be successful in their quest.

The party sets out north through Yelalot and are ambushed by about a dozen elves with swords and drawn bows. T'amantha recognizes the leader as her mother, Brin Witherdleaf. Brin invites the group to help them track a goblin raiding party, but the group respectfully declines in favor of getting to the Citadel as quickly as possible. The party comes to the village that was attacked by the wanted goblin raiders and see the carnage - empty food stores, bodies being lined up for burial, buildings razed...

The group pauses their quest to help: T'amantha approaches the elder women trying to maintain order and is asked to hunt food; Donna tends to the wounded; Sorin entertains the children with sleight of hand; Absolution helps dig graves and tend the dead. Their actions improve the morale in the settlement and ease away the hopelessness and dread.

They finally reach the Citadel - at the top of a great mountain, a series of connected towers and spires crown the summit. As they near, a large and increasingly strange creature flies toward them from the mountain. The closer it gets, the more monstrous it's made out to be - it's a manticore, covered in teeth, fur, and spikes. Donna surges to the front of the group, bracing for contact, as the rest of the group prepares.

The manticore named Duke lands and begins talking with the group, saying they spooked him. An awkward conversation ensues, as it describes living in the Citadel and being disturbed recently by a group of orcs and asks for their help in exchange for cool stuff/great reward. They agree, following a path up to the Citadel. The nearer to the top they get, the cooler and more arid the climate becomes.

Approaching the Citadel proper, the group finds a breached section of the walled facade. Inside the initial walls they find a door leading within, also broken down, leading to a circular room with 2 orcs arguing about the cold. In the center of the room is a large oven, and immediately across from the group are the arguing orcs on either side of another door, who immediately spot the party.

T'amantha and Absolution both attack the orc holding a signal horn, but both miss and the orc blows its horn. The other orc charges Donna, but is knocked down embarrassingly and exposed like a bitch by her prowess and it gets very upset. Sorin moves to further humiliate the orc, aiming for its head, but strikes it in the throat - still incapacitating it and calling it a pussy, but not quite as planned. Donna jumps onto the central oven and the coolness of her actions help her knock down the other orc. Absolution bursts the door open so that all the orc's friends see the embarrassed orc on the ground and hurls a burst of flame at the first reinforcement he sees.

The rest of the orcs pile into the room and the battle proper begins. The group thoroughly embarrasses the group, leaving just 2 alive. Absolution toots the sentry's horn, then the group holds an intervention to convert the orcs into better people, discussing whether they'd be best utilized to guard people or settlements - the orcs introduce themselves as Burk and Glerchk. They send the duo to the outskirts of Gimmel's Den with instructions to wait for them and be good.

T'amantha enters the next room to find the orcs' makeshift barracks, filled with shattered crates and barrels and tattered bedrolls. Beyond the detritus lies another door, but the entire Citadel begins to rumble and shake the foundation from somewhere just ahead.

Lore Established

 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Gimmel's Den
 * Ironridge
 * Yelalot
 * Razed village
 * The Serpentine Citadel

Synopsis
The group presses forward and enters into the second chamber with a collapsed ceiling and a dead oak tree. The room is littered with dead orcs and a dead manticore, and nearby fire that's nearly dead. With nothing else of interest, they move onto another hallway with side rooms filled with miscellaneous, old debris. Sorin remarks that everything sucks.

The third chamber features a large open set of sliding stone doors (akin to a train's boxcar doors) to the outer left rim of the chamber that overlooks Yelalot to the south. The floor is littered with bones and half-eaten orc corpses that become more frequent around a large nest. In the nest is Duke, the manticore, who is very happy to see the group. Absolution lets Duke know that all but two orcs were vanquished and the group reminds him of his promise of great reward. He frantically looks around the nest and asks the group to lie down, and they immediately cooperate. T'amantha isn't entirely sure about lying down, instead opting to cobra pose.

Duke glides to Donna and holds out a chunk of common stone to her. Donna remarks that that's not the Stone of Glory at all, and Duke smashes it in her face - the "reward" was being his next victim. He continues to target Donna as the rest of them scramble to face the new threat. Donna attempts to corral Duke into a duel while the others begin their attack - Sorin tries to poke his butt with a knife, Donna swings her sword, and T'amantha fires an arrow into his shoulder. Absolution blasts him with a hex and eldritch fire, but the more effective attack is confusing Duke and T'amantha with defending Duke's high metabolism because his trust was violated.

During the next round of attacks, Absolution tries to conjure more spooky fire and it peters out because it's a lot more spooky fire than usual - Donna notices that the fire is definitely spooky and not holy, but focuses back toward Duke attempting to escape. He jumps up, flying, and swings his tail to bombard Donna with spines, then hovers about 40 feet above the party. They switch to ranged combat and attempt to bombard Duke with arrows and spooky fire - both Sorin and T'amantha's arrows ring true, and Absolution's spooky fire unexpectedly consumes Duke entirely, crumbling him into ash that scatters to the floor.

They move to the next door and find a corridor that's partially collapsed, with no easy means of passage without digging and a sound similar to someone talking in a large, reverberant hall a few rooms over. Sorin follows the sound to the top of the wall near the collapsed bit of the corridor where the rubble meets the side of the mountain. He discovers a hole in the mountainside with a passageway, but the passageway is about 7-8 feet from the wall. The group manages to hop the gap and heads down the passageway to a ledge overlooking the hollow interior of the mountain, a caldera with a mountain over it. The slope of the caldera goes down hundreds of feet. On the slope, a human man in colorful, thin layers of clothing and olive skin makes his way up the slope toward them. Sorin identifies his clothing as indicative of the Southern Empire hundreds of miles to the south.

To get the man's attention, Absolution blows his whistle and Sorin rings his bell. His eyes are incredibly blue. After cautious introductions, they toss him the rope and discover that a troll has been pursuing him. As the group pulls the man to their ledge, T'amantha launches an arrow at the troll. Absolution hurls more fire at the troll, who eats some rocks to feel better. T'amantha finally get it to lose its grip with another arrow, and the man identifies himself as Donovan.

Donovan says the troll was probably going to be eating him, as he meant to explore the Citadel out of intrigue. He asks if we'd heard of Dunkel, "the Mad Scientist." The group agrees to follow Donovan back into the Citadel, but as they leave the caldera, the troll thuds against the floor and makes a much larger thud than expected. Absolution and Sorin notice that the stone that the Citadel is mostly made from is imported, light-tan stone that doesn't match the gray rock of the mountain. The Citadel's masonry has smaller circles of lighter-colored stone, and Sorin notices that there are claws that attach the Citadel to the mountain at each of the large circular chambers.

Donovan asks Donna about their experiences within the Citadel, noticing the manticore spines in Donna's armor. Sorin asks why Donovan is here (again), and he again gushes about the historical and architectural significance of the Citadel. T'amantha suspects he's hiding something, but gets the idea that he's been truthful in everything he's said so far. She then asks that he prove himself to the party and earn trust, and he cures some of Donna's wounds.

Back in the last corridor, the group begins to figure out the problem of the collapsed ceiling blocking their forward progress. As Absolution blasts spooky fire the wall, Donna uses he divine sense to detect nearby evil, which plunges the group into an ethical discussion on spookiness and evil and whether or not Absolution and his spooky fire is evil. She gets an overwhelming sense of disgust as Absolution blasts his fire at the wall, then it dissipates as the fire wanes. However, she feels the sensation of opening an ancient text coming from Donovan. As her divine acid trip ends, Absolution blasts a hole in the wall and the group continues.

The fourth chamber houses four smaller, equally dead trees forming a square within the chamber. The edge of the chamber is bare, gray earth - the floor scattered with the debris of ancient battle. The chamber has seen plenty of battle, but it has far, far passed. A few bodies stand out to T'amantha, more mechanical in nature than skeleton - specifically, brass and stone similar to the Citadel. Absolution notices that they were previously automatons, but there's no more magic left beside the vaguest traces of magical conduits - their purpose and source are lost to time. Donovan peeks around, scribbling and drawing in his journal, then suggests they move on. T'amantha asks Donovan what else he knows about the Citadel, and he mentions that there was legend that Dunkel brought the Citadel with him, implying that at one point it could move.

Through the next corridor, the fifth chamber also houses the scene of a long-finished battle. Smashed countertops and metal/stone contraptions abound, though a couple in the center of the room stand intact resembling large centaurs. Though they were dormant, runes light up on their surfaces and they advance toward the party, drawing their blades.

Sorin tosses down some ball bearings while Donna raises her glowing sword and lunges into battle. One of the mechanical beasts stumbles on the ball bearings, turning its empty (yet hateful) gaze toward Sorin. Absolution backs him up by hexing it and blasting it with his spooky black fire. T'amantha's attack underwhelms her but still makes progress, then Donovan walks up to Donna and casts a very familiar spell to summon a spiritual weapon - a large, imposing maul - which he uses to bash the centaur in front of them.

Sorin manages to find a weak point in the back of the centaur's head and manages to get on its back. He pries it open with a crowbar and drops it. Donna is still locked into battle with their centaur as it turns its attention to Donovan as well. Absolution launches a final volley of black flame, and again it flares up beyond his control. The stone and metal crackle and buckle under the intense heat as the centaur falls. Donna notices that the heat at that proximity could've easily singed her hair were it not in her armor.

Donovan and Absolution move in to inspect the runes on the centaur Sorin felled as the mountain shudders again, much more violently than before.

Lore Established

 * Trolls are strengthened by the consumption of urine and are able to digest pretty much anything.

Locations Visited

 * The Serpentine Citadel
 * [Inside of whatever the mountain is called]

Synopsis
Upon inspecting the runes, Absolution recognizes bits and pieces of the runes, suggesting that they were the precursor of more modern symbols. What is clear is that they were meant for animating an object. As the mountain shakes, Absolution hopes Duke is okay, which prompts Donovan to ask who Duke is. As he's brought up to date, the party briefly ponders nature vs. nurture in regard to his behavior and betrayal.

Donovan briefly speaks about his independent life in the Golden Empire, mentioning his butler Georgie who likes to balance eggs on spoons. Donna and T'amantha grow tired of the small talk and move into the next passage. The door to the sixth chamber is blocked by a locked stone door. This vexes the party: Donna's sword doesn't fit and T'amantha and Sorin can't manage to pick the lock. Absolution gives it a shot and manages to succeed.

The sixth and final chamber is lavish and gaudily adorned, covered in dust. To the left is a large four-post bed flanked by filled bookshelves. Across from it, a wood fire stove stands beside an armchair, where sits a reclining skeleton. Past the stove is a closed door.

Donna detects magic beneath the bed, next to the skeleton on the armchair, and on one of the bookshelves. She immediately looks under the bed and sees a stone cube, about a cubic foot large. She prods it and finds that it feels hollow and light. Donovan inspects the skeleton as Donna eyes him suspiciously and Sorin looks for the item on the shelf.

On the skeleton, T'amantha sees an old bracer that managed to survive the years. Against her better judgment, she reaches out to touch it. It lights up with runes similar to those on the automaton centaurs, but nothing happens - as she removes her touch, the runes fade. She attempts to slide the bracer off of the skeleton's arm, but instead takes the whole forearm.

Sorin sees a glass orb full of water and a dim red light, about the size of a golf ball. He pokes it with his crowbar, watches it roll slightly in the dust, then moves to pick it up. As he palms the ball, flame erupts from his closed fist as it creates a dagger of concentrated flame.

Donna asks Absolution if she should break the stone, and smashes it on the ground before he can answer. Instead of breaking, it bounces around the floor, each impact sending a shockwave of cascading runes out from each point of contact. Donovan asks to inspect the cube, and Donna declines handing it to him. He inspects the cube from a slight distance, as Donna pries him for information - particularly, what god he is cleric for. Donovan says he serves Bahamut, and Donna figures he's telling the truth so she lets him take a look at the cube. He discerns the same modern equivalences in the runes, and deciphers that the cube is a safe that has a kinship lock.

Kinship locks, he explains, concern parts of a whole - for example, a rock from a particular mountain, or a tool from a certain smith. He says that the key usually relates to the treasure. T'amantha dons the bracer, and Donovan tells her that it's imbued with some sort of protection magic. Absolution and Donna posit that the bracer may have to do with the safe, but no dice.

Sorin shows the party his cool dagger, and Donna immediately runs over to put the safe against it - nothing happens. As the party inspects the books, they see similar ancient scripts to the script on the tome they gave to Banruse. Donna and Donovan each select a book to take with them.

Donna and Sorin open the door to find a room barely larger than a closet. At first glance, it seems to be a balcony overlooking the mountainside, but closer inspection reveals that the walls are simply translucent. In the center of the closet is a raised pedestal about 3 feet high. Donna tries to cube it to no avail, and there's another earthquake shortly after. Donovan sits on the pedestal at T'amantha's request, but again nothing happens. He leans back, resting on his hands, and his hands trigger runes on the flat surface of the pedestal. He jumps back down to inspect it, then begins inspecting the books more closely.

Sorin and Absolution use some wood from the bed to start a fire in the stove. The party looks for clues, and another rumbling comes from the mountain - a boulder is loosed and rolls down the mountainside. T'amantha investigates the pedestal and brings the runes back. Donna touches the Shadow Stone to the box and a side slides open. Inside the box is the Stone of Glory and a small, leather bound journal in the ancient script.

Donna inspects the journal, and finds it's only a dozen or so pages. Early in the pages, there's a picture of the pedestal that T'amantha is inspecting. She yells for Donna to bring her the journal as the Citadel rumbles with each touch on the pedestal, causing everyone but Donovan and Sorin to lose their footing and are thrown to the floor as the entire Citadel lurches five feet forward. They run to check on the others and hear what sounds like a building being ripped apart - screeching, buckling, crashing of stone echo from somewhat far off and the structure strains.

Donovan touches the pedestal in somewhat different positions than where T'amantha prodded, and the straining ceases. Absolution begins to collect Dunkel's remains into his backpack, but the upper cone of the mountain cracks and collapses in on itself. Donovan frantically mans the controls on the pedestal to escape the collapse. The Citadel lurches into action, losing the first 2 chambers as the 4 begin trucking down the mountainside with it's giant claws toward the edge of Yelalot's woods, and the "head" section begins to pivot. The party braces for impact as the Citadel rushes past the 2 orcs they let live - Sorin grabs a shelf; Absolution clutches the stove; T'amantha and Donna each hug one side of the door frame.

The Citadels crash into the trees, losing momentum - Sorin crashes into T'amantha, who smashes Donovan, and they all pile into the transparent wall of the command room. They get up and laugh about it like chums as they calmly exit the remaining 2/3 Citadel. They're greeted by the orcs, Burk and Glurtchk who are thoroughly impressed by the spectacle. They mention that they had a long discussion on their way down the mountain about not tooting horns and say they're good to start a new life - as long as their master doesn't find them, but he's "far away from here." The pleasantries are cut short by the mountain fucking exploding.

Donovan frantically flips through the journal, then begins to control the Citadel to put more distance between them and the mountain, moving out of the forest and around the outside. Donovan says he plans to bring the Citadel back to the Golden Empire to study and asks the party if they're along for the ride.

Absolution and Donovan request a rest stop, and Absolution finds a suitable place to bury Dunkel's remains - he engraves a loose slab of the Citadel to mark the grave. The group talks about their respective views on death and dying. Donna and T'amantha's cultures burn the deceased on funeral pyres - T'amantha to return the soul to the universe, Donna so necromancers can't raise the dead. Sorin's background with death is very casual and detached, as people die in gutters all the time, and at most people will pour out some alcohol in their memory if they liked the person and they were a homie. Absolution doesn't have any cultural attachment to ritual or meaning, but views death as an equalizer.

Donovan raises his glass to Dunkel, pouring one out for him. He describes the Golden Empire's various rituals for various methods of death, chiefly that a second life comes from death in the sense of another plane of existence where one can begin anew. After Donovan begins to tutor the rest of them in controlling the Citadel, the party rests.

In the morning, Donovan continues taking the Citadel around the forest to the south back toward the Golden Empire. Donna expresses displeasure with him taking the Citadel, stating that it's basically a war machine and is dangerous. T'amantha counters that he's given the party no reason to mistrust him, but Donna persists that the circumstances that found Donovan at the Citadel are incredibly specific and coincidental. The group agrees that Donovan poses no danger, and ask him to bring them back to Ironridge to await word from Banruse at the Monastery.

Burk and Glurtchk ask what they should do, and Absolution suggests they can join Donovan, accompany them to Ironridge, or start a new life near Gimmel's Den. Donna suggests working for Maurice at the Glintiron Mine, and they seem keen to that - they dream of fancy boots.

Donovan drops everyone off at Ironridge and bids them goodbye for now. The party discovers a letter from Banruse, and 2 letters to Donna from her father.

Lore Established

 * Party death rites

Locations Visited

 * The Serpentine Citadel
 * Y'elalot forest
 * Ironridge

Synopsis
Donna opens the letters addressed to her and reads them privately as T'amantha reads aloud the letter from Banruse. Banruse says that all she's been able to find out regarding the Stone of Power is that Kaliah the Red took the Stone to Silverwall where a red dragon named Infernus destroyed the town shortly after.

Donna is surprised to hear the name Infernus, and mentions that her father heard of the Sevenports assassination and a red dragon named Infernus taking hostages for ransom. The Lord and Lady of Ederra in north Valdin have charged themselves with facing Infernus to avenge the fallen and protect the living. The second letter says the Lord and Lady are dead and asks her to return home immediately. The group drafts a letter back to Banruse that they're investigating a lead on the "case."

The group leaves Ironridge for Revetal, passing through Gimmel's Den, then stopping once again in Newport. Sorin elects to stay outside the city, as he's not entirely welcome there. Newport is a thriving fishing city full of traders where Sorin used to smuggle - he's supposed to be dead, in fact, or so his former guild believes. He shows them his neck tattoo of an eye and warns that those with that mark are his former guild mates and to steer clear.

The city exists in a perpetual fog, and the everlasting dampness rots and mildews the wood facades of each building. T'amantha catches an urchin in rags attempt to steal Donna's coin purse, but everyone (save Absolution) notices. Donna's eyes meet the young half-elf girl's and she grabs the girl's arm to march her to a guard. T'amantha protests that she's just a girl. The young girl bawls as Donna brings her before a guard, and the guard grabs her wrist and refers to her as a low-life that needs to respect her betters, taking the party aback.

T'amantha tries to convince the guard that she's her sister, but they don't buy it and Donna argues about justice and punishing the unjust. Absolution gets the girl's attention with a mage hand, shows her the shackles on his wrist, and asks if she can trust him. She nods tentatively, and he manifests the sound of a whistle to distract the guard, then taps her shoulder as she turns invisible. She falls to the ground, still crying and in shock. Donna detects the magic, grabs the girl, and the guard threatens the group with violence.

Meanwhile, Sorin notices a cart moving toward the city on a well-known smuggling entrance with a beige tarp over it. The tarp is suspiciously conspicuous, and decides to follow these amateur smugglers.

The guard threatens the group again that if they don't leave, it'll be at their peril, and he says that he'll do whatever he pleases. This pushes T'amantha and Absolution over the edge, as they attack simultaneously. The guard is engulfed in flame, and he falls to his knees. Donna casts a protective sanctuary around him as he blows a whistle, blocking T'amantha's arrow. The sound doesn't escape the bubble, and the guard falls over. Donna rushes to his side to lay hands and heal him, and he groans back to consciousness. He nervously gets into defensive position. He asks Donna if the girl's even worth it, and Donna lukewarmly agrees she is, considering the predicament they're in now.

T'amantha looses another arrow, but the sanctuary spell compels the arrow away toward Donna instead. T'amantha is taken aback by the compulsion and notices too late as the arrow flies. Their eyes meet, and Tamantha's are full of regret and surprise as the arrow strikes Donna. Absolution pinches the guard's whistle with his spectral hand, rendering it useless, then steps closer to the guard, staring him in the eye.

Sorin has followed the smugglers to a known fence and attempt a weak and very obvious secret knock. Someone answers the door, and Sorin creeps closer to eavesdrop. They nearly see him, but decide there was no way they were followed. Still, one decides to investigate. Taking stock of his surroundings, Sorin decides to jump into a nearby alleyway leading into the city, climbing onto a window ledge and ducking the investigative wannabe smuggler's gaze.

The guard, calling himself Hames, sees Donna get shot and tells her to run to the guardhouse, pointing to a building with a hammerhead shark insignia, so that she can get help while he holds off the rest of the party. Donna starts off in that direction, but holds back and lingers before going too far, anticipating an attack from the party.

Hames tells the group that they can leave now or face trouble, and they have to decide right now to leave or fight. T'amantha says that if he lets the girl go, it doesn't have to end in death. Hames unequivocally declines. The sound of dogs in the distance draw near (the whistle was for dogs!) as Hames lunges toward Absolution, drawing blood and eschewing Donna's holy protection. T'amantha strikes him with an arrow. T'amantha entreats surrender once again, and Absolution tells him he's in no position of power. Hames barks at them again, and Absolution turns him into ash.

Sorin sees the edge of a cage and 3 figures in rags covered in mud being pushed into a cage. The creatures are humanoid but any detail are obscured by their ragged clothes, and he moves closer to them.

At the guard post, Donna asks for healing potions as the guard captain sends guards out to help Hames and puts the urchin girl into a cell. Donna rejects the captains claims that she did not need to return to the action, and she storms out.

The dogs approach as T'amantha follows Absolution into an alley to escape and get off the street. He admits it got out of hand, and T'amantha confides in him that there was something shady going on and she got an awful vibe from the guard. Absolution points out how empty the streets got as the dogs approached, that the homeless lived in fear.

As Sorin nears the figures in the cage, he hears soft weeping, and sees that one of the people trafficking the slaves has the same guild tattoo as him.

Back at the scene of the fight, Donna follows the guards and tries to find Absolution. She sees an ash pile, recognizing it as similar to the ash piles Absolution left in the Citadel. Her mind drifts to the Stone of Shadow, then hears a voice in her head that suggests, "perhaps there's something we should talk about."

Lore Established

 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Ironridge
 * Gimmel's Den
 * Newport
 * Guard house
 * Hideout

Synopsis
The fog grows denser as dusk approaches. T'amantha and Absolution hear a voice approaching out of the fog to get their attention. A man on the roof tells them he's heard of their actions helping "one of us," the have-nots of Newport. Drawing nearer their mysterious friend, they see a short, grayish-red haired dwarf with a huge beard and grayed-over eyes in layers of tattered cloaks and tunics covered with bird droppings, and he identifies himself as Lord Birdy. He offers them a place to hide out for a while, taking them inside the building and through a series of alleys and stairs in zag-zags until they arrive at a storeroom/cellar that opens into a staircase. The cellar is pitch dark and damp, and Lord Birdy rummages in one storage corner for a beat-up pipe and a bag of tobacco that he's been saving for a special occasion. Absolution lights the pipe and they share a brief moment.

Lord Birdy asks why they came to Newport, and T'amantha explains that they were just passing through and were separated from her party. The two take a few minutes to discuss their situation, then agree that they should stay abreast of Donna to make sure she's okay, but not sic the whole underside of the city after her, and that now is a great time to use Birdy's apparent connections to figure out the gist of the city.

Birdy reenters with a middle-aged human woman named Kira Daggers with a ponytail who also is in need of a safe place. He hesitantly begins to ask the duo for a favor as Kira heads to an unoccupied cot in the cellar. Birdy explains that the lower classes in Newport have gone missing in a suspiciously frequent and abundant fashion. He explains that the guards have become incredibly zealous in cleaning up the streets, and many of those that get arrest no longer get released, and they aren't heard from again. Most recently, Big A, Sorrowful Pete, and Jules (the half-elf child) are the latest to disappear. Kira witnessed the city's largest gang called The Jackals have been much more active and have begun to work with the guards.

T'amantha and Absolution send a message out to reach Sorin via Lord Birdy's favorite bird, Darla. They code the message, "Dear Abby," Absolution's hated nickname, then continue, "I've been absolutely TAKEN with Newport. The GUARDS are to die for! There are so many wares and water access!" Birdy suggests they arrange to meet Sorin in an abandoned warehouse called Wolves' Wares on the waterfront, then retires for the night, recommending the duo do the same. On his way out, he thanks them, saying they didn't have to help, but they did. Absolution tells him they share more in common than he knows, and Lord Birdy replies that he also sees more than they know.

Donna takes the Stone of Shadow out of her pack and asks what it wants. She asks if all the Stones talk, to which the Stone replies that it is the most talkative but they all can make their will known. Donna tells it that if it doesn't have anything useful to contribute it should shut up, and the Stone questions if Donna's actually in charge, prodding her about the recent combat and asking if she knows Absolution is evil. The Stone identifies itself as Shadow, though Donna continues to call it Smokey. Shadow offers its help to Donna, though points out that it could come at a price. Suspicious, Donna tries to detect evil on the Stone and is nearly blinded by the radiant, holy goodness of it.

Donna asks for its help to find Absolution so he can answer for his crimes, and Shadow accepts. Shadow asks her to close her eyes, and when she opens them it's pitch black. She hears a faint dripping and feels a faint, musty dampness in the air. A gentle snoring comes from somewhere in the room. Shadow explains that she is seeing their immediate surroundings at the moment, then shines a pinprick of light illuminating a small staircase leading up to a doorway, but not much else aside from the faint smell of tobacco smoke. She yells for Absolution, and is immediately thrust back to the street where she began her vision, though no sound comes from her yell. She jibes that it wasn't entirely helpful, and Shadow points out that she never tried the door. Unfortunately, that stunt took a lot of power and Shadow has no interest in being Donna's tool.

A guard approaches Donna and hails her. He says the captain requests her presence, and she begrudgingly follows him back to the guardhouse. The captain introduces himself as Captain Gilded Mase, and when Donna introduces herself, they discover Mase knows her father. As they move into his office, he rhetorically asks what business the daughter of the great Northern Lord has in Newport. He tells her that the Justice (the supreme law of the land) already came through, and he tells her not to get involved because they do everything they can to keep the streets clean and the people happy and safe. He entreats her not to dirty herself with their affairs, knowing that her people have a tendency to exact justice and impose their own justice on others.

She tells him the entire realm is her jurisdiction, prompting great laughter from Mase, and Donna smells the alcohol on his breath. He condescends that she keep believing that, and that he wishes he had her sense of justice and that her own sense last longer than it will. Mase leans over and pulls a glass and bottle of alcohol from his desk and pours himself a drink. He tells her that she can stay wherever she likes and to demand whatever she needs, and she'll get it, then bids her good night.

On her way out, Shadow remarks Mase was an asshole and questions his right to authority within the justice system. He then questions whether Donna actually has the power she thinks she does, suggesting she could get rid of him and put herself in charge of the guards to clean up the town and put her money where her mouth is. Donna says she could get that whenever, and it's not what she really wants.

Sorin notices that a city guard is accompanying the traffickers, then assesses the situation. He ascertains that the cart is likely heading toward a small smuggler's cove through barren dunes. Once the cart leaves the city, he recalls that the smugglers before him weren't big players when he led the guild, but decides to confront them by cutting off their path. The smugglers draw their short swords defensively, asking Sorin to identify himself. He attempts an intimidating flourish to appeal to their memory of him as the guild leader, but they still have no idea who he is. Sorin then persuades them that they were taking the cart in the wrong direction and that Jack sent him to correct their path. They briefly panic, then cool off and agree that he must be legit. On their way out, they ask for Sorin's name and he says his name is Absolution.

Sorin removes the tarp, sees 3 people in a cage, and asks how they're doing. A small one, a female half-elf child is huddled in the back of the cage, and a medium-size male sits hunched in the middle glances mournfully at Sorin. A large hairy one with a frizzy beard greets Sorin and asks his name. Sorin tells the truth, and the large one incredulously asks if he's kidding. Sorin says no, he's not, and gets to work freeing them. After he picks the lock, the big one embraces Sorin and thanks him profusely for his help, saying it's been so long since anyone helped them. He identifies himself as Big A, the sad one as Sorrowful Pete, and the little girl as Jules. The three of them were taken in by the lower class as a ragtag family, but inquires what prompted Sorin to help.

Sorin explains he's actually from here, and Big A sees his tattoo. Big A asks if he's part of the Jackals, but learns that the Jackals were formed after Sorin left his guild. The Jackals, Big A explains, have been running out and taking advantage of the lower class' lack of power. Sorin asks about places to hide out, and Big A explains that any old hideouts he'd know would be overtaken by the Jackals. Suddenly, Darla flaps onto Big A's head and taps out a message on his head. Big A relays the message sent by T'amantha and Absolution, and they discern that they ought to head to Wolves' Wares, where they spend the night.

Meanwhile, Donna has been unrelentingly searching the city for Absolution. Finding the city much larger than she thought, she asks Shadow for help. Groggily, he tries briefly, but turns up with nothing. Instead, he continues to prod. He asks if she actually likes her traveling companions, and she gives lukewarm and noncommittal responses. She tries to get the Stone of Glory to talk as well, but finds it much less talkative (perhaps fortunately). Shadow bestows dark vision onto Donna as a final means of help.

Hours later, Donna finds a cellar door and opens it. Down the stairs, the cellar smells of musty fish - but no tobacco smoke. Moving on, Donna notices that she isn't encountering anyone on the street and wonders if people are just not on the street or if they're hiding when they hear her armor. It occurs to her that she may be better off resting, or at least taking a break, then heads to a quiet tavern with some people in it. As she approaches, she notices the crowd is largely off-the-clock guards that regard her in a mixture of bewilderment and disdain at her nobility invading their blue collar reprieve. She sits at a less-occupied table and the guards go back to talking quietly among themselves.

Donna decides to talk to the barkeep, a mustachioed male halfling, and orders a cold soup as she comments on how dead the crowd is. Donna notices that there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency among the guards, despite the fact one of them was killed. A human female guard in uniform taps her on the shoulder, asking to join her. Donna obliges, and they sit back at the table together. The guard asks Donna if she's met the captain, and Donna blurts out that he's a dirtbag - several guards shoot her dirty gazes. The guard recommends that they go somewhere else to speak for her sake, telling Donna that she'll meet her outside. Donna stands just outside the door with her soup, and minutes later the guard rejoins her, stunned that Donna hadn't left the front door area.

The guard leads Donna back to her house and clarifies that the captain is, indeed, a dirtbag, but says that he's a popular figure that many agree with his viewpoints and bribes. Appalled, Donna turns to beeline to the guardhouse to confront the captain. The guard stops her, saying that the captain is going to be totally off his ass, and asks what she intends to do. Donna explains that if he's accused, he must be judged. The guard explains that the town is a pit and reiterates to Donna that she must have noticed how destitute and poor-off the town is. The guard says she's tried to confront the captain to no avail. She wanted to join the guard to help save the town, but the corruption runs deep and the captain is just a cog that could be replaced.

Donna suggests that the Justice be called to fix the corruption, saying that it just seems like bribery and that can be fixed easily. The guard explains that they came, tried to fix the town, and failed. Somehow, Mase turned the Justice away. Immediately after hearing this news, Donna heads back to the guardhouse. The guard stops her again, points out where she lives, and tells Donna that she's willing to help if she can. Donna brushes her off.

Entering the guardhouse, the guard attempts to turn Donna away. She asks if Captain Mase is in, but the guard tells her he's asleep and not to be disturbed. She asks the guard if he's going to stop her, stepping into his face. He relents, telling her it's her head if Mase gets upset. She enters the guardhouse, closing the door behind her and using her longsword to bar the door. She heads to the office on the second floor and finds Mase asleep facedown on his desk. She observes that Mase has his baton and takes it from his sleeping body, then attempts to loosen his armor. As she does, Shadow chimes in that there's an easy answer to this situation and entreats her to kill Mase, arguing that one who doesn't uphold the law doesn't deserve to live and that the upper class influencers of Newport would back him up if she tried to arrest him or hold him accountable within the system.

Donna refutes Shadow's argument, citing that her father's standing as a Lord would back her up more. Shadow curses her naivete and says she's blind to the city's corruption, but offers to show Donna something to perhaps change her view. As her vision swirls, Donna notices that each time she's received help from the Stone, it weighs heavier and heavier in her mind. When her vision clears, she realizes she's viewing a memory of Mase at his desk in the late afternoon meeting with a man in dark leathers and a neck tattoo similar to Sorin's. As she recollects Sorin's warning the day before about his former guild members, the tattooed man identifies himself as the leader of the Jackals, and informs Mase that they made a deal with a sultan in the Golden Empire that requires a number of people in exchange. Mase and the Jackal leader lay out their scheme to round up urchins off the street that no one would miss to traffic to the Golden Empire.

The Stone snaps Donna out of her vision, remarking that the corruption seems much greater than simple bribery. Donna takes stock of her surroundings, peeking out the window and into the alley below to feel it out as a potential means of escape. The Stone repeats that Donna knows what she has to do: kill Captain Mase. Donna feels the Stone trying to assert its power over her, but she resists. She binds and gags Mase to detain him, then dumps him out the second floor window into the damp alley below. The impact violently awakens Mase, and he screams in pain through his gag. Donna grabs a ratty curtain and leaps from the window to collect him.

Slightly injured from the fall, Donna wraps Mase in the curtain and attempts to sneak past the guard stationed outside the alley that she brushed past to enter the building. He asks what she's doing in the alley with a big, struggling curtain and tries to repeat her earlier intimidation. The guard has since grown wise to her guile and bangs on the guardhouse door to rouse more guards, then charges toward her while ordering her to drop the body. As he does, the Stone of Shadow reminds Donna that things would've gone more smoothly its way and once again puts his help on the table as an offer.

Donna walks toward him calmly. Reaching her, the guard realizes that the body in the curtain is Mase and draws his sword. Donna moves to disable him with a pommel strikes to his stomach and manages to strike first. The guard doubles over, and has falling body reveals the guardhouse door opening. A guard runs from the door with Donna's longsword as the injured guard swings his sword at Donna. He misses and strikes Mase with his blade. Horrified, he stands there in brief shock as Donna knocks him out with a blow to the head. The guard coming from the door drops Donna's sword and draws a shortbow. Donna heaves Mase onto her shoulder and tries to duck into an alley. Warm blood seeps through the curtain and onto her hands, dripping down her shoulder, from Mase's sword-struck body. As she pumps off in a burst of adrenaline, the sound of barking dogs begins to close in on her.

The decision to marathon her investigation begins to wear on Donna as she frantically searches for sanctuary. She momentarily considers visiting the friendly female guard, but instead elects to break down the boards of an abandoned potions shop. With her newly-granted darkvision, Donna makes out a cot and broken-down old furniture in the immediate vicinity, but no doors or other hiding spaces on the lower level/street access area. Donna tries to put Mase in a back room as he struggles to free himself from his bonds. She sees that his wounds are not life-threatening, then knocks himself with a pommel to his face. Deciding that she likes her chances to wait out the pursuing dogs, she sits and watches the door from the back room.

Soon after, the dogs and guards grow nearer. She hears guards gossiping about her, to the note of "that paladin kidnapped the captain!" As dawn approaches, she hears a guard announce her hiding spot. Noticing a back door, Donna checks its viability as an escape route, but notices that there is a guard and a dog in the alley. It's clear to her that she's been made and if she doesn't act quickly, they'll be upon her.

Donna runs upstairs and throws furniture in the staircase to barricade herself on the second floor. The guards enter the shop and begin to break down the barricade. Donna addresses them, saying that the captain stands accused of bribery and that anyone impeding her justice will meet the judgment of her father. Behind her, a guard attempts to wrestle Donna down the stairs. In the struggle, she lets go of the captain and barrels down the side of the stairway and into the alleyway behind the shop. The guards descend on her and beat her into unconsciousness. The last thing Donna makes out is Shadow saying, "I did tell you my way would be easier."

In the morning, Lord Birdy leads T'amantha and Absolution to Wolves' Wares, where they are reunited with Sorin and Jules and they meet Sorrowful Pete and Big A. Absolution apologizes to Jules for adding to her trauma, and she says it's okay. Lord Birdy and Big A talk about the big hubbub last night with the dogs, about how a crazy paladin tried to kidnap the captain of the guard. They aren't sure where they took the paladin, and the group confides that the paladin is actually their friend Donna. They explain that she's not a bad person despite leading to Jules' abduction and attempted trafficking, she just doesn't understand the reality of the world beyond her limited perspective.

Lord Birdy mentions that the last time Donna was seen, she was being stuffed into the "slam wagon," the local slang for the trafficking carts. Sorin suggests checking the smuggling route where he came upon Jules, Sorrowful Pete, and Big A, and the group agrees it's as good a place to start as any.

Lore Established

 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Newport
 * Smuggler's route
 * Hideout
 * Guard house
 * Guard bar
 * Wolves' Wares

Synopsis
Donna awakens in a jail cell in a prison, but no guards in sight. In the cell with her are a single bucket and a bench. She goes back to sleep.

The free members of the party debate ways to break Donna out of the guards' custody, ranging from typical jailbreak to inciting a riot and causing a gang war. T'amantha suggests loosing the guard dogs to create a less complex distraction, and Lord Birdy mentions that the dogs are kept in 3 kennels and are trained to follow the sound of a whistle. Absolution mentions that he may be able to duplicate the noise with luck, but without being able to hear the actual pitch it'd be a gamble (though one worth taking).

Absolution lays out the plan: They head to the guard house where Donna was last seen in order to see where she may be held. It's early morning and though there are 2 guards outside the door, there's barely anyone out on the street. Absolution approaches a person on the street with a basket of bread. The baker is abrasive and refuses a 5g payment for their 2g basket of bread and a request to talk to the guards in order to suss out where Donna is being kept. Luckily, Sorin takes the reins and persuades them to talk to the guards. The merchant speaks to the guards and the group sees him slip the guards some gold. The man comes back and asks for more gold "for his services and not ratting," and the group intimidates him into going back without the gold. When the man returns, he confirms that Donna is being kept in the guard house and the guard shoos him away.
 * 1) Figure out where Donna is.
 * 2) Break Donna out.
 * 3) * Absolution turns Sorin invisible, then moves out to lure the dogs away with a spell.
 * 4) * Sorin finds a way into the guard house, then sneaks in to find a guard outfit. He sneaks this back out to T'amantha and she gets changed.
 * 5) * T'amantha covers Sorin while he works by looking like a guard while Absolution makes his way back to the group.
 * 6) Escape with Donna (and try not to fight with her).

Having nailed step one of the plan, the gang sets the jailbreak in motion: Absolution turns Sorin invisible in order to snag T'amantha a guard outfit. To distract the guards, Absolution gives one of the guards by the door a mage hand wet willy to get them to bicker and argue with one another. This provides just enough opening for Sorin to enter the building, and Absolution slips off to get distance between them before he calls the dogs. However, a guard sitting at the desk notices the door open and shut and becomes slightly on-edge. He stands up and walks to the door, his keys jingling on his belt, though he sees nothing.

Sorin makes his way through the room, taking stock of his surroundings. Luckily again, the one door not closed leads to a locker room. Inside, he finds both a guard outfit for T'amantha and a locked door with a staircase leading underground - potentially, he thinks, the jail. Searching for potential distractions to slip out, Sorin finds a locket and tosses it down the hallway. The guard at the desk walks past Sorin down the hallway to investigate as Sorin slips outside past the guards arguing - one of them storms off in a huff as the other stands indignantly with his arms crossed. Sorin gives T'amantha the guard uniform to get changed and gives her a rough rundown of what he saw inside.

Absolution manages to time his spell just right (and, more surprisingly matches the pitch of a dog whistle) and the dogs are released. He leaves the scene and makes his way back toward the guard house.

Back at the guard house, the guards are making up as the sounds of the angry dogs fill the air. T'amantha approaches the guards and tells them she's the shift change while they go retrieve the dogs. They poke their heads in to clear it with the guard at the desk, who asks for T'amantha's name - she answers as Feather, and the guards run off. T'amantha opens the door, allowing Sorin to slip in invisibly, then frantically tells the guard that she has to pee and will go everywhere if she doesn't get to the bathroom. She's convincing enough that the guard fumbles for his keys and T'amantha tries to implore him to just give her the keys. Instead, he gives her just the bathroom key and points her in the right direction.

Sorin sneaks up to the locked door leading downstairs to pick the lock. The door clicks open, and the duo find a few rows of jail cells (about 8 total), and Donna lays alone in the only occupied cell, asleep. Sorin picks the lock, then T'amantha enters to wake Donna. She apologizes for shooting her and says she's here to save her; Donna says she's upset, but agrees to being saved and asks where her things are. Sorin says that he'll be right back and goes to look for her gear as T'amantha hands Donna some bread.

Sorin begins his search in the locker room, where he finds a chest containing Donna's armor and most of her gear (e.g. her backpack, scrolls, and holy items), but her more valuable items, weapons, and Stones are nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, T'amantha and Donna's reunion is going somewhat awkwardly, as Donna is growing impatient waiting for her items to be returned. Sorin returns, and Donna dons her armor and says getting the Stones back (and her cool swords) is top priority). As she gets battle-ready, she talks about her last time in the guard house and mentions that the captain's office is upstairs.

Absolution arrives back at the guard house after a couple close calls using alleys and low-traffic streets. Nobody is outside the guard house, so he waits.

Sorin heads up the stairs to search for the remaining gear. Two doors are open, containing empty cots and rooms, and one is closed - he can hear someone inside pacing back and forth. Supposing that this is Captain Mase, he casts a spell to imitate a guard's voice (as if it were coming from top the stairs) to lure the captain out of the room. Mase accosts the voice and tells the voice to deal with it, and Sorin hears the guard downstairs shoot up from his seat, his chair falling to the ground. The guard rushes, keys jingling, up the stairs to investigate the phantom voice - Donna, armed with one of T'amantha's short swords, moves into position behind the guard.

As the guard ascends the stairs, Sorin drop kicks the guard in the chest, sending him tumbling down the steps as he returns to visibility. Hearing the commotion, the captain opens the door behind Sorin. Sorin turns to face the captain, and recognizes the captain as a former member of his gang that snitched and got someone killed - he sees that Mase recognizes him as well, and rushes at him armed with Donna's sword, swinging at him.

Hearing the commotion, Absolution runs into the building. The guard with the keys tries to stand up, but Donna flies into a rage at the sight of the corrupt guard and jumps on top of him to pummel him. T'amantha runs up to help Sorin, but Sorin summons a flame that sends Mase to his knees. As he submits and hands over Donna's swords, Sorin grills him about the Stones and learn that Mase sold the Stones to a couple of kobolds at the Jackals' den, the Green Spittoon.

Donna yells at the group that they should lock the guards in the cells downstairs, then drags the unconscious and broken man downstairs. Sorin grabs Mase and warns him that if he lets anyone know that he's still alive, he'll come back and finish the job, then knocks him out. Sorin suggests that they go to the Green Spittoon to track down the stones.

The party finds the Green Spittoon is more of a bleak gray, just as desolate and run-down from the climate as the rest of the town. Over the front door, a dagger is buried in the wood to the hilt. Sorin remembers that this place used to be a hub for low-lifes. Worried she'd draw too much attention, Donna opts to hang in a nearby alley while the rest enter the bar.

The bar-front is smokey and mostly empty save for about half a dozen patrons. As the group enters, all eyes fall on them. A red-haired mountain of a man steps out from behind the bar to "greet" the newcomers. He grills them about what they're doing there, disregards their answer, tells them they were too late (the kobolds already left), and asks them to politely fuck off. Absolution tries to intimidate them to circumvent the barkeep's lack of trust and T'amantha tries to repeat the success of her frantic bathroom excuse, but to no avail.

They meet back up in the alley, and they decide that though the kobolds left, they need to know where to look for them. They opt to wait for a patron to exit the bar so that a) they have a chance to get information regarding the kobolds, and b) reduce the number of people in the bar in case they have to return to the bar. After about a half hour, they see 2 patrons exit the bar and begin to tail them. Before long, the group blows their cover and the patrons book it into an alley. The group pursues, and T'amantha tracks them to a door in another alley. Sorin knocks on the door and has a tense encounter with an old woman with a tray of muffins, knocking the tray out of her hands and demanding to find "criminals." She says there are no criminals, but that her grandson, Jeremy, and his friend, Griff, came home. She leads them to a parlor where the two ruffians sit, looking at them wide-eyed and terrified. As the grandmother goes to fix tea, the party presses for information. Jeremy says that the kobolds left this morning and headed south, probably, but they don't know anything else.

The grandmother returns with tea and snacks, and the group makes casual small talk to maintain appearances. They ask for recommendations to buy supplies (and actually fulfill their original reason for being in town), and she shares some coupons of a store she regularly shops in. The party heads to the store as they ruminate on whether they should press on to Revetal to face Infernus and retrieve the Stone of Power, or try once more to find the kobolds that have managed to somehow stay one step ahead of them.

Lore Established

 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Newport
 * Guard house
 * The Green Spittoon

Synopsis
The group decides by narrow margin to pursue the Stone of Power in Revetal. On the way, Donna voices her concern regarding Absolution's potential corruption to the party, to make sure everyone's intentions. Absolution doesn't argue much, but makes clear that Donna's approval is unimportant to him. She warns that Revetal is a city full of clerics and paladins that can sense evil and that his intentions may not matter.

The party arrives in Revetal to raucous celebration. Pies, alcohol, performances, and revelers fill the streets. A parade passes, and they see Sir Rufus of the Monastery of Stone among the paraders, apparently the source and cause for celebration. Donna and T'amantha seek out Donna's father in the palace, while Absolution and Sorin approach Sir Rufus.

On the way to the palace, most of the doors in the street are wide open and the sound of ringing bells fill the air. The ladies find Donna's father, Lord Harengan, sitting in front of the palace waiting for the parade. He's a large, muscular man with gray hair and a scar over his eye, and he holds a large bastard sword made of marble. He sees Donna approach, opens his arms, and they embrace warmly. He apologizes for bringing her into the trouble concerning Infernus, and implores Donna to at least stay through the night for the celebratory feast before leaving to deal with the dragon. Donna introduces T'amantha and her father, and she mentions that there are two more in the party. Donna catches her father up on their quest so far.

Sir Rufus is atop a large float in the middle of the parade and have no problem getting onto the float. Rufus sees the two tieflings and hails them gleefully. When Absolution asks what the cause of celebration is, Rufus answers that they're celebrating a great victory for all of Valden: the great dragon, Infernus has been slain. Sorin notices that a couple folks in full plate armor stand on the outside of the crowd, likely guards, that are regarding Sir Rufus with disdain. Sorin asks Rufus about the sour looks, and Rufus explains that they're members of the Justice displeased by him showing up their champions by felling Infernus in the last week. Rufus points to the float behind his, and the tieflings realize that what they thought was a fun, artistic installation is actually a display of the dragon's horns - essentially giant battering rams with points.

The parade arrives at the palace, where Lord Harengan receives them. Donna asks Rufus about the Stone of Power, and Rufus denies seeing any such relic (though, a large hoard would arrive soon to the city). At the feast, Sir Rufus tells the tale of how they defeated Infernus:

They tracked the dragon for four days, then after no sign they found a clearing full of deer and felt the tell-tale feeling of wings above their head. To lure the dragon, they slaughtered some deer and let their blood fill the air. Infernus descends on the deer, and they see his giant wingspan and Rufus freezes momentarily as their window to ambush shrinks. One of the justices rushes the dragon, and Infernus is swarmed and caught unaware. Infernus regains his composure and fights back, barely scratched. He spouts fire from his mouth, pushing back the paladins who managed to raise their shields in time. Sir Rufus sees an opening and decides to strike at Infernus' underbelly. He runs under Infernus as it rears back for its follow-up attack and pierces under the dragon's scales into its chest, hurling flame into the air and sending Infernus to the afterlife.

The feast-goers applaud vigorously at the tale's end, and Lord Harengan toasts heroes like Rufus that protect the realm. After the toasts die down, Absolution enters into a drunken rant about not being evil. He launches several eldritch blasts into the air and makes an absolute scene, and is ushered out by Sorin and some guards.

The party spends about a week in Revetal following the feast. They send correspondence to Banruse using couriers to catch her up and ask for guidance. Donna then suggests checking with the appraisers to sift through the hoard for items of interest, each finding something - however, there's no sign of the Stone. The party decides to investigate Infernus' den, but find it picked clean. They decide to move south toward Ironridge to meet back up with Snake Eyes.

Lore Established
 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Newport
 * Revetal

Synopsis
Donna regards the Ring of Spell Storing that she found in the hoard as the party moves southbound toward Ironridge - it has a few spells stored in it already - as they arrive in Ironridge. The mood is incredibly tense and on-edge. Sorin and T'amantha find Snake Eyes in a seedy, generally empty bar, but there are way more people in there than usual.

Sorin asks Snake Eyes what's new, and he tells the duo that Ironridge is a powder keg as an impending war (or worse) looms as trade from the west (e.g. Sevenports) has ended. Scouts have noticed that the town of Gimmel's Den is totally empty and a black fortress has shown up in the swamp to its south (where the rats were led). Most folks are trying to leave town while avoiding the west.

Snake Eyes says that he's still got a few things to take care of, but T'amantha bids him farewell and asks him to take care. The party is reunited, and T'amantha shares the grim tidings. The party speculates that the fortress is the most logical next step, but as they search for supplies they find that many of the stalls and merchants are closed or empty. On their way through the markets, they stop in at the Gilded Pot and see Maurice and John Cena Skilldigger. Maurice offers a curt hello, but they don't seem to recognize their former saviors and business partners.

After brief confusion, Sorin produces their contract to refresh their memory. John Cena acknowledges the contract, but doesn't have the actual numbers for their earnings, producing a very generous 500g and giving it to the group. Antsy that the conversation has lingered so long, he says goodbye and returns to his father. As the group leaves the tavern, they're waved down by a couple guards who ask if they've just arrived in town. They comment that the party seems to know their way around a sword and magic and suggest that they volunteer in the militia effort to defend the city. Donna asks how she can help and is pointed toward a guard house handing out badges, but suggest that they may be better off speaking to the guard captain before they return to their patrol.

At the guard house, they hail the captain and find him leading a brief seminar instructing new volunteers how to use a polearm. He greets them warmly, introduces himself as Captain Tau, and asks if they intend to volunteer. He says that first and foremost he needs scouts near the fortress to see who comes and goes and bolster their intelligence to inform future plans. Above all, they need the information, and if they get into a fight, they'd better win. They set out on their scouting mission.

On their way west down a fairly wooded (though not dense) path, they're ambushed by a flurry of javelins. Orcs reveal themselves out of the treeline, and a battle ensues. Sorin retreats within his new coat which turns him to gas, then materializes in a nearby tree. He fires a crossbow bolt at a nearby orc, wounding it. Absolution and T'amantha each easily dispatch an orc each as Donna takes one of her own on the other side of the path. Sorin feels somewhat discouraged as 3 orcs descend on Donna - only one lands a damaging blow, and it's a heavy one. T'amantha is attacked by the largest of the orcs. Sorin manages to take out one of the orcs assaulting Donna with a sneak attack, but Absolution can't manage to down a fleeing orc - though it is hobbled somewhat. T'amantha sinks a pair of arrows into the large orc, who merely grunts at the pain. Donna slams into the orc that hurt her, killing it, then downs the last orc on her side.

Absolution hurls a last Hail Mary of magic to down the fleeing orc to prevent their cover from being blown and kills it mid-stride. Down to just the largest of the orcs, T'amantha fires arrows into its massive body once more as Donna and Sorin attempt to pile on, damaging him enough to cause him to miss with his wild ax swings. The party scrambles and reorients themselves to fight a single, immensely strong enemy, taking up more advantageous positions now that numbers are on their side. The orc dies, and Absolution notices that none of the orcs he dispatched flared up - he isn't sure what to think of that.

Donna observes the bodies and notices that none of them are wearing matching attire to suggest any sort of organization. What's worse, Lurch and Glurtchk are among the bodies. After spending a moment to honor their fallen comrades and contemplate what could've spurred them back to violence and to attack them, they move on to Gimmel's Den.

The town is entirely empty, but food on tables and the presence of valuables and other items suggest that they left in a hurry and without a struggle. They move toward the fortress and sense a pervading sense of darkness emanating from it. However, from the distance they observe the fortress it's impossible to distinguish an entrance or exit, nor is there any discernible path to give that detail away.

As they get closer, he sees a regiment of at least a couple hundred orcs and goblinoids marching toward the fortress from roughly 500 yards away through the swamp. The group decides to return to Ironridge with this information.

Back in the city, Maurice and John Cena are on their way out of the city, headed west. The father and son ignore the group's warning of the literal army and set off with their wagon full of goods. Donna meets back with Captain Tau to tell him what they found. A town crier shouting about meetups and other updates suddenly goes silent, and Tau regards him suspiciously. The crier begins a new message: the Dark Lord Smellyfasse is coming for everyone, and when he comes, they'll take up arms in his name to serve him.

People begin to whip themselves into a panic - Donna senses that the crier has been possessed, like a sunflower slathered in viscous oil. T'amantha notices that a high elf, likely from Yelalot, begins to close in on the crier with a sword drawn. She tries to stop the elf from attacking, but he disregards her heed, telling her she's too young to remember the last time. He stabs the crier straight through, killing him. The guards arrest the elf without any resistance.

Absolution mentions that their orc friends, Lurch and Glurtchk, attacked them on their way to Gimmel's Den, and while there may be something to the crier's possessed claim that people's wills will not be their own, and adds that magic may not be needed to start a riot if the situation isn't contained soon. Captain Tau rushes to the local governor's office, but finds nobody at their post. He breaks down the locked door and the group finds evidence of a hastily-packed escape. On the governor's desk is a letter, signed by Banruse. Within the letter is a very brief overview of the dangers of the Crown, outlining its historical properties to enthrall the armies of those who opposed Smellyfasse. They show the letter to Tau, who calls the governor a coward and laments that he has no idea how to combat this threat.

Sorin suggests they contact Banruse, perhaps by scrying, and Tau gives them the name "Skali." The party finds her among a caravan of folks intent on leaving. Absolution hands her Banruse's letter and they pay her a hundred gold to contact Banruse. They take out a large bowl of still water, light a match, and set the letter on fire on the bowl's surface. Soon, the image of Banruse appears. They share information, and Banruse says she hasn't seen Rufus on his way back from Revetal and he should've been back by now. Seeing the direness of the situation, she tells the group to hold out in Ironridge until she arrives from the Monastery. Donna asks what was done to defeat the Crown in the past, but Banruse has found no concrete detail in her studies.

The group decides to follow her advice and await her arrival. Meanwhile, Captain Tau prepares for the army's arrival and the party helps construct barricades, instruct evacuees, and generally prepare as the clock counts down.

Lore Established

 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Ironridge
 * The Gilded Pot
 * Gimmel's Den

Synopsis
The party has been helping around the town, assembling barricades and attending survivors while hearing tales of family members and friends disappearing - assumedly walking out to answer the Dark Lord's call. As they wait for Banruse's arrival, including helping an orphanage evacuate the city safely. Donna attempts to speak with wildlife around the city with magic in order to discern possible troop movements and details, but has a hard time finding anything not affected by the blight - the only thing he can figure out is that when you go into the fortress, you don't leave. However, no animals have been turned.

After a week, Banruse arrives and the group fills her in. She confirms everyone's worst fears: the crown has been reassembled. The only way to stop it is to tough it out and destroy it, but if they do, then all lives ensnared in the Dark Lord's brainwashing will be lost. When they go to meet Captain Tau at their usual time, but he doesn't show. The group fears the worst.

Donna asks local birds about the layout of the fortress and learns it's very complex, though with only one entrance - food and supplies have been shipped in, but they've mostly received large amounts of ore and metal. He asks an eagle if it's seen a giant crawling fortress (in other words, Donovan and the Serpentine Citadel) and learns that word has spread that something like that has been moving toward Ironridge from the south. Donna asks the eagle if it could carry a message on her behalf, and the eagle asks for a fine meal as payment. Donna writes a note to warn Donovan of the fortress near Gimmel's Den, that they're planning an assault, and ties it with her symbol of St. Cuthbert.

The party decides to set out for the fortress, making a beeline toward it and avoiding the road. However, the 4-day journey ends up taking 6 days. As they near the fortress and come to the edge of the swamp, they notice plumes of smoke behind them - Ironridge. Pressing forward through the swamp, they come to a high ground overlooking terrain that seems off - it's wilder, overgrown, and harsh with a feeling of malice emanating from it, barren of wildlife and dead silent. Sorin picks up a rock and chucks it in the direction of one of the fortress' great towers roughly a half mile ahead of them, and it sinks into the swamp.

T'amantha attempts to lead the party through the swamp, but once they step foot into the "off" part of the swamp, they instantly feel as if they're being watched - something sees them. T'amantha stops in her tracks and motions for the group to stop as she thinks she hears something, but it's eerily quiet again the moment she stops. Soon after, she hears it again, but it doesn't go away: it's a single sound of footsteps, but not the muddy squelches the group is making. These footsteps are quiet and distinctly not muddy.

Soon, they're approached by a female wood elf with shock-white hair walking atop the mud, wand at the ready but with neutral intent. T'amantha reminds the rest of the group that they're supposed to be "possessed" as well and not to fuck it up. The witch stops about 15 feet from T'amantha, waiting for her to do something. She copies his demeanor - unemotional and silent - then gestures to the fortress and says they were summoned here. As soon as she starts to speak, he raises his wand at her.

Not waiting to see how this plays out, Donna raises her ring: her warhorse, Grimhoof, erupts from the ring. She mounts Grimhoof and moves to charge the wood elf. As everyone else moves to attack the strange elf, T'amantha notices a familiar looking kobold. In fact, it's the sorcerer that hit them all with the fireball. She calls it out to the group, and Absolution - having been on alert since seeing the elf - fires eldritch flame at the kobold, bloodying him.

Sorin casts a magical darkness around the mind-controlled wood elf, and she disappears to all but Absolution - whose eldritch magic allows him to see in magical darkness. The witch fumbles in the dark (or, to Absolution, sudden sphere of black-and-white tones, trying to see, and trips over an exposed root. Amused, he chuckles, then doubles over laughing at the absurdity of the sudden slapstick, but is interrupted when another kobold materialize from thin air and stabs the air above him where his torso would've been.

The injured kobold sorcerer desperately hurls a fireball into the middle of the group, catching Donna and T'amantha in the middle of it - though the two women escape with their lives, Grimhoof is not so lucky. Absolution turns to his attacker and bloodies him as he did to its companion, and the adversaries exchange bickering words, telling each other the fucking knock it off and go away.

Sorin manages to sneak up on the distracted sorcerer kobold and stabs him in the throat with his steel dagger, killing him. T'amantha fires two arrows at Absolution's attacker, each striking true, and the second kobold goes down. Meanwhile, the swamp witch regains her composure and manages to pick a direction to walk in. She emerges on the north side of the darkness and casts a spell in the direction of T'amantha and Absolution - the vegetation surrounding them grows rapidly, surrounding the duo with thorns and undergrowth, and they know that getting out of their predicament is going to hurt. Donna yells for Absolution to call out where the witch is, and he points her in the correct direction.

Donna tells Sorin to keep the darkness up, charging into the darkness toward Absolution's indication. As Absolution hurls more eldritch flame at the witch - who takes the hits in stride - Sorin moves around the edge of the darkness to flank with a bow attack but falls short. T'amantha sinks a pair of arrows into the witch's torso, bloodying her. In response, the witch points her wand at Sorin and her hand at Absolution and T'amantha - simultaneously, the duo on the high ground are engulfed in a cloud of dense fog while Sorin feels the ground beneath him gurgle before he's launched into the air by a pillar of swampy earth, managing to roll into his fall and take minimal damage.

Donna emerges from the darkness and gets right in the witch's face. Absolution snags himself on the thorns and freeing himself from the fog and discomfort, then launches more black flame at the witch, putting her into throes of desperation as she hurls flame at his direction. However, the flame barely affects him. She turns her attention to Donna and hurls her into back into the darkness with the same swampy earth pillar, but she's undeterred and once again charges out of the darkness to meet the witch head-on.

Absolution tries to finish her off, but she's caught onto his tells and manages to dodge his flame, but is struck in the gut by T'amantha's well-placed arrow and falls into the mire, dead. T'amantha strides up to the witch's body and takes her wand - they determine that it was the source of her earth-moving abilities. The group finds magic sandals on her feet (apparently how she could walk on the swamp water), and the sorcerer kobold held a magic dagger and ring. Looking into the kobold's items, they determine that the dagger may paralyze its targets and the ring allows its wearer to assume a gaseous form - likely how it managed to elude them all this time. Sorin takes the dagger, Donna opts for the sandals, and T'amantha takes the ring.

The group heads toward the fortress, but doesn't encounter any more enemies. They come to the doors of the fortress and can hear voices on the other side. Rather than risk defeat, they retreat back into the swamp to take a brief rest and recollect themselves before their attempt at an assault. Nearing the end of an hour, they hear the heavy trundling of a laden ore cart approach. The cart is pulled by a donkey, flanked by two familiar dwarves with helmets sporting a pair of flexing arms - the Skulldiggers.

Lore Established
 * N/A

Locations Visited

 * Ironridge
 * Gimmel's swamp
 * The fortress

December 8, 2018
Synopsis

Meanwhile, Smellifasse's last week is a tumultuous one. He's been fighting for control of his mind and body with Dal-Ebos (in the crown) and two twin demons, Shabriri (demon of blindness, aspect of ignorance) and Soolak (demon of hunger, aspect of wrath). Each entity has their own set of goals and aspirations, and have chosen an angle toward their ultimate domination over the others.

At the beginning of the first day, Dal-Ebos is in control. He remembers how he revealed his fortress in the swamp and lured the entire town of Gimmel's Den (minus the children, as his powers don't extend to the young) into his thrall. He strides into the war room and looks for his next target to enthrall the masses. Smellifasse's generals recommend a village of elves to the north across a river. He looks toward the Monastery of the Stone to destroy his body, and toward Sir Rufus (who has been on his payroll!) to destroy it, but fails as the Monastery's magic is too strong in defending its inhabitants.

Smellifasse regains control as Dal-Ebos' crown power is rebuked by the Monastery. He walks among the trees outside the fortress and remembers his family. They used to play pretend war in the forests of Yelalot. One time, a child caught him off guard from behind to tackle him and Smellifasse nearly stabs him with a brandished stick, scaring the other children away and leaving him alone in the forest. He was always more serious than the other children, looking up to military leaders. He's snapped out of the reminiscence by approaching footsteps, and he's ensnared by vines - a wood elf with shock-white hair walking atop the swamp water brandishing a wand nears. Smellifasse uses the crown against Dal-Ebos' prying influence to enthrall the swamp witch, leaving him as a sentry within the swamp. He checks in on the barracks where his thrall is making weapons - they're awaiting an upcoming glintiron shipment - and sees a table of orcs gambling in a tent. Upset, he attempts to enthrall them and fails.

Soolak takes control as Smellifasse enters the gambling tent. As everyone in the tent turns to look at him, Soolak uses conjuration magic to knock over a drink and start a brawl that he narrowly escapes. He turns his attention to Ironridge, where a wealthy and enthralled merchant from the Golden Empire sows fear among the populace. Soolak's magic sees into their hearts and into their fears, which he uses to help the merchant amass a caravan of tricked citizens. Those that can afford to pay their way come with all their valuables, and those who can't are left distrustful of the reigning authority of Ironridge. The caravan is led toward the fortress, but the caravan catches wind and begins to peel away. Soolak attempts to combust the leader of the dissent, but fails.

Shabriri becomes the controlling voice, and creates illusions of monsters behind the caravan, "rescuing" a couple wagons and sending enthralled orcs to abduct the dissenting caravaners. Shabriri tries to turn the children into monsters with illusions magic, but fails - as a result, the children within the fortress (still unable to be enthralled) are led to rebel by a young girl wielding a mace in an escape attempt. Thus, a two-front battle has erupted.

Smellifasse comes back to the forefront of his mind, and decides to enthrall the people on the caravan. Most the caravan is killed, but 4 or 5 prisoners are salvaged. However, the children have escaped into the swamp.

Dal-Ebos decides to construct some sort of apparatus to retrieve his body from the Monastery, and thus a portal to just outside the Monastery is created. He steps through the Monastery with the swamp witch and the kobold assassins, planning to meet with Rufus and destroy his mortal remains. As soon as they step through an unseen threshold, the entire Monastery springs into action, sensing his presence. Magic is hurled their way, and Mother Deerheart is organizing a mass spell. Dal-Ebos moves to enthrall her, but can't quite overcome the protection magic of the Monastery.

Dal-Ebos manages to retain control just as the mass spell - a huge ray of enfeeblement - comes toward him. He begins a counterspell to erode the magic users' sanity at the expense of some of his own life force. He manages to overcome their mass spell, and the casters fall to their knees, maddened by waking nightmares. The rest of the small party takes out the rest of the Monastery as Sir Rufus leads the way toward Dal-Ebos' body. When Dal-Ebos tries to light his body on fire, he can't quite manage to focus his power, weakened from his counterspell.

Smellifasse regains consciousness and starts to take all the shit in the crypt, directing Sir Rufus to help. He summons a manticore named Bud to ride back to the fortress. He tries to enthrall the manticore, but fails.

Mid-flight, the manticore asks Smellifasse (now controlled by Soolak) for treasure that he can sell to eat. Soolak agrees (but is lying), and they land outside of Gimmel's Den. Soolak asks if Bud knew a manticore named Duke, and discovers they were best friends. Soolak tells Bud he'll see Duke soon and immolates him, and the manticore crumbles to ash very similar to his best friend. Soolak asks to see who was responsible for watching the now-escaped children, sees that they are already-enthralled goblins, and decides he can't get much out of punishing them. Instead, he summons a horn to doot in their faces and they react precisely how he wants to, but it feels a tad empty. He turns his attention to Ironridge and possesses a commoner. He has the commoner entreat a local pocket of holdouts that are stubborn not to leave their one and only home, and is let in. After a few minutes, Soolak takes deeper control of the commoner, commanding him to stand up in the center of the group. With Soolak's voice, he asks the holdouts if they think there is anywhere they can hide from his power where they will be truly safe. Soolak then attempts to immolate the commoner, but fails again.

Shabriri takes advantage of the gaffe and moves to enthrall Lord Harangan, Donna's father. She succeeds, and cloisters Harangan away in a room with no paladins as advisers. Harangan decrees that Newport has fallen to dark forces and that the paladins must siege the city. The paladins of Revetal mobilize toward Newport with orders to put it under martial law, splitting their forces between Revetal and Newport. Shabriri attempts to trick Newport into allowing an easier overtaking by the paladins' martial law, but only half-succeeds. There is no bloody conflict, but the emissaries they send out do offer some resistance. The paladins and thieves guilds clash, leaving blood on the streets.

The next day, Smellifasse awakens and takes in the previous day's carnage. An orc chief, a leader of non-enthralled subjects from years ago, comes into the throne room to voice concern against being enthralled. Smellifasse enthralls him. The kobold assassins in the room look to one another in disbelief, and Smellifasse attempts to enthrall them as well, but fails.

Dal-Ebos moves back to the Monastery to destroy his body, expending some of his remaining willpower in order to ensure his success. Dal-Ebos attempted to search for powerful auras, but fails, then calls it a night.

On the third day, Shabriri wakes up in control to find the enthralled orc leader's orc band leaving Smellifasse's fortress. She lets them go, choosing instead to focus on the current state of Sevenports, where an army is mobilizing to march on the fortress. Content with that knowledge, she shifts again to the elves in Yelalot, where a leading council of elves is in session to determine their next course of action against Smellifasse's growing threat. She attempts to enthrall a general, Sylvius, on the round table, and succeeds. In Sevenports, Queen Margretta and one of her generals are her next targets, but they'll be saved for later. Shabriri turns the witch invisible and uses him as an instrument of terror while the Yelalot general aims to inspire a coup by urging immediate action to defend their forests and sow discord. Meanwhile, a new shipment of glintiron arrives. Shabriri influences the Skilldiggers to create a magical set of glintiron plate armor and a sword, but they only manage to create a sword (a real sweet sword) - Shabriri intends to curse it such that the next entity to possess it would become trapped within the sword, which draws the contempt of Smellifasse. The Dark Lord exerts his influence to shift their hand ever so slightly, resulting in a sword that leeches the soul from its victim instead.

Shabriri manages to retain control through the sabotage. He uses his influence over Harangan to send a letter to the Queen of Sevenports advising her of the martial law imposed in Newport. In Yelalot, another general (one in control of most of the northern forests) has taken advantage of the discord and marched his forces in toward Yelalot - the enthralled general's scouts got lucky. Sylvius tells the round table that the army is marching, but is met with disbelief. Ironically, the council doesn't believe his warnings and half-correctly accuses him of fear-mongering. Once the army arrives, they attempt to put it under martial law. Sylvius takes advantage and orders his soldiers to round up the council for an emergency meeting. Many of the council members throw Sylvius under the bus for not protecting the city better and give primary control to another general to guard the city. As he's escorted out, he begins to cast a hypnotic pattern through the general, but an alert guard notices and severs one of Sylvius' hand in the middle of his casting.

Soolak turns back toward the small southern villages of elves on the forest and attempts to cast a net to enthrall subjects to do his bidding, but is interrupted by the fortress shaking - an adult green dragon that called this swamp home has returned to its roost, and is not happy.

Dal-Ebos threatens the dragon, but the dragon flies up to the balcony and attempts to snatch him with his talons. He attempts to capture the dragon in a magical net that he found in the catacombs beneath the Monastery of Stone, but before he can the dragon breathes poisonous gas in his direction. To defend himself, he summons a whirlwind, but summons one much too strong and launches himself into the air. He manages to retain control, and aims his magic net. The net connects and traps the dragon, but the dragon's tail manages to strike him on the way down.

Shabriri comes to on the ground beneath the balcony next to an ensnared green dragon struggling to free itself. She attempts to enthrall the dragon, but is staved off just barely, throwing her off.

Soolak threatens to torture the dragon unless it helps him or gives up its hoard, but the dragon resists. It breathes at Smellifasse, and Soolak summons a whirlwind to suffocate the dragon. It stops the breath attack, but it pulls up a corner of the net. Siezing the opportunity, the dragon clutches Smellifasse.

Smellifasse proper lunges at the dragon with his sword and stabs it in the heart, capturing its soul. He directs an orc to take the dragon's heart into his quarters to create a potion. Smellifasse intends to imbue the potion to summon a blizzard that can be used over Ironridge, but instead it creates a thunderstorm over the fortress. They call it a night.

Dal-Ebos awakens as Sevenports' army approaches the fortress - estimates from scouts place the army at a few thousand strong. He directs a small regiment to feint and draw in their forces in order to wipe out a large swathe of their troops by creating sinkholes with a major earthquake. The troops take out the scout regiment and move to the north to attack through better terrain, but the earthquake isn't quite as destructive as possible - though, a few soldiers and all of the siege artillery are destroyed. He takes a rage nap.

On the final day, Dal-Ebos awakens and attempts to contact yet another demon, the "Demon of Demons," to entreat aid against Sevenports' siege. The demon rises in the middle of the vast army, not appreciating that he was summoned in the middle of an army. He tries to enthrall their army, but instead only gets a single archer who is soon hacked down after loosing arrows at its former brothers in arms.

Smellifasse takes control and again attempts to use the crown to enthrall the army, and manages to rein in about a third of the army - in other words, most of the remaining infantry. He turns these soldiers against the rest of the army, causing a hysteria among their ranks. He attempts to control the summoned demon, but fails. The demon marches toward the fortress, angry.

Soolak addresses the Demon of Demons as Ifrit and throws the mortals under the bus, saying that they acted against the demons' intent and will be dealt with accordingly. Ifrit tells the demons to get their shit together and poofs away. As what's left of the cavalry charges the enthralled infantry, Soolak summons a rain of fire, dispersing the army and whittling it down even more. He attempts to enthrall the rest of the cavalry, but doesn't succeed.

Dal-Ebos takes back control and attempts to travel to the real Tomb of Dal-Ebos, but arrives instead in Newport.

Smellifasse and Soolak both attempt to enthrall the populace, but fail and get themselves surrounded by a group of paladins.

Shabriri exerts extra willpower in order to enthrall the group surrounding them. She checks in on Yelalot and sees that the northern general has seized control of the region. She directs the enthralled paladins to spread their word to enthrall more paladins and summons illusions of demonic and monstrous visions around the town to help her cause. The city descends into chaos, and she teleports herself and her charges into the fortress. She turns her attention to Yelalot, where she summons a torrent of water to drown the city of Yelalot proper. Then, she expands the swampland around the fortress by drowning it in water and expanding the lake to the north of Gimmel's Den and flooding the spaces in between. She decides to teleport to the library in Sevenports to destroy it, but the teleport fails.

Soolak uses Harangan's aides to steal away Infernus' hoard by promising them wealth and power and reasoning that they must protect the treasure from the Dark Lord as their forces are spread thin between here and Newport. Shabriri sabotages the plan by having the aides panic and hide the treasure randomly instead of the predetermined location specified by Soolak.

Dal-Ebos takes advantage of the inner turmoil to take control and create a bad, powerful monster in order to go out with a bang. He creates a giant, formless mass that slowly begins to take form, turning to its creator and addressing it as father.

Soolak summons a giant sigil of Smellyfasse over Ironridge, seals the city with flame at their gates, then burns some buildings down to start a riot. Soolak razes at least a quarter of Yelalot's forest, then seizes a general, gathers the general's men, and announces allegiance to Smellyfasse. He's almost immediately killed, and the troops sense that the fortress in the swamp is to blame. As they march, he turns most of the elf regiment into his thrall, kills those not under his control, then marches them to Ironridge to siege the city. As many die in the mass of fires, the Serpentine Citadel, piloted by Donovan, bounds out of nowhere to rescue as many survivors as possible. Soolak uses the last of his power to raze the city in flame.

Shabriri summons a giant tsunami to engulf Sevenports.

Soolak uses the last of his ability to create a flaming path from the fortress to the adventurer's camp.

Lore Established
 * The Dark Lord's Big Week

Locations Visited
 * Gimmel's swamp
 * The fortress
 * Ironridge (projected)
 * Monastery of Stone (projected)
 * Gimmel's Den
 * Revetal (projected)
 * Newport (projected)

February 9, 2019
Back in the present time with the adventurers, the group sees a flaming path appear before them leading to Smellyfasse's fortress. They follow the path to the fortress and try to figure out how to get in the keep.

T'amantha's athletics help them scale the wall, while Donna's wisdom points the way to the tower. Absolution sneaks up to the tower as Sorin observes the guard patrols. However, he mistimes the patrol and nearly gets discovered when a pair of passing orcs see Sorin scrambling back to cover, but don't stray from their calm path. The orcs open the door to the keep's tower and close it behind them. As they walk up to follow, they run into an invisible wall. Absolution is only able to ascertain that it's a wall of magic force, but can't figure out how to pass through. Donna attempts to brute-strength the wall, testing it with her javelin. The javelin shatters at the stress, but Donna's unharmed. T'amantha knocks on the wall and perceives that it sounds like glass, prompting Donna to smash it with her fists.

In the door, there's no sign of the orcs. However, 60 feet ahead at the end of the corridor is a doorway, presumably the one to Smellyfasse's chambers. On the way in, he asks Sorin in Infernal to take his necklace, a symbol of Pelor, should he die. Misunderstanding him, Sorin asks "what" and causes Absolution to say it again, in Common, to clarify and let the rest of the group know his last will and testament.

The group passes through the doorway and walk into a chamber with a thin layer of fog. The fog quickly grows and becomes more dense, and they begin to lose sight of one another.

Absolution sees a group of children dressed in rags come from the fog. One turns to him - one he swears was from the orphanage he grew up in - and says "save us," and points behind him to a wall of flame. He takes the half-dozen or so children and tells them to run as the flame licks their heels. Soon, one child falls behind. Absolution doubles back to pick up the child, casting the armor of Agathys to buy him extra protection, but sees the flames upon them and shields him instead. The fire consumes Absolution, but the color reverses to a black-blue flame and burrows into Absolution's body. The child is safe, but Absolution's constitution is permanently damaged.

Donna comes to a door different from the others, but very similar to the ones in Revetal. Inside, she sees a vision of her father, seated on a chair, but far older than she's ever seen him. He quietly states he pledges to Dal-Ebos, and she moves to tie him to the chair and shove him in the closet. As she does, her father tells her she's fighting a losing game. She rebukes the assertion, but he insists it's hopeless. She tells him he's wrong and leaves the room.

Sorin encounters a pedestal in the fog. Upon the pedestal is a crystal, but as he looks at the crystal, Snake-Eyes emerges from the fog. They're surprised to see one another, and Snake-Eyes says that he shouldn't be surprised, given the power of the crystal. He says the power allows the wielder great power and strength. Sorin can't tell if he's lying, so tries to cautiously get Snake-Eyes to show his hand, saying he's been a bad friend and deserves it more. Snake-Eyes insists that Sorin take the crystal, and Sorin begins to back away and continue his skepticism. As he backs away, Snake-Eyes lunges to grab him but misses. After a brief struggle, Sorin breaks off and tells him he's done playing around, turning back into the fog.

T'amantha feels the oppressive fog weighing her down - literally. She struggles, but can't move at all. She hears voices from Yelalot - family, friends - talking to her and telling her she's alone, she should just go back home. Sorin says the group doesn't need her. She loudly proclaims she's used to everyone being an asshole, but Sorin wouldn't say that. She's able to block out the voices and keep them from entering her mind. Soon, the weight lifts, and so does the fog. The group finds themselves at the end of the hallway. T'amantha yells to kick down the door and Donna obliges.

The chamber is large, round, and raises about 60 feet into the air. A rune circle takes over the center of the room, and in the middle of the circle stands Smellyfasse, glowing and shimmering with the wicked spirit of Dal-Ebos. To the side of the rune circle stands Sir Rufus - the once glowing paladin of the Monastery of the Stone turned traitor, now a mindless thrall of Dal-Ebos' crown. The edges of his face looks stoney, as if covered in a thin layer of it.

T'amantha acts first, taking cover behind a column and aims to shoot Rufus in the face for his traitor face. Before she can loose her arrow, a hideous monster appears - it's blobby and amorphous, a slimy patchwork of flesh, anyone who looks at it recoils. Sorin takes cover behind another column. Donna charges at Rufus but hits a few "mines" that launch them into the air, injuring her horse. Absolution enters the room and gets entangled by a magical trap, but slings a few fiery blasts toward Rufus. Rufus swings his sword at Donna, but she deflects his blow. T'amantha once again aims for Rufus - her arrow sticks in his armor, but the stony armor enchantment lessens the blow. Sorin prepares an arrow to light on fire, while the monster changes form into a many-legged, insectoid monster. It flexes large, strong mandibles and hooked, clawed hands that look accustomed to burrowing - an ankheg by the look.

It circles around the pillars and spits acid at Sorin and T'amantha while Donna and her horse strike back at Rufus. In the center of the room, Dal-Ebos finishes his ritual, as he rises into the air and 2 giant demons seem to be pulled out of him. They claw and clutch at him as they're banished to whatever realm they came from, but they're banished nonetheless. Absolution fires another volley of blasts at Rufus, who is wholly consumed by the flame.

T'amantha aims at the monster and launches an icy, magical arrow, which finds its home in a nock between plates on its carapace and freezes in place. Sorin turns toward Dal-Ebos and nocks his fiery arrow - it whizzes past Dal-Ebos and clatters to the ground. The monster reverts back into its ugly form causing Donna and Absolution to reel. Donna charges at it on her horse and runs into another "mine." She perseveres and strikes at the vulnerable monster, dealing massive damage.

Dal-Ebos turns his attention to the group and uses his crown - the group feel an aura of asserted dominance as he tries to take them over. Only T'amantha is safe, as her bracers glow - in a moment of recognition, she sees that they must've belonged to one of those who originally fought Dal-Ebos. The dark wizard manages to corrupt Donna while Absolution bloodies the monster. T'amantha heals herself as Sorin turns into his gaseous form to attempt to steal the crown.

Donna rushes Absolution and grievously injures him, but he manages to deflate the amorphous monster, who deflates into a flappy, sopping mess. T'amantha fires a pair of icy arrows at Dal-Ebos, who manages to deflect the first before being stuck with the second. Though he felt it, it doesn't freeze him. Sorin moves in to attempt to steal the crown and manages to get it off his head, then places the evil artifact on his own head.

As the crown touches Sorin's head, Smellyfasse's body falls limp. Donna, still under Dal-Ebos control, freezes - as do all other under his control, they suppose. Sorin and Dal-Ebos enter into a battle of wills as the ancient evil attempts to overtake another host. Sorin succumbs to the evil influence and the ghostly visage of Dal-Ebos begins to radiate from his body. However, the brief interruption was just enough for Donna to snap out of it - she charges Sorin, knocking him prone. She tries to knock the crown off Sorin's head with the horse's hoof using their psychic link, but it doesn't quite work. Sorin gets up and summons ghostly black arms to hold both her and the horse in place.

While they're scuffling, Absolution frees himself from the bramble and gets close enough to attempt to nudge the crown off Sorin's head with a mage hand - surprisingly, he manages to knock the crown off his companion's head. Though it rattles to the ground, Dal-Ebos still exhibits his control over Sorin. T'amantha sinks more arrows into Dal-Ebos' form, while Sorin manages to make progress in his struggle against Dal-Ebos influence. Donna imbues herself and her horse with divine power, then strikes at Dal-Ebos, bloodying his ghostly form. When Dal-Ebos attempts to reach down to retrieve the crown, she strikes again. Dal-Ebos manages to summon a shield, then reaches out with a ghostly hand to sap Donna of power. Luckily, he doesn't get too much, and Absolution and T'amantha strike back at him, freezing him and setting Donna and her horse up to take him out and nab the crown. Sorin flies back onto the floor and the group tends to him, bringing him back from the brink.

Dal-Ebos destroyed, the group debates what to do with the crown, knowing that its destruction would mean the deaths of Sorin, Donna, and anyone else who's ever come under its control. They grab anything useful They leave to find Banruse, but only manage to find Snake-Eyes' body. The group helps in the reconstruction of Ironridge.

T'amantha returns to Yelalot to find much of it flooded and destroyed. As the people look to her, she tears down the monarchy and becomes an advocate of open trade and togetherness with the other cities.

Sorin and Absolution journey to Newport to dismantle the trafficking and corruption on their terms.

Donna heads back to Revetal with the crown, hoping the paladins would be able to help figure out what to do with the crown. Through her whole lifetime, no one's able to truly find a way to destroy the crown, though she learns that the longer one is with it, the harder it tries to influence them.

Lore Established Location's VIsited
 * Gimmel's swamp
 * The fortress

Resources
This section collects handouts, images, and other relevant documents to the campaign. [[Category:M]]