Zobror 3, Session 5

The party finds itself standing in the Direwood Forest. Everything is grey and black. Everything feels bleached, sunless, cloudless, and starless. Everything is without color.
 
Looking around the group sees a small pathway leading away from the small clearing we are in. Tellomir starts the group down the path. Twodash follows, gun readied. The path winds through the Direwood Forest.
 
At the end of the path, Direwood Hold. However, it is surprisingly in ruins. Tellomir begins to cast detect magic. Twodash stands guard. Nothing is triggered by the spell.
 
The party approaches closer and the two green gems on the bottom of Sharan’s shield begin to glow. “It’s excited,” Sharan states.
 
The party walks through the gate, noticing the hold in major disrepair. A decrepit old tower is reduced to rubble. Tellomir begins to pickup on a necrotic aura coming from within the ruin fort. “Well let’s go in,” Tellomir sighs. Garishan is hesitant. A cold draining chill passes through the party, it seems to be sapping their life force.
 
Tellomir calls his tavern. The call is choppy. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Tellomir says dryly. “You need to contact someone, or we need to leave, this isn’t the same as last time,” Garishan says. “I don’t think this is the same place,” Tellomir admits.
 
2dash - this place is bad news
Tello - I agree
Sharan - well someone likes it *shield*
Garishan - is something here? An artifact?
 
Garishan attempts to contact Zariel, his pet rock. The call is choppy and Zariel can’t really help. “Where are we champion? This is bad,” Zariel says.
 
Garishan - Am I on the Material Plane?
Zariel - yes? No? Unsure.
 
Garishan is pretty sure we have entered the Plane of Shadows. Twodash confuses the Plane of Shadows with the Ethereal Plane. Sharan jams the shield into the ground. Garishan and Tellomir leave into forest.
Twodash asks Sharan if the shield has done this and if the shield is indicating other evil artifacts. The answer to both questions is “no.”
 
Two young dragons with trailing shadows fly through the sky as the group walks through through the Keep. The group hear wraiths right behind them, 50 feet from the fort. They turn and the wraiths scatter, but now something is still behind them.
 
Standing in front of the fort, is a 20 foot tall monster made of shadows. Even the Shield is scared. Garishan is in front with Tellomir. Sharan, Twodash, and Onyx about 20 feet behind.
 
The shadow creature attacks Garishan first with a large claw. Garishan feels every single fear across his entire existence compounded into one. A necrotic force saps his lifeforce, frightening and paralyzing him as well. He drops to his knees, his armor clanging loudly.
 
Twodash moves next. He tries to respond by commanding his birds to illuminate the monster, but the shadows swallow the light. Twodash raises his pistols, firing both at the monster, and sending the swarm to knock it back. The swarm fails and only one of the shot lands, doing extra damage from Twodash’s sharpshooter skills.
 
Sharan conjures a spiritual weapon, which fails dramatically to hit the creature. Sharan leaps onto Onyx and prepares the horse for battle.
 
Tellomir casts fireball. The shadow creature fails to dodge this attack, taking burns in the process. However, the nature of the Plane of Shadow suffocates the flame and negates some of the damage.
 
The creature begins floating towards Tellomir. It stops 15 feet away, towering over Tellomir. It emits another horrible wraith noise as it attacks Tellomir’s lifeforce. The warlock resists somewhat but still endures damage. Tellomir would always take damage from this creature. The creature attacks Tellomir a second time. He obviously takes damage, and the creature almost reduces his maximum life force. However, thanks to Sharan’s proximity and the dark one’s luck Tellomir’s maximum life force survives intact. For now.
 
Twodash begins to move, but is hit with a necrotic aura. Twodash backs up by 30 feet to try and escape this aura and fires four times, landing two shots. One hits normally. One hits with precision. The swarm tries to push the monster over a second time, and fails again.
 
Sharan feels no ill effects from the aura, as she manipulates the spiritual weapon to move closer to her target. Sharan tries to intuit the creature’s wisdom, deciding with no knowledge that isn’t wise. Sharan uses this assumption to successfully cast bestow curse on the monster. [While cursed, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw at the start of each of its turns. If it fails, it wastes its action that turn doing nothing.]
 
Garishan also feels no ill affects from the aura, as he recovers from the effects of being frightened. Garishan gets to his feet in the fighting spirit and runs swinging at the monster.
 
Tellomir takes damage from the necrotic aura, and reacts by moving 30ft away, just outside of the aura. He then casts eldritch blast, striking the creature with two beams of eldritch energy.
 
The creature is unaffected by Sharan’s curse and attacks her in reply. It points down at her. Necrotic damage courses through her body, as the creature swipes down on her, attacking her for a second time. It lands the second attack, harming her further and sapping her maximum life force. “Ouch,” Sharan mutters.
 
Twodash, well outside of the monster’s necrotic aura, is angered at the creature’s attack on Sharan. “Statement: That is my target,” Twodash says coldly as he fires four angry rounds, landing three shots with perfect precision, and one of those hitting a critical area. Twodash’s swarm tries to knock the monster prone in the midst of the barrage of bullets but fails for the third time.
 
Sharan takes damage from the aura, and loses her concentration on a spell. Sharan does not falter as she casts radiant smites onto the monster. Sharan’s horse Onyx takes damage from the aura.
 
Garishan feels untouched by the aura as he forgoes all composure and wrecklessly hacks into the monsters shadowy legs. Shadowy blood spills onto Garishan for a brief moment as he bisects the beast and it turns into a mist. The blood and the beast gone from the plane of shadows. Garishan sheathes his weapon.
 
The party continue to travel forward, further into the Keep, Sharan healing some of the damage she endured. As they enter the doorway to the ruined keep and its damaged barracks they find a necklace outside. Garishan tries to inspect it without touching it. The shadows move across the walls and floors.
 
They finally step inside. As the door creaks open they see a swirling purple portal in the center of the room.
Tellomir uses magic to pickup the necklace on the way in. (Necklace of bronze ravens 250gp). The party search the room further.
 
Twodash investigates the room thoroughly and quickly, ignoring the items that the others would later find and gravitating towards a chest with 6 rubies (500gp each), 3 diamonds (1000gp each), and 2 sapphires (800gp each) resting on top of a blanket. Twodash swept the blanket over the gems to find a transparent blue potion with a lone silver fingernail (potion of storm giant strength) floating inside, and two scrolls in a language he couldn’t read each containing the number eight (8th level spell scroll of incendiary cloud, 8th level spell scroll of Maze.)
 
Sharan spots shining on the other side of the room, beyond the portal. It’s a grey agate (1000gp) which Sharan picks up. “This sure is a grey-t agate,” she says. She also detects the presence of nearly 600 undead in her immediate area.
 
Tellomir finds a coin purse containing 50 platinum. Garishan finds a battered, rusted, old sword. It looks like something from Northpass. He holds onto it.
 
Twodash calls the group over and asks if they think the gems could purchase a metal horse. Tellomir mentions something about the dwarves. Twodash gives the potion and scrolls to Tellomir to identify and then wraps himself in the ratty blanket that had covered the items in the chest.
 
The party enter the portal, it goes deeper into the Shadowfell and Twodash recognizes their new location. The place where Macaw had been blackmailed by villains. A black Dragonborn holds the Wand of Orcus.
 
Twodash finds no path to escape and surrenders his weapons. Sharan casts darkness. The black Dragonborn is not impressed. “I still see you,” he says, before dispelling the darkness.
 
Garishan - where are we
Cult leader - welcome to my humble abode
Jester - can I play with them
Cult leader - depends. Sharan do you hand over the shield.
Sharan - Shield wouldn’t like that
Cult leader - you may play with them
 
Twodash uses his swarm to carefully hide one of his guns in the folds of his new blanket.
 
Jester - who should I play with first, Sharan? I think I’ll take the elf.
 
The jester walks spookily to Tellomir and offers him a card. He draws a card and Tellomir dies. Twodash places Andy’s Badge onto Tellomir. The Jester asks Sharan to draw, she knocks the whole deck down. The Jester casts power word kill on Sharan. Twodash grabs two cards from the ground.
 
Jester - Garishan do you want to draw
Twodash - how about you draw from my deck
Jester - Ah my own cards. They’re blank. No wait, they’re a cat and a bird. How strange.
Twodash - I guess you could say that.
 
The Jester revives Sharan and Garishan. The bad guys ask for the shield again, offering to trade it for Zariel’s body. Zariel wants the party to do it. The party is against it. The cult offers the party join them. Twodash thinks this is preferable to letting them have lone access to the shield. Garishan wants to help Zariel. Tellomir waits on Sharan’s answer. Sharan attacks the Jester.
 
Twodash sits on the ground waiting for Sharan to make the right choice. The Jester is unharmed by the attack and Sharan screams at him for the games. He kills and revives Sharan again.
 
Twodash pulls out the hidden gun and starts playing with it. The Jester asks to play Warforged Roulette. Twodash agrees. They play 6 rounds until the Jester blows his brains out. He gets back up.
 
Meanwhile, Garishan yells at Sharan to make up her mind. “Oh, someone isn’t getting along with Sharan. Big suprise,” Twodash says dryly. Sharan pivots to trying to make a wager with the Jester.
 
They bicker over the terms of the deal forever. They finally come to a decision. They play Warforged Roulette for all the marbles. Twodash tries to rig the game but it doesn’t escape notice. “Cheating is encouraged, you just can’t get caught. I’ll take the first gun though,” the Jester said knowingly.
 
The Jester fired the gun. Sharan fired the gun. Sharan spun the barrel. The Jester fired the gun. Sharan fired the gun. A hole was blown through her head. She loses the bet.
 
Garishan tosses his signet to Tellomir and agrees to join The Jester, calling Sharan a “selfish fool.” Tellomir begs Garishan to trust him one final time. Garishan looks at the Jester and Tellomir, each holding an outstretched hand to him. Garishan takes Tellomir’s hand and Tellomir opens a Dimension Door onto Zariel’s body. Zariel begins reawakening. Tellomir is knocked unconscious by flames.
 
The Jester runs over to Sharan and stabs her, Twodash stabs The Jester in response. “I’ll be back in a minute,” the horrible man says. Twodash pleads with Sharan to wake up. Sharan is dead. Zariel scoops up everyone. The Shield is with The Jester in the Shadowfell as the party enters Avernus.
 
The party enters Avernus, as demons and balrogs sing a return anthem to their great leader. Zariel gives Garishan a wish with almost no limitations. Zariel offered Tellomir a wish and then disappeared him. Sharan’s eye is returned to her. She disappears. Twodash wishes for a Horseforged.
 
Twodash appears in a field with a metal figurine of a Horseforged.
 
Sharan is transported to a very cold place, within very close range of Tiamat. Tiamat is locked in a temporal bubble embroiled in combat with Bahamut.
 
Sharan and Tiamut discuss the state of the paladins serving under Sharan. Tiamat declares they will take the power away from the underperforming paladins. Then Sharan and Tiamat begin to drift apart. “Wait, Tiamat what should I do?” Sharan pleaded. “In regards to what? You’ve got a lot of shit going on up there,” Tiamat replied. “About your followers failing you,” Sharan replied. “Fix it!” Tiamat demanded, “Lest I take my power from all of you.” “Very well, Tiamat! I shall make you proud,” Sharan answered.
 
Tellomir has gone to the Nineth Circle of Hell to meet Asmodeus,
 
Garishan wished for the needs of the many to be granted. Azariel told him that his wish would project the world into the Age of Artifice. She told him that all the party would be returned to their timestream seven days from when they left, as their army was arriving. Garishan also drew a magical power line through the world.
 
The party emerges outside of the Direwood Hold. The real one. They all feel lasting effects from the Shadowfell, and are unsure of when these effects will disperse. Tellomir can speak no louder than a whisper. Twodash risks returning to the Shadowfell any time he uses a dimensional portal. Garishan sees shadowy figures that aren’t there in mirrors and other reflections. Sharan has grown thinner.