Decisions and Echoes of the Past Report

General Summary

The Heroes of the Host Tower triumphantly return from defeating the evil Nanny Poo'Poo! The evil green hag that has haunted the ruins of Mbala in Chult for more than a century. They bring along Undril Silvertusk, priestess of Torm, and member of the Order of the Gauntlet. Now safely back in Port Nyanzaru, our brave adventures enjoy some well deserved rest, and reflect both on their journey they have been on, and their choices ahead.   Our heroes rose early on the morning of November 18th to discuss their future plans, perhaps to go forth and explore the mines that had been discovered not too far off from their previous adventures in the jungles of Chult. As they sat around the table Lord Rhogar noted the heavy damage his armor had sustained during the attacks by the terrible dinosaurs that nearly had claimed his life. Myrril offered to handle getting repairs done for Lord Rhogar at a price which would be reasonable, since she had spent several weeks in Port Nyanzaru waiting for the parties return, and had made a few contacts here in the city. As the parties discussions progressed on what they might do next Undril Silvertusk informed them all of her meeting scheduled with the senior member of the Order of the Gauntlet, and politely asked the party to hold off on making any solid plans until the meeting was complete. She suspected that she may be tasked to travel from Chult, and would enjoy the safety and companionship of her newfound friends. Undril was also heavily influenced by the budding romance that had been formed with Connor during their travels together, and was not eager to part company with him anytime soon. Undril had shared hopes for Connor to join the Order of the Gauntlet, and was hopeful that continued travels together would permit her to sway him to join their cause. The party agreed to not make any definitive plans until she returned with the results of her meeting.   The Heroes of the Host Tower continued to relax and enjoy the various exotic foods and drinks available to them inside the tavern of the Thundering Lizard well into the afternoon, until the appearance of a seven foot tall golden colored dragonborn female interrupted their reverie. She approached the parties table and even through the normally stoic appearance of a dragonborn face, it was very obvious that she had hostile feelings towards Lord Rhogar. She bluntly asked if Rhogar was in fact a member of the Yarjerit clan. Lord Rhogar openly admitted that this was in fact his family name, and the new arrival reacted to it with a mixture of both disgust and alarm, and questioned everyone at the table on how they could allow themselves to travel with someone so tainted with evil, and that surely Lord Rhogar could not be any different. Morgrim immediately came to the defense of his trusted companion, and told this newcomer that her accusations were unfounded, and that Rhogar’s honor and loyalty to his friends were beyond reproach. It took awhile, but eventually the tall golden dragonborn woman seemed convinced, and introduced herself as Kimbatuul Mishann. She apologized for her assumptions to Lord Rhogar, and offered to share her story of why she had thought he might have been evil, and to provide him with information about his family. She agreed to meet with him at a place of his choosing, so that no foul play would be suspected. Lord Rhogar agreed, and the two of them eventually settled at meeting at the great gate house by the dock entryway that allowed for the raising and lowering of the mighty chains of Port Nyanzaru, chains that could deny or allow entry into the harbor for the ships. After some discussion with his friends at the table Rhogar departed to the agreed upon meeting place, with his friends trailing behind at a healthy distance. He found Mishann waiting for him at the place agreed upon, and she shared her story with him, and the reasons why she had held his family in with such suspicion.   Mishann shared the story of how the Yarjerit family had conquered the lands south of the Uthangol mountains, and had built a keep by forcing into service the gnolls from the area, as well as a tribe of mighty beast creatures that also lived in the mountains. She further went on to elaborate that his family had enslaved quite a few of the Shaaron tribes that lived in these lands and forced them to do labor to establish this new stronghold that they would rule with an iron fist. Mishann went on to tell Lord Rhogar how the Shaaron tribes were forced to reveal magical items and treasures hidden from the nearby tombs and crypts from the long destroyed City of Shandaular located underneath the nearby Council Hills. Using the might of these magical artifacts cemented the rule of the Yarjerit family, and soon their influence spread far and wide from their newly built keep. Over a decade of the forced slavery and rule by the Yarjerit family finally united the oppressed people to unite and rebel against thier tyranical masters. After a bloody battle the Yarjerit family was defeated and the enraged former slaves reduced the keep to nothing but ruins. The reign of the Yarjerit family had been brought to an end, but the local residents did not forget the cruelty of their former dragonborn rulers. As a result it became commonplace that any dragonborn seen traveling through that region would be attacked on sight with little or no questions asked. It was here that the sad story of Mishann had its origin. Her family had been discovered living in a village that was just south of the lands once controlled by the Yarjerit family by a roaming warband of gnolls. Whether it was fear, or the gnolls inherent desire for violence is unknown. But the village containing the Kimbatuul family and everyone else in the village were mercilessly slaughtered. Mishann went on to explain that no matter where she went, the distrust and hatred of her kind, due to the actions of Rhogar’s family continued to haunt her. She continued to move further and further west and she eventually ended up joining the mercenary guild of the Flaming Fist, and asked to be stationed as far away as possible from her past. This is how she ended up being assigned to Fort Beluarian in Chult. She further went on to describe the locations of Lord Rhogar’s family keep, and warned him of the dangers of ever traveling that way. Mishann offered her apologies for her judgments against Lord Rhogar without giving him the opportunity to show that he was indeed not like his other family members, and expressed to him that a being of evil would not have been able to inspire such loyalty from his companions. She parted company with him, after informing him that she was returning north to Fort Beluarian in a few days.   As Mishann departed, Lord Rhogar's friends rejoined him at the gate house by the harbor entrance and inquired if all was well with their good friend. Lord Rhogar kept most of everything he had learned to himself, but ensured his companions that he did not believe Mishann was a threat and that he considered the matter closed. The party then returned to the Thundering Lizard to find out the results of Undril Silvertusk’s meeting.   As the party returned, they did indeed find Undril waiting for them. She shared the news that she had been tasked with traveling north by ship to the city of Velen. She asked if our heroes would please be willing to accompany her on the journey, and that her Order was willing to pay the party 15 gold pieces each per day. The trip should take about 8 days and our heroes agreed to the terms. After a few days to prepare for their departure, they set sail early on the morning of November 20th. The ship they departed on was run by Whitehawk Harabee, a ranked member of the Order of the Gauntlet, and a seasoned veteran of the seas. He let the party know that the ship would be taking them through a route of known pirates, and that if they were to encounter any, that the warship would give chase. The party did in fact encounter a small pirate vessel during their journey North to Velen, but the small pirate ship was faster and was able to escape after a day's chase. During the 9 day journey, the bond between undrell and Connor grew ever closer, and she took this time to explain what the Order of the Gauntlet stood for, and the fact that it was her intention to sponsor him for membership in the order if he so chose.   After the relatively uneventful journey, the warship pulled into Velen on the 29th of November. Our heroes were brought to the guild hall of the Order of the Gauntlet, although it would be closer to the truth to call it a fortress within the city than a guild Hall. There they were introduced to Reginald Silverhold, the Righteous Hand of Velen. The party was given a luxurious waiting room to relax in, and we're brought bowls of clean water and towels to freshen themselves up after their long journey at sea. Undrill's meeting with took about 45 minutes, but when it was over the party was given a warm welcome by the Righteous Hand, and profusely thanked the party for all the good deeds they had done in both Chult and for the Order. Our heroes were provided all accommodations, and access to any services needed for their equipment, as well as access to the orders library as requested. As everyone settled in and took advantage of the hospitality, Undrill informed Connor that the Righteous Hand had ruled that Conner was to be allowed to join the Order if he so chose, and that they would swear him in as early as that evening's dinner if he chose. Connor's love for Undril had grown to the point where the thought of being separated from her was unbearable, and after learning of the Order of the Gauntlet’s purpose, he easily decided to accept the offer, and then asked Undril for her hand in marriage. She gleefully accepted and the announcement was made to Conner’s traveling companions. A fine banquet was held that evening, and Connor was sworn in as a member of the Order.   During this time frame, the party took advantage of the opportunity to peruse the Order’s library, but found it to be somewhat disappointing for the type of information that they were looking for. Lord rRhogar took advantage of the skilled weaponsmith available at the Order and had a fine greatsword commissioned for him. The greatsword was also to be imbued with the power of magic. They were informed that it would take approximately 3 days for the crafting of Lord Rhogar’s new weapon, and that the hospitality of the guildhall was available to all during this time. During the wait, Morgrim was invited to speak with the Righteous Hand, and was offered a job that would allow the party to continue to travel together for a bit longer if they so choose. Unfortunately, the details and benefits offered did not suit the party's expectations, and the decision to move forward with further exploiting knowledge discovered in Chult was in conflict with the job offered. The Heroes of the Host Tower politely declined, and inquired when they might be able to return to Port Nyanzaru. The Righteous Hand of Velen informed the party that as soon as Lord Rhogar’s sword was ready that he would teleport the party back to Port Nyanzaru as a way of thanks for all they had done for the Order. Connor bade farewell to his trusted companions and wished them good fortune as they parted ways. And so it was that Lord Rhogar received his new mighty weapon, a beautifully crafted greatsword with fine etchings of a curled dragon on both sides of the blade, with the runes of magic hidden around the dragon's image. With feelings of happiness for Conner's new found love and purpose, mixed with the sadness of a companion lost, Morgrim, Aaron, and Lord Rhogar gathered together and were teleported back to Port Nyanzaru on the afternoon of December 2cd. They stopped to pick up Arryn’s loyal scalebeasts, Cheddar and Crackers, and checked back in to the Thundering Lizard.