Varus Journal: Entry #11, Welcome to Devil Town!

Episode 11, Welcome to Devil Town!

When we exited Greystone Keep after disposing of the bone devil and his minions, we were surprised to see Unagi approaching! Evidently, he had decided not to return to Neverwinter with the others but to double back and aid us on our mission to the “Barony”. The monk had an uncanny ability to show up unexpectedly.

When we arrived, we were in such a hurry to examine the keep that we hardly noticed the small village that surrounded it. Now we decided to investigate. Like the keep, the village was in ruins. The buildings were in disarray; some of the walls had been ripped out. The roofs and walls had weather damage, and some were rotting away. There was a fountain in the middle of the courtyard, but the water was not running

Basel inspected the courtyard and saw footsteps in the mud, some up to 16” long. He also sensed the presence of undead, but it was not constant—it came and went, which he found unnerving. He inspected the fountain, and sensed it was magical. It appeared to be clogged.

“Something is watching us,” said Unagi.

“I’d be surprised if something wasn’t, in this place.”

Varus went and inspected the fountain. It was a statue of a human heroine dressed in armor who was cradling a fallen soldier. It touched Varus, and he sang a song of respect for the dead. As he sang, the statue began to weep from its stone eyes. He was deeply moved, and hope that the heroine was at rest.

Tomeck naturally headed to the tavern to see if there was anything to drink, and Tyala followed. The inside was busted up pretty well. There were burn marks on the walls, as if someone had been swinging a torch around. He searched for booze.

Surprisingly, there were some unopened crate and barrels. When Tomeck moved one of the barrels, it started vibrating. Her spider-sense tingling, Tyala pushed him out of the way. The barrel exploded and green goo burst forth. Then it felt the cold, shrank back, and perished. Whatever the nasty stuff was, it did not like the cold.

Unagi joined them and started searching the barrels as well. Most of them had been resealed. The monk found a small skeleton, possibly halfling, holding a sword. He grabbed it – and then felt something in his mind. It tried to take control of him. He mentally fought the attack and was able to resist. He realized that it was the sword! It had a mind of its own. Now in control, he examined the weapon more closely. The blade crackled with electricity, but he could discern little more. He went out in the courtyard and showed it to Basel. The paladin cast detect evil on it, and did not sense it. However, he did detect the that sword was honor-bound, but only if the wielder willingly gave in to the sword’s influence. He was able to discern that it had been created by a human civilization in a time when magic was more abundant. It was engraved with a symbol of power, and was a badge of high office. 

Varus was intrigued to hear of this intelligent weapon, and inspected it as well. It was +1 to hit and damage, and did an d6 additional electrical damage. He saw the it would keep the monk at a comfortable temperature whether it was hot or cold. It dulled gems and jewelry, reducing their value by at least half. Once attuned to the sword, the monk would be proficient in History.

While the three inspected this fantastic magic sword, Tomeck and Tyala continued their inspection of the compound. On the other side was the garrison. As they approach, the rogue felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. As they entered, they saw an apparition…a ghost, like the ones we had seen in the keep. It appeared to have its hands over something.

“Hey, you there, what do you want?” asked Tomeck. The apparition turned and reached out to him, then turned back. They entered, and found a table that looked like it may have been used for medical purposed. The outline of a body was visible, with dried blood around it. There was also catgut on the table. Tomeck picked it up and spoke to the ghost.

“Here, is this what you want?” He held out the catgut to the ghost. It reached out to take the catgut, and then realized that it could not. It dissipated.

Varus and Unagi checked out a gazebo in the far corner. Our first instinct was to attack; after all, it was a gazebo! The roof of the gazebo had a gruesome sight - effigies of bone and still attached muscle and sinew. The wind whistled through the bones. The floor of the gazebo was tiled marble, and it was spotless! Further inspection revealed a button on one of the benches. After some discussion, we retreated, and Tomeck pushed the button with his mage hand. Colors swirled up the gazebo, then back down, and a portal opened in the floor with a spiral staircase leading down. Tomeck pushed the button again, and another mage hand appeared, shook his mage hand, and disappeared! 

We decided to check out the rest of the compound before descending the staircase. We approached the largest building, which appeared to be the home of a moderately successful merchant. A fire was burning in the fireplace! Two fine mahogany chairs and a table were in the room. Looking up, we were horrified to find that a giant pool of blood covered the whole ceiling! It was not still, but quivered and bulged as we watched. It definitely seemed like demonic or devilish magic, a portal to another realm. 

Basel cast Protection from Evil on Tomeck. Varus insulted the ceiling with Vicious Mockery, and the blood reacted! Tomeck decided to cast a grappling hook into the blood; Varus did not think this was a good plan. Tomeck swung the rope and launched the grappling hook upward. It plunged into the liquid and disappeared. Then the line went taut. A giant fist came through the blood and started trying to pull itself out. Basel cut the rope, which came to life and started spewing blood everywhere. Tomeck blocked it with his shield, but Basel slipped, and the blood splashed on him. He felt drained and weak as the blood dealt a serious blow to his constitution. We watched as the blood seeped through the floorboards, flowed up the walls, and merged back into the pool on the ceiling.

Unagi decided this was the perfect time to take a short rest and attune to his weapon. However, this time, he did not have the willpower. Unbeknownst to any of us, the sword took over his will. He saw visions of a judge making decisions. He now knew that the sword was True Neutral, and that he would only be interested in pursuing something that benefitted him personally. Most importantly, his alignment would randomly shift each day!

Varus examined the portal further.

“I believe that this blood is part of the River Styx, which is located in Hades. It will sap the will to live from heroes. We must not touch the blood. Basel, it looks like a Remove Curse spell would help you heal a bit. It will take a Greater Restoration spell to completely heal you.” We had access to neither of those spells.

Unagi came in and we updated him.

“Ferryman; I pay for my companions,” he said, tossing 2 gp into the ceiling. 

The threads retreat, the fire in the fireplace flared up and died down, and then a door appeared behind it. A door of complete and utter blackness. Basel realized that half of his constitution damage was gone. 

We decided to leave this alone for now and head over to the gazebo. We get on the moving spiral staircase and head down. It was a 3 minute smooth ride to the bottom, and the staircase is lined with beautiful artwork. The staircase ends in a square 40’x40’ room with a door on each wall. There are sconces on the wall that go through the spectrum of color. We opened the door to the west, and Tyala and Unagi heard cackling voices that sound dwarven.

We came to a large room with a 15’ ceiling. A metal cage with a gate stuck out on one side, extending into darkness. There was a table with a wash basin on it, bookshelves, and the colorful sconces. Tomeck, Basel, and Varus investigated. Tomeck inspected the basin and found it contained blood and herbs, and one vial. There was a manuscript as well; Basel inspected it and found it was a ledge of maladies. Varus checked out the bookcases; most of the books were ruined, but he did find a scroll with a magic missile spell on it. The cage is locked, but the bars do not seem very sturdy. There was a dung pile in one corner, and a small skull sat on top of it. Another effigy hung above it. We headed out to join the others.

Unagi went right and found a large chamber. The ceiling disappeared into the darkness. There was a large pool of water in the middle that was bubbling up. Some of the water was drawn into a tube in the center of the pool. The tube went into the ceiling, but there was a hole on one side of it, so the water spilled out and back into the pool. This seemed to be the water source for the fountain in the courtyard. Unagi threw a marble into the water; it was drawn into the tube and then fell out due to the hole. 

We decided to repair the hole in the tube. Getting in the pool seemed like a bad idea unless one wanted to do an Augustus Gloop impersonation. Tomeck scrounged a piece of leather that was large enough to cover the hole, and we had some catgut from upstairs. Working together, Tomeck and Varus used their mage hands to hold the leather in place and sew it securely. Amazingly, it worked. When the pipe was resealed, the water began to flow again. Light filled the chamber, revealing that the ceiling was 150’ above us. The fountain flowed once again.

With the light restored, we could now see the entire room. There were 3 cages; two were empty, but the last one contained the skeleton of a troll.

Tyala heard something from the cage room; it sounded like someone rattling the lock, and then stone shifting. She snuck to the door and listened. There were two voices speaking. One sounded dwarven, the other language she does not recognize.

“Hmmm, the effigy is still in place,” a strange voice cackled. She heard something sniff the air. 

Tomeck decided to check out the remaining hallway. To do so, he backed up to the closed door that behind him. The door burst open and Tomeck was swarmed by goblins. Some of them dashed by him and some attacked, hitting him twice. He cast Burning Hands on 3 of them, and when they were still standing, he cast it again. They were not standing after that. Varus sang one to sleep. Unagi attacked with his new sword, stabbing a goblin. The sword crackled with electricity, and the goblin’s head popped off! Unagi struck down a second goblin, and then coup de graced the last one in its sleep. As he did that, he stepped on a pressure plate. The pressure plate revealed a scorpion, and it fired at the monk. He was surprised, but easily sidestepped the bolt.

we came through, and tossed a copper piece down the hallway. He heard cackling again, but it was

In the spring room, the skeleton of the troll suddenly animated. The bones poured out of the cage and then reassembled into a complete skeleton. The undead troll skeleton opened its mouth in silent roar charged Basel in a fury. It attacked and swiped him with two skeleton claws. Basel blessed the monk, the bard, and the rogue. He then grabbed the skeleton and performed Lay Hands. The positive energy from the healing spell slammed into the undead creature, inuring it severely. It tried to attack him in return, but it was stunned and was not close to hitting Basel. Tomeck followed up as he charged into the room and blasted it with scorching rays. 

While they were fighting the skeleton troll, Varus spotted something coming through the door in front of the pool. It was a large, live troll. A dwarf’s head protruded from its left chest (kind of like a dwarven Kuato! “Start the reactor…”)

“Troll!” 

Varus walked straight up the wall and took up a position to fire, pulled out his wand of fireballs, and unleashed on the ghastly creature. It engulfed the troll, but also hit the edge of the pool of water. The pool was evidently magically protected, as the fireball was re-directed towards Varus as well. He was quite surprised that, and took the full brunt of the fireball.

“Ow ow ow!’ The rest was mostly unintelligible cursing. 

Unagi ran up, thrust his hand through the skeleton’s ribcage, grabbed its spine…and pulled it out and crushed it. The skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones. Again.

Tyala hit with a sneak attack on the troll as it ran up and tried to grab Unagi in its huge troll hands and grapple him. Basel’s magic put the monster at a disadvantage, and it could not wrap up the elusive monk, but its filthy claws bit into his flesh. It got even grosser as the dwarf head in the troll’s chest vomited on the monk. 

Basel called upon his god, Helm, and channeled his divinity into the lion hammer. He dashed up the back of the troll and brought his hammer down in a mighty two-handed blow upon its skull. Thunder cracked as Basel scored a perfect hit, cracking the troll’s skull. The lion head came to life and looked like a full-size lion’s head. It roared, then bit the head off of the troll! The troll collapsed, spurting green ichor out of its neck, as Basel deftly rode the falling monster to the ground and hopped off. The lion hammer practically glowed with increased power. 

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in what had just happened. Basel’s hammer had ended the battle, and seemed transformed.

“Whoa, I leveled my fucking hammer!”

“That was most impressive, Basel!” Varus exhorted.

The battle was indeed over. We searched the rest of this place, but found nothing else living. We started with the hallway where the troll had emerged, and found a sliding wall where it had dug in and made a home. It seemed to have a foot fetish, as its room/den was full of…shoes. All types. It evidently liked to sleep on them. Probably taken from its victims over the years. We searched through them all, and found two magical pairs in the process, boots of elvenkind and boots of frost. There were several sacks of disgusting meat. There were also many of the bone effigies like we had seen throughout the town. Studying them in greater detail, Varus realized that they were identified with one of the gods of the giants, and acted as a conduit of power. 

As we walked through the rest of this level, it was clear that the pool and fountain system were once again powering this complex. The corridors were well lit in a rainbow of color. We headed through the west door of the central room, and it opened onto a well-furnished bedroom. A wizards bedroom. A crystal orb glowed on a small table in the middle of the room. There were several paintings on the wall, including one of a kobold sauntering by. The wooden wardrobe contained fine clothes and wizards robes. Tyala opened a small chest to find 10 beautiful blue spinels. There were 3 weapons, and they were all magical: a longbow, a rapier, and a dagger. There was also a wand of fireballs.

The library contained a number of mundane titles and two interesting ones. One was The Simple Sliimes, a book on the lifecycle of green slimes and related monsters.

Basel and Varus looked at the second boo. It appeared to be bound in…flesh. It was entitled ERUPTUS DOMENO EXCORISMOS. Varus studied the title carefully, and his eyes grew wide as he realized its origin.

Basel started to pronounce the title.

“ERUP…,” Varus clapped his hand over Basel’s mouth.

“Do NOT pronounce this out loud. It is of the lower planes. This most likely has something to do with that blood gate upstairs.”

We finished searching the room. The chandelier was quite impressive, and Varus walked up the wall to the ceiling and inspected it while hanging upside down. He estimated that it was worth around 10,000 gp! He told the group and asked Tyala if he could remove it and take it for the group funds.

“This could finance a ship for us!” His eyes gleamed.

“Oh, very well. It’s not doing much good here.”

He detached it with the help of others, and put it in the bag of holding.

No one had inspected the crystal orb, so Varus boldly picked it up. He burned an Identify spell and found it was an orb of augury; divination magic that would answer two questions each day. It would answer with weal, woe, weal and woe, or nothing.

When we were finished exploring the wizards laboratory, we headed back up to see if this book was the key to closing that damn river of blood portal to Hades. When we rode the escalator back up, the walls coruscated with a spectrum of colors, and soothing music played. When we reached the gazebo, we found the magic hand here had cleaned the area. It shooed us away impatiently.

It was about noon by this point.

“We have to take care of this by sundown, if we are going to remain in this place. Things are much more likely to come through then,” Varus informed them.

It turned out that the evil tome was written in orcish, and Unagi was the only one who knew that language. He wanted to start the ceremony without reading through the book first, but everyone, led by Tomeck, insisted that he must read it at length and be very sure of what to do. Messing up this spell could have disastrous results.

He finally acquiesced, and started reading it. The title was The Dominator, The Thief, and The Exorcist, and the beginning was filled with general instructions and warnings. 

·        It was a book of banishment and would close this portal

·        Beware of the blood

·        When the blood from the portal touched the ground, it pulled in both directions

·        Do not go through the dark door where the entity lives

·        Do not come out at midnight

The tome finally listed the material components for the spell:

1.      The blessed blood of one individual

2.      From Down Under, a hair from the chin

3.      The hand of a betrayer

Basel seemed like an obvious choice for the blessed blood. Tomeck donated some of the hair from his chin.

“Hand of a betrayer. Hmmmm. That is a tough one. Hand of a betrayer, eh?” Varus asked, “Hey, Unagi, who do we know that’s betrayed? Remember when Auntie Murphy took control of you and you attacked us? I’m pretty sure that counts. Hey, I’ve got a great idea. How about we cut your hand off for the ceremony. We really need to close this gate before dark. We have two potions of regeneration. After we cut your hand off, you can drink one of the potions and grow it back. Piece of cake.”

Unagi could not tell if Varus was serious or not, but he certainly seemed intent. Unagi declined. Varus seemed disappointed.

“Wait, what about those goblins downstairs. Those things betray each other.” We went back down and retrieved one of the goblin’s hands. As everyone watched uneasily, Unagi read the incantation and performed the ceremony. At the end, the portal closed, much to our relief. Basel no longer sensed anything from the lower planes. The town was restored. The fountain had come back to life, and we could see that the statue of the heroine had red hair and that the man she cradled been shot with several bolts. A rainbow of colors flowed down her and into the fountain.

Magic/Treasure info from this and previous sessions

Haunted Village

·        2 potions of regeneration (Tomeck)

·        scroll of magic missile (Varus)

·        Boots of elvenkind (Basel). While you wear these boots, your steps make no sound, regardless of the surface you are moving across. You also have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks that rely on moving silently.

·        Boots of frost (Varus). These furred boots are snug and feel quite warm. While you wear them, you gain the following benefits:

·        You have resistance to cold damage

·        You ignore difficult terrain created by ice or snow

·        You can tolerate temperatures as low as −50 degrees Fahrenheit without any additional protection. If you wear heavy clothes, you can tolerate temperatures as low as −100 degrees Fahrenheit.

·        Crystal orb of augury (2 questions/day) (Varus)

·        10 blue spinels (500 gp/each)

·        +2 longbow (Tyala)

·        +2 rapier (Varus)

·        +2 dagger (Basel)

·        wand of fireballs (Varus)

·        10K gp chandelier

·        Book: The Simple Slimes (10 days of study)

Unagi's intelligent magical shortsword

·        Unagi resisted at first, but was taken over by the sword while trying to attune to it, unbeknownst to the others

·        electricity crackles along it. d6 extra electrical damage

·        +1 to hit/damage

·        Endure Elements while wielding it

·        when attuned, proficient in History

·        Metamorphic

·        It dulls gems and jewelry, reducing value by at least half

·        It is true neutral, and shows the wielder glimpses of a judge making decisions

·        The wielder's alignment changes randomly every day (determined by die roll) 

·        The wielder does not care about events unless they benefit personally 

From previous sessions

Potions from Greystone Keep cache identified:

·        Potion of Greater Healing

·        Potion of Animal Friendship

·        Oil of Slipperiness

A Very 6th Level Spellbook

·        1st level: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Shield, Identify, Mage Armor, Floating Disk, Detect Magic, Color Spray

·        2nd level: Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray, Web, Invisibility

·        3rd level: Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Fear, Fly

·        Value: ~9200 gp

·        Could have other uses

·        Bound in red dragon scales

Crafting Recipes

·        +1 magical weapon (arrows and bolts)

·        +1 light or medium armor

·        +2 ring of protection

·        Ring of invisibility, minor

·        +1 ring of protection

·        Bag of Holding I

·        Potion of healing

Session 11 Loot List

Haunted Village

- 2 potions of regeneration (Tomeck)
- scroll of magic missile (Varus)
- Boots of elvenkind (Basel)
- Boots of frost (Varus would like these if no one else is claiming)
- Crystal orb of augury (2 questions/day) (Varus)
- 10 blue spinels (500 gp/each)
- +2 longbow (Tyala)
- +2 rapier (Varus)
- +2 dagger (Basel)
- wand of fireballs (Varus)
- 10K gp chandelier
- Book: The Simple Slimes (10 days of study)

Unagi's intelligent magical shortsword

 - Unagi resisted at first, but was taken over by the sword while trying to attune to it, unbeknownst to the others
- electricity crackles along it. d6 extra electrical damage
- +1 to hit/damage
- Endure Elements while wielding it
- when attuned, proficient in History
- Metamorphic
- It dulls gems and jewelry, reducing value by at least half
- It is true neutral, and shows the wielder glimpses of a judge making decisions
- The wielder's alignment changes randomly every day (determined by die roll) 
- The wielder does not care about events unless they benefit personally 

From previous sessions

Potions from Greystone Keep cache identified:

- Potion of Greater Healing
- Potion of Animal Friendship
- Oil of Slipperiness

A Very 6th Level Spellbook

1st level: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Shield, Identify, Mage Armor, Floating Disk, Detect Magic, Color Spray
2nd level: Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray, Web, Invisibility
3rd level: Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Fear, Fly
Value: ~9200 gp
Could have other uses
Bound in red dragon scales

Crafting Recipes

+1 magical weapon (arrows and bolts), +1 light or medium armor, +2 ring of protection, Ring of invisibility, minor

Varus Journal: Entry #10, To The Barony!

Varus Journal: Episode 10, To The Barony

After the battle with the basilisks, Flidais, Unagi, and Valentia decided to return to Neverwinter to ensure our interests there as well as pursue their goals.

Varus used his new wand to identify Gauntlets of Ogre Strength, and we discussed who could best use them. They didn’t help Varus’s fighting style, and Tomeck and Basel declined them, so Tyala ended up with them; now our rogue was the strongest in our party!

“You’re almost as strong as I am pretty!” joked Tomeck. We piled back into the carriage, and Tomeck got the horses moving again.

As the four of us headed north on the road to Luskan, Varus reflected on some the events that occurred before we left Neverwinter. On board the Leviathan, he finally had time to investigate the magical books that they had found back in the Dungeon of Sythren’daal and was able to identify them. They turned out to be:

·        It’s a Trap. Trap setting/disabling guide. +1 for traps after 10 days of study. Tyala gleefully claimed this one.

·        Cockatrice Writer. Instructions for working with animals. +1 for Ride or Handle Animals checks after 10 days of study. With his undeniable love of horses, Basel naturally claimed this one.

·        Arcane Spellbook for a 6^th-level Wizard. 1st-level spells: Magic Missile, Burning Hands, Shield, Identify, Mage Armor, Floating Disk, Detect Magic, Color Spray. 2nd-level spells: Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray, Web, Invisibility. 3rd-level spells: Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Fear, Fly. Bound in red dragon scales. Worth app. 9200 gp. Could have other uses.

·        Manual of Constitution. +1 to Constitution and cap to Con after a regimen of 20 days. Tomeck took this one to pump up.

·        Patronage: A Warlock’s Choice. 45 downtime days to learn Eldritch Blast, or Chill Touch, or Minor Illusion. Varus was intrigued by Eldritch Blast, and kept this one.

·        Crafting recipes: +1 magical weapon, +1 light or medium armor, +2 ring of protection, ring of invisibility, minor .

It turned out the battle with Tiamat’s servants had affected all of us; we were now Foes of the Green Dragon Flight. It would be easier to score critical hits (19 or 20) on green dragons and their offspring, and we would do additional damage when we hit (d6).

Varus had also discovered he had been blessed with the Call of the Fey Wild. He could call back the soul of a fallen ally (once per session) at the cost of receiving a -2 Con penalty, which required 20 days of rest to restore.

Varus was worried about Basel. He had been very down about losing contact with his god and had taken to wandering the city and surrounding countryside. We had tried to find him before we left, but could not locate him. We left word with Harrag where we were headed and told him to join us when he could.

Back in Neverwinter, Basel wandered the streets deep in thought. He was on a spiritual quest, and barely noticed where he was in the city. He was looking for a sign. His mind wandered; he remembered a time when Tomeck had gotten totally trashed and was being particularly annoying. Basel “cured” him of his drunkenness, leaving him completely sober. Tomeck had not been amused. Good times.

Basel decided to visit some of the city temples and check them out, to evaluate his options in this new place. He first came upon the Temple of Helm. Helm was god of protection, and that appealed to Basel. He knew that many in the city followed his faith. He went to the temple and asked to enter. He was shown in to see the leader, Gorum Goldgraft.

“Hail Goldgraft. We got ourselves a healthy one!” announced his clerical escort.

“I have lost my god. Helm intrigues me. I am interested in pledging, but I would know more of your faith,” announced Basel.

Gorum spoke to him for some time, telling him of the grandeur of Helm, The Vigilant One, The Watcher, and of the large and dedicated following here in Neverwinter. Basel thanked him for his time, and told the head priest that he would reflect on his words.

Next, he went unto the Temple of Oghma, a god of knowledge and learning. It seemed like a perfect fit. The temple was lit by candles, and it was more library than temple; books lined the walls, and there were arcane marks that translated to No Fire Past These Marks. He was greeted by a half-orc woman missing one eye; her name was Tusk IronTeeth. She wore a necklace of teeth dipped in iron, which was her legacy. Basel greeted her and they talked for some time. She discussed the history of Oghma here in Neverwinter, and how the temple had been looted during the Cataclysm and at other times. It became apparent to Basel that this temple was dedicated to returning what was rightfully Oghma’s knowledge, not protecting the books or knowledge in general. Basel thanked Tusk for her time and told her he would consider her words.

As he continued, deep in thought, someone spoke to him.

“I know you. You’re a hero!”

Basel looked down to see a peasant boy.

“I am no hero, boy. But you may be. Take this javelin. The role of a protector is to protect.”

“You can take my dad’s horse as payment.” The boy pointed to a horse.

“What? Where is your father?”

The boy pointed to a man.

“My dad has both legs, but no eyes. My daddy is Helm.”

“That is not Helm.”

Basel cast Zone of Truth on the boy, who revealed that the horse indeed belonged to the man. The man was blindly swinging at anyone passing near him. Basel approached the man. As he neared, the man struck his armor with the club.

“Sir, manners please.” The man whacked him several more times.

“If you continue this behavior, I will beat you to death!” Basel intimidated the man, and he stopped.

“I will give you a gold piece for your horse. And I offer something much more valuable than coin.”

Basel cast Lesser Restoration on the man and cured him of his blindness.

“I can see! I never thought I would see my son again!”

“In payment, please take care of the kids in the orphanage of Helm.”

Basel took the horse and walked back to the Beached Leviathan, getting acquainted with his new steed on the way. The horse took a liking to Basel.

“I shall call you Helm!” he beamed.

When he got back to the Leviathan, Harrag informed him that we had headed north. He grabbed his gear, saddled up, and rode north as fast Helm would carry him. After two days of hard riding, he caught up to us. We were quite surprised to see him and his new mount.

“What is the horses name, Basel?”

“This is Helm!”

“You named another horse after a god?”

“Indeed. It will bring me luck.” Varus looked around at the others, and we burst into laughter.

As we neared Luskan, Tyala started recalling the night in question. She had gotten a Lord drunk, then she got drunk, and then she beat him soundly at dice. He lost badly (usually the case when you gambled with Tyala) and offered her the Barony in payment.

“Well, let’s go get her, highness!”

We arrived in the Port of Luskan, also known as the City of Sails. It was the northernmost major port on the Sword Coast that was ice-free during the winter. The River Mirar ran through the town, and the docks that lined the river and the coast were filled with ships. Luskan was the gateway to the northern lands and the major market for those goods and resources. The Mirabar dwarven merchants maintained a large trading compound on the northern shore and brought in cut stone, raw ore, processed silver, and fine dwarven weapons. Other popular goods included intricate scrimshaw and fish from the Ten Towns in Icewind Dale and timber from the Lurkwood forest.

Many of the homes here were made from fine mason stone to protect against the harsh winters, but there were also many hide huts and wooden structures. The smell of fish, oil, smoke, blood, and spices filled the air.

Varus wanted to go into town in disguise and investigate to see if the situation was as it appeared, for he feared the letter was a deception, but the group thought this overcautious. We drove around town a bit, asked a few questions along the way, and found our way to the great house where the Lord of Luskan could be found. 

Varus cast Minor Illusion on the carriage to make it appear more regal, and Tyala donned her costume as a noble of Luskan, rocking the Barbarian Formal look. We pulled up to an enormous wooden longhouse that was 200 feet long and had three smokestacks. We piled out of the carriage and approached the two 10’ tall doors, which were open. The guards barely reacted as we strode into the longhouse.

Inside, huge wooden beams supported the ceiling. Three great fires burned in large pits with chimneys. Long tables filled parts of the enormous room. Next to the center pit were round tables. The well-to-do and well-connected sat at these tables. Barbarian nobility, tattooed, dressed in furs, with piercings and bones in their hair, conversed with lords that were obviously from the South, based on their fine dress and jewelry, and more formal speech.

Varus addressed one of the servants.

“Have you seen Luscious?”

“Ooh, you pronounced my name correctly! I identify as Luscious, dear boy.” The group turned to see that the voice came from a man with red skin, a long tail, and horns coming out his head. Varus recognized him as a tiefling.

Tyala pulled out the sheet of parchment and solemnly presented it to Luscious, who was absolutely dazzled with her.

“Oh, yes, of course, I remember you now!”

“I would like to speak with the Lord to discuss my claim.”

“Yes, of course. Oh, Rothgar!” One of the barbarians turned around.

“You have a guest. She is redeeming her claim!” he tittered.

“Come, my dear, join me, and we can talk.”

“Can my companions join me?”

“Eh…they can join Luscious. I would speak with you alone.”

Tyala joined him as the others sat with Luscious at another table. She presented her claim to him, and he nodded.

“It was fairly won. I recognize my debt to you.” He drank to her, then continued.

“You may claim this Barony of Greystone Keep if you can plant the Luskan flag there, but I must warn you, it is still well north of here. Still north of Ten Towns, which is at the ends of civilization. It is in the hinterlands, a forbidding place of harsh snow and fierce monsters. The Keep has been abandoned for many a year. Yet, you look like a tough woman that can handle snow and ice, ice dragons, and barbarians.”

“It sounds like it possesses little strategic value. Why do you want to claim it?”

 

“It may prove useful as a northern garrison.”

“When we plant this flag and return, we will discuss other opportunities. And you will reward our party.”

“Agreed!” He shook Tyala’s hand and then turned to our table.

“Luscious! Drinks for everyone. It’s time to toast.” Luscious had the servants make sure everyone had a drink. 

“To Tyala. The new Baroness of Greystone Keep! Welcome to family! Luscious! Everyone! Drink!”

Later that day, Basel decided to visit the Temple of Helm, a prominent temple here in Luskan. He entered the temple and received the blessing of ointments from the priests. Then he walked through the Hall of Dedication there, which honored the feats of the Luskan barbarian paladins. He meditated here, and he felt the call of Helm! He knew that he wanted to be a protector. After he finished his meditation, he went to the head priest.

”Sir, I am Basel Leaf. I am here to take the Oath of Devotion for Helm.”

“I have observed your meditations here, brah. You do see the most righteous path of Helm. Go forth and show his path to others, bro. First, you must take the oath. So, stick up your right hand, with three fingers. Helm is cool, Helm take us to school, Helm helps a friend in need, and friend in need is a friend, indeed.”

Basel repeated the oath.

“Thank you. What is your name, priest of Helm?”

”I am Smasher, on account that I get smashed!” He chugged the rest of his ale and smashed the mug on the floor. “Ha!”

“Ah, yes, I see, very good. Can I get a helm? Like yours?”

“Uh, well, we had some major grindage last night!” He looked around the hall, which showed all the evidence of a huge party.

“Here you go!” He pulled out a hat with ale tankards on either side and siphons leading out of them to the wearer’s mouth.

“Your helm, paladin of Helm. Drink deeply!”

“Fantastic. Do you think you could modify this for horse?”

“Whaaaat? That’s rad, dude!”

“I will pay you 2 gp to have it ready by the morning.”

While Basel was at the temple, Tomeck and Varus went to  the market to see what was available. We were headed into extreme conditions and needed to be prepared appropriately. We procured heavy furs and warm woolen undergarments and mittens, cured meats, and firewood, and loaded them into the carriage. We were also lucky enough to find two potions that would protect us against the elements (for up to 8 hours).

Early the next morning, we left Luskan and headed north. After three hours of driving, the temperature plunged at least 20 degrees. At one point, a huge shadowy figure appeared through the snow. It looked like a huge ape, and it was…dragging an elk! Based on the size of the elk, the creature must have been at least 14 feet tall. It turned and looked at Basel, its eyes peering into his soul.

“Wah!” Basel started violently, then shook his head, as if to clear it. The yeti turned and disappeared through the falling snow. “That is the yeti. Its gaze can sap the strength of a man. That is an ice man ape!” 

“I would like to ride that magnificent beast! What a team we would make!” cried Basel. That brought on an extended session of laughter and discussion concerning the ramifications of Basel riding a yeti. Tomeck drew a picture of the two.

“Riding the yeti! Yeah!”

“I can cast a suggestion spell on it for you, Basel,” Varus offered with a grin.

Sometime after that, we saw greater wolves in the distance, then heard their chilling howls. The snow began to accumulate. Visibility declined, and the light started to fade early.

A storm came in; gusts of wind pushed at the carriage and almost tipped it over at times. Tomeck had his hands full with the driving, and he was tiring. Basel hooked Helm up to the lead of the team, and the horse and his beer helmet led the way. It was well below freezing when we rolled into Bryn Shandar, the capital city of Ten Towns, and we were all happy to have arrived.

We stabled the horses, then piled into the nearest tavern, which was the Googly Eyed Goblin. Obviously a franchise place, decorated in garish colors, with various diversions for young humanoids. An old lady gnome wearing goblin nose and ears approached us.

“You work here?”

“It’s a living,” she sighed in a deep, gravelly voice. She seated us and brought out some bread burnt to look like a human. Those that were hungry enough to eat it soon regretted that decision. We asked if we could upgrade our rooms. An old dwarven man with goblin nose and ears appeared.

“We can pay.” We upgraded to the Ochre Jelly suite, which was a terrible Bob Ross off-yellow.

“Tomeck, if you would be so kind?”

Tomeck cast a Cleaning spell so that the place was bit fresher and we wouldn’t have to worry about catching anything.

After a poor night’s rest, we rode out the early the next morning, eating our supplies rather than another meal at that tavern. Two feet of fresh snow lay on the ground. As we continued north, we could now see that the Ten Towns were fishing villages located on the waters of the large lakes in the area; Redwaters to the south, connected to Lac Dinneshere to the north, and Maer Dualdon, to the west of Kelvin’s Cairn, the lone mountain in the area. Many of the villagers were fishermen, and the lakes were filled with many fishing boats working.

We were on a barren stretch of the “road”, when we heard large wings beating the air, a screech, and a flash of blue light in the sky. Ice pelted the carriage as a large creature flapped its wings and alit on the large rock near us.

It was a white dragon! A dragon of the north that breathed freezing death. It roared and tensed to leap on the carriage.

Webs shot forth from Tomeck’s hand, and trapped it against the rock. It tried to tear free, but Varus cast a hypnotic pattern around it, and it succumbed to the spell. Basel cast searing smite and ran up to attack. Both strikes bounce off the dragons impressive scales. Tyala bounced an arrow off of it, and it returned to her. A boomerang arrow!

The dragon could not break out of the webs. Tomeck cast a firebolt, but it bounced off. He recast it as a quickened spell and that attack slammed into the wyrm. Basel came in right behind that, landing one blow, and following that up with a critical blow.

Tyala hit it with a sneak attack. The dragon could not break out of the hypnotic pattern or the web. Tomeck hit it with another firebolt, then Basel missed with his first strike, but connected with the second. The white dragon went down. 

For the next several hours, Basel, with help from the others, proceeded to process the dragon. He cut off the head, removed a third of the scales, and harvested the heart, lungs, and several other organs. Fortunately we were able to put much of it on ice. Scavengers assembled during that time, then came in as soon as we headed out.

We were in the hinterlands, a desolate place where no one could survive without shelter. Barren, frozen tundra stretched to broken lands in the far distance. The one mountain, Kelvin’s Cairn, dominated the northern horizon. We sped through small copses of dark, twisted woods, anticipating an attack at any moment. Near nightfall, we finally entered the small village of Iron Master. It had been raided several times in recent history. We could see a shadowy keep about a half a mile distant. We decided to stay in a local tavern and head out the next morning. As the sun set, we watched the beams of light reflect from the walls of the Barony of Greystone Keep.

The next morning, we headed out early and quickly arrived at the keep. It was in ruins; the door had been busted in for some time.

“Oh, I believe we’ve arrived, Your Highness!” grinned Varus, bowing low.

“Let’s go in and look around!”

 

“How long do you think it has been abandoned?”

“From the looks of it, at least 500 years. It’s practically falling down. We should be careful.”

Basel cast Detect Evil and extended his senses to the keep; he sensed both good and evil; there was some sort of undead, and also something Abyssal. Probably a creature of the lower planes. He informed the rest of us, then cast a Protection from Evil spell on us.

Tyala activated her ring and disappeared. Tomeck opened the broken door and entered the keep. This was obviously the main throne room. Ghostly figures wandered around, some going about their business, some seeming confused or aimlessly wandering. At the far end of the room was the throne. On the throne sat a fearsome creature. A large, purple, devilish-looking abomination that looked like it was made from bone! It’s eyes glowed red. Large spines covered its back from head to tail, and at its joints. It had a long spiny tail with a fearsome stinger at the end curled over its head. It arms ended in huge talons with claws. 

The creature seemed to be the puppeteer on the throne, controlling the ghosts in the throne room. Tomeck did not hesitate, but cast firebolt on him twice. The first one hit, with little effect. The second one missed, but the creature caught it and threw it back at us, barely missing Basel. What sort of creature could catch a magical attack and throw it back, like Unagi re-directing an arrow or bolt? The devil stood up; it seemed to be made of bone, and was quite tall (at least 8 feet) but thin (about 100 pounds). It leapt and landed in the middle of us. Bone spurs shot out and sliced into several of us.

Varus sang, and purple flames illuminated the evil creature. Tyala reappeared as her flaming sword bit hard with a sneak attack. Basel dropped his shield and swung his axe twice, hitting both times. Varus moved to the right and up against the wall, and then a hulking figure crashed through the wall behind him. Looking up in horror, the bard could see (and smell) that the huge thing was obviously undead. A zombie giant. It smashed down at Varus with two huge fists, but the lucky bard somehow evaded both attacks.

Tomeck drew his magical longsword and slashed the bone devil, then slammed it with his shield. The devil caught the shield and tried to wrest it free, but Tomeck prevailed and kept his hold! It attacked the sorcerer, but was thwarted by his shield defense. Tyala totally missed, but Basel struck true and landed two solid blows with his axe. Black fluid started to gush from its wounds.

Varus sang, and Dissonant Whispers hit the giant zombie’s mind, even as an undead creature. It fled back into the room where it had busted through the wall. Varus saw three other creatures with purple skin in the room. Based on his studies, they looked like ghouls or ghasts.

Tomeck used his shield to cast shocking grasp on the devil twice; it responded with an all-out attack, but it was only able to swipe him with one claw. 

Tomeck’s shield strategy seemed to be working quite well. Tyala used the opening to dash in and plunge her flaming sword into the evil thing again. She hit where its kidneys would be, and the thing roared and then split in half as it died. The Baroness was staking her claim!

Basel cast Turn Unholy and moved into the throne room. The ghosts dissipated as he walked, and he felt like a warm springtime morning. Evidently, his spell produced a feminine hygiene product effect as well. Or perhaps it was some type of blessing from Helm. 

Varus drew his wand of fireballs and fired it into the room with Solomon Grundy and the Ghouls (possible band name?). The giant zombie picked up one of them and used it as a club to slam Varus hard. He tried to push Varus into Tomeck, but was unable to do so, as Varus surprisingly resisted the undead giant’s enormous strength.

Tomeck cast scorching rays into the room, then webs. Tyala missed and retreated as Varus blasted another fireball into the room, taking down the last ghast. Basel hit with a javelin.

“Go fuck yourself giant!” Basel yelled.

“Thanks, Basel!”

The giant tried to pick up Varus and use him as a club, but again Varus resisted the giant’s strength and would not be moved. Frustrated, it tried to hit Basel, but he easily blocked the blow with his shield.

“You’re really bad at gianting,” Basel taunted. Varus was not complaining. He would probably be a smudge on the floor by now if the giant had been more proficient.

Tomeck hit with a scorching ray, Tyala missed, and Varus sang of song of chaos in its mind. It managed shrugged off the effect, but that gave Basel an opening and he finished it with a final stroke of his axe.

“I have one thing to say,” announced Tomeck, “Goanna!”

With the bone devil and its undead servants out of the way, we inspected the interior of the keep. The stairs that accessed the second floor had rotted away. 

“We can’t access the second floor. The first floor is accessible”.

We approached the throne at the far end of the room. It has been worn in to the point of falling through the floor. We checked out the rest of the room and found that most of the evil had been removed. The remaining ghosts were harmless, spirits of the people that had once lived here.

After a very thorough search, we found 3 potions in one of the rooms. Tyala found and unlocked a secret door that contained a 5-foot pit. There was a small chest at the bottom. Tomeck and Varus used mage hand to lift it out. Inside we found several small pearls, 12 gemstones, and a fist-sized ruby.

Basel blessed the place in the name of Helm to help rid it of any further evil and protect it. Varus made a rousing speech. We raised the Luskan flag over it. None of us really wanted to be here when night fell again. We piled back in the carriage and headed back towards Luskan.

Financials

·        2 potions of Endure Elements

·        Dragon parts: head, scales, various organs (Basel)

·        3 unidentified potions

·        Several small pearls, 12 gemstones, and a fist-sized ruby