PORTENT
Chapter
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(0.2)
THE MAELSTROM (1)
Wounded Soul
While Setep and the council anticipate the arrival of Worville and her giant troop to bolster the Band of the Lion's forces, Setep has a visitor. Lord Varganak Gaque requests Setep do his part for the Flameguard. He request Setep aid the effort to retake the Dormort territories in the one way Setep seems willing to use his armies, to kill monsters. The lord speaks of war beasts in a fort, but Setep is reluctant. He discusses it with the council and decides the only reason they should have for going is if they can find any lead on whether there may be any Nycaloth information to be gathered around Berrins. None in the council know so they must find someone who has been to Berrins. Meanwhile, Phoebe tells Flea she is concerned about the effect of the heartstone on her and how she feels useless for reading the book, like it's not her. Flea explains that people don't always find themselves in a place of what feels right, and that people have wanted great things of him, but he doesn't want glory, he wants Setep. Phoebe, Flea, and Atsara, then decide to visit Barlead to get her opinion on the heartstone. In Barlead's tower, after some casual flirting between Phoebe and Barlead, Phoebe reveals the dark sigil that has appeared on her chest. Barlead uses divination magics and the information about the Book of Vile Darkness to determine that the book is what has given her the symbol, it is likely it's appearance was manifested by the heartstone though, and that it is a wound in her soul that only powerful primal magic can heal. Just being attuned to the book is what is eating up at Phoebe, but the book does not wish to be unattuned. Flea is instantly remorseful for ever giving the book to Phoebe, but Phoebe points out that without it, they would have all died to Oroe. Atsara takes every opportunity to practise improving his sense of humour before they leave. Back in the Lion's Den, Setep has his armour infused by Elu, making bite/mandible/tusk attacks a bad idea against him. Elu infuses her own gear with a powerful taunting ability, to compel someone to duel. The party await the giants arrival.
The Maelstrom (2)
Speculations on a Hag
Merut is concerned about the lingering threat of Gallith if they leave Rei Majoris, so visits Yuki to discuss Gallith more indepth. They learn r the Grey Wastes is populated by Night Hags who grow souls into Larvae, a form of lesser soul that is traded heavily in the Lower Planes as something that can be grown into devils. The Grey Wastes are also inhabited by the Yugoloths, who come into conflict with the Hags as they try to grow souls on territory the Demons wish to control. The existence of the portal in the Clowder building, and the influence of the Nycaloths in the Capital, are what drives Gallith away from the city. Gallith has a very strange influence on certain parts of Dorun, and a large presence in the Outer Planes. It is possible she may be able to track or observe the party at any time, but Yuki cannot confirm either way. Gallith wants Yuki to preserve herself for feeding. Her strength grows in the South, where the Elves are, but her influence over them weakens since they do not sleep. The question is raised Is Merut's association with Yuki really the only reason the Hag is against him? It seems that she knows that for Merut to live, Yuki must live. And for Yuki to live, Gallith must die. Her hatred for Merut is simply her obsessive fear of death, if he is on the path of her death, she fights him. If not, she is ambivalent. Back at the lion's Den, the giants, led by Worville arrive. They explain they will join the party for either of two things - forming a warband and fighting across the continent, or killing an ancient Beast. They explain that 1000 years ago, giants from the East Blue sailed to Nurod to kill a beast, but died before it could be killed. Some rebels on the continent seem to be growing a second in a fort. It is young, and the Giants want it dead before it can be useful to the enemy. It is tough in water, apparently, but manageable for the Band to kill. Setep agrees to hunt the creature down and kill it. The party buy water breathing potions, and head to the location in the white hills. They exhaust a lot of magic trying to sneak into the Storm Giant fort, but descend down a well into a pool, however, Merut is spotted just before he descends.
The Maelstrom (3)
What Waits When The World Ends
The party find an underwater enclosure, not dissimilar to an aquarium, when they are attacked from above by a juvenile Kraken. The party are pulled into its maw and churned up. Merut struggles without his swords, but perseveres with his new magic centric discipline. Elu's punches are slowed by the water. Phoebe uses her finger of death on the beast to rot the maw. Atsara intuites the creatures vulnerability to pointed weapon, so equips his crampons and trampes the beast until it is no more. Elu punches an alternate escape route so they don't have to deal with the giants they alerted, and they disappear into the night. Back at the Lion's Den, Setep and Mable are preparing a meeting with the council to discuss what to do about Sweetsong, when he is visited by Landark. The Nycaloth sits and interrogates Setep, it seems his suspicions have been raised. Landark is confused as to why Sweetsong is a concern if Setep plans to uphold his end of their bargain. Setep diffuses the situation and makes casual conversation, learning about the process of becoming a Nycaloth; he is unnerved at the thought that he might one day become one. Landark also seems to have spoken with Mable at some point. Setep accepts a long since offered invitation to Shadowfort to reunite with Vzarro. Setep arrives to find all of Vyizm Wvimas are present, as they are hosting their patron, the Ultrolth named Tarlikrol. Setep speaks with Tarlikrol, formless apart from for two burning eyes, but little information is shared between the two. Tarlikrol seems uninterested in Setep while he still lives, and unbound by the contractual obligations of his coven. Setep returns and calls the mission to discuss Sweetsong. Similar to the PR tactics Mable has been using to protect the Band, Setep proposes they do the same thing to tear down Sweetsong should the need arise. Elu mentions her Imp of Rumors that can quickly spread information, and the plan is complete. The party are pleased that for once it feels like they have managed to prepare themselves, and stay one step ahead of whatever Sweetsong is planning.
The Maelstrom (4)
Gates, Planes, and Portals
Setep heads over to the Martyr's guild, along with Phoebe and Atsara, for their experience with other planes, in order to research other planes and means to traverse them. After a pleasant reunion with the secretary Ilnore Chandri, the three begin their research. Phoebe learns that the yugaloths have natural planeshifting abilities, and that souls passing through the Fugue plane can be brought there by Petitioners to become Larvae, the lowest of all fiends. She learns some of the sub-planes of Hades, each ruled over by a deity. She also learns about The River Styx, also known as the River of Blood. It passes through the Grey Wastes between other of the lower planes, beginning in Pandemonium, and ending in Acheron. Atsara reads about it's cosmological location. The Great Wheel is an ordered way of representing the planes, laid out with the Outer Planes on the outside (fittingly enough). Setep learns about the spells gate and planeshift, but also how the lower level spell, arcane gate, can be used to planeshift, with some scrying magic. Merut might be able to learn this magic. The group head back to the Den and find Worville troop have arrived. Elu meets Worville, and the two quickly generate a connection, over tending to their smaller kin. Elu helps Worville build a place for the giants to stay. Phoebe reads about a creature, an Alip. It's a type of undead that forms from a spirit driven to suicide after learning a secret that is beyond mortal comprehension. It seeks to unburden itself by sharing it's forbidden knowledge. Phoebe realises it has been one year since she met Setep, this seems significant to her, and she is greatly disturbed. Setep is visited by Relimund Gaque. He says that the order has come down from Varganack - the Band's mission against Uild, in Dormort, must begin now.
The Maelstrom (5)
The Battle of Berrins
Merut struggles on trying to fabricate things from magic, but with some encouragement from Nifeemos, he uses a different skill of his. He describes a marble, using intricate descriptions like he does with his writing. This poetry results in the fabrication of the bolts. Flea knocks on Phoebe's door. When she opens it, it shocks them both to see a pile of books open, pages torn out and hung over every wall. Phoebe doesn't remember sleeping, doesn't even know what time or day it is. Pinned pages regarding old civilisations and things left behind by the blue and red wizards, and different accounts of divine apparitions and elder evils. Deciding to ignore this for now, Phoebe heads to join the council meeting. Relimund Gaque describes the Flameguards plan to push into Dormort instead of forcing a second battle at Fishing Hamlet. The party, band, and retainers, are to teleport to Talinthorpe, and travel through the Dark Forest to await further instructions. While Rankirk calls on the retainers, the band go shopping. Atsara and Phoebe both buy Cloaks of Protection. Once the party join the warcamp, they receive their next instructions by Animalis Staurek. The southern wall of Berrins is guarded by goldems, constructs, and short range shields. The party need to defeat these strange enemies, and clear the way into three gatehouses. They must then retreat to the south east making way for reinforcements, this instruction is given very sternly. One gatehouse is breached by the giants and the men at arms, another, by Elu being enlarged by Merut. The last is charged at by the retainers lead by Setep, Merut, Atsara, and Phoebe. Missiles rain down and punish the party, everyone is hit by bullets, but Merut fabricates explosives that demolish the walls while Setep draws fire, and Atsara and Phoebe destroy smaller artillery golems with perfect teamwork. As the Band retreats, reinforcements arrive, an infernal, black helmed army, stinking of sulphur arrives to sack the city. It is surely Sweetsong's army. Setep is filled with rage but cannot see him across the battlefield. Animalis Staurek rides up to Setep and asks him to join Varganak in the command tent. It seems the two need to talk.
ORDER
Chapter
The Maelstrom (6)
The Return
Varganak explains the true purpose he bought Setep top Berrins, to have him witness Sweetsong's power. Varganak insists Sweetsong is under control for now, and is needed in the war, but that Setep needs to help the Flameguard prevent any problems with him. He privately describes an artefact that is written about in a recently resurfaced journal excavated from The Order. Setep is to search the order for the artefact and for any other arcane secrets hidden within. Setep takes the command squad and leaves Rankirk incharge of the Band. To get as close as possible to The Order, Flea teleports the party to Stadium. Giants and Lizardfolk have moved in and repaired a great deal of the damage done to the city. One wall of the communal building still homes plant growths created by Cailin Maccallini. The party head to the Alcazar where they find a party of Gith guarding the still open Astral Gate, Frankie the turtle, and Leilia Brassberg, who decided to stay with Stadium. Leilia regails the party with tales of the astral adventures she has been on with the gith, against lich queens, elder evils, and illithids. Setep brings up the hand of Yoko Nox he possesses. The Gith elder known as the silver lady takes interest in this; she wishes to use the hand to interrogate Nox about the Elder Evil she was in contact with. Setep trades the hand for two Githyanki Silver Daggers. Setep and Leilia get into a spat, comparing the magnitude of their adventures, but eventually head their separate ways. Five days of travel later, the party arrive in Red Orchard, Elus home. The city is ever autumnal, and full of tents and temporary housing. It is an impoverished place, built upon the ruins of the city that the tieflings lived in before they were scourged from the world. Elu is upset at the sight of children playing with another mutated tiefling. Merut pays a street fortune teller who warns him that '6' is a number that will be left out of sequence and that it's normal. This naturally confuses him. Nagrick heals a sick baby and purifies a local water source. Phoebe talks to a local archeologist hoping to uncover ancient fortunes, she gives him some gold and encouragement. Two days on, the party meet a goblin agent of the Flameguard, in a stable outside Mediocros, he teaches Setep the somatic ritual required to pass the entrance of the Order, then leaves. Despite Setep's continued vaguity as their mission, the party trust in him completely and follow him onwards. Over the next two days, Merut exposits: when the Blue wizards wanted to get rid of all Devils, the Red wizards split and formed The Order. The party have to climb over the craters left by the Gaunt siege on The Order to arrive in the shadow of the great monumental ziggurat that stands over the pit that has been dug into The Order. The place is full of negative energy, Flea feels disconnected from his magic circles, and Phoebe's heartstone becomes inert. With the threat of the most chaotic megadungeon in Dorun lying before them, Setep reveal part of what Varganak told him, that they are looking for some kind of lens. With this, the party take an elevator down, down into the depths of the Order, to the forefront of the dwarven excavation efforts.
The Maelstrom (7)
The Glistening Cave
The party pass layers and layers of ruins that have been picked clean. The red wizards have to retreat deeper and deeper to escape from the Gaunts. The architecture is strange, reliant on portals and esoteric transport. The elevator stops at the forward dwarven camp. Thet speak with a business dwarf near the front of the camp called the vendor. He claims to trade in warpstone and is willing to trade resources, and found keys, in exchange for intact chunks of it. As he draws up a map for Setep, he explains that the FLameguard have made them stop excavation for a while, even though they were very close to a new breakthrough. During this the party spot the entrance to crypts to the east, and a sealed tomb to the west. Atsara is distracted by a cluster of mushrooms while walking to the Crypts. Naggie notices there's a secret passage behind the growths, and Elu clears it up a bit. Merut makes a rope to descend down onto an enormous toadstool. There are two myconids milling around, ignoring the party. When Setep tries to communicate with them, they shake their head to release spores. As the spores are breathed in, it's translated telepathically as a greeting. Setep enquiries after warpstone, and the mushroom people reply that they've seen them before to the south. Elu headpats one of them, and poofs some spores out, causing her to temporarily intrude on his internal monologue. A trail of slime to the south ends in a side cavern with a flail snail in it, eating greenery on the ceiling. While Setep is tempted to harvest it's valuable iridescent shell, he is outvoted. The next room is a large cavern, lit by bioluminescent fungus, gemstones and glowing fish. It seems the party have wondered away from their quarry and into the Underdark. Flea harvests some Psathyrella, Merut harvests some Rhodalite gems, and Atsara admires some Blood Caps and Violet Fungus that he keeps a distance from. Setep investigates a side passage with emerald debris, but is attacked by a Xorn. Setep removes an arm before Elu comes charging in, tearing the emeralds from within the creature as it is split in two. Elu then moves onto the next room - inside is the glow of a warpstone. While trying to excavate it, it explodes violently, burning and poisoning her in equal amounts. Merut heals her up, and Phoebe translates some Celestial near a golden magic circle that states that if Demons arrive, 'call for aid'. In the next room, there are multiple ten-foot tall hourglass-y crystalline tubes from floor to ceiling, all arranged in a row. Thin, and dripping with water, Merut plays a tune on them. In the last room is a mushroom cluster. Earthy, beige. Flea identifies them as oyster mushrooms. Further in, it seems to be another warpstone crystal. The crystal cutting hand of the Xorn is implemented to safely harvest it. The party travek north of where the myconids were, and find drow warnings of demons up ahead, in a path that leads back to the Order. The party harvest some psychedelic mushrooms along the way before returning to the surface to trade in the warpstone for a key They entered the crypt, with named rooms, and a collapsed section by the end. Atsara inspects it and spots a shallow secret passage. Merut is sent over, and they set forth. It loops all the way round to the first room, the one with the comment 'Never one for the front door'. Atsara opens the coffin revealing a four-eyed corpse along with an Oil of Sharpness and a Potion of Heroism. Atsara then opens door number 2 while the rest of the Band stand a safe distance away - inside is only a damp journal. Only one page has survived: "They were able to seal the lower level and the secrets and codexes within. God forbid our enemies find them, or worse still the six thousand tome library! Small blessings still trickle down here in the deep". The party leave and head over to investigate the Sealed Tomb. Outside it, stand statues of a Paladin, a Wizard, a Monk and a Ranger. The paladin is missing his shield's crest. The wizard's staff is missing it's gem. The monk is missing prayer beads. And there's a strange red and black trail leading from the legs of the ranger that leads off the edge. Perhaps an animal companion. The party put the tomb and crypts to the back of their mind and investigate the next hall.
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The Maelstrom (8)
Gods Unknown, Gods Unmade
The party arrive at the second floor where they are met with entrances to: The Chapel., The Hall of Shapes, The Hall of Blood. The party first explore the Hall of Shapes. Inside is a red coal, a brazier, and floating above it, purple ice containing a key. There is also one exit that leads the party to rooms corresponding to regular polygons up to eight sides polygon, but the six sided hexagon room was notably absent, perhaps there was some truth to Merut's fortune reading in Red Orchard. In the triangle room is a giant hermit crab living in a giant slice of cheese. He is asks the party geometry questions beyond their understanding and becomes increasingly frustrated and begins to insult the party, so Spacegraham tears him apart and Elu finds a coal in his head. In the square room is a tiled floor covered in divine symbols, and a coal in the far corner. The party struggle to make meaning from this for some time, being repeatedly struck by radiant bolts if they occupy the wrong space. Phoebe figures out that the correct path through the room is occupying the symbols that are unknown to them, because they are ones only the order will understand. Setep is so frustrated that he leaves goes for some fresh air. The pentagonal room has a dice in it that refuses to roll its highest value, until Elu forces it to, and it opens up giving another coal. In the heptagonal is a seven leaf clover, sparking nostalgia in Atsara, to playing on grass plains where his brother once offered him a four leafed clover. As Atsara picks the seven leaf clover, he is unluckily struck on the head by a falling coal. The octagonal room has a web on the ceiling that, upon being plucked, causing a fake red spider to head to the point of contact, Atsara guides the fly to fake flies that are 'trapped' in the web, and the Spiders abdomen falls off, the last coal. The party burn the coals and melt the purple ice to get the key and head to the next area. The party investigate The Chapel. It is small area containing alot of books on varying accounts of divine origin, varying histories, varying pantheons. A side room contains a wardrobe with red robes in it. The main prayer room has writing on the floor saying 'we make our own gods' a fountain promising dark gifts, and a book called The Book of Dawn, the party leave these offerings alone and head to the Hall of Blood. They take the first door, into a large laboratory with two pulsing red pillars either side of the door that halt entry until dispelled. On the nearest table, were papers, student complaints. They include comments like "I hear it in my dreams", "It turns Ezrem into light", "Since we found it bones big enough, it won't stop listening to me" and "It makes me want to look at the stars".
To the north is an alcove with an open door, leading to a vat full of blood. As Atsara inspects the blood, it inspects him back - a shadowy face appears in the vial. "You out there... You have come to free me..." It claims it was formed from pulped Tiefling's, who, once returned, appeared in The Order. It wants a body, and Atsara has no blood. The party debate this creatures proposal for sometime, but eventually Atsara is resolved to do it and says goodbyes. He also tells the party about his brother Intom. The creature was referred to as a Necrichor, and grants Atsara some limited use of it's abilities, and a shiny Red Finish. The party heads to the door to the west, leading through a small rocky tunnel that opens into a large cavern with a truly enormous set of bones, and the inscription "Bones and Blood, A Body for the Mortal World". Phoebe secret tunnels while Flea harvests a Warpstone. In the Eastern hidden room is a number of encoded containers of living creatures power. The party solve 6/12, with Atsara double dipping. The party then continue the search.
The Maelstrom (9)
The Weight of Knowing
While the party rest, Atsara enjoys a rare sleep, only to find that his dreams are being guarded by Nagi, Somany, and a tall goblinoid figure. Elu is hard as ever to wake the next morning, but Phoebe seems to have gotten up early and done some reading; she is handling her knowledge better than normal. Everyone returns to the hall of blood. Phoebe finds a hidden room with a hidden docket of papers. Upon inspection, it's torn pages describe some amulet in four pieces that was made to seal a secret away. One of the pieces appears to be Atsara's Ardent Coin, from the Hall of Shapes. The pages also seems to note a possible infiltration and the arrival of the Gaunt miners. Another secret room is hexagonal, with a central table. On the table are two emitter rods and a flat glass lens between them. The walls are grey and dark, and somewhat reflective. There are greatly extended shadows cast by the rods to the north and south. The reflection on the walls is strange. Elu is reflected as a blur, but Naggie and Spacey are not reflected at all. Atsara is blurry. Setep is not reflected, and Flea is a blur. Merut, on the other hand, is reflected cleanly and crisply. Elu tries to retrieve the lens only to find the sealing magic described in the journal blocking her and Setep's attempts. So the party look onwards. Setep heads first, but draws the attention of a swarm of haemovores, that are swatted away from cracks at the end of a collapsed tunnel. Flea uses Stone Shape to pass, and Elu sees something shiny and silver amongst the rubble. It's the symbol of a flower with six petals. Elu finds bundles of corpses in one room and the party look for another way forwards. Elu breaks a pump overlooking two massive pools of blood which causes the blood to rise and monstrous shapes to start appearing beneath the surface, so Merut quickly casts mending and the activity stops. The party then trigger a trapped lecture hall, all the contained records of research on dark powers are destroyed by explosions of boiling blood.. Merut uses Dimension Door to escape with Setep, and the two free the others. On her way out, Phoebe notes old chalk writing on the blackboard. "The Crusade - An Astral Assault and the Opportunity. Another laboratory is locked by a puzzle requiring people to donate their blood to an appropriate blood type. The party overlook the bookshelves here, quite finished with academia for the time being, but find someones first attempt at a phylactery, Elu knocks it onto the floor smashing it. In a hidden passage Elu finds another crypt key floating on a blood cloud. The party decide to unlock some crypts, and Flea goes to spend his warpstone on key no.11. Meanwhile, Setep returns to the lens room, and reflects on the knowledge he is keeping secret. He is disturbed.
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The Maelstrom (10)
The Ninth Trial
The party rest before the crypts. Setep and Flea talk in front of the fire. Flea notices Setep's disquiet and asks him about it. Setep is clearly still committed to keeping his promise to Varganak and staying silent about the nature of the lens they have come for. Flea's prodding does prompt Setep to spill that Merut would likely find it scary. Flea says that Merut is often paranoid and reminds Setep of the time Merut convinced himself to start an uprising in Whetgreen. Setep asks Flea if he would kill another party member if he had to, Flea agreed, but was unconvincing when it was Setep in question. Elu somehow has a vision of nagi singing to herself as she sleeps, that confuses the two of them, so Elu back pedals. They then go and open crypt 4, where they find the stone prayer beads, some unholy trinkets, and ignore some weird ritual circles. Setep opens crypt 11, a starry and wondrous room. Setep acquires the deceased Archmage's robes. Merut opens crypt 11 and is covered in illusionary blood. He finds a +1 enchantment stone within. Atsara opens crypt 10, and finds the following riddle beside a chalice of blood. "Complete are the trials of 1-8. Complete this trial of 9. 9 drops, 9 people, 9 races. And you, should you choose, are welcome to enter my final rest, where I can offer you an idea as to the shape of all things. I offer you my eyes." The party and one unfortunate Dorf drop blood in the goblet and open the passage. This is enough with Elu's mutant blood being distinguished from Merut's. Elu is snacking, and ingests some magic mushrooms, which she gives to Setep and Merut. Elu then follows Atsara, Flea, and Phoebe into the newly opened passage. Setep and Merut, high, wait outside. No sounds passes the threshold, and only vague shapes can be seen. In the room are strange alien growths. Purple rock, or wood, or something between, form plumes that step up to a pedestal in this 30ft tall. A mundane appearing chest lies at the top, amid tangled red roots. It's been coated in varnishes to preserve it. Upon Atsara opening the chest, a panel on the back wall drops away with a click and a rock goes flying out, smashing into Elu and Phoebe, biting them with teeth. It's the skull of a Death Tyrant. All the red roots open at the ends reveal eyes that begin shooting beams. The way back is blocked. The tyrant throws atsara around, attempts to charm and slow. Elu is hit multiple times by it's death ray, but stands firm, though Merut cannot heal under the gaze of the Death Tyrant, Sklixlan's, main eye beam. Flea buys them a minute with a banish, but it comes back and hits Elu with a disintegration beam, she turns to dust. Flea is hit by a death beam and dies. Phoebe hits the creature with her Githyanki silver dagger, she tears it apart. The barrier between rooms break. Merut is caught up and quickly revivifies Elu and Flea using his last diamonds. Phoebe screams at Setep hysterically, calling him irresponsible while Elu is in shock. Flea and Atsara share a hug. Elu collects the last coallesed idea of the Death Tyrant, fear of her fists, and puts it in her pack. Merut tries to console Setep, but Setep is limp. He reveals the lens they are looking for is a piece of the machines, the towers of Majesty, that purged tieflings. It is the part that distinguished between those of infernal bloodlines. Merut is greatly disturbed, but Setep insists it is meant to be used against Sweetsong. Merut leaves to contemplate this. Setep says to Flea that the job is killing him and he can't do it anymore, Flea tries to reassure him that he doesnt blame him, but the two just resolve to keep a brave face, and keep moving forward. The party rest, recover, and eat Fleas food, decorated to look like their faces. Phoebe returns from alone time and seems like she wants to leave, but Flea convinces her that Setep has to play the fool sometimes to keep them all together as a family. Otherwise they would just be killers and coworkers. Phoebe decides to give Setep one more chance. Elu is hardening her heart to adventure on as well. She doesn't want to leave Naggie behind again. The next morning with their bravest faces on, the party head down into the Hall of Water. Naggie uses shape water to alter a flowing stream to open one of two doors. They head north.
The Maelstrom (11)
What Was When The World Wasn't
The party come to a corridor, in which, once you move 10ft forwards, it prevents you from moving back, forcing the party to split. Setep and Phoebe investigate a room with a raining fountain dedicated to Thazmad. The fountain says 'Aquae Mortis'. They also find a key in the room. To the south is a trading toom with portals set up between the elemental planes of water and fire. An agitated Efreeti does not want and audience, and blows Setep out of the room with a fireball. Atsara opens the next room, within, four telepathic voices, madly and desperately looking to free something they think is close. Whatever creature had them enthralled in such a way, did not give them immunity to Merut's psychic blasts. The creatures, Chuuls, split in two parts before they could do more than crush a few of Atsara's ribs. The room had alot of empty crates in it, Merut instead found himself a red wizard robe, and Atsara harvested a chuuls poison sack. Elu peaks inside another door, and sees a homely looking study with a massive stone slab positioned vertically from floor to ceiling. Atsara notices a slow trickling of water from an invisible source in the ceiling onto the stone tablet once a second. Where it lands, is a deep eroded pit reaching halfway down vertically. There are markings in it, a calendar, marked by erosion. It starts in the late 16,000s. On a scratched up shelf, is a tiny glass with a Water Weird in it. Atsara calls it 'lil goober' and hands it to Elu. On a desk, is sheet music. Handwritten. It's called a Song for Caves. There's a heavy metal door in the end of the room with a large bolt latch across it. Behind is a metal corridor, with a small wooden door and a large vault door. In a number of languages are the following rules for proceeding past the vault door: Rule 1: Do not touch the water. Rule 2: Do not make ANY noise. Rule 3: No more than one person may be in the chamber. Rule 4: If someone cannot exit, or asks you to enter, close the door. Atsara enters. Around knee height is a small arch. The rest is a natural rock formation. There is a small opening that will lead down and ahead. That small passage is flooded, with a divided section that's low to the ground. There's a 5x6 foot paddle boat floating there. Beyond is pitch black, Atsara do not know the shape of the cavern, the size, or the depth of the water, but Atsara notes the shape of the wall near the small exit. Atsara paddles through the silence, until he makes his way to an island. On it is a layer of mucus, full of bones, clothes, a warpstone gem, and a piece of radiant ore. There is a wooden plank, with words poorly carved. "Don't come back - it's free". In utter silence, Atsara paddles back only to find that the water level has risen and blocked off the tunnel. From beneath the water, the enormous something that had displaced the water enough to shift the water level metres upwards is seen, but only as three vertically aligned red eyes open and an echoing voice calls out. Atsara empties himself - reaches true void, reducing himself to an automaton of bone with no thoughts. Without response, the creature eventually leaves and Atsara escapes the vault. He is unable to process or properly recount what just happened, but he is rattled. The party pass through another room, containing many fish contained in giant floating bubbles of varying sizes, to find another study. It's filled with colour, blending, merging, and other examples of transitive merging. Most interestingly is a machine that is able to transmute properties, such as making a hammer and a thermal pot into a metal pot and a warm hammer. During the deliberations about what to make with the machine, Setep and Flea speak alone, and Flea reveals that he doesn't have typical male genitalia, Setep is cool about it. The machine also makes a dagger that rots, and a poison sack made of metal. When Setep puts his sword Amends and a diamond into the machine, the value exceeds the machines capabilities and it explodes. It only outputs on thing. A sword bigger than Setep, an already big man. It is the sword of a bigger man. He holds it high and it glows with prismatic power.
The Maelstrom (12)
The Apprentices
The party investigate a portal in a closet that leads to a Hall of Residence, the place has been abandoned, and trapped, but found documents suggest the supervisor Moxis was instructed to dispose of the students in some way. Elu finds an infusion scroll of combustion. At the end of the corridor is a study hall with a notice on the door stating: "they will go no deeper. thank you, loyal aspirants" . As the party investigate the study room, they find no trace of the three apprentices, but find three creatures that reveal themselves from the dark corners of the rooms. Nothics, that begin to torment the party with past truths and mocking omens. One whispers to Phoebe "You were told what would happen! You have always known. She told you, and here you are with the Lion!". Atsara is told: "You don't know yourself, but I do! I know what you did!". Setep is told: "Things you would have done! Things you are yet to do! They won't forget you - they won't FORGIVE you!" Phoebe asks the one that spoke to her if it knows why she is here. The Nothics say we have missed the answer - the pieces are there, but we cannot put them together. They warn Setep that he has death ahead and behind him, and that he would not have it any other way. As Elu enters the room, one of the creatures speaks... "Sole survivor!" One speaks to Flea, and says "Your children will not take your name - but their children will!" One speaks to Merut, and says "You seal your own doom! Seal it into the annals of history! You will BURN, they will BURN and you shall hold the match!" . It tells Setep that he found fortune in Fenfang's death, and that he will make friend of an enemy, and enemy of a friend before all this is done. At that, Setep instructs the party to leave, Atsara quickly grabs a golden amulet before Setep seals the door. The group return to the halls of water to examine the last few rooms. One controls the one way corridor, one is a closet with a hung Red Wizard within, on their belt is key no.7. The party then leave the hall of water and follow the tracks from the sealed tomb to the Hall of Beasts. The party find a slaughter room, an incubation room, a hall with a large caged chimera spewing acid (which is quickly left), and another hall with tree shrews, proto apes, and dead cavemen inside. Naggie casts Speak With Animal to the elegant apes in the cage. Setep insults them, so Merut attempts to smooth things over by spending his Bardic powers to summon cups of tea. With everyone's abilities almost spend. The party decide to collect some mushrooms from the glistening cave and then rest. However, in the caves, Merut remembers Atsara's sheet music when looking at the musical crystals. Merut plays the piece and key no.13 is revealed. But shriekers react to the sound, and the sound echoes through the underdark tunnels, amplifying and drawing the attention of some great burrowing monster that causes the cavern to begin to cave in. the party pick up the flail snail and myconids and return to the elevator platforms and see the Purple Worm burrowing through the cavern towards them.
Depths
Chapter
The Maelstrom (13)
Wyrm Tunnels
Setep casts Prismatic wall, but he purple worm goes beneath it breaks the platform Merut and Elu are standing on. Elu grabs onto a wall and quickly climbs back up, but Merut is swallowed whole. Flea uses gust of wind to knock the purple worm into the prismatic walls and it is bombarded by elemental damage. Atsara and Setep throw a flurry attacks that causes Merut to be regurgitated, however he has passed out from the stomach acid pain. Elu catches him and then jumps into the fray for the final blows. As the rest of the attackers jump off, Setep rides the corpse down into a secret, landing on a safe ledge one level down. As the corpse continues falling, it looks like the body is disintegrated - clearly something on the lowest level is expecting intrusion. The party take the elevator down into the passages that the purple worm has uncovered, but there is no dwarven platforms for them to traverse. So Setep, already on the ledge, and Phoebe once having flown across, go into the wyrm tunnels to look for something to use as a bridge. Phoebe and Setep find a gelatinous cube, a seam of Cold Iron and a large spider web with a myconids trapped within. There's also what appears to be a purple worm trap of some kind, built from a series of gates and pressure plates, and a network of ferrite bars across the far end of the tunnel. On the other side is what seems to be a Xorn, but metallic rather than made of stone. After a bit of translation, Setep works out it speaks Goblin in a rather strange accent. It's room also has veins of precious looking metals and crystals upon which it lives and sleeps. The creature seems to have some sort of mental control over the ferrite bars and metal. There are boxes of sheet metal, lead, aluminium and other valuable resources that Setep offers to trade for, including the metal poison gland. In return the 'Xarin', a Xorn adjacent race, is named Xagron by the party and molds metal into bridges to severaL different red wizard passages. Merut recieves a Robe of the Archmagi during an impromptu rest. Then, the party continue looking through the worm tunnels, finding elementals mining, a dead purple worm, some drider legs poking from underneath a collapsed tunnel passage, and a giant tiefling skeleton. They also find Starsteel; Adamantine ore from the phlogiston, with negative energy focused into it through phaserous crystals (high magic radiation). Weapons made of this material ignore resistances. It is likely that such a rare an valuable material, requiring such precise conditions to form, could only do so in the fated path of a Maelstomyr, and their aura of chance.
The Maelstrom (14)
The Empty City
Xagron is pried away from some crystal insects called Crysmals, after a feast of diamonds, to Merut's great displeasure, then the party investigate the partial ruins of a tiefling city from before the purging. They find a shrine of arwayen, an archaic following of Aswain, and curiosly, the strange infernal coins from Stadium. Then the party find a red wizard office that reveals some truths. After the 600 red wizards left the blues, due to the plan to purge tieflings, the red rizaards tried to learn the tieflings secret rituals that created Mithilars, live wires of magic that could infinitely maintain high level magic effects, like the tieflings flying cities. The tieflings did not concede, so today, we use warpstone as a fuel to temporarily mimic this effect. After the purge, red wizards stored the empty cities in safe places incase the tieflings ever returned. Red Orchard, containing the only surviving mithilar, was experimented on for a time, but the mithilar could not be repurposed, so the floating city was placed in the frozen wastes of Uild. It then became known as Skyreach, and once the mithilar broke, and crashed to the ground near Berrins, it became known as Caltor. Infex, was taken into the order, this is the parties current location. Kujo, is in the Farsky, on the back of the great drake Kujo, it is inhabited by aasimar and is where Yuki was born. Corfenn was laid to rest in Dorunfye, but was overtaken by the fey blight. And Areena, was sent to the outlands, however outlanders placed the city on great machine legs, and translated the name to Stadium. It was then taken by a maddened Nox, and the rest is history. The party walk past a tomb tapper, intent on breaking through some magic seal, and collect all the tiefling remains in the city and place them to rest, swearing to not let this purging happen again. Phoebe picks up someones notes. Merut finds a house that has writing on the wall: 'yesterday, i saw the sun rise in the west. I knew it was the end. Today I awoke to a sky of stone, this is not my world anymore.' Merut infers that some tieflings of Red Orchard were returned underground. Atsara finds a tapestry depicting the purging, and sees devils, and rakshasa, destroying themselves, to reform on their homeplanes, rather than be purged away. Atsara then has a memory of Sweetsong revealing he did this, to Intom, before mocking Intom for not being a conqueror like him, prepared to do anything. Atsara had clung onto Intom, and the Claws of the Clowder looked down on both of them, despite their ranks and achievements. Elu also finds a runestone in a ruined market. The party then head to the hall of light, where they find many mirrors, that they must direct a beam of light through. Though they are forced to bang on the mirrors to keep Mirror Mephits on the other side of the mirror from darkening the panes.
The Maelstrom (15)
Reflections of the Past
Directing the beam of light opens a great glass door, on the other side was a cloaked figure with a mirror instead of a face. It answered only sometimes when spoken to. Setep led the way into a room full of chained mirrors, while Atsara looked after Xagron. On the other side of the mirrors were crystal creatures, reflective monsters, Nerra, from the plane of mirrors. Life very different from that on the material plane. One mirror housed the red wizard Gamlock, who had been trapped there by the creature in the hall, which had broken out of another mirror. The red wizard tried to escape into the body of Setep and Merut, but the two resisted his attempted possession and covered his mirror. Another room was filled with empty mirrors, however, the reflections hid an otherwise invisible door that Setep found, inside was a plundered vault, with only a hand mirror within. Phoebe led the way into another room, where red wizards had been experimented with animating spells. An animated moonfire spell (Cailin's signature spell) had left a few red wizards as ashen bodies. Merut dispelled the effect, and Cailin went in to investigate the room. Upon finding out this purpose, she premiered one of her abilities from the Book of Vile Darkness, speaking with the dead. Phoebe asked the Red Wizards what was in the final unexplored room in the Hall of Light. It held a portal to the astral sea, where the red wizards contacted a starlight apparition, a herald, a messenger, with something. It could also describe the last missing piece of the sealing amulet, the binding. As speculated upon in the journal found in the Hall of Blood, an intruder had it. They had broken into the Order through a portal, infiltrated the wizards, and taken the binding back through. Once the Red Wizards found out, they sealed the portal with magic chains, in an area on the floor below, called the cage. The party then investigated the deliverance room and the astral portal, and found documentation, corroborated by findings in the Hall of Blood, of the following: After a great astral shockwave was sent out by Tiamat's body being temporarily destroyed by the old crusaders, scattered across the astral sea, some immaterial divine spirit was damaged, and from that a dead god was born. The same dead god that corrupted Nox and tried to corrupt Merut. The red wizards harvested tieflings to try and build their new god a physical body, the bones were near the lens, the blood was Somany. Nagrick mentions Cailin's apprentice and friend Carla, archdruid of the astral grove an recommends the party come and keep her up to date. Atsara is left in the dark, as Somanys reaction to this news, was unpredicatble.
The Maelstrom (16)
The Black Bell
The party visited a great black bell, inscribed with a dark language, with a massive crack through its side. As Elu rang the bell, a fell mist rolled in, the party did not wait to see what came with the mists. Setep told the party about how he feared there was some danger waiting for them if they took the elevator directly down, so they looked for an alternative route through Infex. Though they did not find one, they decided to further investigate the Tomb Tapper. Whatever magical item was attracted it was behind a sealed door inscribed with the following message: "Yes, you were right to be suspicious you have been fooled. And now the weapons you so desperately need have been locked away. By my divine word, I declare, no evil shall open this door.". Xagron and Elu beat down the tomb tapper and opened the seal, however they were quickly beset by the evil that had been locked behind. Three Eldritch Knights broke out, Merut counter charmed the effects of one, Elu mulched another, and the last Atsara hit, causing its ethereal form to glitch. Flea sealed the charming one using stone shape. Everyone gathered and began to heal. The eldritch knights were quickly countered, but their speed, mixed fighting style, and magic abilities lived up to their reputation. It was by strange chance that the party overcame them so well. Afterwards, Elu and Nagrick investigated a cave hidden by memory moss that made Elu remember skipping stones. The cave showed signs of a pair of children, Rignak and Yulane. Two friends who in cave writings swore to be together when they were grown. Nagrick and Elu felt sad at the idea these children had been lost, so the two told themselves that the children were just hiding, and that if they left, the children would come out of hiding and have the cave to themselves again. Merut touched the memory moss and saw visions of himself as a child, building towers from blocks, though he was conflicted, as he also enjoyed knocking them down. He and Atsara then consoled Elu as the three shared in the mourning of their lost memories. That night, was peaceful, and serene, and everyone was on good terms. The command squad felt like the family they strove to be. In their dreams, Setep, Phoebe, Elu, Spacegraham, and Merut, were led to the Astral Grove where they found Carla and the druids circle. They saw the hundreds of stars planted there since Cailin last visited, and the soul pond where atsara took his eternal rest. When Merut went to speak with Carla, the stars went dark, and a voice condemned him as a poor champion. Infant crying rang out across the astral sea and panic broke out. Carla quickly shouted at Merut, "What did you bring with you!" and to everyone else "flee, run, don't return, it's happening ag-". And then everything went black.
The Maelstrom (17)
The Unbraided
The dreamers awoke and looked around, knowing that events once set in motion, though unseen, lay in wait, and continued to develop. The party didn't speak of this to Atsara still, and instead, moved on to confront the red wizards waiting in the final unearthed layer. Merut fabricated a giant ball bearing and enlarged Setep's tungsten ball, while Xagron constructed his own metal ball, and Elu held onto the lift. All of those things were dropped below, The ground was hit with a force of a ton of dynamite, the red wizards did not survive. The party then discovered the halls of history. Through a series of puzzles referencing the number six, including fighting a horde of sixty zombies, and moving six-hundred miniatures to represent the red wizard departure, they came to the six-thousand tome library. It contained another infusion scroll, orbs of book memory, and many writings on the histories of the blue wizards and red wizards. Once they had their fill, they left for the vault. Two great magic chains held a portal shut, the portal the intruder had used. Elu broke the chains and they ventured inside. They found themselves in Uild, the nameless kingdom, under the Scarlet Tower. It was a dungeon, and within, Jorey Zealotous was locked away. An Old Crusader, a cleric of Rekeal, and infiltrator of the order. He held the last piece of the sealing amulet that kept them from the lens. A magic binding. The party learned that Palma Nobilis disapproved of his opening a portal to The Order in the middle or the city, and his months of disappearance , so she had locked him up for most of a year. He took recognition of Saldon's shield, and trust was shared between them. However, when the party went to leave back through the portal, they saw Black Helms descending into the dungeon. After a moment of confusion passed around the party, it was replaced by fear and hatred. Behind the lines of Black Helms appeared Sweetsong.
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The Maelstrom (18)
The Unborn God
Atsaras memories were restored, but he and the others knew they could not win a fight here, and moved to flee. Setep blocked one way with a prismatic wall, before Atsara threw warpstone to cause the passage to collapse. Jorey retrieved his sentient hammer, Whelm, then joined the party in returning through the portal to The Order, and repairing the magic chains that held the portal closed before. Xagron was waiting for them on the other side, where Setep spoke to him. Setep had finally realised the harm that Xagron could do since he was only with them for trinkets, so he sent him away. Xagron seemed to have learned a lot of humanoids from this experience, but ultimately, trinkets were his main passion. It was farewell. In the elevator ride back to the Hall of Blood, Atsara spoke to the group about his nature as a revenant. He suspects the next time he fights Sweetsong will be the last time, and if he is victorious, then the revenant power animating him will fail. A part of him knows that one day soon, he will have to say goodbye to his new family, to reunite with his old one. When the party reached the Hall of Blood, they found the nearby cavern littered with small ethereal stars, like those nurtured in the astral grove, then inside, they were greeted by two moonfire guardians, who disappeared when seen. Then in the main hall, was The Unborn God, the creature that had haunted Nox, Cailin, and Merut. It was an atropal, the dead fetus of a god, miscarried after the astral shockwave caused by the Crusaders. At it's feat were the exsanguinated bodies of many of the astral druids. They had been taken and given it body. The party fought it, while Setep rushed for the lens, it prevented healing, weakened the party, and delivered them necrotic touches and freezing stares. The party were able to severe the umbilical cord feeding it energy straight from the negative energy plane, then Merut fabricated a living bomb. They all just got out of the blast range as it went off and vapourised their foe.
DOWNPOUR
Chapter
The Maelstrom (19)
Infernal Blood
Somany diffused itself amoung the recently exsanguinated astral druids, and brought them back, but with the infernal taint in its blood, turned them to tieflings. They were very confused, but decided to head to Red Orchard. The party moved to loot the remaining crypts, where they found a very rare infusion, a very rare infusion stone, and a scroll of fish summoning. Meanwhile Jorey examined Phoebe, he worries that the only way to unattune Phoebe from the book, will be to scrape her mind of the roots it has laid there, deleting atleast a year of her memory, or break the two apart with high level primal magic. Outside the order, Phoebe talks about memory with Atsara, and Merut gives Jorey Saldon's shield when he asks. The party then return to the Lion's Den, and Setep's master plan begins. He sends word to Varganak of their actions, and then heads to Chainstoke to discuss the Nycaloths. Before he can move against them, he has to know how they gain their information, and how to prevent himself being found out. Chainstoke lays down some magical privacy and a discussion is had. He explains the hierarchy of Yugaloths, lesser, greater, and lord Yugaloths. Nycaloths are the lowest of the greater yugaloths, above them, are arcanoloths, lupine, or vulpine daemon spellcasters. And above them, are Ultraloths, like Tarlikrol. Each coven can have countless lesser Yugaloths, but one lord. However, the higher Yugaloths are interested in puppeteering the Blood War, so are less concerned with mortal affairs. Setep seems unsatisfied with this information, and an argument begins. The party have so long been able to put these troubles to the back of their minds, buying their time, but there is little left. Or rather, little else to think about until the time comes. A year. The band head home separately with plans to reconvene tomorrow. Phoebe, however, goes to buy some flowers, and asks Flea to help with a small side trip.
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The Maelstrom (20)
Landark
Phoebe visits Barlead, and the two share some fond words before moving on to discuss Phoebe's dark mark. The brand is worse than before. Phoebe and Barlead decide she needs to start weekly visits, so the mark can be monitored. Once Phoebe and Flea had returned, Setep called a meeting where he delivered the news of the next phase of his plan. He is going away, and needs Flea to take him there. He says he will be back in a couple days, and leaves Phoebe incharge. It is later speculated that he did this because Phoebe is the only one to not have let Setep down at one time or another yet. After he leaves, Phoebe plans to head to Martyr's Guild Archive to research primal magic and planar binding. On the way out, some packages arrive for Setep, and they decide not to snoop. The party first return to Chainstoke to break the ice about their previous encounter. When they're there, he assumes they have received his package. Then when he learns that Setep isn't at the band and the package is unattended, he warns the party it contained sensitive information and that THEY have probably started snooping now there's no one in the Lion's Den. He begins to pack his magical cases, and begins preparations to flee the capital. The party rush back to the Lion's Den, but find that Landark is standing over the packages in Setep's offices. Phoebe and Merut try to get the packages away without Landark catching on, but Elu tries to intimidate him, so he investigates. A fight breaks out, his attacks are brutal, dealing massive damage to Elu, but all together they're able to pull through, however, they do not kill Landark. His last words before he goes unconcious were a promise to tell Vyizm Wvimas that their contract is off, and the Band are ripe for culling, so they have to kill him in Hades before he can reform, and before anyone realises he was killed in the mortal plane. Before any plans are solidified, the contents of the packages are checked. One is from Varganak and contains commendations and the promise of future promotion to Honoured Corps, the other contains ancient artwork from Chainstoke depicting a great number of Yugaloths. Merut and Atsara coordinate Elu killing Landark with Phoebe entering the Grey Wastes. She goes invisible and rushes to the courtyard of Shadowfort to find Landark's egg-like cocoon as soon as it appears and throws it into the lava. However, the magic of her heartstone is detected by the Arcanoloth of Vyizm Wvimas, he perceives it as hag magic.
The Maelstrom (21)
A Need For Abjuration
Phoebe and the party reunite in Setep's room and discuss how things went down. From that moment on, they had to unimpeachable. So after drinks provided by Spacegraham, they carried on with their preplanned days. Elu returned to bed, and the other's headed for the Archive. There, Atsara researched magic circles and planar bindings but was unimpressed with his findings. Merut investigated magical auras that could bypass Yugaloth and Rakshasa resistances. Meanwhile Phoebe learned about Primal Magic, nature spirits, the feywild, and good things that seemed in stark contrast to her readings from the book of vile darkness over the last year. She also speaks to Illnor Chandri, asking about any kind of census or address book in the Martyr's Guild. Unfortunately, there is no such resource. Phoebe keeps her actions, and motivations, private. Merut visits Bars the Bard in the B&S Orchestra Hall in Angel's Wake to discuss technique. He finds Bars in a sorry state, it seems His, Yuki, and Jorey's reunion the night before either went really well, or really badly, as he is sodden in booze, and refuses to talk about the night before. He tells Merut that a bard must be versatile for the needs of the party. He says a bard absolutely must heal, but if he can attack at the same time then that it also important; both will keep friends alive. Merut says he is crumbling from the pressure of it, so Bars offers to mentor him. Meanwhile, Setep and Flea are on a date in Sylfshire, after which, Setep visits the vendor he stole from when he was last there. He wishes him well and leaves him with a small amount of gold. That night, Setep talks to Flea about their dreams and where they want to end up. Setep thinks Blue City would be fun, as long as he could continue to run the band. Flea speaks about himself, about the expectations people used to have of him because of a family name, but that he is dedicated to Setep and will follow him wherever. The next morning, they resume their date, but teleport to Forlonde. Setep makes a detour to visit the woman he attacked for being bigoted. She is not doing very well and is in prison. Setep tries to help, but she is beyond help. She wants freedom and nothing else, and Setep cannot offer it. So he leaves her to her misery, and pushes her from his mind.
The Maelstrom (22)
Chainstoke
Setep and Flea have a drink in the Unwritten Fowl with Yip Cork, with whom they share stories of their adventures. Eventually, the three are surprised by the arrival of Tartaryn Chainstoke, who fled the capital the day before. He is heavily agitated and inconsolable. He mutters about being caught in Setep's destiny unable to escape. His good nature is weighed against the bands deeds and without recourse, he reveals his secret. He transformed into an adult Bronze Dragon and attacks. He kills Yip Cork, a local guard (Lieutenant Baker), knocks Setep and another local guard (Officer Stakeson) unconscious. Flea and Local Officer Mallorey escape with the wounded while Chainstoke is banished. Chainstoke begins madly hunting Setep down, he too is on his last leg, one good hit away from death. Flea rests Setep down and tells him he loves him before heading out himself to try and fell the mad dragon before it turns its attention to the Lion's Den. Meanwhile, Merut heads to Chainstoke's shop in the Cat's Pajamas Market to smooth things over, only finding signs of some kind of draconic transformation. He tells the others and communes with a Hexton, learning that Chainstoke is an immediate threat. Immediately, Merut tries to contact Setep, but the spell fails. Next he tries Flea. Flea is collapsed against a post clutching a great many electric burns and cuts. Before him is Chainstoke. He managed used a gust of wind to knock Chainstoke from the air, bringing him crashing to his death. He receives Merut's message and gives Setep credit for defeating the dragon, aware of the heavy criticism that has recently been pointed at Setep. This conincides with the mood of the others changing on many matters that they had disagreed with Setep about. Their faith was affirmed. The electric attacks against Flea have caused him chest pains around his heart, and he falls unconscious.
The Maelstrom (23)
Elu Bakes A Cake
Setep's wounds from his fight with Daerith Dog-Ears are reopened and he cannot lift his sword once he awakens. He and Flea take there time to muster the strength to go on with their excursion. Meanwhile, assured of the other two's safety, Elu and Nagrick try to lighten the mood by baking a cake, however, they do not know the recipe, and end up using pork rinds instead of baking powder, 10x the required amount of egg, and the water weird 'little goober', they collected from the halls of water instead of milk. The end result was a kind of egg-cake-elemental thing that Elu began to play with to every else's bemusement. Once Flea returns, 'Caker' will be offered to Barlead to raise. Setep and Flea head to their next location, Stadium, where the two enjoy a romantic dinner at a giant establishment. The waiter seems to offer a large range of dairy products and seems concerned that his patrons must be 'cheeseheads' to enjoy portions of a giant size. Partway through the meal, Setep hears a calling from elsewhere on Stadium. The ghost of Fenfang, grown wiser in death, calls to Setep and tells him that she is grateful for being a good leader and looking after the people that she couldn't. She says she senses Setep is disturbed by something, planning something, and asks if it is to keep them safe. Setep says yes. Fenfang then asks if he has the strength to do what must be done. Setep says yes. After the meal, Setep and Flea head to their last destination, Whetgreen. Setep reunites the village people who first heralded him as a hero. When Setep has a moment alone, he begins to have a panic attack, and holds back something horrible within. He takes Flea to the place they met, the place they walked by after they left Stadium, a patch of blue flowers arranged in a spiral. There he tells Flea they cannot be together, and that it is time to go home, leaving him with a note. Seteo does not return to the band however, he goes to the Shadowfort, and begs Vzarro to rearrange the deal. Vzarro says Landark died, and that his deal was passed upwards to Tarlikrol, the Ultroloth. Setep demands an audience and the smokey figure with fiery eyes answered but gave no ground, so Setep refused touphold the contract any longer. Tarlikrol responded, "So be it".
The Maelstrom (24)
No Pretences
Vyizm Wvimas descend on the Lion's Den, teleporting in positions to take everyone by surprise. Mezzanoloths, and Canoloths, hound the giant guards, and drakes respectively; all the while, the Nycaloths attack the party. Vzarro and Aulmpiter corner Elu in the Kitchen. Crassag and Yin N'Gith harass Merut who quickly sends out a warning, but Atsara is already being beaten nearly to redeath by Daerith Dog-Ears and Nashqatar, and Phoebe is best by Hoxchitl and Griz'Garul who begin an aerial chase. As Phoebe enters the courtyard, she sees a magical vortex is being channeled by the Arcanoloth Molat, creating a temporary bridge between worlds. Phoebe tries to attack the daemon with Finger of Death, but he casts it back. Atsara is knocked down in the great hall, where Daerith reaches for a nearby weapon to finish Atsara off with, however he finds Harmbane, and accidentally brings Atsara back into the fight, who just about manages to evade Daerith, by using his awakened wraps ability to sandy step through the roof. From there, he too sees Molat and throws his last chunk of warpstone at the Arcanoloth causing him to lose his concentration and get sucked back into hell. Elu reluctantly accepts Merut's healing, and the two hold off Aulmpiter, with Vzarro leaving them too it. When Vzarro arrives outside, he sees Molat gone and gets a scent for the hag magic. He sees all the Nycaloths but Aulmpiter fighting on the storeroom roof with Atsara and Phoebe. They strike down Crassag and Hoxchitl, but Atsara is overwhelmed when Daerith catches up, and he is held down as he sees Phoebe decapitated. However, black tendrils burst from her neck wound and reattach her head, she slits Yin N'Giths throat, killing him, and all the Yugaloths retreat. Phoebe is numb and cold. At which time Flea arrives, with Setep's letter, and his orders, his plan. Wait till spring, kill Gallith, gather the crusaders, bring war to Sweetsong, and send Atsara, Flea and Jorey into hell to finish him. Setep is trying to offer himself up to call off the Nycaloths. It seems he failed, but his note promises that he has not abandoned them, and his plan will ensure that this pride of lions will endure, even if it is his Pride's End.