Session 32: A Harcleve Family Reunion

So we begin with Joe in this portal trying to hide the Amulet of the Living Flame. Franz hopped in to just make sure they are good to go. Joe failed a wisdom saving throw.
 
The room here is very large and slimy. There is a blackish looking tree in this room. Joe immediately just jumps into the pool of water. Franz proceeds after them. Ashe ends up going to check on them and finds they are both in the water being controlled by an Abolith.
 
Ashe turns into a giant eel and swims after them. She fails at getting Franz so grabs Joe. The Abolith allows Joe to go with Ashe. As soon as Joe gets their head above water, they find they cannot breathe. Ashe doesn't not realize this and pushes Joe out of the water and heads back to get Franz.
 
Elias, deathly afraid of water has not come through the portal yet. Joe tries to turn into a squirrel to breathe again, but cannot. Elias puts water over Joe's head so they can breathe.
 
Ashe rushes to get Franz and is able to retrieve Franz who also can't breathe at the surface rushes with the others back to the portal They all get through. Ashe fails her jump out, but Remish catches her and throws her out , but he ends up stuck in the portal as it closes.
 
Hazel tells us that Franz and Joe are diseased, so we are able to cast Lesser Restoration to help them.
 
We talk to Hazel about what is going on with her friends she lost. She tells us they are near the Wasteland of Woe. They are dealing with an orc that is possessed by a dragon lich. That orc has an axe that when it kills someone it absorbs their soul. It absorbed Tempest's soul
 
We catch Hazel up with what we are dealing with.
 
While we are getting ready to head back home to rest, Joe detects a cloaked figure possibly spying on us. It looks to be the figure who caused Elias's house to fall on us. His name is Blackstaff.
 
Ashe investigates where blackstaff was and finds a red strand of hair on the ground. Joe turns into a wolf to try follow the tracks of whomever owns this hair strand.
 
We are able to track down Blackstaff, who has a glint of red hair spilling out from under their hood. We get suspicious, because Elias's family on his mom's side all have red hair. Is this Elias's dead or long lost sister?
 
We find an illusion wall that she went into. There are illusions within illusions here. Joe dispels the magic here and we find a hidden door 30 feet across.
 
There are lots of traps in this place. We follow till we get outside, but we do not find her. I guess she learns what are plan is. Franz has Fred track her sent again. He leads us to a mansion. The outside of the building says "Hacleave" and Franz knows this to be the vampire's mansion. We look up and see the girl looking down at us. She looks JUST like Marion, Elias's mom.
 
Elias uses the message spell and says "Oska" He hears a response. "Elias"
 
Elias "Why are you working for Passin?"
 
Oska "I don't remember"
 
Elias "He tried to kill you"
 
Oska "Yes, but I found a higher calling"
 
Elias "Do you know who I am?"
 
Oska "Yes"
 
Elias "So Lady Shar came to you too"
 
Oska "You better think about what your goals are
 
Elias: I'm just trying to get through the day?
 
Elias:What are your goals? what is your higher calling?
 
Oska: Meet me at the school tomorrow?
 
Elias: Meet me at the school at dusk.
 
We decide to leave and get some sleep. Elias thinks she may be under Shar's will. We don't know to what end though.
 
Everyone goes home and gets some sleep. Andromeda offers to keep watch since it's like 4 am.
 
Ashe sneaks away during the night to try and sneak the sword away from the school. She runs into a mysterious woman. She's a worshipper of Shar. They speak and she admits that she's here to help Elias. She's dressed really nice and speaks with an accent.
 
She goes and grabs the sword. It swapps the the temple and there are confused wizards that are like wtf?
 
She is able to run passed them and hide in a library for a while. She hides there till the next day. When she leaves the school here, she finds that she is in the shadowfell. She is approached by 2 tieflings saying that Loadagraph wants to meet with her. She tells them no thank you.
 
She decides to try and climb the dome quickly, to try and blow up the weak point, but is not successful. She is approached by a shadowdragon. It's Loadagraph. He almost immediately attacks her. He nearly kills her leaving her with only 1 hp. Ashe casts daylight on his nose blinding him for 8 hours. Ashe uses this moment to run away. She runs into spite while running, and finds an alley way to hide in. Spite tells her she'll be right back.
 
Meanwhile, the rest wake up and do not see Ashe. they assume she's gone off to talk to blackwood. They bring Ashe breakfast, but she never shows up to eat it. They actually run into Spite, who has left the shadowfell to get help. Spite tells them that Ashe is in the shadowfell and is in major trouble.
 
Spite takes Elias to the shadowfell to retrieve Ashe. Franz and Joe go to talk to Blackwood.
 
Blackwood has a hitch in her plan. The council is requesting all of Blackwood's guards. She thinks this because Aria knows what is going on and might be a part of all of this. They also plan to take all the gold from the people of this city as a forced tax instead of evacuating everyone. Franz is like wtf is this? This is terrible. Let's do something about this. Franz and Joe aggressively converse with each other. Franz wants to take Aria out of the equation, and Blackwood is like, yeah....I don't think you're capable. which Franz takes great offense to. They all decide to call together a council meeting to try and confront/stop Aria. Blackwood agrees to have this set up within the hour.
 
Meanwhile, Elias goes to the shadowfell to save Ashe. He finds her in a trashcan. Just as he appears there, they are both attacked by the dragon and are both immediately taken out by him.
 
They wake up tied up in chairs facing each other. They are approached by Amelia from the council. Shes here to torture some information out of us apparently. They question Elias about his loyalties. He learns that his sister actually is the one behind all of this. She did try to kill passin, but they are working together...it's kind of confusing. She takes Elias's butterfly out of his hair and crushes it.
 
Ashe wildshapes into a panther while Elias sleight of hands out of of the rope and manages to steal her dagger and put it to her throat.
 
Amelia says Oska is coming and she needs to know if he is loyal to her. Elias demands to know why Oska is working with Passin, but gets no answer. Ashe then leaps at Amelia and a fight breaks out.
 
Meanwhile, Joe and Franz get to the council meeting and just find Aria there waiting for them. Aria has betrayed everyone. As she starts to monologue, Franz Thunderwaves her.
 
We fight simultaneously. IN Elias's and Ashe's fight, they get Amelia caught and she ends up confessing that Oska is a fool caught up in religious fanatic shit. She thinks she on a holy mission of some kind. She imagines Oska is helping Passin because Shar told her too.
 
Amelia thinks Shar wants to pit the whole family against each other. Amelia tells Elias that Ashe stole the sword. Ashe comes out of panther form to corroborate the story. Elias is upset and afraid of the consequences of this, but he is understanding.
 
Amelia says if we let her live she will join us. She give Elias the key to the thieves guilde and invites Elias to come see her when all this has passed.
 
She says she imagines Passin will attack the city tonight. He'll start in the center then move out in. While we decide on whether or not we are going to let Amelia live the other fight continues.
 
Joe moonbeams Aria and she transforms into a blue dragon humanoid creature. A dome appears around her makin it impossible for them to hurt her.
 
She tells them Loadagraph is coming and once she gathers up all the towns money and gives to mammon, he can bring the living flame here.
 
Joe confesses that the amulet is on another continent.
 
Aria is a follower of Tiamat. Tiamat is the one who wanted to Living Flame restored. It's been Tiamat's plan all along. Apparently this isn't actually Aria. this guy swapped places with Aria and Aria is being tortured in hell right now.
 
Meanwhile...the other fight. Elias confronts Amelia about how she just swaps her loyalty to whomever has the most power and he can't trust her. He runs the blade across her throat. As she dies she promises we'll regret this and warns Ashe that she is in bed with someone dangerous. She throws an ivory dagger into Ashe's stomach causing Ashe to fall over and barely be breathing. Gloome picks her up and takes her to her family residence.
 
We learn we are in the basement of Hacleave manor. Both groups hear a dragon flying above the city. Neither group aware of the other.