After the parties and feasts to celebrate their victory over Evil concluded, the party made their way back into the world.
Tselem founded a great school on the site of the ancient pyramid they'd discovered, and it became a renowned center of learning.
Maak Tol opened the great alehouse ever: The Slaughtered Rose.
Azeri become a traveling librarian, blessing and helping and traveling with every creature she could find.
Taumir amused himself with playing pranks and starting rumors and hiding treasure maps.
Most of their massive wealth went to these endeavors: Tselem set up scholarships, Maak Tol franchised The Slaughtered Rose. They donated to orphanages, and to public infrastructure - they had developed a low opinion of the lightning rail and sought to improve it.
The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity were sometimes called upon to fight evil and help the world. The war between Drooam and Breland was brought to an end. And through their efforts the world passed into a more peaceful age. It was no utopia - the monsters of Khorvaire did not disappear, and the Mournland was not healed. But Eberron began to recover from the long night of turmoil it had suffered.
In time the Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity were taken home to their rewards, ascending into immortal glory in the Astral Sea.
As the centuries passed, history faded into legend, and legend into myth.
But the tales of the Knights of the Thirteen Moon were never forgotten.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Session #87: The End of All Things
The party left the realm of the Platinum Trinity and made their way to The Endless Night, a dark place within the Astral Sea wherein Tiamat dwelt. Entering it was like entering a dark and foggy forest, full of foreboding sounds and choking mists. Above the gnarled trees they could see the Fortress of the Chromatic Dragon. Undaunted, they made their way to it.
Flying up to the main entrance was quickly ruled out, and they made their way into a cave entrance, skirting along the edge of the Maggot Pit. As they entered the castle, Tselem transformed into a generic Dragonborn, and used an illusion to make it look like she was a servant bringing the rest of the party in chains up to the audience chamber. The fortress was a twisting web of tunnels and corridors. Gems and jewels and gold and treasure lay scattered on the floor, more treasure than a even a dragon could collect in a lifetime. The party could hear the roars of dragons & guards in the bowels of the structure beneath them, as well as the screams of damned prisoners. Taumir happened across a watch he'd lost years ago.
The party was able to bluff and sneak their way up to the audience chamber with little difficulty. And there they finally beheld her: Tiamat. Her five heads looked every direction, her eyes shining with rage and madness. One of the heads took note of them as they entered, but did not seem to really care. The party positioned themselves for battle, and then dropped the illusion of the chains and called to their foe.
Tiamat turned, to them, and her faces showed surprise. "Well, well, well," she rumbled, "I never thought Bahamut would have the guts."
And thus the battle commenced! Taumir fired first, landing a substantial blow! Tiamt retaliated, and missed! Tselem mocked her failure, which may have been a mistake, as Tiamat then responded with a devastating set of attacks and that left Taumir and Tselem unconscious and bleeding out! Azeri was able to heal them and get them back on their feet.
Taumir quickly realized that a direct assault on Tiamat was not going to work, that they were going to have be more clever. He pulled out his Exodus Knife, and created an impenetrable pit (a pocket dimension) where they could take cover and strike out from. They had to dodge around Tiamat's attacks to get in, and Maak Tol was blinded in the process, but they all made it!
At this point they were safe from Tiamat, and in no shape to continue the battle, so they decided to rest for 6 hours and try again. Tiamat was no fool, and realized what they were doing, but she didn't seem impressed. She flew off to attend to other matters, and then later returned to wait them out.
Tselem tried to create a portal around one of Tiamat's necks to decapitate (or least severely wound) her. Regrettably, his brilliant strategy was foiled when the spell failed. The party then developed a strategy where they would quickly open the door to the pit, fire out an attack, and then shut the door before Tiamat could retaliate. This kept them safe from her awesome power but allowed them to strike at her somewhat with impunity. Tiamat seemed unconcerned about the hits but irritated enough to keep trying to get to them.
Maak Tol and Tselem took turns using the two bags of tricks the party had to send out random creatures to attack Tiamat. A flying Gorgon and a large spider both tried their best, but were dashed to pieces against the power of Tiamat's evil aura.
The party knew their most important weapon in this fight though was the weapon Orisis had forged for them. If they could strike Tiamat with it just once, they could prevent her from disincorporating, and then they could truly kill her! They elected Maak Tol to wield the sword, but he was having trouble getting close enough to land a hit.
It was then that the party hit on an idea: what if they gave the sword to Taumir, and he shot it from his bow?
It was an audacious plan, so naturally they immediately put it into motion. Taumir notched the massive weapon in his bow, using all his strength to hold it steady. The door to their pit was flung open, and he let it fly. And it struck true! Their godslaying weapon had found its mark!
Tiamat was properly affected but was by no means dead. In fact, she barely seemed to notice. The sword fell back into the pit and returned to Maak Tol's hand. Maak Tol then flew out of the pit - he'd taken on his animal forms so he could - and began to engage the dragon at point-blank range, trying to ensure she'd stay put long enough for them to defeat her, and also to draw some of her fire and ire away from his fellows.
The rest of the party took full advantage of this! Tselem was even able to force her to land, and then to attack herself! Tiamat tried to dominate Maak Tol several times as the battle raged on, but Azeri always cast off the curse as soon as it could land, leaving Maak Tol a little dazed but everyone unharmed. After the third or fourth time however they decided to bring him under cover again.
All this while spells and arrows and blast of radiant light had been striking at Tiamat, and now she began to truly feel weary. And then she reached that point that she could have disincorporated ... and she did not.
And at that moment the Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity saw something that probably no other mortal had ever seen. They saw fear on the faces of a God.
Tiamat's fear erupted into rage. She let forth a vicious stream of attacks that they were not able to shut the door against beforehand. The party shuddered under the force of her anger. But when it had passed, the party was still alive, and safe behind their cover. The true possibility of victory roused them, and they began attacking from cover once more.
Maak Tol even felt confident enough to moon their foe! Tiamat repaid this by dominating him when he came out, and then sending him back in to attack his fellows before the door could be shut. But Azeri once again saved the day!
The volleys continued back and forth, Maak Tol sometimes sharing the cover, other times keeping the dragon from fleeing. But this tactic would not work forever, and as Tiamat's strength ebbed out of her little by little, with no way to recover, she began to make as to flee. But Azeri would have none of this. She flew out on her cloud chariot and immobilized Tiamat! The party wasted no time striking at her in this weakened state. When Tiamat was free, she knocked Azeri out of the sky, but Azeri merely teleported herself back into position. She once again healed the party and they resumed their assault.
And then Taumir let an arrow fly and it struck beneath Tiamat's massive scales, and with the scream that seemed to split the Astral Sea itself, Tiamat began to disintegrate! Poisoned blood and fire spewed from her guts as ice froze and shattered her bones.
The evil god Tiamat was forever and truly dead!
The party rejoiced, but their glee was quickly tempered by the fact that the entire Endless Night began to collapse. The Fortress began falling apart, the Maggot Pit began burning up, the forest they'd traveled though was eaten up with blight in seconds. Tiamat's evil servants burned around them, and the treasure was swallowed up into a black hole as all of Tiamat's realm began to disappear into nothingness. The party took flight, either on their own power or on the cloud chariot, and made their escape!
They emerged into the Astral Sea to the sounds of joy and rejoicing!
Flying up to the main entrance was quickly ruled out, and they made their way into a cave entrance, skirting along the edge of the Maggot Pit. As they entered the castle, Tselem transformed into a generic Dragonborn, and used an illusion to make it look like she was a servant bringing the rest of the party in chains up to the audience chamber. The fortress was a twisting web of tunnels and corridors. Gems and jewels and gold and treasure lay scattered on the floor, more treasure than a even a dragon could collect in a lifetime. The party could hear the roars of dragons & guards in the bowels of the structure beneath them, as well as the screams of damned prisoners. Taumir happened across a watch he'd lost years ago.
The party was able to bluff and sneak their way up to the audience chamber with little difficulty. And there they finally beheld her: Tiamat. Her five heads looked every direction, her eyes shining with rage and madness. One of the heads took note of them as they entered, but did not seem to really care. The party positioned themselves for battle, and then dropped the illusion of the chains and called to their foe.
Tiamat turned, to them, and her faces showed surprise. "Well, well, well," she rumbled, "I never thought Bahamut would have the guts."
And thus the battle commenced! Taumir fired first, landing a substantial blow! Tiamt retaliated, and missed! Tselem mocked her failure, which may have been a mistake, as Tiamat then responded with a devastating set of attacks and that left Taumir and Tselem unconscious and bleeding out! Azeri was able to heal them and get them back on their feet.
Taumir quickly realized that a direct assault on Tiamat was not going to work, that they were going to have be more clever. He pulled out his Exodus Knife, and created an impenetrable pit (a pocket dimension) where they could take cover and strike out from. They had to dodge around Tiamat's attacks to get in, and Maak Tol was blinded in the process, but they all made it!
At this point they were safe from Tiamat, and in no shape to continue the battle, so they decided to rest for 6 hours and try again. Tiamat was no fool, and realized what they were doing, but she didn't seem impressed. She flew off to attend to other matters, and then later returned to wait them out.
Tselem tried to create a portal around one of Tiamat's necks to decapitate (or least severely wound) her. Regrettably, his brilliant strategy was foiled when the spell failed. The party then developed a strategy where they would quickly open the door to the pit, fire out an attack, and then shut the door before Tiamat could retaliate. This kept them safe from her awesome power but allowed them to strike at her somewhat with impunity. Tiamat seemed unconcerned about the hits but irritated enough to keep trying to get to them.
Maak Tol and Tselem took turns using the two bags of tricks the party had to send out random creatures to attack Tiamat. A flying Gorgon and a large spider both tried their best, but were dashed to pieces against the power of Tiamat's evil aura.
The party knew their most important weapon in this fight though was the weapon Orisis had forged for them. If they could strike Tiamat with it just once, they could prevent her from disincorporating, and then they could truly kill her! They elected Maak Tol to wield the sword, but he was having trouble getting close enough to land a hit.
It was then that the party hit on an idea: what if they gave the sword to Taumir, and he shot it from his bow?
It was an audacious plan, so naturally they immediately put it into motion. Taumir notched the massive weapon in his bow, using all his strength to hold it steady. The door to their pit was flung open, and he let it fly. And it struck true! Their godslaying weapon had found its mark!
Tiamat was properly affected but was by no means dead. In fact, she barely seemed to notice. The sword fell back into the pit and returned to Maak Tol's hand. Maak Tol then flew out of the pit - he'd taken on his animal forms so he could - and began to engage the dragon at point-blank range, trying to ensure she'd stay put long enough for them to defeat her, and also to draw some of her fire and ire away from his fellows.
The rest of the party took full advantage of this! Tselem was even able to force her to land, and then to attack herself! Tiamat tried to dominate Maak Tol several times as the battle raged on, but Azeri always cast off the curse as soon as it could land, leaving Maak Tol a little dazed but everyone unharmed. After the third or fourth time however they decided to bring him under cover again.
All this while spells and arrows and blast of radiant light had been striking at Tiamat, and now she began to truly feel weary. And then she reached that point that she could have disincorporated ... and she did not.
And at that moment the Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity saw something that probably no other mortal had ever seen. They saw fear on the faces of a God.
Tiamat's fear erupted into rage. She let forth a vicious stream of attacks that they were not able to shut the door against beforehand. The party shuddered under the force of her anger. But when it had passed, the party was still alive, and safe behind their cover. The true possibility of victory roused them, and they began attacking from cover once more.
Maak Tol even felt confident enough to moon their foe! Tiamat repaid this by dominating him when he came out, and then sending him back in to attack his fellows before the door could be shut. But Azeri once again saved the day!
The volleys continued back and forth, Maak Tol sometimes sharing the cover, other times keeping the dragon from fleeing. But this tactic would not work forever, and as Tiamat's strength ebbed out of her little by little, with no way to recover, she began to make as to flee. But Azeri would have none of this. She flew out on her cloud chariot and immobilized Tiamat! The party wasted no time striking at her in this weakened state. When Tiamat was free, she knocked Azeri out of the sky, but Azeri merely teleported herself back into position. She once again healed the party and they resumed their assault.
And then Taumir let an arrow fly and it struck beneath Tiamat's massive scales, and with the scream that seemed to split the Astral Sea itself, Tiamat began to disintegrate! Poisoned blood and fire spewed from her guts as ice froze and shattered her bones.
The evil god Tiamat was forever and truly dead!
The party rejoiced, but their glee was quickly tempered by the fact that the entire Endless Night began to collapse. The Fortress began falling apart, the Maggot Pit began burning up, the forest they'd traveled though was eaten up with blight in seconds. Tiamat's evil servants burned around them, and the treasure was swallowed up into a black hole as all of Tiamat's realm began to disappear into nothingness. The party took flight, either on their own power or on the cloud chariot, and made their escape!
They emerged into the Astral Sea to the sounds of joy and rejoicing!
VICTORY!
Friday, September 6, 2019
Sessions #85 & #86: The Abyssal Terror (Parts I & II)
The party was teleported from the Astral Sea to the Dragonwood, to the lair of Ashardalon himself. Infused with their new-found power, a fierce and mighty battle commenced!
The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity smote their enemy upon on their and earned their place among the gods!
They returned to the Astral Sea to receive their official callings, and to begin their final preparations for the Destruction of Tiamat!
Rewards
The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity smote their enemy upon on their and earned their place among the gods!
They returned to the Astral Sea to receive their official callings, and to begin their final preparations for the Destruction of Tiamat!
Rewards
- You will all advance directly to level 33!
Session #84: The Exarchs of the Platinum Trinity
Orisis spent a night and a day forging the weapon, during which time the party waited uneasily. (While there they learned it was now the 5th of Aryth). When the weapon was complete, it was truly a sight to behold. It was a great broadsword that glistened like polished onyx, black and deadly. It was longer even than Maak Tol was high. It was truly a godslaying weapon.
Only moments after Orisis handed the weapon to them and told them to be on their way, a great shining portal opened into the dungeon! All five stared in astonishment as a tall creature stepped through. He was clad in royal robes, and looked somewhat like a dragonborn, but was more dragon and more man than any dragonborn they'd ever seen. He was beautiful and regal, and shone like the sun.
Orisis demanded to know who he was and how he had managed to get through his anti-teleportation spells. The dragon-man gave him a passing glance and said, "That will be enough from you." He then waved his hand and the evil Orisis disintegrated into dust.
This newcomer now had the party's full attention. He introduced himself: "I am Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, God of justice, protection, nobility, and honor." He said that he and his fellow good deities had been watching the party for some time and had an invitation for them. "Come and see," he said, beckoning them to follow him through the portal.
The stunned party only hesitated for a moment, then followed him through.
They found themselves in the midst of the Astral Sea. Gold and diamonds shimmered around them, in the air, in the clouds, in the sea. It was the most beautiful and divine place they could image, and the very air around them was infused with peace and righteousness. Bahamut bid them follow him again, and led them to where two other deities joined them: Corellon, God of spring, beauty, and the arts (and nominally Taumir's deity), and Ioun, God of knowledge, skill, and prophesy (Azeri is a priest of Ioun).
Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun told them a tale of how the evil gods Tiamat, Vecna, and Torog have formed an Unholy Trinity to try and free Kyber, the Dragon Below, the Underdark, from the coils of Eberron, the Dragon Between, and unleash the horrors of Kyber on the plane of Eberron. The Last War gave them the opportunity they needed to put their plans into motion: the chaos, the fear, the suffering, the despair made for perfect conditions. The Day of Mourning that destroyed Cyre was their work. In response, Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun have formed themselves into The Platinum Trinity to combat their evil.
"And we have selected you," Bahamut says, "to be our Exarchs in Eberron." [Exarchs are like demi-gods, executors of the will of the gods.]
The party is stunned and honored. Still, they are not fools, and nothing, even from good deities, comes without price. The Platinum Trinity offered them great power, and the ability to finish their goal of slaying Tiamat, but what would be expected in return? Tselem especially was wary of being commanded to do things that he did not agree with. Bahamut was a tad nonplussed by this, but after discussing it with the other two, it was agreed that even as Excarchs, the Knights would have the latitude to refuse a task.
With these conditions agreed upon, the party was informed that there would be one final test to ensure they were ready for this great honor. The dragon Ashardalon has long terrorized the people of Breland from his lair in the Dragonwood. "Slay him for us, and for Eberron," the Trinity said, "and you will be ready at last to face Tiamat!"
Rewards
Only moments after Orisis handed the weapon to them and told them to be on their way, a great shining portal opened into the dungeon! All five stared in astonishment as a tall creature stepped through. He was clad in royal robes, and looked somewhat like a dragonborn, but was more dragon and more man than any dragonborn they'd ever seen. He was beautiful and regal, and shone like the sun.
Orisis demanded to know who he was and how he had managed to get through his anti-teleportation spells. The dragon-man gave him a passing glance and said, "That will be enough from you." He then waved his hand and the evil Orisis disintegrated into dust.
This newcomer now had the party's full attention. He introduced himself: "I am Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, God of justice, protection, nobility, and honor." He said that he and his fellow good deities had been watching the party for some time and had an invitation for them. "Come and see," he said, beckoning them to follow him through the portal.
The stunned party only hesitated for a moment, then followed him through.
They found themselves in the midst of the Astral Sea. Gold and diamonds shimmered around them, in the air, in the clouds, in the sea. It was the most beautiful and divine place they could image, and the very air around them was infused with peace and righteousness. Bahamut bid them follow him again, and led them to where two other deities joined them: Corellon, God of spring, beauty, and the arts (and nominally Taumir's deity), and Ioun, God of knowledge, skill, and prophesy (Azeri is a priest of Ioun).
Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun told them a tale of how the evil gods Tiamat, Vecna, and Torog have formed an Unholy Trinity to try and free Kyber, the Dragon Below, the Underdark, from the coils of Eberron, the Dragon Between, and unleash the horrors of Kyber on the plane of Eberron. The Last War gave them the opportunity they needed to put their plans into motion: the chaos, the fear, the suffering, the despair made for perfect conditions. The Day of Mourning that destroyed Cyre was their work. In response, Bahamut, Corellon, and Ioun have formed themselves into The Platinum Trinity to combat their evil.
"And we have selected you," Bahamut says, "to be our Exarchs in Eberron." [Exarchs are like demi-gods, executors of the will of the gods.]
The party is stunned and honored. Still, they are not fools, and nothing, even from good deities, comes without price. The Platinum Trinity offered them great power, and the ability to finish their goal of slaying Tiamat, but what would be expected in return? Tselem especially was wary of being commanded to do things that he did not agree with. Bahamut was a tad nonplussed by this, but after discussing it with the other two, it was agreed that even as Excarchs, the Knights would have the latitude to refuse a task.
With these conditions agreed upon, the party was informed that there would be one final test to ensure they were ready for this great honor. The dragon Ashardalon has long terrorized the people of Breland from his lair in the Dragonwood. "Slay him for us, and for Eberron," the Trinity said, "and you will be ready at last to face Tiamat!"
Rewards
- You have advanced directly to level 30!
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