Sessions #79 & #80: The Darkness and the Defiance (Parts I & II)

Part I

The party teleported to the city of Cragwar, which lies on the border between Thrane and Aundair, and their popularity followed them. They did their best to stay out of the spotlight, and spent some time researching Orisis and Khyber in Cragwar's library. They found very little useful information - very few people ever returned from adventuring in the Underdark, and those that did were often traumatized or even insane.

They had come to Cragwar because of its relative proximity to the Black Pit: a terrible crevice in the earth from which strange creatures emerged from time to time, located in a valley in the Blackcap Mountains. A small and unsavory town of the same name overlooked the pit and they knew this was to be their next stop.

They stayed in Cragwar overnight and departed on the morning of 19 Sypheros, traveling south. As they did, they became aware that they were being followed by two dragonborns and two dwarves. After tolerating this for a few hours, when they stopped for lunch, Taumir and Azeri snuck around behind while Tselem and Maak Tol walked right up to them and demanded to know what they wanted. The dragonborns were apparently working for Baron Mucharsen and the dwarves for Vondal. Both Vondal and Mucharsen felt betrayed by the party's past actions and had sent these minions to do something about it.

But these flunkies were neither zealous nor stupid - they quickly realized their masters' grievances held little merit and in any event they were in no position to take on the Knights of the Thirteen Moon. So after some sharp words the party sent them away and continued on their journey.

Night was falling when the party arrived at the town of Black Pit. The reputation of the town was unsavory enough that they approached slowly, observing it from afar as they got closer. Very quickly they realized that the town of Black Pit was a cesspool of suffering. As far as they could tell there were only two types of inhabitants: evil creatures and their victims. Slaves and sacrifices cowered in cages; poor creatures darted through alleyways, trying to escape. Wicked beings, particularly fey ones, were everywhere.

The party knew they could not sit by and do nothing. They snooped around and discovered that Black Pit was a patchwork of different secret cults, each vying to tap into the evil power of the Pit for themselves and/or their deities. The party decided to try and play these rivalries against one another and start some riots. This plan was remarkably successful - through a combination of misdirection, vandalism, and illusion, the party soon had the various groups thinking the others were out to get them. Before long, violence erupted. The party egged on the various groups, making each think the other was attacking them. Black Pit became engulfed in street battles, and fires broke out in every quarter.

The party retreated to a safe distance and watched with satisfaction the stream of slaves and captives escaping. It was now the wee hours of the morning, and only the flames of the town's destruction lit the pitch black night. The party tried to help direct these refugees to safe harbors, and Tselem was  able to teleport a few dozen of them directly back to safety in Cragwar. Many others though fled into the night, their fates unknown.

When the sun finally arose the next morning (20 Sypheros), the town of Black Pit had been completely razed to the ground. The party (having rested after freeing the slaves) now girded their loins and prepared to descend into the actual Black Pit itself. They knew very little about what they were getting into, and despite their fame, power, and wealth, they could not help the fear that gripped them. Steps led down into the Pit itself, and while the party did not hesitate to descended along them, with every footfall they felt a cold fist of despair tightening around each of their hearts.

Part II

The darkness of Khyber enveloped them. Tselem lit a a magical torch so they were not completely blind, but its glow only extended a few meters in each direction. Maak Tol could see well enough without it, but found the gloom no less ominous.

They had barely ventured more than a few minutes into the tunnels and caverns when they began to hear skittering and clicks from some sort of animal. Then, swooping into the light and dropping from the ceiling, they came: hook horrors, abominable eagle-like monsters with long serrated claws instead of wings!

The party was initially alarmed, but their fear soon left them. The hook horrors posed little threat individually, and the party dispatched them fairly easily. Taumir and Tselem especially launched devastating attacks that reduced the creatures to nothing but dust. When the short battle ended, their destruction was so complete it was almost as if they hadn't existed at all.

Somewhat encouraged by this, the party ventured deeper into the Underdark.

Rewards

• 10,000 XP each
• (Reminder: we're suspending monetary/treasure rewards for now since your collected net worth is nearly 1 billion GP at this point.)

Session #26: The Greed of the Mror Holds

The party had several hours to kill before the return portal opened up, so they settled in for the night. It was uneventful, and the next mid-morning (2 Nymm), they stepped through the portal and arrived back at the Goradra Gap. From there, Vondal invited them to come to his home in Frostmantle for a celebration dinner, which they accepted. He arranged for another portal, and they stepped through to arrive in his living room.

Vondal's home was no mansion, but very fine and spacious. Vondal invited them to make themselves at home, and said he would summon them when it was dinner time. The party explored the house, availed themselves of the generous library, and wondered what their next move would be.

When dinner came, Vondal had invited a few of his friends, but made no introductions. The party asked him what was to happen next, and it became clear that Vondal was cutting them out of the deal they had made. He had no intention of democratizing dragonmarks - he wanted to sell them to the highest bidder! The party left the dinner feeling annoyed and betrayed, and resolved to do something about it that evening.

Around midnight, while all the rest slept, the party awoke. Azeri made ready to cast a portal while the rest searched for where Vondal had hidden the ritual. After some doing, they found a locked box in a locked room in the basement that seemed the most likely culprit. As they headed back upstairs though, Vondal was alerted to their prescence and came after them. A short but intense battle ensued. It was cut short by Azeri casting the portal and bringing the party to Korth, and closing it before Vondal could follow them through.

The party, now in Korth in the very wee hours of the morning of 3 Nymm, found a inn and set to work opening the locked box. To their delight and relief, it contained the ritual they sought!

Rewards

• 1,000 XP each.
• 1,800 GP total (looted while searching)

Session #25: The Quest for more money

Vondal explained that to perform the Grant Dragonmark ritual that the Whisper Wood elves had developed, they would need moon slivers. Moon slivers are pieces of the seventh moon that fell to earth and burned into diamonds as they fell. They are actually not too hard to find because they fall with some regularity onto the northern island of Orthoss. However, a century ago, a group of Driders (evil spider centaurs) moved in and claimed the Stargrounds as their own, and now kill any who try to come and collect moon slivers.

The party was unintimidated, and said they were ready to leave anytime. Vondal led them to the House Orien teleportation station nearby. (There were no fixed portals on Orthoss, but Vondal's money had allowed him to buy a premium service where House Orien will try to return them from the spot they were 'dropped off'' until they either return or their bodies are recovered.)

Within moments of arriving in Orthoss, four Driders attacked. Vondal hid behind a tree and left the party to contend with the creatures. They didn't exactly make short work of them, but by the time evening fell on this 1st day of Nymm, the Driders were all dead, and the party was still alive.

Rewards

• 4,000 XP each. Time to level up!
• You collected approximately 1,000 moon slivers (total). They're worth about 5 GP each on the open market.