I lied, these are just my notes.

This session was a fucking monster of a thing, I have some written notes I will add later.

The Outskirts

You find yourselves on the banks of the river you’ve landed upon, looking at a church, graveyard and a few small buildings sitting outside of the city walls, some houses, and a small, run down, Travellers Inn

The Gates.

The walls are manned by both town guard and sometimes a Thassian soldier.

Coincidentally, as they look, a person walks up to the gate, shows them a small scroll from inside his pouch. A spell caster comes out of the gate house to cast some form of check or spell, a quick blue flash, and the man is waved through.

The Church of the Eyes

Is a large building, standing peacefully outside the city walls of Tos Calos, just across the river from the main walls.
It is a large stone building, with a huge stained glass Eye in the front window, and is very well maintained and upkept.

There is a hymn coming from the church, from many attending members from resonance of voices coming from within
Religion Check DC 17 = that appears to be a song for Undis, the Mad God of Knowledge.

Entry

Upon trying to enter, Flashy will burn a black fire, and both the Axe, and the demon connected to it, can be heard screaming in pain and rage.

An Acolyte hurries over and offers to take the axe and hold it at the door way until his business here is finished?
While doing so, another white clothed acolyte hurrys over and offers Tea or Berry Water to each of the party.

Inside is a lavish church, with a few (3) people sitting at the pews, along with what appears to be a single ghost, they chant along with a cleric with the symbol a large red eye embroidered on her breast

Thessel – Cleric of Undis
She is where the source of the hymnal chorus is coming from, waving one hand to keep the orchestration going, while casting small cantrips to add voices and instruments as the flow rises and falls.

• Thessel Swiftthink, a Master Reader of the Order of Undis,
• She watches over this temple, and can cast clerical spells up to level 4 for the party, 50gp per spell level + the cost (or supply) of expensive reagents.

Clara
Another cleric, in the same dress and symbol of the to the side, is preparing some ingredients or reagents for something at a table

• If asked, the Thassians have purchased a number of spell components from her, which she is preparing to take to the castle over the next day or two.
• Her name is Clara, and is the rank of ThoughtSeeker in the order.

The Images on the Windows and Walls
With candles lit on every surface, you can see orate carvings around the place, of various historic events, battles or ballads, meeting and massacres, notably each image credits the Historian and their work beneath it, not the events themselves.

Seen are some of the classic events of the world, the glory and then cursing of the Mekkians, the liches and their subjugation of the dragons, the Anti Magic solution to their empire. Even the battle for Ran was here.
Recent events were present too, The Ice God’s Vengeances against your peoples, and even, oddly, one right at the end, that showed two familiar figures fighting down a room of skeletons before a crystal.
Beneath it were the words “Tangor’s Tales Vol.I – Published Posthumously”. Odd.

A Warning

A high perception check will show a couple of symbols carved near the entrance.
If Senjo sees them, he will know it as Thieves Cant – “Don’t Take – Eye’s Above”

The same roll will also show two small Scorchmarks of two shoes nearthe door,
Insight – prev theif?

Kobolds in the walls

They first watch (perception to notice) the party to see their allegiances and skills.

Before they ask for help, as they are stuck here and unable to leave.
Anywhere else they go in the city they are hunted by rats with violent green eyes, the same rats who took over their lair in the sewers some weeks ago.

The Watching Eyes

Above them all, is an invisible Spectator, the patron of this church.
He lurks above, waiting to see the intentions of any visiting creatures, before introducing himself and discussing philosophy and thoughts about the general existence of things.

Once summoned to this plane, SliLizerazerathtathka (Sli-Liz-er-az-er-ath-tath-ka) Or Sly to her friends, was once summoned for great deeds and protections of creatures long past, and her curse now is to remain in this world forever, geas unfulfilled

Now she spends her time watching over the creatures of church, granting boons and educating the small and weaker. While also spying on far away actions across the world, and selling the information found at a tidy profit.

She’s independent, and works for only the highest of bidders, charging “The prices only nations can afford sweetie”, and prefers her anonymity.

She doesn’t care much for the Thassians, they have both worked and clashed together in the past, but they have done nothing illegal so far in her eyes, and the Ajburer has not objected to their presence, so who is she to countermand his lack of comment?

Quest
She will offer them a small quest for her, nothing serious though, mind you.
If you would be so kind as to pay a visit to the Abjurer’s Tower and ask him to pay her a visit soon, she would be appreciative to the tune of a True Scrying (no chance of failure) of their choice, or, failing that, some money.
(A scrying requires (but does not consume) a 1,000gp focus )

https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Scrying#content

![[8e35a3365e14c4a8b0bdb8b49f9f5af7.jpg]]

The Yard Outside

For a country estate, the yard outside is well maintained, with paths and items of interest scattered around between flower beds and bushes.

![[20250424_185746.jpg | 500]]

The Fountain of Sight

An invisible fountain (use one of the resin ones), when detected by concentrating on sound, or another sense as long as it is detected, then it will appear to those.
Any who drink from it’s waters (1 cup) will “Feel as though the gloom of Night has lifted from your eyes for the remainder of the day”
(They have Darkvision until the end of their next long rest.)

The Abjurer’s Crystal

It stands there, glowing and humming softly, with the feeling of cold, and old power radiating from it.
The Spectator may share that he works with the Abjurer to keep these land’s safe, but his friend has been absent and involved in his own works for some time now. \
The Crystal cannot be harmed

Pupil’s Perch of Perspective

A small bench, flanked by flower pots, with the small engraving “The Pupil’s Perch of Perspective”
If one sits here for over five minutes, they gain advantage on insight rolls made while processing information or previous history and events.
The squatter will also gain advantage when trying to see the Spectator.

A Nest in the Buttresses

A sharp perception roll may note a small nest in among the first story buttresses. A dark form can be seen withing, curled up.

A Tressym lives there in a fine nest that has clearly been aided by another, more thumb-capable individual, as the Nest in question is made fine joinery-work, is edged with gold and silver artwork, and bears the name “Socks” on the front.

A Unwatched Well

A small well in the back yard, it bears a small bronze plaque with the symbol of a sleeping eye etched upon it.

DC15 – A great feeling of safety and sanctuary comes across any standing around it, as if certain that no one may watch or overhear words said around this structure.

An Emerald Eyed Rat

Perception 15 – Out from a bush alongside the fence, peers a very large rat with glowing green eyes.
It notices you noticing it.
Your eyes meet.
“Squeek” it states, in a monotone, before backing away into the dark brush, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

Wisdom Saving Throw
Those who get over DC20: Something probed your mental defences and was repulsed.
Those who didnt: Silence

Record who failed – The Rats will have advantage on them, later, in the sewers
Justus and Kangrog.

Houses & Farms

• House 1 – The Plagued One
  • “As you open the door, you are faced with a seeping cloud of sickness and miasma. From within, a feeble voice coughs out the words ‘Stay out! It’s probably catching!”
  • A middle aged man who was suddenly brought low by this terrible illness
    • Doesnt recall, but he drunkenly slurred the god of diseases in the pub repeatedly as part of a drunken boast.
      • Can be convinced with Recall, or good interrogation to remember what he did.
        • Justus can intercede with him via prayer, cleansing the curse via apology now penance has been served.
      • Otherwise will beg Paladin of the Pure Flames to burn his dwelling as a cleansing so he can pass into the realms of the Gods and not the depths of the Nether
        • May ask for the Paladin’s shield, to help guide him on his way.
  • House 2 – Gravekeeper
    • Simon

Travellers’ Inn

A near empty Travellers Inn stands next to the stable.
Within is the barkeep Gregor, who will chatter about local news and rumours for drinks (as per mini game)

On the edge of the bar, near one corner, is the Theives Cant symbol for “Grave”

Drinking Game – Rumours
One drink at excessive prices per rumour. Once three beverages have been consumed the player will have the poisoned condition for the next half day or so.
DM – After the Half Day, hit them with the Hangover +1 Exhaustion til long rest.
DM – Fine wine = no hangover

Drinking Rumours (1sp Each)

• Thassians seized the town from the reigning Vizier in a semi-coup-slash-rigged-election that is being mildly accepted by the locals, though many are looking to leave if the if the situation remains
• Explains the towns politics, local independent trade port that serves as a trade hub for the pirates of the un-navigable Lattice Coast to the south, protected by a local wizard that holds back the cursed desert to the north.
• There was a fight up north, seems like it was pretty brutal as only about half as many returned as left, most wounded.
• Thassians patrol the time now, from time to time, helping the vizier’s existing forces maintain order.
  • 1gp or a nice intimidation will give their patrol times (between 9th-10th Morning Bell and again between 3rd-5th afternoon bells)
• The Cemetery is truly not safe after dark, be very careful there.

Fine Wine Bonuses (3sp each)

• Theres talk of prisoners being kept somewhere in the castle, but no one in the town has been noticed as missing, so he has no idea who they would be. – done
• A Bronze Dragon been seen north and east of here. Young one though, not the normal stoic old Bank-Drakes that is seen from time to time.
• The Abjurer has not been seen in years, but this is not uncommon. The Thassians do claim his support, which is a large part of the reason their rule is being accepted. However, they have stuck to using their own mages…
• Whispers – The Church across the ways is an odd one

Patrons

Oskar is a Brewmaster of Skyshaft – Our friend from Rizen. Currently sold out, having made a batch of Persuasion Punch for the Thassians. He’s looking to head out of town with the next caravan but…
Quest – If you were to find any of the following, he would be happy to knock up a quick homebrew for you.
SewerShroom – Acid Breath
Spectator Eyes – See Invisibility

Vesto, Wine Merchant from Othos – Here to purchase back his cargo from a pirate captain by the name of ‘Telarina the Terrible’. Vesto is clearly quite annoyed with the whole situation.

Alan the Ratcatcher – He’s really drunk, and really really drinking. Anyone who talks to him will be ranted to about intelligent rats on end.
DM – Literally, Rant about Rats and how you never catch any despite clear evidence of them someone stops you

• Setup for Next Session Quest.

Behind the Inn

• Potion Seller – Vitizer the Younger
  A young potion seller sits behind the inn next to some supplies, making notes in a small tome with many extra notes and letters sticking out from it at every angle.
• Quest – In town to pick up some CrysOx – Blue magical crystals that help with explosions and flame potions when used in specific ways
  • Insight – The guys you met on the road were discussing very similar crystals
    • Doesn’t have a pass though, and is a known Nestorian, so can’t get in the city and is heading back out in the next caravan or ship
    • Not worried about the Thassians, “They need lice removal and foot rot balm the same as a Nestorian, aint much more than a new set of colours really”
    • On Vaulting Potions – “Be aware, these things are getting rarer lately. I’ve heard of bounties on gryphon feathers just to keep up with demand, might be worth remembering if you see any sometime”
  • Side Quest
    After flicking through his notes, he does mention that there is a specific type of mushroom said to grow somewhere around here, a bright blue one known as a “CorpseFire Mushroom”
    If they do find one, he would like to try using one in an elixr of Energy Resistance (30), as he’s heard a story about that in his travels.

Stable

The Mystery Animal

• Looks like a perfectly normal horse
  • Except, he has some odd Shoe-Gloves, made of some sort of shiny leather (plastic)
• Stares unnerving at the players
• When spoken to will say nothing. If pressed, it will pound a hoof down in protest and snort.
• If ‘Speak with Animals’ is used, it will be offended (not an animal)
• Outcome
  • If anything is said about it that it doesn’t like, it will say “Hm. Interesting.” and disappear effortlessly (Invis or Di Door or Temporarily banish itself)
  • There is nothing to gain here, setup for later

River

• If anyone searches the river, a small travellers chest can be found within it. The chest is quite damaged.
• Inside are a few coins (3gp, 12sp) and a small penknife.

Graveyard

The Trees

[[Gnarled Ancients]]
Gnarled twisted husks of once vibrant trees, they stand now with gnarled tips of branches looking like curling, beckoning fingers.

DM: These are horrors of an older time, moving and growing towards the living within reach at barely perceptible speeds. Once close enough, they pounce, snatching their victims and wrapping them in branches as roots burrow into the skin and start to feed.

Movement
Roll perception across the party as they look around at each thing in the graveyard, anyone rolling over 20 will notice something has moved in the background while they were studying Item, but they can’t quite place it.

On the Third Successful Check have them notice branches are in different places than when they entered. If they get close enough to the trees, while studying it or looking around, they will simply attack.

During Combat
Any Hitpoints taken from the target via feeding is given to the Ancient one as Temporary Hitpoints, and would have a visual effect upon the monster, visibly healing it before their eyes.

name: Encounter
players:
  - Senko
  - Parallax
  - Kangrog
  - Justus
creatures:
  - "2": Gnarled Ancient

The Secured Graves

• Boarded Up
• Misdirect / Hint of Zombies.
• If opened, corpses of locals are all that is found.

The Sunblade of Saldor

• A locked tomb, with a silver inlaid ornamentation on the casket.
• If they get in, there are three images on the wall, below the carved words “The Tragedy of Saldor”
  • #1 showing what appears to be some ancient battle or some such, of silver warriors riding behind someone weirding a golden sword, toward a horde of undead.
  • The Next shows the warriors driving deep into the undead ranks, with many heaps and piles of bodies behind them in their path, as the warrior burned through the ranks with their blade of holy fire.
  • The Final, shows the golden bladed warrior as they died, six spears through them propping them up, a leg missing almost at the pelvis, their shield arm missing from the elbow down, and savage wound already on their face as a final blow rains down upon them.
• The casket will not budget for anyone, regardless of what they do, help in holy purpose.
  • That is until a Cleric or Paladin tries, and then the covering will gently slide off smoothly, and float to the floor.
  • Within, is a skeleton clutching a fine long sword to it’s breast with it’s single remaining hand.
  • An observant person would not the lack of leg, also….
• Summons Zombies from nearby graves when Picked Up, they will start moaning and groaning
• Horde of 12 or so for cutting down, make them as RAW, easy stuff to test the sword on.

Sunblade of Saldor (Sunblade for Inspo)

• Acts as a Magic Weapon when facing or nearby to Undead, giving a +2 to all rolls and attacks.
• Deals an extra 2d8 +6 Radiant Damage vs Undead
• Grants Critical Hits on rolls of 16-20 when facing undead
• Cursed Item – When first touched, the item will bestow a curse on the bearer that cannot be shaken off without diving intervention, having their own critical hit radius increase from 20 to 18-20 when facing any foe.

name: Encounter
players:
  - Senko
  - Parallax
  - Kangrog
  - Justus
creatures:
  - "12": Zombie

The Centre Stone

A sickly stone is centred in the cemetery, where the soil around it is pale, lifeless and cracked.
A small bronze plaque reads in common.
HereLies The Buried the Unquiet Head of The Deathknight Eldrad SoulLeech

Per / Investigate – Tucked behind rocks in the cairn, just barely visible, is a small sickly electric blue mushroom.
Insight / Religion – Whatever is down there is still affecting the area, and may never stop til someone does something

The Head can be unburied and talked to, it will croak a lot about them being an abomination, and demand parralax help them as their ancestral slaves.

Currently, there is no known way to dispose of the Head.

The Mausoleum

A large room with a single sarcophagi within the center. The door is ajar, and unlocked, and the room is quite still and looks to have been untouched for years from the level of dust on the floor.
The sarcophagus is latched closed with a silver, ornate latch, with a large purple gem set in the center that glows mildly.
On the Far Wall, is the silver letters that state:

• “Resting Place of the Vampire Lord, Vargos Valdere”

Opening the Clasps

• The player touching the clasps will feel aholy geas first, forcing them not to open the clasp
  • Wisdom ST DC 20 to continue
• If they continue to do so, the gem will flare purple, and a bodiless word will be bitten out of them in tongue of magic, and after a red flash, the offending player will be found on the floor, dead.
  • Remind them the Church has Revivify (for a neat, 450gp for the spell + diamond consumed to do so)

Perception DC15 (Adv for Senko)

• Some small chips have been made into the stone window sill, three small perpendicular lines
• Cant Insight – DC10 – just three short lines but in old Thieves Cant, this used to mean “Look a third time” – an old saying to note that things are not what they seem.
• Looking again, an extremely small catch can be found on the floor behind the sarcophagus,
  • when pressed it slides the Vampires tomb backwards slightly, to reveal a small staircase.

Thieves Guild

Before you, is a long passageway, that turns 90 degrees to the right about 40ft on, lit by torches.
The stonework is well made and laid, showing this wasn’t dug outby some rank amateurs.
As you look around, the torches, as if by magic or design, start to dim, and then go out, leaving the room in darkness.

History – This sounds exactly like the passageway Horn and the Nestorians escaped from with help from the thieves.
Invest/Insight – filled with substantially less dust, as if people have used this before
Nature/Insight – You hear no sounds of note as you enter, however moving the casket has made enough noise to alert anyone who might have been listening in the hallway.
Searching – will find a small note in Cant, that helps Senko find a switch to disable the traps, and the lights will come back up to normal brightness.

The Guild

As you enter there is currently a meeting between the thieves and a Pirate from The Lattice, who are arranging for a wine shipment to be smuggled into the city to be sold back to the wine merchant.

The Guild Members

There are a couple here from the guild, and they are happy to meet someone from a neighboring guild (assuming he plays by the rules of the guild – 30% of all takes in the town go to the guild, and you don’t take from those who’ve paid protection)

They’re happy to help you through the sewers into town in an unseen manner, for a small fee of course (20gp p/p), and can even sell you some fake town passes that should hold up to any general scrutiny other than a wizard inspecting it, for 50gp a piece (will come down to 120gp for 4).
They do warn they are not the only ones using the sewers to get around, and there have been some unexplainable things going on down there lately, probably thassians looking around, but it’s best to pass through quickly.

Sarn – the current recruit, will guide you through the sewers next session.
Eddor – Pagemarker of the guild, he keeps their records and takings, along with doing most forgeries.
Graen – TheifMaster of the city, probably mid 40s, has a way of speaking about her that tells you she knows what shes talking about.

Pirates

Captain Hellvat of “Ididntnametheboat” is open to helping the players escape with Tangor, or are also especially if they can co-ordinate any player mis-adventures as distractions for a solid night of thieving & Plunder, but she worries that the Abjurer will have something to say about it and bring it all to a very unpleasant end.

Quest Pirates might decide to join in the chaos, but will need guarantees the wizards are dealt with before they do anything except sail around threatening outside the harbor

![[20250423_231050.jpg]]

![[20250424_185837.jpg]]

![[20250424_185840.jpg]]

![[20250424_185904.jpg]]

![[20250424_185842.jpg]]

Got to know the thieves guild, and their escort, Sara. She showed them how to ID the local traps put down by the guild, brushed Senko up on new (or locally used) sigils of Thieves cant, and gives them a glance at a lower level that might be interesting down the track (Dungeon in Session 21 fyi)

See the crack in the wall for the giant slugs, with one peering out looking, Sara remarks that they function as great cleaners / body disposal systems, but, unlike a giant ooze if you can get into their lair without them being around, there is usually a nice tidy little sum for the taking from all the non-logical matter left over from their victims.

The result of this was, of course, obvious.
Machinations ensued.

An elaborate lure was created to get the Slug from its home (Parallax offering it his head for food), while Justus got in there and looted the (predigested) treasures.

They hit the Central chamber, and a rat appeared, stared at them, and then backed away slowly the way it came.

Rat Cult

The party took a small detour, and, after following a large rat around a corner, was abushed by a swarm falling on them from outlets and pipes and such.
Sir Senko did so breavely flee, as Justus took a large amount of damage, and Parallax lightning breathed (Brothed?) them to a crispy fate.

They then found a locked steel door, and started a war of words with the creatures behind the door, before giving up when the (safe behind a door) rats wouldnt give into repeated attempts to intimidate them.

Who Are The Rats?
A cult of Chaos, they use parts of the crystal below, feeding on it to gain their physic powers.
Now they run through the sewers of the city, building their evil horde.
They can be conversed with, if the players so choose, and may be bargained with to help with the cult below that is seeking to do something to it.

That crystal powers the whole network of the Abjurers, fwiw.

The Trolls

We met some Trolls, who live in the sewer and are friends of the thieves.
They take 10gp tax for new comers, and really, really like apples.
Their Staircase leads to the market.

-30 gp for Troll Transit Levy (Pay Da Fee, Smol Humie!!)

Note: This one was a chaotic session, so I only managed to get a log of events as they happened not specific details.
As such, a lot of the below is the prep work (maybe some spoilers, not sure), with a log at the end of decisions made and purchases by the players.

Table of Contents

• Tos Calos Markets – Setup
• The Market
  • Elvaki’s Artefacts
  • Seddod’s Scrolls and Spell Reagents
  • Kev Tev the Sev
  • Pick Pocketing
  • Vault building
  • Finn-troductions
    • Interaction with Kids
  • Market Stalls 
    • Potions, Potions, Potions, Potions
  • Weapons
    • Swords, Shields and Shanks
• Food Stalls
  • Chester the cheesemonger
  • Elgardios elegant Cakes and Pastries
  • Blade the Butcher 
  • General Goods 
  • Mousefolk Pizza Place
  • Houses 
  • small house1
• Guild Building 
• The Inn – The Moldy Peacock
• Player Log

Tos Calos Markets – Setup

Twentieth Session!!*

As the session starts, they find themselves in the Trolls Chamber, about to climb the ladder up into the Tos Calos markets,

They will come out of the well, near the centre of the street by a large stack of hay bales.
Beyond the bales is a small cul-de-sac, setup as a vendors street market. All around are stalls with foods, drinks, potions, weapons, armor, magical scrolls and books, general goods, and everything in between.
Calls of vendors, and the shouting of annoying (some might say “gleeful”) children pollute the soundwaves around you, along with the chitter chatter and hubbub of the crowd as they go about their regular business.

A small child, holding onto it’s mothers hand will be staring at them as they emerge, seemingly the only one to notice their emergence…
… that is before Turbo’s head – mid bite of hay and still chewing – snakes over the pile to give them a short sighted stare, a sniff, and a ‘whuff’ of pleased recognition before going back to his hay.
Snakebite, can be seen in the distance, seemingly in a fairly heated debate in-front of a bakery stall that is attracting a small crowd.

Key Story Points

• Letter in Guild Hall
  • Possible Thievery of Payroll
• Money in Vault Room
• The Dojo fight (Optional)
  • 2x Myrmidon, 2x Elemental

The Market

Elvaki’s Artefacts

Elvaki has a large library of semi magical or portentous tomes, print page 65 of Remarkable Inns and hand that around.
Each one there is worth (10 x 1d10)gp
( Gnome )

Also there is :
[[Quest Item — Annals of Silver Order – Marketh]] – 250 gp

Winter Wolf’s Talisman – 500gp
This tiny, pearlescent, marble figurine hangs from a silver necklace. When kissed, the talisman summons a savage white wolf named Gris, that serves and protects the summoner until dawn breaks. Gris can attack and defend in combat, be a rideable mount and confers resistance to cold environments to the one who called it. Upon the first morning light, the wolf dissolves into thin air with a soft howl and can’t be summoned until the next full moon.

Winter Wolf Hat – 50 gp (Common)
This circular, hairy hat is an icy blue-white color and has earflaps to protect the wearer from the
biting cold. Only characters with proficiency in Survival can wear the hat. While wearing the hat,
you have a bonus to finding footprints in soft, natural surfaces such as snow, mud, and sand.

Hydrascale Chaps – 200 gp (Uncommon)
These riding chaps are made from the scales and hide of a hydra and can only be worn by characters who have
a Riding-related skill. While wearing them, you have a bonus to checks made to avoid danger while mounted.

Clandestine Cloak – 250 gp (Uncommon)
Only characters who are proficient in pickpocketing can wear this cloak. It is a deep
purple-black and swirling shadows cascade down to the wearer’s ankles. The cloak is
outfitted with dozens of secret pockets that can only be detected and opened by the wearer.

Yeti Hide Tunic – 450 gp (Rare)
This enormous hide tunic weighs a huge amount, but is superb at protecting its wearer from both
the cold and incoming attacks. Trying to wear such a coat in a warm environment is a terrible
idea. While wearing the tunic, you are resistant to extremely cold temperatures and cold damage.

Charlatan’s Robe – 600 gp (Rare)
This brightly colored and striped robe seems to flutter in a wind that doesn’t exist, framing its wearer in a
silhouette of grandeur. Only characters with proficiency in Deception can wear this robe. While wearing it, you
have resistance to piercing and poison damage.

Alchemist’s Gloves – 100 gp (Common)
These black leather gloves have copper knuckle protection and a plate on the top of the hand.
Only characters with an Alchemy-related skill may wear them. While wearing them, you have a bonus to ability checks made to create potions.

Cape of the Beetle – 450 gp (Uncommon)
Only characters with proficiency in the Nature skill can wear this cape, whichis made from the flattened carapace and wings of a giant beetle. While wearing this cape, you have a bonus to your armor, and gain the ability to burrow a short distance.

Blessed Robes – 750 gp (Rare)
Made of cloth-of-gold, these vestments can only be worn by divine spellcasters of a specific faith. While wearing them, n our divine attacks deal extra radiant damage. Often they bear symbols of a pantheon, reflecting the nature of the wearer’s beliefs.

Seddod’s Scrolls and Spell Reagents

Seddod the Dwarven wizard, master wordsmith and illuminator.
His main business is in scroll sales, which he will happily do on commission –
(25gp per spell level + Reagent costs.)
He will also buy strange takings from monsters, for the spell reagents within them, things like fairy wings, dragon claws, hyena fur, etc.

He knows of the rat cult, and will explain as he has been watching them through scrying spells and his crystal orb, and as a dwarf, he knows the signs of skaven moving in.
The rats are psychic, but only some of them, others are corrupted with a strange green power that makes them extremely large and strong.
They own the sewers, and ambush and attack any that don’t belong, the skeleton cult seems to have an arrangement with them, as they can come and go without any conflicts.

• Any success against the rat cult will give a 25% price reduction in store.

He also has a number of spells in stock
Level 5
Dispel Evil and Good – 300gp
Scrying – 1500gp
Steel Wind Strike – 300gp

Level 4
Summon Elemental – 500gp
Find Greater Steed – 250gp

3rd Level
Counterspell – 75gp
Dispel Magic – 75gp
Create Food & Water – 75gp
Lemund’s Tiny Hut -75 gp
Hypnotic Pattern – 100gp
Mass Healing Word – 75gp
Revivify – 350gp
Slow – 75gp
Call Lightning – 75gp
Fireball – 75gp
Scroll of Minor Warding – 50gp

• For use keeping away minor curses, vermin, annoying neighbourhood children, etc.

Level 2
Knock – 50gp
Darkness – 50gp
Melf’s Acid Arrow – 50gp

Level 1
Identify – 25gp
Mage armor – 25gp
Sanctuary – 25gp
Jump – 25pg

Kev Tev the Sev

Oh baby, Kev is back.
Rotund & Ridiculous.
You could say it is his time to shine. 😉

(Yet, if you were to ask his rotund majesty, the magnificence himself would tell you that all times, are in fact, Kev’s time to shine.)
Do. Not. Stop. Talking.
Talk. Over. Every Interruption.

“Kev Tev of the people of Sev, do you not know of me, kind and gallanting soul, walking around with a look of 4th wall breaking capabilities, you strut, you pose, but Kev does ask, can you fund it? Will you purchase these items, these mystical artifacts from poor, poor Kev?
Would you leave Kev destitute? Unable to feed the poor souls of his dependants, there are so many of them after all, small little sweet Kevvies, would you, fine, rich, wealthy and prosperous adventurers, who might be aided by a look at yonder storehouse would you do some business poor, destitute, impressive Kev, and sooth his poor coin purse? Perhaps a cauldron of Convenience? Are you partial to a hearty Hippogriff stew after a long day on the road? Only 300 gold my sweetlings, and it can be yours! —whisiper— I heard it makes dumplings if you read to it at night…
No? Fine, Kev is not dissauded! One can always find a treasure for a soul like… yours.
Uhhh, Sir Pickpocker, are you.. glowing darkly in the shadows over there deliberately? it is, uh, rather… offsetting my dear sir, but! Never mind that! Kev has something for all occasional, perhaps some Ashes of the Crown? We could sprinkle it upon your glooming friend? No? ok wait, I know.
Your shield is looking melted Sir Knight, perhaps a magical shield that wont shut up? I know I left Clancy somewhere?
You, Draco-Monk of the Elements, I’m sure you’ve been saving coppers, and Sniffff I can smell the teachings of Master Kanic on you, perhaps the Wraps of Belath-athor would interest you, as they are said to improve the power of your Ki? A bag of holding for the kleptomanic theif?!
No?! Wont anyone buy something! Kev is a merchant, not a collector, I beg thee, Mercy dear men, have mercy!!!!”

Cauldron of Convenience – 300gp, 5lbs
A small, 2ltr cauldron, that when heated summons within itself the contents of four rations of soup.
The type of soup per day is randomly determined, at the DM’s discretion. The drinker immediately knows the name of the day’s flavour as they take their first taste.
(Has handles for attaching to backpacks / belts)

Spiritual Tome of General Knowledge – 350gp, 2lbs
A tome animated by a spirit from the realm of the Mad God Undis.
It is bound in dark leather and gold and platinum lettering.
The tome has a good general knowledge of most things in the world, and can answer most questions the bearer may have.
It levitates before the reader, as it’s lettering appears at a pace perfect for the reader, in the language they best understand.

Ashes of the Crown – 50gp (1 pouch, 5 uses)
Pale white ashes, that when scattered or dusted over a surface reveals any magic wards or traps.

Wraps of the Ragged Warrior – 350gp
Rare Martial Weapon
Blessed Hand(claw)-wraps of Belath-athor, sage of the sullen fists and walker of the wailing paths, who was known as a great warrior of the Elmore Draconic tribes.
The wraps are thick, sturdy cloth, with small tears and fraying at most edges. They are stained brown, in mottled patches, as if it is well aged.

Balath-athor’s end was never known for sure, having last been seen facing Iron Knight in combat above the Woven, one of the grand gates of Ran, in the late summer of 834 NR.
The wraps were found bloodied, fluttering on the battlements above the gate, pinned to the wall by stones from the ruined gatehouse, destroyed in the eight day siege of the grand city.

The wraps have been worn by successive generations generations of Monks (and one boxer, long story), gifting the bearer with Belalth-athor’s accuracy of his strikes, and his knack for hitting enemies in their weak points.

When attuned improves the bearer’s fighting capabilities, increasing their damage dice by one iteration (d6 > d8)

Bag of Holding – 450gp
Wondrous item, uncommon

This bag has an interior space considerably larger than its outside dimensions, roughly 2 feet in diameter at the mouth and 4 feet deep. The bag can hold up to 500 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 64 cubic feet. The bag weighs 15 pounds, regardless of its contents. Retrieving an item from the bag requires an action

If the bag is overloaded, pierced, or torn, it ruptures and is destroyed, and its contents are scattered in the Astral Plane. If the bag is turned inside out, its contents spill forth, unharmed, but the bag must be put right before it can be used again. Breathing creatures inside the bag can survive up to a number of minutes equal to 10 divided by the number of creatures (minimum 1 minute), after which time they begin to suffocate

Placing a bag of holding inside an extradimensional space created by a handy haversack, portable hole, or similar item instantly destroys both items and opens a gate to the Astral Plane. The gate originates where the one item was placed inside the other. Any creature within 10 feet of the gate is sucked through it to a random location on the Astral Plane. The gate then closes. The gate is one-way only and can’t be reopened.

Sanguine Ankh – 1,800 gp (very rare)
Worn around the neck on a golden chain, this adamantine amulet is etched with hieroglyphs and symbols of a long-lost culture. Whenever a creature is killed near this amulet, it glows with heat and pulls the wearer towards the corpse. The blood of the fallen comes to life and is sucked into the ankh, healing the wearer.
It may have deeper abilities, if one were to study it further over time.

Heartstring Crossbow – 3,500 gp (Rare)
The string of this crossbow is made from the heart sinews of a storm giant. Any bolt fired from it becomes charged with the power of lightning. Upon a hit, the bolt deals extra lightning damage and, once per day, the bolt can emit a crash of thunder that can knock the target off their feet.

Fine Ivory Pocket Hourglass – 50gp
This ivory hourglass is enchanted with magical wings that allow it to hover beside its user while they measure the time. The ivory has been worked into swirling motifs that twist around the glass bulbs, delicately forming an outer shell. The hourglass is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.

Pick Pocketing

Find the coins at home
Each successful pick pocket (skill check vs targets dex / pass perception) 
Will result in a single coin, determined by a d20 

1-6 = Copper
7-15 = Silver 
16-20 = Gold

(10 c = 1s, 10s = 1gp) 

Try to keep it fun, but tedious enough that they know they can get coins in a pinch, but not crash the economy

Vault building

A small utility building tucked away at the back of the market, with a small cluster of children in bright clothes hanging around it.

Closer Inspection: on the side that the party members can identify (having been shown by captain horn when they met previously) 

• within is a pouch for each player, each with 400gp in it, and some minor items and supplies, things Horn would have noticed them using during that fight, 

Finn-troductions

As they stand about discussing or such, a small purple-ish portal, around 1ft across, rips open beside them and four small pouches with a riboon and a note tying them together sails through to “clink” onto the floor.

Note
The note reads:
For services rendered to Horn. Do get the boy home, and soon

If flipped over, it reads:
Come see me when you need work -F

Stationary
The note is written in simple, common Nestorian, and seems to be written on a torn letterhead of a large hotel or theatre in the more well to to do cities.
The stationary reads “The Avinoshara – Nestor”

Pouch
Each contains 400gp + A consumable for each that Cpt Horn picked for them.
Vaulting – Kangrog
Speed – Parallax
Superior Health – Justus
Grenado de Flamo – 8d8 fire damage, 15ft radius  

• paint this as a CIA equipping the mujahedeen in the 90s 
   – – Byron might get that reference, the rest of them wont.

Interaction with Kids

Three kids dressed in ridiculous, bright and garish clothing will appear before them, and start doing tumbles, and somersaults in a quite humorous way, always just away from catastrophe did they catch themselves and tuck and roll, etc 

A few seconds into it running, from behind them and on their left side, comes the voice of another child

“Say Adventurers, have you ever seen anything like this? Glitz’s Garish Galavanters are the best act south of The Lattice my friends! 

A simple single gold, and they will entertain you! 

For five they will follow you for an hour and Impress all your lady friends (or just the mouldy camp followers. Sure you fine adventurers have gathered” 

if I get to the end of the speech, without them checking the third point of the triangle, each character loses 3 coins, determined by the d20 used for pick pocketing

 – passive perception of 16 or so will give them the hint, over 20 will give them the direct feeling it’s happening and a chance to react. 

The kids are gymnasts, and are quick, to catch them guys are going to need to sprint greater than 80ft / turn (40+dash) 

After this they can be hired for info or Tasks.

Market Stalls 

Potions, Potions, Potions, Potions

         Very franchised store, only has exact items at specific prices, as per the printed page
          Help on hand is very useless, teenage labour style when asking question (think Hank Hill at Mega Lo Mart)
       They suggest Vitizers if they ask more than a single question (“some travelling alchemist is staying in the outer city, you could check with him?”) 
         Vitizer is outside still, hoping the guys will get them pass. 

Weapons

Swords, Shields and Shanks

Owner ran organisation, older ex fighter, Shaw, just trading in what he knows 
   Well liked by the other shopkeepers 

Food Stalls

Chester the cheesemonger

• a fairly overweight fellow, who is struggling to sell his wares. 
• he swears it has to be rats, because, well it just is OK?! 
• his last cat was killed, the corpse left skinned on his doorstop, with a really badly drawn message of “No cats. Ever.”
• he hears them at night sometime, is there anything you could do to help? 

Maybe ward his Pastries? 

Elgardios elegant Cakes and Pastries

   – Bakery Terraced Building

   – He laments the simple tastes of these local yokels, with everyone wanting simple cakes and sugar treats, no one sharing his passion and drive for Wyvern Tongue Filos, or Drakemeat Tarts, Fokey Foccacia, or Squirrel Fur Pasta, he has one of each. 

Effects from

   – Wyvern Tongue Filos (Adv on Next 3 Strength/Attack)
   – Drakemeat Tarts (Adv to Resist Mental Magic – til LR) 
   – Squirrel Fur Pasta (+2 Inspo Dice for the bravery) – you see a small shape with a busy tail on a nearby roof, as it ducks back into the shadow after noticing what you’re consumed. 

Blade the Butcher 

  – Butcher Terraced Building
  – sells meats, with a heavy focus on fish (no pasture or crop land) 
  – in this store is the three goblins in a coat, browsing in the corner
  – anyone listening to their conversations discovers that they’re horrified to see “goblin Jerky” on the shelf, before again in relieved whispers they realised it is flavoured in a way goblins like, not the meat of one. They purchase some and leave 
  – also has a few odds and ends for sale; all of these are construction items for making or improving gear.
     – bullywug tendons – 100gp adds +1 (non magical) to any normal bow if used to string it 
     – 2x blue worm scales 50gp each (used for electrical resistance Potions or armor enhancements) 
     – Feather of the Anzu – 100gp (a great storm bird – semi deity) 

General Goods 

  – GGoods Terraced Building
 – while there, a troll can be seen plucking an apple from a stand, having emerged from a sewer grate

• – the arm does take its time, testing a few apples before deciding on its delicacy of choice. 
    – can sell anything in the PHB gear section, at 25% over standard (due to, you know, piracy and location) 
     – is currently having a shortage on rope, expecting a shipment next week, but he has one spoon of 60ft left, but it’s really nice elven stuff and is going to cost 40gp. 
       – Insight dc 5: It is very nice rope, but not worth 40gp, unless it magically unties itself just after you reach the bottom 

Note: Do I need to use the existing bakery building? 

Mousefolk Pizza Place

• A small tribe of mouse folk are making a small killing running the towns first pizzaria.
• Ostid the Angler is at the counter, selling them in all flavours availible for a couple of silver each, and will include (reasonable) ingredients found throughout the market as wanted.

Houses 

small house1

   – the property of Hairgood Goldenflow, a gorgeous local cleaning maid who has a number of local young men trying to woo her but in effect just end up harassing her. 

Wonders if there is anything the players can do
   – these guys can be found in the market and interacted with, intimidated, etc.

Reward – 30gp for helping.

small house
   – where the three goblins live, they’re in there and can be caught in their broken down phase 

Optional 3rd house 

Guild Building

• The Market Admin building of the area, filled with locals with the odd thassian troop keeping order.
• The building is a good spot for learning of the interactions of the Thassians with the locals, which seems, forced buy cordial.
• Guild Member Aldur is there today, and he is a decently chatty fellow, but keeps glancing cautiously at the gaurds.
• One thing can be noted is as the stalls close, they deposit the guild % to the building, where it is stored in the store room at the back.
• Anyone in the building and talking to Aldur may notice a letter on his desk, referring to specific, Goblin-Friendly prisoner rations, and with written instructions where to take them.

The Inn – The Moldy Peacock

Tavern Master is Butch BigBlade, former adventurer, who wont hand them in despite clearly knowing the reward is about them.
He comps the room, if they promise to help the town more than they hurt it, while they’re here, but the beer is stilla paid (he says, looking at Kangrog)

• Rumours
  • The Abjurer is missing, undead have been seen roaming the desert, and people are getting worried.
  • The Rats are said to help gathering things from houses, magical trinkets, warding totems, people think they might be taking their protections to get ready to attack
  • The Thassians have some prisoners at the keep furthest from the gate, on the cliffs overlooking the bay.
  • Everyone in town wants the Thassians out, but not enough to fight, some are talking of just moving south in summer.
  • There are orcs to the south of town. Not violent, but again, more reason to be nervous.
  • Some adventurers were seen crossing the bloody wastes, and are said to be working with the Nestorians. A small reward has been posted for them, or information about them by the Thassians.

If they Return to the Inn. a letter will have been left for them by the Rats,
They Seek to Parley with the party, towards a mutual goal.

Player Log

• Senko off to the Inn for Cleaning himself
  • Getting Rumours for the Inn
• Snakebite – Has a pass
  • Is Arguing about making Pizza on a pineapple.
    • Pine bark with Apple
      • Senko had a taste, Ratmeat (Adv to Resist Mental Magic – til LR)** 
• Kangrog Traumatized the Bakery
• Then Drank some beer, then wandered off to the bakery to buy some
  • Fokey Foccacia (Adv on Next 3 get attacks (or concentration saving throws) ) for 20gp
  • And burned the sign with his wanted posted, avoiding capture.
• Senko goes to the Mitrim priestess and if molestation by the Violet King is possible to resolve.
  • Might be blessed by a priestess to help.
  • Tithes to Mithrim – 74 Gold for the Tithe
• Senko finds the storehouse –
  • 1 silver for para and
  • 1 gold for Senko.

At Sevs we buy

• Fine Ivory Pocket Hourglass – 50gp – Kangrog
• Sold the Alexandrite and the Azurite – 840gp – Split 4 ways (210)
  Elvarkis we buy
• Clandestine Cloak – 250 gp (Uncommon) – Senko
  Only characters who are proficient in pickpocketing can wear this cloak. It is a deep
  purple-black and swirling shadows cascade down to the wearer’s ankles. The cloak is
  outfitted with dozens of secret pockets that can only be detected and opened by the wearer.
  in the poickets we found
• a candle
• Midnight Tears
• coins made of fools gold.
• Senko – Pick Pocket Book – 50gp – Expertise on Slight of Hand.
• Parallax – Empathy Book – 50gp – Empathy
  – Every Journey – 50gp
• Kangrog contracted a bear from the Slate Hills as a mount.

Justus saves the young lady in the house, claiming 20gp for the party.

• Setup
• The Room of Shadows
• The Beartrap
• The Room of Choices

Setup

Session began by being contacted by the Rat cult, who chose to hire the party to remove the threat in the dungeon below the sewers, as the effects of the crystals down there was driving the rats mad, and blocking their telepathic powers.

The pay rate negotiated was 550gp, for:

• the destruction of the crystal below,
• and the removal of the Lich’s agents from the area.

The Room of Shadows

A square room filled with rotting and retched tomes of long decayed ancient secrets, with 4 pillars at each corner of the room, and a small pedestal with a glowing orb at the centre. To either side, left or right, stood a doorway dancing in shadows, forming a T-Junction in our path.

The orb is the only light source, except the torches by the door they stand in ,and beyond the orbs 10ft radius of light, the shadows dance and swim, suggestive in a way, but never obvious enough that you can put a name on how so.

Kangrog tested the pillar first, touching his axe to it in a explosive show of sparks and angered energies, throwing the axe backward and lodging it into the bookcase behind him, deep in the pool of shadows.

Pursuing his axe with a double jump dripping with *style*, Kangrog took taking hefty damage, but returned with the axe, informing the group that there were torches in the edge of the door way that he had been near to (left).

Arcana from Parallax and Justus left us known the wiser (dual ones is rare guys!), before our new party member “I dont have a name yet” the Sorceress, detected that the torches might be motion activated, and Justus and Parallax took the lead, heading the left door.

Walking through it activated the torches, creating a safe path for the others, however, it did also summon a clone of Kangrog, made completely of shadows, standing before the party in the opposite door, looming and lingering but not entering.

Parallax and Justus look to leave, but Nameless moved to investigate the shadowy barbarian and activate his lanterns in the doorway as well.
Nameless took significant shadow damage, but when she activated the light source she was still standing gaining some safety… while still next to a looming and grinning Shadow-Grog.
Parallax and Justus were shocked as Nameless actions summoned a Shadow-allax monk to start attacking them.

Kangrog, seeing the situation deteriorating, lept to Nameless’s defence with a smashed and shred superior healing potion, before landing some minor blows and in return taking a whirlwind that would see both Kangrog and Nameless down to very low health (1 hp).

On the other side of the room, Justus was blocking Ki-Powered strikes with his ever-decomposing shield, with Normallarax taking down Shadowallax after the apparation landed some nice blows on his material self.

Nameless, left in the crosshairs of a Rage Filled Shadow Monster, at close range, with 1 hp left, did the only reasonable action left to the: Attack.

A level 3 Lightning bolt slammed into Shadow-Grog for 40+ damage, wiping the etherific beast from existence, and claimed +1 Inspiration for herself.

The Beartrap

Heading right (for apparently meta reasons, you little shits – DM) the players came to a simple room, with a solitary bear trap laying on the ground. As soon as it was stepped over a bear materialized and attacked Kangrog (who was alone in the room).

Upon Killing the Bear, a small series of glowing letter materialize before Kangrog,

Please insert 35gp to complete your purchase of [1x Trained Brown Bear]
– Tardin Trade Co, on behalf of the Slate Hills

Alongside the letters is a small dimensional rift the right size for a small pouch of coins to be placed within:

Upon entering the coins, the corpse returned to life, much more docile and following Kangrog’s basic verbal instructions, but with a mind of its own (Note: mine – DM).

The Room of Choices

The next room was rather simple, within was two cult memebers, Ted and Symonthenella, who were left there to operate the doors.

The rooms were separated by bars, and in each room there was a button that when pressed, would open the opposite rooms door for six seconds.

The Party chose to split, and backtrack, ending the session with the boss fight ahead, and with two teams heading into the room from different sides of the room.

Team A (Left Room): Justus, Parallax
Team B (Right Room): Kangrog, Nameless, Pet Bear.
(Senko to choose where to join next session)

It started with some player plotting for an hour, as the Thassians came in from all sides

• Wizards got cracking, one disappeared early, the other hit the Nestorians with Ice Storm.
• The team got down in the keep, covered well, very little ability for the Thassians to hit and kill from afar.
• Scorch lit up, with a fireball onto the onto the other Thass wizard and the surrounding
• Justus setting fire to hay bales and shoving ice blocks down the stairs at people.
• Senko was picking off Thassians with his dagger bombs against those scaling the walls, before his grenade took out most of the Thassians but opening a hole in the wall.
• Scorch hit the other wizard with a silence spell, who retaliated with magic missile
• Parallax held the central chamber, before dealing with the new Senko-door,
• As the invisible wizard appeared behind scorch, nearly wiping him out.
• Hayden and Joe worked it to have Scorch charm the wizard (Sparkmaker), and Justus got off some clutch heals, and then shoved the Sparkmarker over the edge into the raging waters below the tower.
• Parallax saw the last few off, as Justus scared the pants out of the rest of them, and they fled.
• Balazaras arrived to scare off the remaining ones, as they claimed they would bring back their own dragon and finish them off.
• Our Bronzie picked up the Marines, and headed home, giving the team some basic advice.

As they rest, they are visited by the astral Dojo guardian, and got the jist of the whole situation, before sailing into the harbor, acing the stealth roll, and pulling the dingy up by the back of the Order of the Eyes.

Gents, we have made it.
Welcome to Tos Calos.

The Violet King

You return to your true selves, from the mundane lives of office workers, standing before an Eldritch beast of terrifying proportions.

“So, Senko Slyfingers, you stand here, you chose to come here, now your choice faces you.
Where hath thou placed their loyalty, with the goals of simple, frail mortals, or instead to follow my eternal will?”

“I propose you this deal, simple as it may be,
I will remove the touch of mine cousin from your mine, and I will grant you a Boon that will aid you with your Lich problem. If you choose to follow deeper into my service, so too, will grow the boons you receive.”

In exchange you will owe me three favours, of my choosing, which when asked of you, you will complete with all due haste and urgency.

The Boon of the Violet King

Upon acceptance, he felt his body going through changes,

• Your skin drops a few shades, heading towards a sickly purple tinge.
• There is an ache in the centre of your forehead, as if something new is growing there.
• Three small mushrooms grow from your toes. Toes that are now small tentacles that you have strange level of control over (Advantage when Climbing Barefoot)

Some small abilities come to you,

• You have the ability to cast Hunger of Hadar, once per long rest.
• You Gain the ability to cast Identify as a ritual.
• A small pouch filled with tentacles of some sort. Also a bag with 5 small pearls and 5 small owl feathers within.

Along with some other, more effective ones.

• Mauve Blade of Matinduar (Matt-in-doo-ah)
  You gain the ability to summon a blade made of a mysterious purple crystal, wrapped in ragged cloth rags for a hilt. The blade is dripping from the tip, and as the liquid hits the floor it sizzles, and dissipates with a hiss.
  This dagger acts as a +2 Magic Weapon, and deals 1d6 Necrotic Damage on a hit.
  The Dagger has 3 charges, and when thrown can use a charge to detonate into a purple cloud 10ft in diameter, dealing 2d8 Acid Damage, Con Save DC15 for Half. 1d3 Charges can be recovered per day, by meditating with the blade at dawn and re-pledging oneself to the Violet King
• Glare of the Forgotten God
  *As you approach a victim while not in combat, you may petrify them with a vision of the hidden presence behind your eyes. If the victim fails a Wisdom Saving Throw, it will be paralyzed for up to 30 seconds, or until it is sufficiently startled awake by a companion or loud noise. *
• Mantle of Violet
  You call forth the essence of the Violet King, causing the room you’re standing in to pale, as if the color of reality is being sapped away. All shadows deepen and darken, and Dim Light will become Darkness, and Bright Light will become Dim, as Dim will become Darkness.

And the King will smile at you and say:
“The first challenge has been overcome for you, and my Shoggoth has also been recaptured and fed, this deal is good for us both.” Before he fades away slowly, disappearing from sight, his chains dropping to the ground next to you.

Behind you a small archway appears, showing through it the entry chamber to the dungeon.

The Front Door

The remaining Orcs are cowering inside the entryway, and struggle to describe what happened, just that the riders came, started yelling about killing ‘The Guardian’ when they saw the severed Shoggoth Tentacle and went frothing mad, and tried to force their way in.

The Orcs held them off for a while, but just as they were about to fall, something happened outside and when they looked again, it looked like it does now, with over 100ft from the doorway being coated in a thick coating of blood and body parts.

Nothing larger than a joint is recognizable, seeming though that every single thing outside the door have been ripped to pieces all at once, in the most violent way possible.

A very quiet projection of the Violet King echoes around the room, first the exhalation as if of someone stretching, the in a smug tone “You’re welcome”

The Orcs look at you, horrified.

Fairies and Foibles

When past the next crossroads, they found Godmothers Gate.

A small cluster of large tree stumps, larger than usual, maybe 5 ft tall each, and quite large across as trees go, 12-14 ft.
A weak presence can be felt in the air, as if a lingering aura of the grove that once stood here, now receding.

Two stumps in the center, are far larger than the rest, and occasionally the light passing between them seems to shine an odd hue
History – This feels a lot like that time we met a fairy godmother
Nature – These trees are similar to what you’ve heard of Elven groves and their Heart Trees

A poor Astral Squirrel was summoned, and intimidated through the portal, before the group joined, and through the shimmering field to the glade of the Godmother, a long forest path leads to her, who is hovering before you, dressed again in her green and black ball gown. Her cat-eyes squint as she looks at you for a moment, pursing her lips before she speaks

“Well this is distressing boys, you’ve lost your Scaly little friend, the thief has joined the Anathema, and the big angry boy can jump now, not quite the progress I was hoping to see next time I saw you.
And you dear paladin, can you correct this ship to a holy course or are we – oh, Paladin of Kellok? Ah. I see. Playing with fire are we?” and she chuckles to herself lightly “Ah well, times they are a-changing.”

She leans in peering specifically at Senko, “What did the king gift you? A weapon to bring down the lich? Some ancient horror to release upon him? What was it?”

You spoke with her, looking for hints, and giving away a few things about the encounter with the Violet King, eventually the topic of Tangor came up, which she pled ignorance of who that could possibly be.
Kangrog saw the trick, and declared her fake.

The Godmother laughs

The glamour and illusions on the glade melt away, along with the disguises from the Lich himself, who was appearing as a faerie godmother.
“Well done, simpletons. I haven’t had fun like this in the better part of a century.”

“So the old King gave you nothing useful, at all? I have nothing to worry about still? Interesting, you really are doomed this time, if you’re the best the living can manage”

At that Senko attacked with his new dagger, striking into the Lich’s breast, who reacted by seizing Kangrog with a Paralyzing Touch, freezing all of his body except his axe-arm, as Justus smote down the foul Undead with the the grace of the Elder Flame.

The lich hits with a cantrip, then is smacked with Flashy twice, taking 60-odd damage after resistances applied.
He cast CloudKill, dropped almost everyone under 5hp, got jumped by the Squirrel, Smashed it on the floor, and cackled and made snide comments and left.

Back on the Trail

Exiting the Faerie grove, seated on a stump opposite the portal is a small squat demon, that takes one look at them, deeply sniffs the air, and asks in the voice of Slurg “you reek of Lich-Musk, Kangrog, have you no shame? Did you at least kill it?”

The Imp is here to chat, having felt the recent actions and locations of the party.
He also wonders if there is a reason why Kangrog is only using half of the axe?
Asking for it, he utters the command word, and it turns into a double-ended double-headed longaxe, with both ends aflame.

The Axe Now grants the use of the Whirlwind Attack ability.

Whirlwind Attack. You can use your action to make a melee attack against any number of creatures within 5 feet of you, with a separate attack roll for each target.
If used in combination with a Potion of Vaulting, the Barbarian can roll to hit all creatures along the path of his flight.

The Road-sign

Coming to the next crossroad, the sign reads

“Tos Calos, 12 Miles, South”
“Alduin’s Cove, 5 Miles, West”
“The Wastes, North”

There are a number of other symbols on the sign, that at first seem like they are just parts of the woodgrain, but Senko quickly recognizes as thieves cant, telling of Soldiers at Alduin’s Cove, specifically Nestorian ones.
Thassian Soldiers are said to be in Tos Calos, along with something he cannot quite make out, but could be either ‘Weapon’ or ‘Ritual’, along with the symbol for ‘Limited Time’

Smugglers Cove

Smuggler’s Cove is nothing more than a barely held together building, an old holdfast and a few barely tended fields next to it, shrouded on 3 sides by sharp cliffs and the ocean.

Looking at it, you notice a few things immediately;
Perception, The Holdfast seems to have once been built here to look over the little cove, which is one of the only parts of the visible coastline without a rocky reef or sheet cliffs to assail.
Insight, you recognize a pile of dung as that of a Dire Tortise, of which you only know of a single one.
Nature, the waters nearby seem teaming with life, the land is bare, and barren. Except for the presence of a single, slightly too large squirrel watching you from the top of a far off hill. Well and the soldiers too.

Scattered around the fort, is a group of fighters, none in uniform except for a simple Red cloth tied around one of their boots. One, sleeping next to the stable, appears to be wearing caster’s robes of some type, several have impressive looking iron crossbows and well made and maintained weapons. These guys give off an air of capability, if danger was to appear, it would be met with force, immediately.

As you think that, Captain Horn drops his invisibility, standing next to you. “Oh it’s you! welcome lads, we’ve been looking for you since that deal with the Teleporter. Welcome to the last outpost of the Empire west of Relast!”

He has two squads of the Third Legion Marines here with him, including a couple of spell casters. Can help with Tangor, but for now offered food and rest.

We wandered around and meet the Nestorians,
The specialty NPCs are

• Fire Wizard – Scorch
  • A wizard of the Cult of the Elder Flame,
  • Greets Justus with a “Brother Knight” and a head nod. Justus vs History DC 3 to know if he knows the return greeting “Brother Magus” (May-Gus)
• Elven Bowman – Specialist Aeson Elarus
• Dwarven Fighter – Corporal Kagrel Orehorn – Scattergun + Battleaxe
• Human Battlemaster – Gnomer

The Others:

We didn’t meet these, due to time, but for reference: 3rd Legion Marines, 4th Company, 7th and 7th Squads.

• Ricky Five Fingers – Used to have six, Lost one, now I got five. Whats so weird about that?
• Squint – Sharpshooter, Half Blind
• Moneybags – “Can I borrow some of your arrows?”
• Toothless – He’s got three left.
• Kipper – Newest guy on the squad “He can’t even swim!” – Everyone laughs
• Thieving Sonny – “Mah name iz a warning, if you fink about it”
• Lucky – Currently has an eye-patch, bandages on both forearms, and walks with a limp.
• Mad Dog Daryl – Don’t ask, and definitely don’t find out.

Snakebite
Says hello to the guys, asks how his investments paid off for them, and says he has some really nice stuff, but it’s all on Turbos pack and he will sell it to you later on.

Captain Horn
Motive: He is also here looking for a few other things, the captain of the guard here is likely to have information on Thassian movements to the east of here where the real action is, so she is looking to maybe take the guy captive, or at least get any notes from his office.

When they talk to Horn, He gives the situation with the Thassians;

• They took the town a week ago, pushing the small NIS office out of town,
• The thieves guild are on the Nestorian take, and got word to the guys right before the Thassian’s arrived.
  • They are located to the south of town, near the cemetery,
  • They traverse the sewers of the city to get around.
• As Thass took the town, they fired a Nestorian patrol boat in the habour to stop word getting out,
  • the marines outside are the remnants of that boat, some truly nasty fighters.
• The Nestorians and Thassians are not currently in a state of war, Horn needs to get word back to the homeland about what’s happening here to get us but her teleport ring is out of charges.
• The Thassians are preparing for some sort of ritual, and ransacked the town for certain holy items and spell reagents.
  • They also hold all gates and ports in and out of the city.
• The undead from Morvail are marching across the plains laying waste to everything in their path, they seem dead set on Nestor itself
• All legions are being recalled, all forces are heading for the Triforts to use the ancient defences there to try and hold back the tide.
• In the meantime, the Goblins of Garithmaroc, a city below the plains, are having the only success in the area, under the command of Blacktooth the Shaman, occupying a huge swath of the undead horde
  • without the goblins, they undead would already be in the capital.

After this exchange, Scorch perked up, as one of his scrying wards had been dispelled, at the same time a horn sounded nearby, and Thassian squads appeared, coming your way.

The Sevillian Traders

We start with the traders Crass and Calvin, Sevillian traders of the Orc attack who are are now camped a day or so to the south. The camp prior where we met the orcs was previously theirs.

They had wares for sale, but also news of the world, having recent camp south from the wildling tribes of the desert, having traded basics for barrels of beautiful aquamarines and lapis lazuli from a secret location the natives will not reveal

We chat briefly about the gems and detect an essence to them, probably evil in nature.

Purchases Made:

• Kangrog – 2x Vaulting + 1 Great Healing = 270gp
• Justus – 2x Vaulting = 250gold
• Pallarax – 1x Greater HP + 2 Healing Potion + 30ft of Rope = 81 gold

Leaving Gold Reserves of:

• Kangrog – 329gp
• Pallarax – 160gp
• Justus – ?? We used Senkos Money

No Items were sold to the merchants

Arrival at the Ruins

You traveled two days to arrive at the ruins of Mekk, which when you arrive is disappointingly nothing more than a small square building the in the middle of the desert, with a wooden door set into it (probably preserved by the heat?).

Before the building is a semi circle of five grey stone obelisks, standing out against the stark yellow sand. They are each wrapped in vines, that have sprouted vibrantly pink roses.

As you arrive, a cloud of dust is approaching from the North East, looking most likely to be riders, but coming from the blood ranges.

Kangrog in his infinite wisdom threw a throwing axe at a pillar before talking to anyone, leading to purple tentacles to emerge from the ground in the form of a Shoggoth, as known as The Guardian to local tribes.

Kangrog sets the sucker on fire (to little effect), before arranging a mass charge with Justus and the Orcs, before deciding to lead by jumping over the eldritch horror- who promptly slapped him down to the sand, prone.

Justus follows up with a massive Divine Smite, seeing 40 damage in a single hit, followed by the Orcs and Parallax who mob the horrific twisting and shape changing creature, lighting and long spears flashing in the white hot rage of the desert sun.

Seeing the effects of destroying a pillar, the orcs and party concentrate on those, freeing the best from captivity, and then realizing what they’ve done (released an eldritch horror), they quickly gathered bows and shot the thing before Parallax beat it senseless while channeling his Ki. It sunk back in the sand, seemingly dead.

The Shoggoth took several Orcs with it.

Our Heroic and Noble adventurers did not check for loot,
continuing to enjoy the challenge of a life of poverty and non-magical weapons 🤭

Justus and Parallax at work

Into the Ruins

Barak Bogchugger, suggests the orcs hold off whatever it is approaching from the North East while the players investigate. Not to be beaten to anything, ever, Kangrog bum-rushes the door, and… finds himself in a dank dark cave, before a rushing river with a fallen bridge no where to be found and yet another opportunity to jump forth!

The Party join him, and they jump/rope pull their way across the gap, and into the dungeon proper, where the next corridor showed the age of the ruins, where most traps were quite visible, jutting up floor stones, rusting nozzles for acid.

Parallax disarmed a few traps with a slid ice block across the floor, before the Barbarian and Paladin develop their new fusion dance;

The Aegis Whirl
Kangrog Holding Justus in a bride carry, shield facing out, as he whirled around with his Axe and Justus Shield blocking 8 of 10 traps (somehow?!)

From there, the rune was touched, and the false door opens.

The Aviary – Cutscene Segue

Midway down a long hallway is a simple door, with the sign “Aviary” next to it in the Mekkian script.

The Aviary
The door opens to the start of a spiral staircase that leads upwards. From what you can see from the space in the center, the staircase goes on for some way, as tall as any tower’s staircase you’ve seen before.

The Aviary – Climbing
You climb for a long time, the length of which is hard to perceive, before the stairs finally end at a small landing with a small archway leading out onto a small ledge, overlooking a vast, green vista.
A Giant Eagle sits perched on a small tree by the doorway, and it turns it’s head to stare one eye at you, before blinking softly and turning back to stare down below. It pats the stone next to it with it’s massive wing tip, and beckons with it’s head, chirping something.
(“It’s been long since someone used that door, come and see this wonder”)
The stone is, rather close to the edge though…

Below is the valley of Twilight, a massive V shaped valley formed of the meeting of three mountain ranges, funneling everything traveling between the three regions through a single choke point.

The Eagle is showing you the works of construction of the enormous obsidian black tower below, in the center of that vast choke-point.

Huge blocks of Light-draining stonework are floating up and into place as the wizards and masons below work, and floating high above it, seems to be the architect and master of the design.

Below him, is a large wooden platform, upon which seems to stand a troll. This Troll appears to be commanding a vast undead workforce, building the other city walls of what will one day be an immense city in scale and size, with walls larger than even maybe those of the great Iron Gates of Ran.

Survival DC 18 – You can feel eyes on you, other than the eagle.

The Aviary – The Chat
The Eagle gives another series of chirps, pointing at first the Troll, then the floating wizard. chirping the words, “The Last Mekkian” and below that is a stick figure in robes, with the words “Lord of Darkness”.
He watches you for your reaction to this, seeing none, he hops back down and waddles back towards the door you came through

You note behind him, or rather probably now, perhaps she is a her, as there is a large nest above and behind the door you came through, and behind that is the peak of the mountain.

On said peak of the mountain, is an Eagle twice the size of the one you are currently speaking with, with a wingspan of probably 120ft.
He is calmly staring directly at you, un-movingly.

You understand and relate more with squirrels now.

Passage

Coming to a collapsed passage, they looked around and couldn’t find the secret door to the old prison, but did find a small crack in the wall that led on-wards in a new direction.

Justus successfully avoided the traps of the non-present Kobold (hmm, but where is it though?!), and navigated the tunnels to avoid the giant rolling ball.

🙁

Acid River

The Kobold tunnel ends at the start of a massive flow of acid, high above it with a landing in sight on the other side.
Forgetting to look around, Kangrog quaffed a vaulting pot, then went for a strength potion.

Sensing what he was doing, Justus grabbed his own potion of vaulting, and gave the barbarian a hand, grabbing Parallax between them and helping the flightless dragonkind his first taste of what his ancestors once felt as they soared between ancient peaks.

It was a very cool move, I forgot at the time, but +1 Inspiration for all who read this.

The Library

An Optional Side Quest, that could have been skipped, but the lovely players decided to indulge me.

Entrance

The library should be a normal door that leads in my tiles, an open room with furniture and horror, looking like the study location of the owner of the dungeon, or some other wizard. There was a treasure chest in the corner that turned into a mimic when Parallax indulged the DM and opened it.

The grandfather Clock was also a mimic, a hostile one, and joined the battle. When killed it returned to the form of a clock.

After they defeat it, another mimic (an Ancient One who can speak common) spoke up from the bookcase and thank them for getting rid of the little bastard who took his place centuries ago, and returns to the trap.

He also warned them of the Others scouring the dungeon seeking the treasures still left in here, telling that they can consume and control people, and to be wary.

Behind the Hidden Door

Turning the Clock will open the hidden bookcase, and the Ancient Mimic helped them out, musing that his only living creche-ling is now living in some Nestorian city, Shodon? Shado? Shaddar?, and he might visit now the guardian out front is gone.

Behind it lies the book bound to the floor in chains, along with the table with glowing pages upon it.

This is a Skill Challenge, 10+/-, Success/Fail = 4,
Using skills to gain advantage for the rolls, the

Aids Used
– Using Investigate and searching the room gave advantage on one roll, they find a Book title that contradicts one of the thesis titles on the trap, but proves another. +adv
– Arcana gave advantage for a single roll, with knowledge that the center rune in a trap usually needs to be flowing with positive current, and might be a correct pick. +adv
– Insight – The Writing implements and candles seem to indicate the trap maker is right handed, and more likely to put the correct picks on the left + Adv.
– Survival – The hairs on an arm lift as they touch a wrong card +adv
– Religion – One of the papers has an obvious misspelling +adv.

Tome of Wisdom

Behind the door is a Tome of Understanding, which gives +2 Wisdom permanently, this was identified by the group, who have started reading it to Kangrog out loud, and thus the whole party is going to share the benefit when it applies (up to 6 days)

Outro

What happens next?! Will Kangrog ever get to Jump again? Will Parallax punch anything? Has Senko applied his epic stealth so well he was there the whole time?
Find out next time, on Dragonball Z! at D&D!

Loot List
Rare Items

• Bastard Sword of Sharpness – Justus
• Glamoured Studded Leather +1 – Senko
• Bead of Force – Senko(?)
• Ring of Protection +1 – Parallax
• Burnt Othor Fumes
• Dagger of Venom – Senko
• Adamantine Ring Mail – Justus
• ?????? – Kangrog (Reward due for beating Asim)

• Common Items
• Medical Kit with 4 uses.
• 83 gold
• A tobacco pouch
• A spyglass of decent make and quality.
• Symbol of Justaro
• Small bag of coal
• Grapple hook
• 2 gems (14gp ea)

Finish the Monastery

• Discuss with a Djinn Named Gusto that he will stay here, but will initialize the teleport portal for the Group.
  • Head to the Teleporter
  • In doing so, you travel first down some passageways, with Gusto opening two different secret doors to open to the next region.
  • All areas seem to have been abandoned for a least a season or more, due to the dust laying around.
  • As you arrive in the portal room, you find the signs of a battle in here, dried and desiccated limbs, dried pools of blood.
    • It seems to have been a last stand of the monks as they let others get away.
    • Oddly, almost all of the bodies in the room are around the edges of the room, there is almost a 30ft circle in front of the portal steps that is clear of all bar two bodies, both in the exact center of the empty circle, and coated in a very fine covering of black dust or ash.
      • Later, this would be identified as the effects of a Bead of Force, as one was found in the room, and the black dust is assumed to be a used/dissolved stone.
  • The High Monk – One specific form, laying on the steps of the portal, is wearing the robes of a High Monk of Kithloth, His end appears to have been from the massive crater in his chest, that looks like one of Asim’s lightning blasts.
    • A small ring can be found on the Monks left hand, a small band of reddish stone, with a simple, small blue gem inset in band, that glows slightly when hidden from the light. (Protection +1 AC and STs)
    • as you shift him to get the ring, a small black sphere falls from a packet in his robe, measures 3/4 of an inch in diameter and weighs an ounce.
    • Senko knew this to be a Bead of Force from his past (History Check to Identify)
  • The Guardian – On the steps, almost on top of the High Monk, is an armoured figure in a cloak the same blue as the Monk.
    • It appears he died protecting the monk, looking as though he jumped in the way of a particularly nasty dagger that is entangled in the dusty dry tendons skin and bones left of the warriors neck. (a Dagger of Venom)
    • His chain mail armour is an odd purple hue… Identified by Justus to be Adamantine Chain Mail
  • The Half-Alchemist – Behind the Monk, the bottom half of a figure lays halfway into the portal, as they were sliced in half horizontally.
    • Around his waist lies a pouch that was severed in half, and within it is a couple of vials, one looks to be a potion of healing, the other is labelled “Burnt Othur Fumes“, below those, folded into a small leather pouch, is an Alchemists kit.
  • Bodies in the Circle – One the figures in the center of the empty circle, you find them both to have a sigil of a bloody eye on the front of their chest. Each of them possess a scimitar, a leather sheild that looks suspicious human in colouring.
    • One of them has a Bastard Sword of Sharpness
    • The other, is wearing a set of completely normal clothes, that, seem to weigh far too much (eventually ID’d as Glamoured Studded Leather (+1 AC) )
  • Around the room, on the other bodies in the room if searched, are a few other items to be found
    • Medical Kit with 4 uses.
    • 83 gold
    • A tobacco pouch
    • A spyglass of decent make and quality.
    • Some minor weapons and Armor of various less-than-stellar quality and age, but useful if players want to switch up. (None taken)

Mattock

• Say Goodbye to Mattok, who is going to head South again, towards Relast and the Wander-Where. He is open to being contracted again, but will want more money because he knows you’re likely to let him die in combat (like, you know, you did 😉 )

The Portal – **Cutscene #1

• Gusto opens it, but is unable to connect, instead showing an inky black void.
• An C&C Era EVA Lady keeps repeating that ‘Unable to Connect, Network Registration has been blocked, please contact your Portal Guild Helpdesk for further assistance‘
• The players did not contact the helpdesk.
• A voice emerged from the portal, but seems directed at someone else. The voice was distinctly… Draconic.
  • “Xenth… some adventurers are trying to connect the Woken Winds portal, are these the ones you mentioned?”
• Xenth’s voice will reply a few moments later
  • “Yes, thank you Balazarass, I’ll take it from here.”
  • Then to the players.
  • “You can hear me, but I will not be able to hear you. Let me re-connect this portal temporarily to the network, it should connect in a moment. Once it turns violet, it is ready to use, but note, it will drop you at the Tos Calos portal, which is in the Town Square where you may have company. Alright, one moment…”
• The portal will slowly fill with color, first icy white, then blue, and settling into a whirling vortex of Violet and Mauve.
• In the center, faintly through the whistling streaks of powers beyond ken, you can see tall stone walls, towering over a dry sandy hill, below which a nearly dried up river runs weakly into the bay.
• A large keep is on a cliff overlooking both the port and the town, and a large tower seems to be set on the opposite corner of town.
• Appears, by all effects, to be Tos Calos, at long last.
• Justus went First, Senko Second, Parallax.. well…

The Connection Sure is Wonky

• As the Senko steps through the portal the portal flashes Red just as the person steps through, and then back to a whirling vortex.
• Balaz again : “Lady Sorceress, it appears the connection is unstable”
• To which Xenth replies: “No, someone in Tos Calos is fighting me… I should have this. Whoever is remaining, go. Go now!”
• after stepping through

Between the Ways

• You all appear on a flat grey disc, around 12 ft across, floating deep in the gloom of the abyss. You are all placed equally, about 1ft in from the edge of the disc, facing each other. Despite there being no point of refence, in both air currents, G forces or visible landmarks, you feel as if the disc is flying along somewhere in breakneck speeds.
• Within seconds, the blackness around you turns a bloody red, then flickers back to black and red again before settling onto black again before you hear Xenth exclaim “Hold on!!” before screaming and being cut short and going completely silent.
  • While the Abyss was red, you could see vast shapes floating in the clouds above and below, some serpentine, some indescribable.
• The Sky changes again, this time a great white tear appears high above you, as if light was streaming into the realm from another. A great vision appears, of what seems to be a gargantuan bloodred eye, filled with Galaxies and Pubescent Stellar Masses, appears distantly beyond the crack, before zooming in towards you, as if something on the outside is trying to peak in.
• The very fabric of reality starts to scream around you, the molecules shrinking in both fear and pain, as a huge…. thing… starts to press in on the cut and tear at the edge, as if it was a finger, slowly widening the crack in reality.
• Xenth’s voice appears distantly, Chanting what appears to be something, which only Parallax heard: “GetOutGetOutGetOutGetOut! GET OUT NOW!”
  • Before yet again falling to silence.
  • The crack continues to widen, and matter, either Light or Dark, Material or Anti, is rushing out through the void.
• This world, it turns out, may in fact, be ending at this very moment.

++ Intermission ++

• As Senko panicked about the lack of a door to ‘Get out’ through, a voice slices through the chaos, the same draconic one as before:
  • “Xenth is gone, I will aid thee, head into the light”
  • As it says this, a light appears in the center of the platform you stand on.
• Dont go into the light? The rift continues to grow, the thing gets into the astral pocket, and the player is lifted from the disc by the thing beyond, and the player must roll a new character.

The Desert
You find yourself tumbling onto a blisteringly hot sandy waste, with nothing in sight except some tumbleweeds, an arroyo, and mountains far, far to the east, and a small pathetic road near where you stand.

The dragons voice echoes faintly in the back of your skull before it fades for good “You are as close to your destination as I dared, The city is to the south-west. Avoid discovery.”

The Plants / Snappers Cut
Less than a half day south of the landing, is a large, old riverbed, filled with vicious snapping trees and savage looking briar thorn bushes.

The trees behav

A path leads to a serious of perilous pillars of rocks between the snapping trees, that will need to be leapt between to softly cross, though truly, nothing here felt ‘safe’

The crossing was made initally with some rope walking, desperate climbing, and some flaming fists to burn holes in the Fauna/Flora hybrid where needed.

Senko looted someone who hadnt made it in the past, finding a symbol of Justaro, Lord of Justice and Righteousness and some other common items (see: loot list)

Then someone used Water Whip, and much like sharks in the sea, or Zombies in 28 Days Later, ever plant in the riverbed turned to focus on the players and some started relocating closer. fuck.

A mad dash for the end was successful, with only Senko close to limb loss.

Little did they know, someone had been watching.

Senko Crosses – Cutscene #2
The minute Senko crosses the riverbed, a vision slams into his consciousness, taking over all he can see, hear and feel.

He sees a flicker of images at first,

• an Iron knight flying over a massive city by a warm lake
• A circle of thirteen sickly grey flames, circling a blue one that is roaring inside a glass orb.
  • All but three of the grey flames are almost out, flicking on their last legs. Of the three, one feels familiar.
• He sees the underground lake where he met this curse, but he is standing on the sand at the bottom of the lake, staring at a huge carved face of jade, lying on its side. He is listening to it, but of what it says, we do not hear.
• He sees Tos Calos again, but this time under siege by a vast army of desert warriors. It seems to be early Summer (maybe a month or two away).
• Finally, he sees himself, resplendent in epic armor, wielding a firearm of some sorts in one hand, and a glowing green rapier in the other that cuts through flesh as if it was butter. He is fighting, against figures you cannot see, but you hear it’s labored, mechanical breathing in the darkness around him. A serpentine voice whispers in his mind before he returns back to normal: “Your Journey will be dark, and full of Death. Find us, Free us, and we will protect and provide”
• He feels a pull, somewhere to the west of here, on a different heading to the road.

Empty Camp w/ Hungry Hungry Orcsies

• “There is an empty camp off the side of the road ahead, alongside some small dunes. The campfire still appears to be smoldering with a small wisp of smoke rising into the air from the little remaining fuel. The camp seems to be setup for maybe 3-4 people, with a tent and a few bedrolls laid out and look to have been used at some point in the past. Cooking and eating utensils are left near the fire, and there appears to be a post where mounts would have been tied if someone was here.
  There is no sign of life in sight, other than some errant tumbleweeds rolling past.”
• They Approach from far off, and have a chance to look around and scout, Senko just misses seeing the give-away (Meta)
• Parallax cleverly sparks the flame high, with a small cantrip, causing something in the shadows to flinch but not reveal itself, and the party started circling the camp.
• As Justus saw the hiding orcs, Parallax trod on one in the sand, and much like Dune (no relation) the Orcs jumped out of the sand and started a standoff with the players.
• A deal was struck, the players would give food and suppliers, and the Orcs would join them in 3 days, at the Ruins of Mekk.
• Senko really wanted to check out some heavy crates, but the orcs were cagey and wouldnt allow it. They looked heavy Barak – NPC Notes
• Motivation: They are hungry and poor, and regret ever coming down out of the mountains to the south, but they know without good supplies to help them get home, or without good loot to buy their way back into the tribe with, they would never survive.
• The Blood Rage: A history DC 3 will remind people the Orcs, Ogres and Giants are all cursed with Berserker rage by Slerikek.
• Leader: Barak Bogchugger. Smarter than the average Orc, but can be bought off. Knows a good deal when he hears it, and keeps the long term goal in sight: Getting out of this fucking desert.

The Traders
We end the session, arriving at the traders, a few miles south.

Sasha SlowScale warned Crass and Calvin, Sevillian traders of the Orc attack, and they are now camped a day or so to the south. The camp above was theirs, having fled the orcish attack.

They have wares for sale, but also news of the world, having recent camp south from the wildling tribes of the desert, having traded basics for crates of beautiful aquamarines and lapis lazuli from a secret location the natives will not reveal. They managed to escape with one of their three chests, and would greatly appreciate the other two being returned to them for a great reward.

Players are able to request the traders have items, and I will (probably) set it up for next fortnight.

The group started in a dwarven hall, long abandoned, having recently held the presence of a large Blue Drake – Charonatar the Dread – who departed after they opened the gate for it (while torching Parallax & [Name Unconfirmed]).

Things found:

The Runes on the Gate, Arcana showed that the runes were tuned to go off in the event of not using the pass phrase

Further Inspection showed that they are also tuned specifically towards a few species of enmity of the dwarves, Dragons, Orcs, and the like.

Nest of Charonatar the Dread‘s nest, really nothing more than a large circle of dust in the back corner of the hall.
Insight – The rats and other random beast carcasses near the door seem to have been placed more for blocking of drafts than for actual waste or feeding, as nearly all are fully intact.
History / Animal Handling – Dragons don’t need to eat to survive.

Dwarven Halls,

Elsewhere in the keep, we didn’t find a large of amount of goods or anything of interest to loot. The Keep itself is quite small, with little else apart from a few dormitories, offices and a small forge.

There was a ledger left on a desk in an office, someone’s attempt at leaving behind an account for anyone coming after them, but apart from messages about dwindling rates of ore coming from the nearby mines, and plans to relocate, there is little of interest to be found within.

Except, upon further review by Senko, there was a small coded message on one of the last panels, it seemed to refer to a location in the main Hall, nearby to one of the pillars.

Finding a stone on the wall that is loose. When pushed further, the stone starts to slide across to reveal a small chamber chiselled out from it.

Senko felt a small wire pull tight as he opened the panel, and was able to unlatch the trigger and open the chamber fully. Combining their Arcana skills later, the guys would determine that was a Chain Lightning Spell Trap, that probably would have finished off the party.

Within was revealed a small treasure trove for an adventurer, a small dagger with a silvery edge, three arrows with bright yellow fletching, a vial of some silvery liquid, a bottle of Grease, and what appears to be 2x potions of healing from their labels

The party was able to identify every item via detection rolls, as below.

Cache Loot:

• A small dagger with a silvery edge – great for managing undead with resistance to normal damages.
• Three arrows with bright yellow fletching, the feathers of the Callipis Canary is known to be used for the crafting of simple arrows beyond that of mundane means. (3x Arrows +1)
• A vial of some silvery liquid, known to be a Potion of Speed
• A bottle of Grease,
• What appears to be 2x potions of healing (labelled)

The Dwarven Way Entrance, noted in several locations in both Dwarven and Undercommon on signs, the Entrance to the ways can be found at the back of the halls, near the mines.

The Entrance has been partially collapsed by a cave in, but has plenty of room at the top for a humanoid figure to fit through.

The Dwarven Way

On the other side of the cave in, they find what is effectively a rest stop.
On one wall is a large rectangular map, carved onto a plate of bronze that is probably 8ft across by 4ft tall.

On it, are shown a number of settlements, and the paths that cross the earth between them, along with notations near certain landmarks and cautions.
Unfortunately, most of these notations are written in dwarvish, however the major towns do have their names also noted in undercommon in brackets and italics. Some of those shown in the local region are SkyShaft, Hammercrack, and luckily, the next destination, Kharak Lohdar.

The Way Ahead shows a small Underfort on the way, although it is set away from the main pass and could probably be bypassed if they wanted to. The Keep seems to be the connecting point of 3 converging paths, the keep you’re in, the one you’re headed to, and one from out to the west somewhere.

The only thing out west is the Waxing Wastes, and the Blood Raiders of Slerikek, so you can’t think of a good reason for there to be a tunnel going that way on the map…
But it could take us to Tangor…

The Cavern Bridge

A long, dimly lit, 60ft long, 5ft wide, stone bridge of terror lied before us. It was great!
The solution was simple: Use Senko as bait.

Parallax tied a rope to him, sent him on his way with a lantern. The Lantern’s light spooked a number of bats, which Senko dodged.

Realizing more must be coming, he dropped down to drive a piton into the ground, while Labrador sized Giant Bats sailed through the space he had just been in, just giving him a bit of a jostle.

Secured, the guys headed on wards, back into the tunnels of the Ways for two days of nervous

The UnderKarak

*A small Kharak, a guardhouse or way station, lies before you.*
*A once solid stone door lays on it side, open to all comers, from within the door you can see a flickering of fire or torchlight emerging. Perhaps an ancient flame, enchanted to stay lit, or perhaps a new friend to meet?*

We had the option to go around, but we wanted to see what was inside.

First Room

The first room was taken to be where a party was sleeping, as per the journal of Helmvor of the Flames, a local wizard.

He notes in recent entries that he was hired by another wizard along with a few other adventurers and local goblins to help defend him while a ritual was cast to reveal and unlock some ancient treasure.

With some deep Insight, Parallax proposed that Helmvor’s prose does suggest that he doesn’t quite believe this wizard, but some references to debts and ‘those looking for me’, which may suggest he doesn’t have a lot of options.

Some Flour and Booze and Bedrolls were found, determined roughly by species by the odor pouring from some.

• 5 Goblins
• 2 Bugbears
• 3 Humans

In one of the packs, some Oil of Sharpness was found, and applied to 5 of Senko’s arrows, making them +3 Magic Weapons for an hour

Second Room

The next room was a hero moment for Senko, sneaking open a door to an old shrine of some old forgotten deity, he saw four goblins.

Three seated and facing opposite towards the alter, the final gobbo is standing behind the altar, arms wide, as he proselytizes to those before him about the glory of the great god “Kallok, Oldest Flame of the Flamey Ones”, with his eyes shut tightly.

Senko snuck into the room, and started surgically taking Goblins out one by one, with rapier sneak attacks to the brain stem.

As the preacher finished his sermon, he opened his eyed to sight of Senko, ten feet away, aiming a hand crossbow at his face. As he died, the Goblin claimed he would have served Senko if he had asked.

Room Three – The Blood Wizard

Moments after the door is cracked open, you can hear a loud inhale of breath from across the room, followed by the words “I smell Scales, Silvered Steel and the blood of a Sennite. Ware the doorway, trouble arrives before us“

*In font of you is an ancient burial chamber, centered around a single large, latched, sarcophagus. Beyond it, is a man dressed in dripping red robes, standing between two altars covered in items and tomes. To either side of the room is three other humanoid figures, one in robes, and the other two wearing armour and bearing weapons and looking ready for a fight”

A sound of movement and snuffling is heard to one side of the door, revealing there might be more to this room than first expected (2 Bugbears)
The figure in the dripping red robes appears to be slightly hazy, as if something is either messing with the air or vision between you two.*

Within, a blood wizard was attempting to resurrect and free an ancient Vampire Lord of the Night Council of old. The fight begins as the whole party takes some form of Haste.

Parallax struck first, and Senko took put the flame wizard Helmvor down to 0hp on the first round, before pulling back and dropping grease in the doorway.

The lady barbarian charges headlong, as does a bugbear, the grease is ignited, and it got messy from thereon out. The Blood Wizard is nearly finished as the guys clean up the room, and some lightning breaths burn him out from the inside to clear the room.

Session was ended there prior to any looting or discovery, and Parallax and Senko push up to Level 5.

A frontier town on the edge of the Waxing Wastes (ex Bloody) to the west, Tos Calos sits on the only river in the very south of the wastes, and is also situated at the mouth of the only pass heading in or out of the wastes.

The town is home to all manner of law-evading peoples, from deep sea pirates, to treasure hunters of the wastes, through to dark priests and sorcerers, and was ruled by the little known figure of the Baron of Wax, who had aligned himself with the Abjurer and by opportunity with the Nestorians in the local regional conflict.

The Abjurer

The Abjurer is a mythical figure around the township, known to have lived there for some centuries, but has rarely been seen during those times, preferring to instead work from the solitude of his (heavily warded and guarded by golems) Tower.

The Abjurer is known as one of the regions (worlds?) premier weilder of negative magics, and he and his powered CrysOX Wards are considered to be the sole reason that Tos Calos has not been rolled over by the sand of the wastes.

The Baron of Wax

A sour, bitter lord who had spent most of his days fighting back, manipulating and working to offset the actions of the dastardly Blood Riders of Slerikek who reside (hunt from) the wastes to the north.

The Baron has not been seen since the Thassian’s seized the town in the middle of the night.

The Order of the Eyes

A transactory church, that is founded on the belief in prophecy and the knowledge of Undis, the Mad God of Knowledge.

Found to be run by a Spectator that was summoned to this plane by Mekkian wizards, whose clause for his summons into this plane has expired and cannot be completed, but She has taken a liking to the realm and stays here guiding the Order of the Eyes from the Shadows.

Performs a True Scrying for 500gp base rate, but she loves to trade in favors (but still needs to eat).

Thassian Occupation

Seems pointed, and opportunistic, and there is constant rumors that they are looking for, or gathering something.

Rats, Skaven and Skittering

Below the town, Intelligent, planning Rats dwell, powered by something that glows a sickly green in the night, they emerge, claiming the defensive wards and trinkets of the people of the town, but rarely do they seem to do any harm.