Session 26: Temple of Extraction Report
General Summary
Session 26 – Temple of Extraction
The CW returned from the Lake of Madness and made their way back to the Infinite Tavern, statue in tow. Having gained another level, they were feeling noticeably more powerful. After everything they had experienced, they now understood just how dangerous the Doomvault truly was.
Syranna was still spending her days with Mike, drinking heavily in the tavern as usual. This time, however, there was a greater sense of camaraderie in the air. Even the orcs they had encountered before seemed surprisingly well-adjusted. The tavern radiated an odd but comforting sense of happiness.
When Syranna saw the party, her jaw dropped. She could hardly believe they had made it back—again. Waving them over, she insisted they needed to talk.
Syranna revealed more of her past. She explained that she was from Thay and had been involved in efforts to create armies of the "re-living." The CW looked puzzled, prompting T-Pain to ask, "What's the difference between undead and re-living?"
According to Syranna, the concept was essentially an attempt to create immortal armies without the corruption typically associated with undeath. The group she had worked with opposed the Red Wizards of Thay. They had discovered the Doomvault and intended to use its Glyph Gates to transport massive armies along the Sword Coast during an invasion.
Eventually, Syranna fled into the Doomvault to escape Thay. Over time, the Doomvault itself came under constant assault by undead forces. The surviving Thayans escaped to Daggerford, but the undead followed through the Bloodgate. Syranna realized that Daggerford would become the starting point for the Red Wizards' grand campaign.
She explained that Mennack Aras had been one of the leaders behind the plan. Deciding she had seen enough, Syranna attempted to retrieve a Glyph Key from the Doomvault herself—but failed. While she knew the massive army still existed somewhere, she no longer knew its location.
She then revealed another shocking truth: she had only been in the Infinite Tavern for a few weeks, not years. She also confirmed that they had failed to destroy the phylactery. Syranna admitted she was sharing all of this because she honestly never expected the party to make it this far.
The Return of Mennack
Lillifern embraced Syranna in an effort to comfort her. Deornoth asked whether she recognized the statue they had recovered. Syranna nodded immediately.
"That's Mennack Aras," she said. "The Red Wizard who was part of our party."
Wilbo asked whether destroying the phylactery would also destroy the Doomvault. Syranna confirmed that it would. She explained that Kazit Gul remained at the center of the Doomvault, sustaining the entire structure.
Lillifern searched her memory for a way to restore Mennack and realized she possessed the means to do so. Before proceeding, she asked Syranna if it was alright.
Syranna laughed. "As long as I get credit for it."
Lillifern worked her magic, and Mennack returned to life in a panic. Unknown to the rest of the party, he had been under attack by a Death Tyrant moments before he was petrified.
"Did you get it?" he shouted. "Did you actually get it?"
Looking around and realizing he was no longer under attack, Mennack visibly relaxed. He pointed at Syranna, Hooves, and T-Pain.
"You're all dead," he observed matter-of-factly.
After receiving an explanation of everything that had happened, Mennack took a deep breath.
"So we're still going into the Doomvault?"
The party nodded.
Mennack clapped his hands together.
"Alright then. Let's get it done."
The Assault on the Central Chamber
Syranna asked what the plan would be moving forward. After a brief discussion, the Glyph Keys were distributed. Deornoth, Syranna, and Martha originally carried the keys, but Hooves pointed out that dead people probably should not be trusted with such important artifacts. Syranna reluctantly handed her key to Mennack. Deornoth entrusted his key to Lillifern.
The final arrangement left Lillifern, Martha, and Mennack carrying the Glyph Keys.
With preparations complete, the CW made their way toward the center of the Doomvault. The massive gate opened before them, revealing the path ahead.
Taking advantage of their newfound allies, the party sent the five enthusiastic orcs through first. Hooves and Deornoth followed immediately behind them.
The moment they entered, Deornoth spotted two floating Arcane Eyes drifting through the chamber. Unsurprisingly, the magical sentries sounded the alarm.
T-Pain stepped through behind them. Despite his size, he somehow managed to enter more quietly than the shouting orcs.
The Arcane Eyes focused on the newcomers as Deornoth quickly improvised a solution.
"Cover them!" he shouted.
The orcs happily ripped off their cloaks and threw them over the Arcane Eyes. Mission accomplished.
Without waiting for further instructions, the orcs immediately charged a group of skeletons descending a nearby staircase.
Several members of the party could hear additional movement higher up. The orcs turned around and demanded to know what everyone was waiting for.
"What are we doing?!" they shouted.
"Up the stairs!" Hooves bellowed.
The orcs cheered and sprinted upward.
The Arcane Barrier
At the top of the staircase, the party found themselves overlooking an enormous chamber. Below stretched a strange astral bridge suspended above a sea of magical energy. The very fabric of reality appeared to be tearing apart, and from those rifts emerged creatures that could only be described as demons.
Martha studied the scene carefully. Though she had never encountered these beings before, she immediately recognized them as fiends.
The CW prepared for battle.
[list] [*]Hooves entered a rage. [*]Deornoth cast Shield of Faith. [*]Lillifern assumed a Wild Shape. [*]Martha prepared her magic. [*]T-Pain unfurled his wings. [*]Wilbo wiggled his tiny rabbit nose. [/list]
The battlefield itself was absurd. The party stood inside what appeared to be a massive 120-foot-tall sphere filled with flashing magical lights.
Nobody had expected the final approach to the Doomvault to resemble a rave.
Deornoth charged directly toward the nearest red-skinned demon but slammed headfirst into an invisible barrier.
After examining the area, he noticed two glowing magical nodes positioned nearby. Testing a theory, he attempted to pass through the barrier again and failed.
The wall was impenetrable.
Deornoth retreated to the stairs to regroup.
Hooves charged forward next. He leapt onto a nearby island, reached the same invisible boundary, and confirmed Deornoth's findings. Unable to reach the demons, he instead demolished a nearby pile of bones.
Wilbo tested the barrier as well and met the same result.
Naturally, he chose to taunt the enemy.
"Come get me, bitch!"
Unfortunately, the red demon accepted the challenge.
A flaming whip snapped through the air and wrapped around Deornoth's leg. The demon yanked hard, dragging the paladin off the stairs and slamming him directly into the barrier.
Martha focused on the demon's weapon and noticed something strange. While the demon's hand and whip could pass through the wall, the creature itself could not.
Meanwhile, the purple demon attempted to return Wilbo's taunts with a whip strike of its own. Wilbo dodged effortlessly.
The fiend redirected its attention toward Hooves instead and successfully struck him.
The Glyph Key Discovery
Martha concentrated on the magical barrier and searched through everything she knew about arcane constructs.
That was when she noticed something important.
The Glyph Key at her side was slowly pulling toward the wall. More importantly, it had begun to grow warm.
"The Glyph Key is connected to the wall!" she shouted.
Lillifern immediately relayed the information to Deornoth and moved to provide him with her key.
Meanwhile, T-Pain climbed the stairs and noticed another suspicious pile of bones.
Rather than investigate, he simply destroyed it.
The orcs watched in a mixture of awe and disappointment.
"The real fight is down there," T-Pain informed them while pointing toward the demons.
The orcs exchanged excited glances.
Then they jumped.
Unfortunately, none of them had been paying attention to the discussion regarding the invisible wall.
All five bounced directly off the barrier and plummeted to their deaths below.
To their credit, they had specifically requested an epic death.
Mission accomplished.
Breaking Through
At last, Syranna and Mennack pieced together the solution.
"Use the Glyph Keys!" they shouted.
Martha rolled her eyes.
"No fucking shit! Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"We just figured it out!" Syranna yelled back.
At that moment, a massive balor emerged from one of the tears in reality.
Wilbo sprinted back to Mennack, grabbed the Glyph Key, and charged directly toward the wall.
This time, he passed straight through.
The success was immediately followed by panic as he realized he was now trapped on the same side as the demons.
Deornoth watched Wilbo succeed, retrieved a Glyph Key from Lillifern, and flew through the barrier as well.
The red demon grinned as the paladin approached.
At last, a worthy opponent.
Deornoth answered by driving the Holy Avenger directly into the fiend's flesh.
The demon screamed in agony as radiant energy erupted through its body.
For the first time since the battle began, the enemy looked genuinely worried.
Hooves soon joined them after Wilbo cleverly extended the Glyph Key through the barrier, allowing the minotaur to grasp it from the other side and pass through safely.
Wilbo immediately climbed onto Hooves' back as the battle for the Doomvault truly began.
Battle Beyond the Arcane Wall
With the secret of the Arcane Wall finally uncovered, the battle quickly shifted in the party's favor.
Mounted atop Hooves, Wilbo loosed an arrow at the smaller purple demon. His first shot missed, but the second struck true, slowing the fiend's movements.
The demon retaliated immediately, snapping its whip toward Hooves. The minotaur casually caught the weapon midair and threw it aside.
The fiend looked deeply offended.
Abandoning its whip, it rushed forward with its blade. Despite its efforts, it failed to land a meaningful blow.
Meanwhile, the wounded red demon turned its attention toward Deornoth. The fiend attacked repeatedly, but the paladin's defenses held firm.
T-Pain barked an order from behind the lines.
"Deornoth! Attack!"
The paladin needed no further encouragement. The Holy Avenger carved through the red demon once more, filling the chamber with radiant energy.
The fiend was already staggering.
T-Pain then made a discovery of his own.
While holding a Glyph Key, physical objects could pass through the Arcane Wall.
He loaded his heavy crossbow and fired directly through the barrier. The bolt struck the red demon squarely in the chest.
A second shot nearly finished the creature outright.
Curious whether the same principle applied to magic, T-Pain handed the Glyph Key to Martha.
Martha launched a crackling bolt of lightning at the fiends. The spell passed through the barrier without issue and struck both the smaller demon and the newly arrived balor. Though effective, she immediately realized lightning was not the ideal choice against such foes.
Returning the key, Martha turned her attention elsewhere. Something on the chamber floor had caught her eye.
It looked suspiciously like a portal.
The Fall of the Red Demon
While Martha investigated, the battle continued to escalate.
Lillifern unleashed a flock of summoned birds against the skeletal defenders and nearby bone piles. The skeletons were shredded, though the larger pile of bones proved more resilient.
Across the battlefield, Hooves raised the Flail of Tiamat and roared a single word.
"Fuego!"
A ninety-foot cone of multicolored acid erupted across the bridge, engulfing both purple demons. The attack left them badly wounded and visibly reeling.
Hooves followed up with a crushing strike from the flail, splashing additional acid across the smaller fiend.
Wilbo darted through the chaos, channeling necrotic energy through his abilities. He simultaneously wounded the enemy and restored some of Hooves' vitality.
Then Deornoth delivered the finishing blow.
The Holy Avenger flashed through the air, and the red demon's head separated cleanly from its shoulders.
The fiend collapsed as radiant energy consumed its remains.
The smaller purple demon attempted to avenge its fallen ally but found little success against the party's defenses.
The balor, however, was a far greater threat.
The Portal Discovery
While everyone else focused on the demons, Martha continued studying the strange portal below.
Her investigation revealed that it was indeed a transportation portal, though she could not determine its exact destination. She sensed activity beyond it and concluded that something—or someone—was waiting on the other side.
Intrigued, she stepped into the portal's center without activating it.
Lillifern approached and asked what she was doing.
"Want to find out where this goes?" Martha asked.
Lillifern shrugged.
Why not?
The two activated the portal and vanished.
The Army in Thay
The pair emerged in a military encampment deep within Thay.
What they saw immediately confirmed their worst fears.
A massive army stood assembled and awaiting orders.
Martha instantly recognized several terrifying threats among the ranks:
[list] [*]Death Knights [*]Wights [*]Red Wizards [*]Numerous undead horrors [*]Additional creatures she could not immediately identify [/list]
The force appeared to be preparing for deployment.
More importantly, they had caught the entire army completely by surprise.
Martha grinned.
This opportunity was simply too good to waste.
Meteor Swarm
Before casting anything, Martha and Lillifern agreed upon an escape plan.
Lillifern would remain ready to pull them back through the portal the moment things became dangerous.
Martha considered her options carefully.
Then she decided subtlety was overrated.
"Fuck it."
She cast Meteor Swarm.
The heavens answered.
Massive explosions tore through the assembled army. Fire and destruction engulfed entire formations. Undead were vaporized. Soldiers vanished in waves of annihilation. Supply lines ceased to exist.
When the smoke cleared, almost nothing remained standing.
Only a Death Knight and two Red Wizards had survived the devastation.
Satisfied with her work, Martha turned around.
Lillifern and Martha bid the survivors farewell and immediately retreated through the portal.
Neither lingered long enough to see how angry the Death Knight had become.
The Balor's Last Stand
Back in the Doomvault, the battle against the balor had reached its climax.
T-Pain flew into position behind the massive fiend and continued directing Deornoth's attacks. Together they hammered the demon with a relentless barrage of strikes.
The balor was visibly weakening, but it refused to go quietly.
The fiend lashed out at Wilbo, grabbing him and smashing him into the Arcane Wall. The impact hurled the rabbitfolk onto the electrified floor below.
Bruised and prone, Wilbo nevertheless survived.
The balor then turned its attention toward Lillifern, striking her with a crackling Lightning Blade. The blow left her stunned and unable to react.
Moments later, the demon teleported back into the center of the battlefield.
Unfortunately for the balor, T-Pain had already lined up another shot.
His crossbow bolt struck the fiend squarely in the chest.
Then another followed.
The creature was rapidly approaching its limit.
The Death Knight Arrives
Unfortunately, the battle was not over.
The survivors of Martha's meteor strike had followed them.
The Death Knight and two Red Wizards stepped through the portal into the Doomvault.
Martha reacted immediately.
She unleashed a brilliant Sunburst directly into their faces.
The two Red Wizards were annihilated instantly.
The Death Knight barely seemed inconvenienced.
Lillifern took one look at the situation, grabbed Martha, sprinted sixty feet, and Moonstepped the two of them as far away as possible.
Martha's composure finally broke.
"THERE IS A DEATH KNIGHT! HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"
Hooves did not fully understand the details.
What he did understand was that if Martha was screaming, the situation was probably serious.
The Death Knight climbed the stairs and fixed its gaze upon Martha and Lillifern.
Dark magic gathered around its blade as it attempted to rip Martha's soul from her body.
To its apparent confusion, the attempt failed.
Whether Martha successfully resisted or simply lacked a removable soul remained a matter of debate.
The Death Knight Falls
The Death Knight advanced relentlessly, its attention fixed entirely upon Martha.
Dark magic swirled around the creature as it attempted once again to seize her soul. For a second time, the spell failed.
Whether Martha's defenses were simply too strong or whether there was some deeper mystery at work remained unclear.
The Death Knight changed tactics.
Its burning gaze locked onto Martha as it attempted to command her to remove her protective amulet.
Martha resisted effortlessly.
Clearly frustrated, the undead warrior pressed forward.
Deornoth immediately moved to intercept it, charging across the battlefield while the others regrouped.
The Death Knight continued focusing on Martha, once again attempting to tear her soul free. Once again, nothing happened.
Lillifern and Martha wisely retreated toward the relative safety of Syranna and Mennack.
The Death Knight turned its attention toward Deornoth instead.
"Drop your weapon," it commanded.
For a moment, Deornoth's grip loosened.
Then the paladin tightened his hand around the Holy Avenger and refused.
Hooves arrived next.
With a burst of misty magic, he teleported up the stairs and smashed the Death Knight with the Flail of Tiamat.
The undead warrior retaliated immediately.
Its cursed blade struck Hooves, dealing tremendous necrotic damage.
To everyone's surprise, the attack immediately healed him instead.
Being dead finally had its advantages.
Wilbo slipped into position and drove a sneak attack into the Death Knight's defenses, landing a devastating strike.
The creature's composure began to crack.
It turned toward Deornoth and attempted to overwhelm him with attacks, but failed to land a meaningful blow.
T-Pain seized the opportunity.
"Deornoth. Strike."
The Holy Avenger cut deep into the Death Knight's flesh.
"Again."
The paladin obeyed.
As the Death Knight desperately attempted one final command, Deornoth drove the Holy Avenger directly through its burning eyes.
The command died on its lips.
Moments later, so did the Death Knight.
The Final Door
With the Death Knight defeated, Syranna wasted no time.
"We need to move. Now."
The Arcane Eyes were still frantically sounding alarms throughout the Doomvault. The surviving skeletons had abandoned any thought of resistance and scattered after witnessing the carnage left behind by the CW.
The party pushed onward toward the final chamber.
Their caution was beginning to wear thin.
After everything they had survived, they simply walked through the door.
Waiting for them inside was a lich.
Not a hostile lich.
At least, not immediately.
The Lich's Offer
The lich surprised everyone by offering a bargain.
He claimed he wanted the Doomvault destroyed.
In exchange, he wanted the party to take his phylactery and ensure his safe escape. To guarantee their cooperation, he would place a curse upon them, lifting it only once he was safely beyond danger.
The proposal sparked a tremendous argument.
Deornoth immediately disliked the arrangement.
Hooves immediately disliked Deornoth disliking the arrangement.
After several minutes of heated debate, threats, counterarguments, and more than one warning that Deornoth might be knocked unconscious if he attempted to smite first and ask questions later, the negotiations collapsed.
Hooves finally reached his limit.
"Fuck it. We're fighting him."
The discussion phase ended.
Combat began.
<h2]Battle with the Lich
The lich acted first.
His magic lashed out toward Martha, draining a portion of her life essence permanently.
Sixteen hit points vanished forever.
Martha was understandably unhappy about this development.
Deornoth reacted immediately.
The Holy Avenger struck once.
Then again.
Radiant energy tore through the lich's defenses as chunks of undead flesh flew across the chamber.
Lillifern followed with Moonbeam, bathing the creature in divine light and further weakening it.
The lich retaliated with a devastating blast of necrotic energy directed at Lillifern.
Hooves and T-Pain both privately reflected that they would have gladly taken that damage instead.
Hooves charged.
His first attack missed.
The next two did not.
The Flail of Tiamat slammed repeatedly into the lich's body.
T-Pain then directed Deornoth forward once more.
"Hit him again."
The Holy Avenger carved deeper into the lich's failing form.
At that point, T-Pain decided the battle had lasted long enough.
He closed the distance, landed a critical strike, inspired Martha, and split the lich directly down the middle.
The creature collapsed.
The battle was over.
The Phylacteries
Only after the fighting ended did the party fully appreciate what they had discovered.
Most of the Doomvault's phylacteries had been gathered in a single location.
The realization left everyone stunned.
Why would anyone store so many world-ending magical artifacts together?
The answer remained a mystery.
The CW destroyed them all.
As each phylactery shattered, souls erupted outward like shooting stars.
Spirits long trapped within the Doomvault finally found freedom.
Among them were three particularly familiar souls.
Hooves.
T-Pain.
Syranna.
The souls rushed back toward their rightful bodies.
For a brief moment, Hooves and T-Pain watched their hands become solid once more.
Then they immediately dropped dead.
Apparently reclaiming one's soul was only part of the process.
Escape from the Doomvault
As the Doomvault began collapsing around them, the party scrambled to recover.
Deornoth quickly restored T-Pain to life.
Lillifern followed suit and revived Hooves.
Syranna's soul returned shortly afterward.
Despite having almost nothing left to give, Lillifern used her final reserves of magic to bring Syranna back as well, honoring the promise she had made earlier.
The structure around them groaned.
Reality itself began tearing apart.
The Doomvault was dying.
Using the remaining teleportation magic available to them, the party escaped just as the ancient complex collapsed behind them.
Moments later, they arrived safely at Martha's residence.
For the first time in what felt like ages, the CW finally had an opportunity to rest.
Martha and Lillifern immediately began discussing ways to restore the hit points permanently stolen by the lich.
Wizards were fragile enough already.
Nobody wanted Martha becoming any squishier than she already was.
An Unexpected Visitor
The CW had scarcely settled into Martha's home when a knock sounded at the door.
One of Martha's attendants informed her that a visitor had arrived and wished to speak with her personally.
Deornoth immediately volunteered to accompany her.
When Martha opened the door, she found herself face-to-face with a well-appointed adventurer whose presence commanded immediate respect.
"I am Blackstaff," the man introduced himself.
Deornoth's jaw nearly hit the floor.
The paladin did everything in his power not to begin fanboying on the spot.
He failed only slightly.
Immediately turning around, Deornoth rushed back into the house and gathered the rest of the CW.
"There is no time to lose!" he announced.
Blackstaff gestured toward a heavily armored carriage waiting nearby.
"There are provisions aboard. We leave immediately."
Force Grey
The journey through Waterdeep was swift.
The armored carriage carried the party directly to the headquarters of Force Grey.
Upon entering, the CW immediately noticed a massive Frost Giant standing prominently within the gathering hall.
Blackstaff introduced him.
This was Harshnag the Grim.
One by one, Blackstaff continued introducing legendary heroes and renowned members of Force Grey. These were the famed Grey Hands—adventurers whose deeds echoed across the Sword Coast.
For the first time, the CW found themselves standing among the individuals they had heard stories about for years.
More importantly, those heroes recognized the CW as peers.
The accomplishments of the party had not gone unnoticed.
Force Grey had made its decision.
They would join the war.
The full strength of Force Grey would be available to support the allied forces gathering against the Cult of the Dragon.
Furthermore, Blackstaff informed Martha that Allmister was already working alongside her father and that she would now have access to every spell available through their resources.
The final preparations for war had begun.
Gifts Bestowed
Before discussing strategy, Blackstaff informed the party that several organizations had prepared rewards in recognition of their accomplishments.
The CW listened carefully.
The gifts were significant.
T-Pain
Blackstaff acknowledged what many had only recently learned.
T-Pain was no ordinary adventurer.
As the son of Bahamut, special armor had been held in reserve specifically for him.
The armor was finally placed into his possession.
Deornoth
For his unwavering service to justice and righteousness, Deornoth was awarded a shield blessed by Tyr himself.
The gift represented both recognition and responsibility.
Lillifern
The Emerald Enclave had not forgotten their champion.
They bestowed upon Lillifern a Periapt of Life, ensuring her ability to protect those around her in the difficult days ahead.
Hooves
The Emerald Enclave also delivered a gift to Hooves.
Warpaint Half Plate.
The armor had been specifically prepared for him and reflected the respect he had earned throughout his adventures.
Wilbo
Blackstaff produced a carefully wrapped package.
"We were instructed to give this directly to you."
No one was allowed to inspect it.
No one was told what it contained.
Only that it belonged to Wilbo.
Naturally, this made everyone else extremely curious.
Dispatches from the Front
Blackstaff distributed several reports gathered from across the Sword Coast.
Each represented a growing crisis demanding immediate attention.
The Siege of Daggerford
To the Defenders of the Sword Coast,
I write to you from the walls of Daggerford under constant siege. The one called the Black Death has descended upon our lands with endless armies of undead. Each night the dead hurl themselves against our gates while blackened wings circle above the city like vultures awaiting a corpse.
We endure still, but supplies diminish with every passing day. The roads south have become graveyards patrolled by the dead. Worse still, the Black Death grows increasingly violent and erratic. Entire villages have been destroyed where once he merely conquered.
Something has driven the creature mad.
We ask for aid before Daggerford becomes another kingdom of the dead.
— Lady of Daggerford
The Harper Agent
To the Allied Forces of the Sword Coast,
We remain embedded within the Cult of the Dragon near the Well of Dragons. The ritual to summon Tiamat is far more advanced than previously believed.
I possess critical intelligence regarding the ritual's defenses, overseers, and remaining requirements. Extraction is requested immediately.
The Cult's forces continue to swell. Ogres, drakes, dragons, and creatures beyond identification now patrol the camp.
Rumors suggest an army of giants marches to reinforce the region.
If this message reaches you, I still live.
For the Harpers. For the Sword Coast.
The Giant Threat
To the Commanders of the Allied Forces,
Scouts report massive troop movements near Parnast. Giant warbands gather in numbers not seen in generations.
Supply caravans bearing the mark of the Cult of the Dragon have been observed entering giant territory under heavy guard.
All intelligence suggests an alliance has been forged.
Should the giants march south, they will likely reinforce the armies gathering at the Well of Dragons.
Strategists fear they may instead sever allied supply lines and isolate forces marching from Baldur's Gate.
Immediate action is advised.
The Call of Bahamut
To the Son of Bahamut,
The hour long foreseen has come.
The armies of the Sword Coast gather at the Well of Dragons where the servants of Tiamat seek to complete their dark ascension.
You are called not merely as a warrior, but as the blood of Bahamut himself.
The Dragon Council requests that you take command during the coming assault.
Know also that three ancient metallic dragons have volunteered to openly join the war.
They await only your command.
Choose wisely.
The fate of kingdoms may depend upon where they are sent.
May the light of Bahamut guide your hand.
The War Council
Once the dispatches had been reviewed, Blackstaff presented his conclusions.
Time was running out.
The armies gathering at the Well of Dragons would likely begin moving within days.
The giant host advancing from the north threatened to intercept allied forces before they could reach the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Daggerford remained under siege by the Black Death and his endless undead armies.
Every threat demanded attention.
Every threat could not be addressed simultaneously.
The CW now possessed unprecedented resources:
[list] [*]The support of Force Grey [*]The backing of the Dragon Council [*]Access to allied armies [*]Three metallic dragons awaiting orders [*]The trust of multiple factions across the Sword Coast [/list]
Yet even with all of those advantages, difficult choices remained.
The war had entered its final stage.
The next decision would shape the fate of Faerûn itself.
End of Session 26
The Doomvault has fallen.
The phylacteries have been destroyed.
The armies gather.
War is coming.
The question remains:
What is the CW's next move?
