An Orthodox Gamers Guild Campaign

Wiki Category: Journal

Session 08: Battle at the Khyber Gate

Olarune 17, 998 YK

When last we left our heroes they had managed to thwart the assassination of Erol and managed to capture two key figures known as Rabbit and Pig, who were part of the Boromar Clan involved in the assassination plot.

Interrogation of the captured assassins revealed deeper layers of betrayal. Savia, affiliated with the Boromar Clan, had orchestrated the assassination out of personal vengeance against her husband’s infidelity. The interrogation also uncovered her grander plan involving a magical endeavor requiring a “shard” that she lacked, hinting at a far more dangerous scheme than initially apparent.

Meanwhile, Erol, oblivious to his wife’s intentions until the heroes intervened, was shaken by the revelations. The heroes persuaded Errol to divulge information about his wife’s operations, which he agreed to in exchange for assistance in escaping the imminent danger posed by his wife and her criminal affiliations.

The plot took a darker turn as the group learned of Savia’s intentions to not only kill her husband but also to enact a sinister plan involving magical shards. These shards were part of a ritual conducted deep within the cogs below Sharn, where Savia was found enacting a magical ritual to harness energies potentially catastrophic in nature.

The heroes, armed with this knowledge, descended into the depths to confront Savia and disrupt her ritual. They arrived to find a scene of suspended animation where the wizards Freya and Fistandia as well as several creatures of chaos were frozen mid-action, caught within a magical stasis field generated by the ritual. A large coffin looking device was open and appeared to be a gateway to Khyber from which the creatures were appearing.

Elros, taking a proactive approach, decided to use his magic missile spell to target the mysterious shards involved in Savia’s ritual. His successful attack caused the shards to be knocked from their positions, disrupting the ritual and diminishing their power, although not destroying them entirely. This disruption had immediate consequences as the globe of energy (later revealed to be a Time Stop spell) collapsed.

Savia, realizing her control was slipping, screamed in frustration, unable to maintain the alignment of the crystals crucial for her control over the creatures. This led to the creatures freedom.

Miron, showcasing his versatility and quick thinking, decided to heal Freya, the male wizard found unconscious at the scene. This action brought Freya back to consciousness, adding an ally to the fray. However, the situation remained dire as the chaos creatures, now uncontrolled, posed a significant threat to everyone in the vicinity.

In a strategic move, Elros used his gust of air ability to reposition himself without provoking attacks, seeking cover behind a pillar.

The battle continued with the adventurers and newly awakened wizards trying to contain the situation. Freya, now awake and assessing the chaos, recognized the need for the missing shards to complete the ritual and potentially control or banish the creatures. He quickly used his magical abilities to cast a fireball at the menacing creature in the center, hoping to subdue it.

The situation grew more complex as Savia, seeing her plans unravel, decided to unleash a fireball not at the adventurers but at the creature, showing her desperation to stop it. This attack, while powerful, was not enough to significantly harm the creature due to its resistances.

Savia is attacked by the largest chaos fiend. The creature, a grotesque amalgamation of tentacles and malice, grappled and poisoned its victim, leaving her lifeless in a dramatic display that set the tone for the perilous journey ahead.

Screenshot

The heroes fought valiantly. Elros unleashed his fiery magic upon the fiend, while Myron, despite being temporarily blinded by another lesser fiend’s attack, managed to vanquish his foe with a blind but lucky strike.

The party’s battle prowess was further tested as new chaos fiends began to spawn from the Khyber portal. Alorin, the Half-Elf Fighter, exhibited both strength and misfortune as his weapon backfired, injuring him in the process. Throughout the skirmish, the group utilized their environment strategically, utilizing spells and maneuvers to outwit their adversaries.

Sage Matreus appeared with a crucial shard. Together with other wizards, including Freya and Fastandia, they attempted a desperate ritual to seal a portal to the Khyber plane, from which the fiends had emerged. The intense scene culminated in a successful sealing of the portal, as the combined power of their shards and spells quelled the imminent threat.

The aftermath of the battle was a mix of relief and revelation. The group learned of a sinister plot by Savia, who sought to use the chaos creatures to overthrow the city council of Sharn and seize control. Her plans, however, were thwarted by the party’s heroic efforts and the timely intervention of the wizards.

As the dust settled, the adventurers were lavishly rewarded for their bravery and efforts to save the city. Each hero received a generous sum of gold and a personal sky coach. The city of Sharn, now safe from the immediate threat, celebrated their new champions with grand honors and public adulation.

The collective efforts and bravery were recognized in a grand ceremony, akin to legendary celebrations, ensuring their deeds would be remembered in the annals of Eberron’s history.

In the epilogue of this grand adventure, Dalavash, Sal and Pankratz together formed an emergency healing center called ‘The Silver Moon’. Like the Red Cross, this organization become renowned in Sharn and endorsed by the various criminal syndicates as a neutral, mutually approved center for healing and disaster relief.

Myron decided to continue his travels, healing and aiding those in need, while Elros and Corbin delved deeper into their personal quests and commitments to justice and discovery.

Rewards

  • PCs leveled up to Level 4
  • Each hero received 10,000 gold pieces.
  • Each was awarded a personal sky coach, complete with a chauffeur, symbolizing their esteemed status in the city.

Session 07: Floating Foes at the Courage Potion Laboratory

<h3>Olarune 17, 998 YK</h3>

The party, consisting of Ziago the human sorcerer, Elros the half-elf sorcerer, Dalavash the Kalashtar cleric, and Alorin the half-elf fighter, armed with both original and Gingwatzeem forged books, returned to their headquarters in Eberron. There they find Miron Yendala as a new ally, who replaced Ziago. Miron, committed to maintaining moral integrity, joined the party with a vow to aid their cause as long as they adhered to ethical conduct.

The adventurers’ next interaction took a dramatic turn when a body fell from the sky, a victim of what seemed like a sky coach accident. Upon investigation, the body was identified as a shifter, equipped with poisoned bolts and a hand crossbow, suggesting she was an assassin or spy. The discovery of a wallet on the body led to two crucial pieces of evidence: an illusory image showing Savia Portelus‘s husband with another woman, and plans for an attack on the Courage Potion Laboratory.

Deducing from the documents, the adventurers speculated that the shifter was part of a larger group, with members identified as animals in code, planning an assassination or heist at the laboratory. They decided to head to the laboratory, suspecting the event was imminent.

Upon reaching the laboratory, the party observed no immediate signs of the other conspirators. They decided to enter the laboratory under the guise of potential customers or allies, aiming to gather more information and possibly prevent the impending crime.

Inside, their interaction with the laboratory staff and further investigation might reveal motivations behind the secretive operations, the nature of the manufactured potions, and possibly intercept the group of conspirators before they could strike.

As the party delved deeper into the conspiracy at the Courage Potion Laboratory, the complexities of their mission became apparent. The adventurers spent significant time strategizing their next moves. They debated whether to warn the potential targets of the assassination plot or to confront the assassins directly. The group decided to first warn Errol Portelus, identified as the likely target, and then confront the assassins to gather more information about who was orchestrating these sinister events.

Upon visiting Savia Portelus, Errol’s wife, the party was offered a morally ambiguous job. Savia proposed that they assist in the assassination of her husband, revealing her disdain for his gambling habits and infidelity. She offered them a significant payment for their involvement. The group, grappling with the ethical implications, decided to play along to gather more information without committing to the assassination.

Their plan led them to the laboratory where they anticipated the assassination would occur. The adventurers positioned themselves strategically, preparing to intercept the assassins. However, the situation escalated quickly as they encountered the assassins—referred to by animal code names like Rabbit, Pig, and Dog—engaged in combat with the laboratory guards.

A complex melee ensued, with the party trying to subdue the assassins without causing fatal injuries. During the chaos, Rabbit attempted to escape, leading to a frantic chase through the laboratory filled with dangerous potions and volatile chemicals. Knocked over vials and potions unleash magic effect, with combatants levitating involuntarily, caught in the grip of powerful magics. The battlefield, already a maelstrom of arcane and martial prowess, becomes a theater of the absurd as participants find themselves floating towards the ceiling, their tactics abruptly shifting to accommodate this new, vertical dimension of combat. One enemy even contacts a potion which turns him into a Flumph, upon which the jelly-fish like creature tried to float away (unsuccessfully).

In the end, the heroes prevailed. Two of the would-be assassins are kept alive, including Rabbit, now bound, with the heroes imminently going to question them.

Session 06: Books and Jackalweres

Olarune 12-Olarune 15, 998 YK

Our party arrives at Amberdune books.

There’s a guy out front that looks friendly, but a lady in back does not look friendly.

Dalavash makes the mistake of making eye contact with the book seller out front, who offers them whatever they want.

Elros asks about The Dark Hunger. The seller says he’s the second person who has asked. The unfriendly lady tells them they sold their one copy to a merchant, who wanted to sell them for a profit in Sharn. But the party asks too much, and the unfriendly lady—Helga—starts to close up the shop to end the conversation.

Our heroes go around back, with Ziago disguising as Helga. He uses his thieves’ tools to try to pick the back door lock, but it’s a tricky one. The party risks a sound and breaks the lock to break into the bookstore. They check a ledger they find, but it doesn’t contain any customer details. It lists the transactions, but it’s written crudely.

Dalavash tries to find magic books and comes up empty. Alorin casts detect magic and finds a whole shelf of books giving off a magical aura. Could they be more gingwatzim?

The party also sees a much larger transaction recorded around the day that Mage Freyot would have purchased the book that transformed and attacked them in the lightning rail locker. They also see that about a year back, the transactions look like a normal ledger. But they are unable to find any other clues.

Alorin decides to open one of the glowing books, the smallest one. Nothing happens. The Extinct and Rare Plant Species of Eberron. The team deliberates in the bookshop. They decide to go get lunch and try to find information. Dalavash offers to stay back on his own and is dragged away by his wiser teammates, who know that Dalavash has almost dying problems, and that you never split up ever.

The party stops at the One-Eyed Wyvern, a divey-looking tavern, for lunch. Ziago turns into Sal with an eyepatch to fit into this dive better. They order lunch. Elros casually inquires about the poor customer service at Amberdune books. They learn that the shop was sold to Helga about a year ago, right after the death of the previous owner. The waitress heard a rumor that Helga was an acolyte of a lamia, a half woman, half lion monster. She and a group of companions would go back and forth between the wilderness and their hideout in town. After a piece of silver from Elros, they get a map to the hideout. The waitress also tells them that about a year ago, Helga became sad and began asking about resurrection spells.

The party goes to the hideout in the afternoon to watch and wait. Dalavash hunts down some lizards on sticks while Ziago disguises as a beggar and Elros argues with him, trying to fit in. The other two use Ziago’s disguise kit to disguise as beggars. Two cloaked figures approach. One of them takes their hood down, and Ziago notices a woman with razor sharp teeth. The newcomers take some time to unlock the door, then go inside.

Ziago picks the lock, takes Helga’s appearance, and comes inside. He steps on a large rug that suddenly tries to grapple him–a rug of smothering. The party attacks. Ziago deals some damage, but when Dalavash’s sacred flame misses the rug, the rug absorbs the magic and regains most of its hit points. Nice one, Dalavash. A jackalwere comes out and pulls the fake “Helga” to safety, asking who these beggars are. Ziago, er, Helga, tells the jackalwere they’re good Samaritans, coming to help. The jackalwere asks why “Helga” was attacked, as the rug only attacks enemies. The rug grapples Elros, trying to smother him. Alorin gets a critical hit with his book flail. Ziago pins it to the wall, dead, and tells the jackalwere to feel free to attack the beggars, keeping up his ruse as Helga. The jackalwere, however, smells Ziago and realizes it’s not Helga. Dalavash uses command to halt the jackalwere, and the companions tie it up in the rug to look like the rug had attacked someone else. Ziago then becomes the jackalwere. Ziago teaches Dalavash something new about healing Elros, then peeks in the next room to find a kitchen.

Ziago peeks through the other door to see a row of six beds with two jackalweres. Cautious of their sense of smell, Ziago applies some garlic to mask his non-Helga scent and hopes that they like garlic. Jackal-Ziago asks how things are going in that other room they haven’t been in yet. Once the jackalweres get over his garlic smell, they say that Helga is probably in there counting her money. As Jackal-Ziago tries to draw out one of the jackalweres, the jackalwere says that they will be able to make things right now that they know what Gingwatzim do. They’re trying to resurrect Nadalia, selling the Gingwatzim as books, but they didn’t realize that the Gingwatzim would get hungry and attack people, draining their energy. They’re conflicted now–should they continue selling these books to be able to resurrect Nadalia? Or stop? The jackalwere says Helga is trying to find a different path to get 150 gold pieces to buy that diamond for resurrection and then the spell services. As Ziago runs messages back to the party, the jackalwere also shares that Helga could probably sell the original books to get that 150 gold pieces. Jackal-Ziago asks if the books have been moved yet, trying to determine their location. The jackalwere says the books are still in the storage room in back. Ziago peeks inside the back room. There is a storage room. The walls are lined with half-empty bookshelves. Lots of new, non-magical books, and two trunks. Ziago puts both trunks into his bag of holding. Leaving the first jackalwere wrapped up in the dead rug, the party scampers off to find an inn and open the trunks.

The first trunk turned out to be a happy and satiated mimic, finishing a snack of rabbits. Ziago decides to keep it as a pet and puts it back in the bag of holding. The other trunk contains several old books:

  • Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions – the real book that Mage Freyot seems to have been trying to get (containing instructions on using a khyber dragon shard to bind an extraplanar entity, and warnings of the danger of this)
  • Fallen Tethyamar
  • The Dark Hunger
  • Castanamir’s Guide to Gingwatzims (describing what they are but not how to create them)
  • Wanderings of a Humble Aasimar (a treatise on the Outer Planes)
  • Daughters of Graz’zt (about the origins of lamias)

Here was the full text of the relevant excerpt of interest from Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions.

Chapter VII: On the Binding of the Planar with the Terrene – The Use of Khyber Shards

In the shadowed depths of Khyber, where light fears to tread and the echoes of the ancient war still reverberate, lie the fragments of creation itself – the Dragon Shards. Of these, the Khyber Dragon Shards hold a power most formidable, their ebony depths swirling with the captured essence of the plane’s malevolent inhabitants.

To bind an extraplanar entity, a practitioner must first understand the paradox of control and freedom. The Shard, a prison and a conduit, becomes the focal point of this paradox. Within its crystalline boundaries, the Shard embodies Khyber’s dark essence, offering a resonance with the entity you wish to bind.

Invoke the Shard by inscribing it with sigils that resonate with the desired entity’s nature. This act of inscription is not merely a physical endeavor but a negotiation of wills, a dance with the entity’s essence across the veil. The sigil’s design should reflect the entity’s true name, its planar origin, and its fundamental nature, creating a sympathetic link between the Shard and the entity.

Upon completion of the inscription, conduct the Rite of Binding at a site of planar convergence or during a celestial event that weakens the boundaries between worlds. This rite involves incantations that call forth the entity, supplemented by the Shard’s power. The entity, drawn to the resonance of its own essence within the Shard, will find itself ensnared, its will entangled with the inscribed sigils.

Herein lies the crux of the process: control through the Shard is not absolute. The practitioner must maintain a constant balance of power, for the entity will ceaselessly seek to exploit any weakness to break free. This delicate equilibrium demands a mastery of arcane knowledge and a strength of will, lest the binder becomes the bound. One mage of extraordinary skill might have this control, but two powerful mages working in concert would more likely be successful.

While the Khyber Dragon Shard offers a formidable tool in controlling extraplanar entities, it also presents a perilous path, fraught with both arcane complexity and moral ambiguity. The wise would tread this path with caution, for in the depths of Khyber, one’s greatest conquest can swiftly become one’s most dire defeat.

The next morning, the party goes back to the bookstore to take the remaining gingwatzim before they can be used for evil again. They find the door unlocked and take the false books. Dalavash leaves a note: “Nadalia is displeased. Let me rest in peace.” Then he uses mending to fix the door, and Ziago locks it up again.

With a very touchy bag of holding, full of a mimic and twelve bound gingwatzim in book form, the party decides to head back to Sharn. But first, Elros insists on destroying the gingwatzim. He reads Castanamir’s Guide to Gingwatzim’s to see if there’s a way to destroy them. The book tells them that any small thing can be a Gingwatzim. The book also says to destroy them, you have to deal damage to it like a living creature, and they have the strength of 3 common men. The book says there is a legend that they can eat. Alorin, with scintillating insight, realizes that there’s a way to feed these gingwatzim, just like you could keep a mimic fed.

The party decides to take the gingwatzim back to Sage Matreous to get his advice. They arrive at the lightning rail. They see a father, possibly a daughter, and a boy and three girls crying as the father leaves. Ziago thinks these may be Sarlonians, where he grew up. Dalavash inquires and finds they don’t have enough tickets to Sharn. Dalavash offers to hawk his first class ticket to try to buy three steerage class tickets. Ziago is inspired to change course and help liberate his people. He tells the party he will send a replacement, but he needs to go help this family and help his people. He travels with the family to Sharn and sets out to start an underground movement to help Sarlonians move to Sharn to start a new life there.

Session 05: Death on the Lightning Rail

Olarune 9-Olarune 12, 998 YK

During downtime, Elros learned that House Lyrandar is a half-elven dragon-marked house located in Stormhold. Half-elves are also known as Khorvaire. They used to be sailors until 990 YK when they pioneered the use of airships. A natural, economic rival is House Orien, due to their control of the lightning rails, the competing form of transportation. Elros learned that there was a steward who died who had been a House Orien double-agent. That steward had coordinated attacks that had happened around the time Elros was orphaned at 3 years of age.

It is on the 9th of Olarune, Crystalfall, when the crew regroups. That morning is bright with a chill provided by the wind. Everyone gathers to join in the traditional Crystalfall celebration, which includes the shattering of a tower made of ice. At the climactic moment, as the ice is cascading around them, Dalavash finds himself the target of an assassination attempt.

As usual, Dalavash is nearly killed, but a combination of magic missiles from Elros and Alorin’s weird book flail subdue the assailant. After an outburst of obscenities and general poor sportsmanship, the would-be assassin exclaims that, “the guild never misses their mark and lives,” and, “Balrog will have his revenge,” and then swallows something hidden in his necklace that quickly has the desired fatal effect. On the corpse the guys discover a crude sketch labelled “Alorin” and 5 gold pieces. Alorin and Dalavash do have similar hairstyles and the drawing was not very well done. What Is it that makes Dalavash such an attractive target?

Anyway, the party agrees that this needs to be cleared up before another attempt is made on Alorin’s life and Dalavash ends up dead, so they set out to find Balrog. They make their way to the dreamlily den where Balrog works as a bouncer but before going inside, Ziago takes the appearance of the now-dead assassin. Inside, an ancient lady sucking on a Hookah welcomes them with the question, “Greetings gentlemen, have you come to join in ecstasy today?”

Balrog could be seen standing near a side room and as he saw his hired assassin enter the establishment, he waved him over. That assassin, who was actually Ziago, joined Balrog in conversation while drifting back into the main room where the ambush awaited. After a quick beat down by the group and some creative storytelling, Balrog was convinced that Alorin would not boast and it was in his interest to let it go.

Upon returning to a respectable part of town, they received a summons from Sage Matreus with news of a murder at the university and after a good night’s rest, the team proceeded to Sage Matreus’s office at Margrave University.

There have been two murders committed using books. The books were actually Gingwatzim spell book creatures, as was the book the party found and defeated at the locker earlier.

The two books in question, “The Dark Hunger” (about a powerful entity served by star-fearing warlocks) and “Fallen Tethyamar” (about a dwarf king named Ghellin who sought to reclaim his kingdom in the Desertmouth Mountains), were both bought at Amberdune Books in Hatheril. Matreus wants to hire the group to go to Hatheril to investigate and will pay double. They convince him to throw in a gold piece for clothes and to make the rail tickets first class and then began the 900 mile, 31 hour lightning rail journey to Hatheril.

On just the first evening of the trip, as the rail passed through a scene of rolling hills, and the party, Ziago, Elros, Dalavash, and Alorin, reveled in the illusion of peace that accompanied them. A thump resonating from above, an ominous prelude to chaos, was barely noticed by the other passengers, accustomed to a life of privilege, but put the group of inquisitives on alert. Before the tension could fully set in, the scene exploded into pandemonium.

Bursting through the door emerged a figure, a were-rat with predatory intent, joined by three malevolent rats that streamed through the open windows. The first-class dining car, a haven of luxury, transformed into a battleground as the were-rat and its rodent accomplices descended upon the unsuspecting passengers, demanding their treasure or their lives.

Amidst the bedlam, our heroes rose to the occasion. Elros unleashed arcane bolts that crackled through the confined space, dancing with the shadows. Ziago took on the guise of a waiter, blending into the background of the scene. Dalavash invoked divine protection. Alorin met the wererat’s ferocity head-on. The clashing of steel against fang replaced the clinking of crystal glasses and the delicate symphony of fine porcelain. As the lightning rail hurtled through the night, the heroes grappled with the unexpected menace.

The highwaymen/rats were not prepared to meet a hardened group of inquisitives and were dealt with harshly. After Ziago reverted to his usual visage, many passengers were left wondering what happened to that heroic waiter who had just moments earlier been defending their lives. Only our small group of four knows the truth behind the legend of the ghost waiter of the Yellow Line. Their heroics earned them a voucher for free first-class passage on a future trip and a restful remainder of the trip to Hatheril.

Hatheril is a Hamlet in the far north of Breland that lies on a major crossroad. It was once the only place where goodberry wine was sold, it was brewed by the druids of the neighboring Greenhaunt forest, but it can now be found across the Five Nations. When the lightning rail arrives in Hatheril it is still just late morning, so the first order of business is to find the Amberdune bookstore. While discussing how they would go about finding the store, Dalavash notices an emaciated-looking boy relieving Ziago of his arcane focus orb. Rather than create a scene immediately upon arrival, Dalavash instead silently convinces the boy to bring the orb to him. The compliant pickpocket does as the voice in his head commands and is rewarded with some rations. The grateful boy then leads the party to the Amberdune bookstore.

Session 04: The Dream Eater’s Treasure

Zarantyr 23-Olarune 8, 998 YK

The Dreamer Eater

In the subterranean recesses of Eberron’s clandestine labyrinth, a clandestine missive summoned the enigmatic Pankratz and Alorin, timely conspirators converging upon the subversive gathering in the basement. Veiled in shadows and intrigue, the group encountered an insidious entity, a Dream Eater, an ethereal adversary that transcended the realms of consciousness.

In the cryptic ballet of combat, Elros, an arbiter of the crossbow, delivered a 5-point overture, punctuating the discord with Alorin’s archery and Sal‘s visceral melee maneuvers. Ziago, a phantom dagger-wielder, added his ephemeral notes to the symphony of strife. Yet, the Dream Eater, an astral antagonist, exacted its toll, culminating in the near demise of Dalavash. The psychic resonance of the Dream Eater’s assault instilled terror in all but a select few – Pankratz, Ziago, and the mortally compromised Dalavash, teetering on the precipice of oblivion.

Amidst the pandemonium, attempts to stabilize Dalavash floundered, the absence of a healer’s kit resonating as a poignant reminder of vulnerability in the unpredictable theater of clandestine engagements. Ultimately, Pankratz, wielding a short sword as his quill, etched the final stanza of the Dream Eater’s spectral requiem.

The aftermath unveiled a chest of enigmatic allure, ensnared by latent peril. Pankratz, the discerning conspirator, detected the trap, prompting a collective retreat. Alorin, a virtuoso of evasion, orchestrated a stratagem to unveil the chest’s secrets from a safe distance, thwarting the trap’s symphony of deadly darts.

The Khyber Dragonshard

Within the chest’s clandestine confines lay a Khyber Dragonshard, a crystalline enigma resonating with latent power. Adjacent, a tome entitled “Lore of the Creator Dragons” emerged, a cryptic codex beckoning the party further into the labyrinthine mysteries of Eberron, where shadows and secrets waltz in perpetual synchronicity.

In the enigmatic aftermath of the subterranean skirmish, the disparate cohort sought refuge in the solace of a quaint inn, their wounds and weariness attended to by the tender mercies of respite. Zarantyr 24th unfolded, a date etched with potential revelations, as Dalavash clandestinely informed his contact, Ryran, of the cryptic occurrences in the basement. Wisely, she shuttered her establishment, spirit and wares spirited elsewhere.

Clues from Sage Matreous

Guided by an insatiable curiosity pulsating like a hidden heartbeat, the party revisited the university library. Sage Matreous, the keeper of tomes, welcomed their return with an eager countenance. Amidst the dusty volumes, he unraveled a peculiar tapestry of intrigue. Pictures emerged, frozen in time, capturing the elusive Freyot and Fistandia, absent from the mortal gaze for a span of nine months. Accompanying the imagery, a lightning rail ticket to Hatherill and a key, recognized by Pankratz as the telltale emblem of rail station lockers.

The sage, a puppeteer of information, orchestrated a rehiring of the motley crew, compensation resting at the modest bounty of one gold piece per day, plus the necessary leeway for travel expenses.

The Lightning Rail Locker

Post-librarian parley, the group, guided by an unfolding narrative, sauntered toward the lightning rail station. Pankratz, ever vigilant, discerned no ominous forewarnings, unlocking the locker with the enigmatic key. A seemingly innocent tome, “Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions,” concealed its true nature, shape-shifting into a malevolent globe monster that lunged at Dalavash, threatening to extinguish the fragile ember of his life.

The party, thrown into disarray, rallied against this eldritch assailant. Elros, a weaver of arcane incantations, cast magic missiles in a dazzling display. Ziago, a spectral guardian clad in Mage Armor, fortified himself. Sal, a soul carrying burdens untold, administered a healing potion to Dalavash, snatching him from the jaws of oblivion. Pankratz, a silent specter of lethal finesse, unleashed a sneak attack with his bow. Dalavash, wounded, summoned the tolling of the dead, dissipating the maleficent globe into the ephemeral void, leaving behind a hauntingly vacant locker and the absence of the once-tangible tome.

In the wake of spectral combat, pragmatism prevailed. The party, custodians of the Khyber Dragonshard, clandestinely stowed their newfound enigma within the confines of the locker, a temporal sanctuary. Before embarking on the lead to Hatheril, the collective resolved to indulge in the fleeting luxury of downtime.

Two Weeks of Downtime

Amidst the interlude, Elros, a seeker of selfhood, delved into the clandestine whispers of his origin, yearning to untangle the enigmatic strands of his lineage and the elusive Dragonmark etched upon his flesh.

Sal, the balladeer of sorrows, unfurled his past in a melancholic serenade, a haunting melody echoing through the tapestry of their collective fate. The night unfolded, a canvas painted with the hues of secrets, as the party stood at the crossroads of revelation and the ceaseless dance of shadows.

(Verse 1)
In the shadows of Dava Gate, where secrets dwell,
I met Dharyarth, an artificer, tales to tell.
A dark elf healer with methods arcane,
Promising salvation from the grips of pain.

(Pre-Chorus)
He saw the hell that the mist brought my way,
A medical marvel, or so he’d say.
Offering a cure, a dubious decree,
I wonder if my corpse is currency.

(Chorus)
Sal’s interlude, a dance with dark machines,
Needles pierce, like shattered dreams.
Injections of hope, a painful balm,
I keep praying for a dawn, a soothing calm.

(Verse 2)
His fascination with my suffering plight,
A medical miracle, in the waning night.
Quinn, back home, a healer’s gentle touch,
Dharyarth’s artifice, it hurts so much.

(Pre-Chorus)
Injections, elixirs, his methods stark,
A twisted alchemy in the shadowed dark.
Pills to stave the freak, the creeping dread,
A prayer for the day, my torment is shed.

(Chorus)
Sal’s interlude, a dance with dark machines,
Needles pierce, like shattered dreams.
Injections of hope, a painful balm,
I keep praying for a dawn, a soothing calm.

(Bridge)
I clutch the bottle, a beacon in despair,
Yearning for release from this daily affair.
The coins he’d pay for my lifeless frame,
A macabre promise, a sinister game.

(Verse 3)
I dream of a day when the needles cease,
When the pain subsides, and I find release.
A distant hope, a flicker in the gloom,
I keep praying for the impending boon.

(Pre-Chorus)
His artifice, a twisted remedy,
A dance with darkness, a symphony.
But in the echoes of shadows and pain,
I yearn for the light, for freedom’s reign.

(Chorus)
Sal’s interlude, a dance with dark machines,
Needles pierce, like shattered dreams.
Injections of hope, a painful balm,
I keep praying for a dawn, a soothing calm.

(Outro)
As I leave Dava Gate, a silhouette in the night,
I carry the echoes of the interlude’s bite.
A prayer on my lips, a whispered plea,
For a day when Sal’s interlude is finally free.

Within the tapestry of downtime, the party found solace in individual pursuits, each thread woven with tales of triumph and tribulation.

Alorin, the elusive archer, found himself entangled in the gritty embrace of the pit fights. With nimble prowess, he engaged in a brutal ballet, pitting his skills against the formidable troll, Balrog — the local champion. In a spectacle of dexterity and marksmanship, Alorin emerged victorious, leaving Balrog’s record tarnished at 24 wins and 1 defeat.

Ziago, a master of shadow and craft, immersed himself in the arcane art of scrollcrafting. Five scrolls of Mage Armor materialized under his deft hands, each imbued with a spectral shield of protection. Amidst the weaving of magical glyphs, his ‘work’ manifested in the mundane realm as he ascended precarious heights, washing windows with silent efficiency.

Dalavash, a bard with a taste for the illicit, ventured into the realm of crime alongside Boromar. The endeavor, however, proved less than successful, compelling him to seek financial reprieve from Elros. A loan, a transaction with implications yet unknown, forged in the shadows of both necessity and consequence.

Pankratz, the shadowy figure adept at the dance of subterfuge, embarked on a treasure hunt of his own. In the labyrinthine recesses of hidden lore, he uncovered a potion of greater healing—a tangible boon amidst the nebulous uncertainties that surrounded the party.

As the echoes of individual endeavors resonated through the tapestry of their collective downtime, the party stood at the crossroads of convergence, their fates intertwined by the common thread of enigma and destiny. The fleeting moments of respite unfurled, a prelude to the next crescendo of their journey through the enigmatic landscapes of Eberron.

Session 03: From Grog Shop to Chop Shop

Zarantyr 23, 998 YK

Having returned to their usual plane of existence, we pick up our adventurers headed back to Goodman’s Grogshop where they will try to cash in on Ziago’s Drunk Lunk sighting a few days ago.

Ziago and Dalavash head into Goodman’s, while Sal and Elros decide to check out the back alley. It only took two sentences for the party to split up, we’ll see how it turns out this time.

Outside, as Sal and Elros turn the corner into the alley, they surprise a group of four thugs who appear to have just crawled out of the back room window. Perhaps unsettled by Sal’s eagerness to make their acquaintance, the thugs yell some nonsense about the “Boromar Clan’s turf” and take off in a sprint towards a waiting sky car. By the time the initial surprise and sprint was over, Sal had subdued one of the thugs, lets call him Biggie, Elros had pulled one of them, we’ll call him Tupac, off of the sky car with a lightning lure and two had made it onto the sky car. In the next instant, Sal leaps for the departing sky car barely managing to grab onto the side.

Meanwhile, back in the bar, the always observant Ziago sees the commotion through the window and blames the window. From his seat at the bar, Ziago runs straight through the window, down the alley, and leaps just far enough to match Sal hanging from the opposite side of the sky car. While this is going on, Dalavash mind links with Goodman to suggest that he go see what the commotion is all about. Then, taking advantage of the distraction and the vacated bar, Dalavash clumsily leaps over the bar and starts bashing on the door to the backroom. Despite the stereotype, the cleric did not sample very much wine during that maneuver, any missing wine is due strictly to clumsiness.

Outside on the sky car, one of the thugs is playing whack-a-mole with Sal’s hands as Tupac makes a futile leap for the car, only to be saved from imminent death by his feather fall token. Elros lights up the other unnamed thug near Ziago with a few Magic Missiles allowing Ziago to knock him out with the butt of his rapier.

In the back room of the Grogshop Dalavash finds Drunk Link only mostly dead and stabilizes him, pleasing and placating Goodman.

Outside again, Elros definitely is the one who kills Tupac with a volley of Magic missiles, Ziago convinces the driver to park the car, and Sal proves that a living thug thrown overboard without feather fall is just as dead as a feather-falling thug corpse.

The two remaining unconscious thugs, the driver, and Drunk Lunk are lined up along the alley wall and the interrogation begins, after a quick search of course.

The quartet tied up in the alley has in their possession 23 silver pieces, three feather fall tokens, and one interesting note with the message “Get the information from Drunk Lunk and take scrupulous notes on the artifact’s location. You will be rewarded richly. — The Banker.

A combination of a Friend spell and intimidation also reveals that there are a couple of things going on here. First, Drunk Lunk is a dream-lily courier for the Boromar clan. A wealthy merchant’s daughter has overdosed and Drunk Lunk is being set up to take the fall to ease the pressure from the city watch. Second, Drunk Lunk has been researching some valuable artifact for some Banker, and that Banker wants results.

The remaining two thugs and driver are released to go meet their friends down below as fast as gravity and wind resistance will allow and the guys continue to question Lunk. In exchange for his life, Lunk provides the location and a description of the relic, which turns out to be a black Khyber Dragonshard located in the basement of a building in Trade Faire.

Our inquisitors then turn Lunk in for the 250 Gallifar reward and sell the driverless sky car to a chop shop for 150 gold. Quite a nice pay day, but the day is not over yet, there is still a valuable relic out there.

The building where the relic is supposedly stored just happens to be the same building where Dalavash’s connection Ryran does business, so the group starts by asking Ryran about the location. Ryran doesn’t have much to add so the next stop is at the landowner’s office downstairs, where Elros pretends to be interested in renting out the basement, but despite greasing his palms, the owner, Taggert, is of little help.

After unsuccessfully trying the locked basement door, Ziago has the idea to lure Taggert out of his office so that the rest of the party can grab the keys to unlock the basement door. Ziago disguises himself as a haughty elf and talks Taggert into giving him a tour of the upper floors. Meanwhile, the rest of the guys find a key ring, unlock the basement, and return it before Taggert returns with the “haughty elf.”

The party regroups and heads down into the basement where they encounter a menacing shadow creature.

 

Session 02: The Mystery of Finstandia and Freyot

Zarantyr 22, 998 YK

Our heroes continue to explore the Finstandia’s extradimensional mansion and contend with various enemies such as flying swords. Cats are prevalent throughout the mansion.

Faerie Dragons, usually invisible, tease and harass the party.

Spending some time with two homunculi (Cumin (created by Fistandia) and Corlander (created by Freyot)), the heroes ascertain that Fistandia and her male companion wizard Freyot must still be alive, since homunculi cease to exist once their creator dies.

After the final books with letters on the spine are collected, the heroes have the letters RIBTLEY which they unscramble to reveal the keyword LIBERTY which they use to open the portal back to Morgrave University. There they find Sage Matreous  asleep at a desk. On exiting the extradimensional mansion, Sal’s small tiki-idol-looking figurine explodes from his pocket and grows in size; it is an imp that was magically warded but the ward broke on exiting the mansion. A brief fight with the imp ensues.

The heroes give their report to Matreous. There is speculation that the prolific cats might actually be Fistandia and Corlander, but after investigation (and confirmation by Matreous) the heroes dismiss this theory. They send the cats back to the portal where Cumin and Corlander will continue to feed them (which is their great joy in life!).

Matreous thanks the party for their work, and pays them. He also says that he will continue to search for clues to the disappearance of Fistandia and her companion Freyot.

Back in the lower depths of Sharn, the heroes visit the orc merchant Ceophus who pays them 20 galliphaers for the dragon painting and 15 galliphars for the Constellation painting.

Rewards Per Person

22 gp
1 sp
6 cp

 

Session 01: The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces

Zarantyr 22, 998 YK

Thuranne d'Velderan greets our heroes at the Investigative Services office location in Middle Menthis in Sharn. She gives  Ziago (a Human Rogue), Elros (a Half-Elf Sorcerer), Dalavash (a Kalashtar Cleric), and Alorin (a Half-Elf Fighter), Pankratz (a Human Rogue), now joined by Sal (a human fighter), their first official Finder’s Guild assignment.

Sage Matreous has commissioned help in investigating the mysteries left by Fistandia at the Morgrave University Library.

Arriving at the library, they find Sage Matreous in a side room. He shows the heroes a book called The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces, a treatise on extradimensional spaces given by mage Fistandia. Notes in the margins detail how she created permanent Mordenkainen’s magnificent mansion and records command word (“scepter”) to open it. However, it is a two-sided portal, and Matreous can open it from this side; there will be another keyword to open it from the other side, which he does not yet have.  He asks the party to investigate the mysteries beyond the portal and promises to open the portal from his side each 30 minutes until the heroes report back.

Matreous summons the portal, and the heroes quickly enter it before the gateway closes. Immediately, Sal finds a small tiki-idol-looking figurine, which he pockets, despite Matreous’s entreaties to toss it to him for study. The portal closes, and the heroes investigate.

As the heroes explore the three-level mansion, suspended in some extradimensional space, they occasionally find mysterious books resembling The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces; each has a large letter on the spine. The heroes have collected books with the letters R, I, and B on the spines.

Dalavash encounters a cat whom he befriends. Pankratz discovers a secret room which the party investigates.

The exploration of the building is not without incident, however. A swarm of Animated books, an Animated broom, and even a Slaad Tadpole attack the heroes. Perhaps worst was when Elros encountered a mimic posing as a kitchen area chair (he nearly died but stabilized and is now somewhat healed).

The heroes continue to explore, hunting for the clues to the disappearance of Fistandia.

Session 00: Sharn Chicken

We had a Session 0 to create characters and contacts and discuss house rules for our upcoming Eberron campaign. We ended early, so we went ahead and started a short adventure (described below).

Zarantyr 16-18, 998 YK

With a fresh year comes a fresh career as our heroes (for various personal reasons) have joined the Finder’s Guild to become Inquisitives as part of a new ‘Unsolved Crimes’ division that needs a bit of muscle. It’s part of the Investigative Services run by Thuranne d'Velderan in Middle Menthis in Sharn. Thuranne d’Velderan (and therefore Investigative Services) is of House Tharashk who operates the Finders Guild.

Having completed their training on Mol (Monday),  Ziago (a Human Rogue), Elros (a Half-Elf Sorcerer), Dalavash Melk Dalavash Melk (a Kalashtar Cleric), and Alorin Galanodel (a Half-Elf Fighter) spend some time in the town relaxing.

The heroes visit Goodman’s Grogshop, a beer and liquor warehouse owned by a man nicknamed Goodman who has ironically earned a reputation for being anything but good. He’ll smuggle anything that can fit in a wine bottle, so long as it earns him enough profit to pay the authorities to look the other way.

Ziago, ever curious, leaves Goodman’s Grogshop to investigate the back windows at the rear of the warehouse. Through a cloudy window, Ziago spies a man he recognizes from a wanted poster as none other that Theodore Lunkin, also known as ‘Drunk Lunk’ by many locals, though Ziago can’t recall his specific crime.  Drunk Lunk is short and fat, with hair like a handful of straw. Given Ziago doesn’t yet have papers as an Inquisitor of the Finder’s Guild, Ziago takes not of this for future reference.

The heroes arrive on Wir (Wednesday), the fated day in which they are formally initiated into Thuranne d’Velderan’s Inquisitive Services as part of the Finder’s Guild.

With great fanfare, fresh recruits from various Finder Guild’s agencies are present, including Kurt Karr'Aashta's Investigations (located in Deathsgate, a seedy bunch), and Sharanne Vederran's Investigative Services (located in Warden Towers).

Each new recruit is given a old-fashioned Featherfall charm which must be manually activated, and told they must dice from the lofty top of Sharn to the depths below. The last participant to activate their featherfall token wins.

The new Inquisitives dive off the upper ramp. In the seconds that follow, many obstacles appear to threaten the heroes; among them  a skybarge full of cabbages, a laundry line of halfling undergarments, and a Talenta halfling riding a terydactyl type creature.

Some heroes hit obstacles or lose their nerve. Elros, once he is out of the competition, secretly casts featherfall on the rival Kurt Karr’Aashta’s Inquisitives, allowing Dalavash to win the day.

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