First Tower
#session
Date: 2024-11-10
OPERATION “First Tower”
Issued: 11th October, 5594
#date
SITUATION
- We’ve uncovered several interesting links between the deepwood, specifically Battlegroup Orange, and nobles in the Grand Duchy of Hirurogei.
- Of these connections, almost all connect to south-eastern Hirurogei, especially the High Elves and Hobgoblins in the area.
- For a while it was merely supplying deepwood operations, but Opperation Gloomy Intelligence saw it was far more.
- Another Ehnet found that the elves are connected to a diabolical cult during “Operation Dead Tower” in Efthyr. Noble houses Sadia, Falee, Tharzil, and Kaelith-Korovanthum have come up the most.
OBJECTIVE
- Travel to Rowanhall Estate on Mount Korovanthum and investigate the Kaelith-Korovanthum family.
- Find the Deepwood agents who must be involved with this, and slay them.
- Destroy any deepwood war materials you find.
COMPLICATIONS
- This operation will be in “neutral” territory. Practice discretion.
- A cult of the Nine Hells is nothing to trifle with. Beware of dragging Drotingdomr into something greater than it can handle.
CLOSING
I trust that your desire to preserve the realm should trump any “issues” that may arise along the way. We will have updates as you proceed. Gods be with you.
-Orlogsjef [EXPUNGED] "Stridsaukr"
Military Central Intelligence, [EXPUNGED]
Traveling
They talk about how they want to approach getting into the country
First Stop
Am-Dorii, cheese tour
- everyone looked at Dosk weird
Padela
we go over Lake Thandapani - vayle has a memory to be in a glass tube over the lake
- meanwhile Polaris sprays Ezra with champaign
Sadia - the ship lands on the water.
- we continue to party
Efthyr
we land a ways off from Rowanhall Estate
and we walk
The estate
- Ezra meets with Adris
- forearm hand shake
- his parents are in the estate
- His sister is not in the estate
- Adris has not caught on, but only Thalus
- Sister has been taken away against her will
the tree is petrified
the part does weird stuff around the tree
Ezra Take Seat
- there have been visitors
- connections that Ezra was not aware of
- they actually look worried
- there is some sort of magic on them
- development with Folly Family
- they cannot say who has taken his siter an aunt
- STONE STATUE OF A LION
- Nearly kills Lilitha Kaelith-Korovanthum
Meeting
WE LEAVE
THOUSANDS OF BIRDS
EVERYTHING
Crossing a line
Vayle summons a man known as Pacasiri
they get information about the various families
Falee
in exchange for the death of an innocent, in exchange for information on Kaelith-Korovanthum
they agree to do it
Polaris leaves very aggressively
#session
Date: 2024-11-17
New objective - Rescue Ezra's Aunt and Sister
Dstroy a small staue of a lion
Titus, Ezra, and Vayle discus the possibility of having to kill Ezra's Sister.
Titus disagrees
Dosk returns? We are unsure if he was ever in Rowanhall Estate
We need to go to the Falee estate known Fyla Lenora
Friendship ended with Ezra - Polaris
Infiltration
Vayle casts water breathing
it will last for 24 hours
Gimar of Firthmet
we decide to approach from the west.
We drop further out and commit to a swim up to the infiltration point
Ayxan finds some nature samples
more samples
Pond
Water seems to be evaporating
it might be a #well
Ayxan hands the healing potion to Titus
Titus remarks that of course Ayxan is his right hand man
Assaulting the Guards
Cleric of Corellon mumbles that she knew he wasn't joking and that he would be back, after hearing the dragon roar of Polaris
Heading up
Three doors
- a door with the name Fenrin
- a door that goes up another story (Ramparts
Throne Room
there is a guard
we find an enchanted key on him
the throne looks like it wasn't always here
its looks recently cleaned up
a 4 horned dragon, as part of the heraldry of the family
Gathering of Heads
#session
Date: 2024-11-24
they keep calling for a wizard. There is apparently a wizard somewhere in the area.
Dosk is losing his mind as he throws all these spells at this wizard
Bathroom Revelations
There was elven singing.
Ivellian Malus comes out of the bathroom
It turns out she might not have been kidnapped
Ivellian thinks that Zinnia Kaelith-Korovanthum is manipulating her parents and the cult.
This is actually an anti-cult coalition.
There is some sort of statue, Vayle wants to inspect it
Ezreal Kaelith-Korovanthum admits that he noticed some irregularities while at the Rowanhall Estate but not when he was young.
Ivellian Malus convinced Theomir Falee to modify Vaedin Falee's memory.
We end up kidnapping them anyway.
While we are backtracking, Ivellian Malus stops to deal with the Cleric of Corellon and Swordswoman. She tells Polaris to leave. Ayxan kidnaps the Cleric of Corellon. Polaris is sent with Vaedin Falee to follow him.
Ezra ends up killing the Swordswoman, and completing the contract.
Which means that Polaris lost his duel, especially since he was the one who originally knocked out the Swordswoman
Return to Rowanhall Estate
Adris, greets them, after they break in. Ezra pretends that he had a key
He reports that the Lord and Lady have gone away
but he says that Zinnia Kaelith-Korovanthum has returned???
we check the tree. no one
we check the throne room, there is a trap door, entrace lining up with the stairs
the mechanism is arcane and magical.
Dosk disappears #chester_logs
Zinnia's Room
It turns out that there is a book on blood magic.
the innocent blood is much more power.
So its a novel about how to use blood magic to make make magic items, empower spells, summon devils and demons
Master Bedroom
Ezra knocks out Virnan
there is a scrying mirror
there is a lot of letters about slaves
they find a switch
there was an image of a brass dragon in the skrying mirror
The basement
- gas chamber
- Wine puzzle
- we solved it
We pass through a wine cellar with water, blood, other liquids
Vayle and Polaris argue about why the elves of Rowanhall might need blood.
The Hidden Library of Rowanhall
We find a couple of books
“True power needs not be hidden.” -Thus saith Zariel
“Seek my realm and gain power. Give in to your desires and know the future.” -Thus saith Pazuzu
"Find Book 2". Thus saying Oleander.
Ayxan finds a few books
- Ancient Secrets of (REDACTED)
- In Deepest Darkness: A Treatise on Illusion
- The Palace of 1001 Doors: Prophecy for Those Who Cannot Look Away
- Journey to Unknown Lands: Volume Zero
Book 2 - Journey to Unknown Lands: Volume Zero
“Wealth is power. Follow the king’s color and find what you seek.” -Thus saith Dispater
“Deep in the tunnels…. Yes…. deep below under demon’s gaze… Three they are! chitter Yes, three guards under candle’s light, under the plateau and above stone flowers.” -Thus saith Tharzax
"Find Book 3". Thus saying Oleander.
We light the purple calendar, we feel a wind
there was actually a book under the table after we searched many places
“Henceforth, demons always lie.” Thus saith Mammon
“Step into the dark of eternity. In the middle of all knowledge, in southern reaches, search the ground.” -Thus saith Zzyczesiya
"Find Book 4". Thus saying Oleander.
Book 4 - a magical key, the shadow opened the door
“Between here and the cellar of joyful mindkiller, seek the flame which stands against the northern wall strange. Back to the light, you shall see the way forward.” -Thus saith Belial
“Leave me here. I shall not be moved.” -Thus saith Anthraxus
"Find your way though." Thus saying Oleander.
Blades of the Infernal Pact
#session
Date: 2024-12-01
The battle rages. During the fight, the sound alerts people that Ezra did not want to see. His parents show up and yell at the their children to stop fighting.
Dosk uses a powerful single word and a blazing starfall and descimates the battle field.
when a Soulhost dies, a Soulrider devil appears from their, presumably, soul
Bjorn does a lot of damage to Zinnia. Zinnia teleports away, but Ezra follows her. She uses an ability to bolster her defense. The two siblings fight in front of the portal.
Non-leathealing the soul bound, trap the devils inside their bodies, an idea from Polaris
Zinnia is granted movement from Oleander. She runs deeper into the hell doors. She escapes us and the party is quite mad. Polaris tries to beseech the Kaelith-Korovanthums to help end this devilish madness. He also places himself in between the two.
Bjorn is turned into a Fjorg. Because there is a hell hound, he catches on fire and becomes a man. He kills the Merrugon and prones the hellhound, to finish it off.
Mother Father
Ezra talks to Oleander and Lilitha Kaelith-Korovanthum
"We did this to her"
Three Balls
Titus loses a fight to the moonstones
They explode???
Into Hell
The Travel
there are a lot of people.
Some sort of diviination power prevents the location from being detected. But the enemies cannot seem to detect us if we dont approach them within 3 squares.
Polaris starts to lose his resolve. In return, he falls back to following orders.
Bolder
the boulder
its vile
it was quite the trick
Office 01
#session
Date: 2024-12-15
We start to make our way to door 7 with the key
Ritual Room
The door sinks into the wall revealing a ritual including a flayed man
- Incubus - "Elves are hot." - Brian
- Cuextecatl Xipil
- Riding Brother Mazan
"Who would dare interrupt my rituals" - Cuextecatl Xipil
Riding Brother Mazan's armor is weak, but underneath it, his skin seems to be knitting it back together
The hot elf now has bat wings
Temporary Ceasefire
Ezreal Kaelith-Korovanthum convinces the party and the remaining combatants Incubus and Riding Brother Mazan, to talk for a moment.
they do not think that Ezra's sister is fit to run the organization. They might be interested in displacement of her.
They want to build up the base here. Deepwood Veil has been contracting the organization to build it up.
The inform us that she is currently heading to the deepest level of the complex.
we need #key_1 and #key_20 (you can pick this one)
Ayxan pilfers 500 gp of residum.
and 4 Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
Looking for the Basement
We are looking for keys and a unlit lanturns
Passing through a storage room
We fight a bunch of Billman and Deepguard Archer
There is a box that has not seemed to move the last time we passed through
Dosk tries to throw a body at it
Ezra opens the box
it is filled with Consecrated Oil
Ayxan cases Leomund's Secret Chest and puts a bunch of the oil into it
Going through the dark
a dark hallway
only Ayxan and Dosk can see
Ezra has low light vision
at the end of the hall there is a fire trap
Polaris walks into it and is set on fire.
he drops and rolls into Ezra
Vayle begins to try to disable the traps
#chester_logs
Dosk sinks into the floor
Vayle accidently triggers the trap again and lights herself on fire
the fire is invisible and can only be felt
Lower courtyard
This might have been the original courtyard
We take a break in the short break gearing up to press forward.
Small chat
Vayle discusses one of the things she heard.
She has a rather tame conversation with Ayxan
but she does ask about deep speech.
Ayxan says that he's always known it, even before he was born
Contact with Gimar
- they have tried to contact us 8 times
- they have dusted off, and are currently flying
- Deepwood Forces are closing in on us
- there are portals to over locations
- We continue to press forward with HASTE
Battling more Devils
We surprise round into the room
- Lesser Kython, supposedly from Cania
- Merrugon
- Soulhost
Sneaking into Storage
There doesn't seem to be doors???
We find
- 500 gp of healing components
- 50 ft of magical chain
- stronger than rope
- chain is thin
- Cursed Magic Collar
- drains intelligence by 1 a week
- DO NOT PUT IT ON
- DO NOT PUT IT ON
The Skull Wall
- it wants us to use the collars
- to sacrifice someone
Sneaking around
a lot of shinanigans
a lot of silly
there is a treasure chest
Dealing with the Baneite
Vayle actually heals Ayxan for second.
This is a kindness.
Sacrifices
sacrificing the soulhost granted Ezra 4 healing surges and full health
sacrificing the lesser Kython granted Vayle 1 healing surge
Ayxan taunted the skulls, and will keep the Baneite Dreadmaster
The door
we talk for a bit but decide to kill them all and crush the cult
The door noisely retracts upward, like a grage door
As if this is Hell itself
There is another door deeper in the complex.
In another room there is a tomb.
This is a great great grandfather
A paladin in mind but not oath
There is another Tomb
the tales of their life is misfourtune
Shivan Korovanthum
to the south, there are a lot of coffins
the coffins have a lot of levers
Lever One
After two traps in the illusionary coffin, the real body.
Vayle and Ayxan continue to argue with each other.
Ayxan calls her stupid
Vayle now doesn't believe in nobility at all
After looking around for quite a bit, it is determined that the one of the levers has already been pulled.
it was the lever in the not quite paladin room
Portal to Batar
Zinnia is here
she introduces us to Ezra's great grandfather: Glingaerdir
There is some arguing and banter
When Glingaerdir is bloodied
He has a -2 to his AC but he does more damage
Polaris uses a SECOND Withering Courage
Zinnia and Ezra continue to fight
The Siblings Fight
There is a small discussion between Ezra and his sister
There are a lot of sad comments and Zinnia thinks to leave through the portal
instead, a Tezeral - Messenger of Vreesar appears out of the portal
It offers Ezra the ability to take over the cult
- trade fellowship to the cult, for your family's safety
Ezra takes the contract and signs it.
He agrees to take over the cult, in return for the safety and privilege of his family.
Polaris is remarkable quiet in his judgement. Its not the choice he would have made but does not fault Ezra for his choice
Escape
- Zinnia leads us to an escape
- Polaris shoots one araakroa down a hole
- Vayle blows up two deepwood portals with dianamite
- there were a lot of deactivated war forged
- Vreesar is their patron
- We make it on to the ship, as the demitrigun fires offs
#session
Date: 2025-01-12
Returning to Hesper’s Holdfast
Ivellian Malus talked to Ezra
Ezra understands his family more now that he has had to make a tough decision.
Ivellian Malus cannot tell Ezra what she is up to, Ezra wants to make things right but knows it will a tough battle.
"I've made allies of enemies, and enemies of allies" - Ezreal Kaelith-Korovanthum
Ezra and Polaris have a quick conversation then he goes off to talk to his family.
His sister knows that she needs to re-learn magic
but Ezra stresses that eventually she needs to come visit.
Ayxan comes to a contract agreement with the Baneite Dreadmaster for a 1.5 years of servitude
Call From the Orlogsjef "Stridsaukr"
we inform the Orlogsief of the following:
- We infiltrated the Falee estate to interogatted them
- the devil cult also infiltrated and murdered many people in the manor
- we resucuded the family from the cult
- the deepwood was there
- in large numbers
- There was infighting between the Devil Cult and the Deepwood.
- We exfiltrated Ezra's family and are now returning to Hesper’s Holdfast
- Ayxan mentions that there was an end to the agreement after the actions we took
The issue where Ezra's parents and sister visually look like Polaris's family.