Session Report 47

General Summary

After having narrowly defeated Skewhur, the Muskrats were forced to face their greatest enemy: Tritemeus. He claimed to have come to the aftermath of the battle in peace. The Muskrats were suspicious but after their narrow victory they were in no shape to challenge him. He had come to offer to work together with the Muskrats, assuming they would agree to his terms. The whole party, especially Cambio, was suspicious of this plan and began to inquire further about what Tritemeus truly hoped to accomplish and how. 
Tritemeus began to recite a tale that began before his birth almost two hundred years ago. His father Emperor Vaxidor Xestra IV of the Eltenweiss Empire was visited by Illaloth of the Achivelli. The Achivelli are the architects of the defeats of both the dragons and giants, and are responsible for what is considered the "domestication" of the dragons. Illaloth had come to warn Vaxidor about marrying Solstus Lenenthra, Tritemeus's mother. Illaloth warned that the first child born from the two would cause untold havoc on the world and should never be allowed to rule. Vaxidor heeded the advice to not marry Solstus, but his lust and love for her caused the birth of Tritemeus. As a bastard child great shame came to Tritemeus and his mother. She became depressed after her engagement to Vaxidor was broken off, and House Lenenthra began to deterioate. Solstus placed the blame on Tritemeus and began to fall into frightful fits of rage. These fits of rage were often targeted at Tritemeus. Early in his life his mother began to make attempts on his life, blaming him for all the hardships she now had to endure. Tritemeus would thwart these attempts, mostly due to the magical arts training that his father was funding. Eventually, Tritemeus grew tired of these attempts and attempted to pacify his mother. His attempt would end horribly as she ended up as a now mindless beast under his will. Ashamed of what he had done Tritemeus killed his mother and fled from Eltenweiss. 
After fleeing Eltenweiss, Tritemeus ended up in Tortuga, a small city in the Kingdom of Tortoi. There he would meet Mazapal and fall in love. To Tritemeus Mazapal was a human woman, but she had been keeping a secret her whole life: she was a changeling. Mazapal had kept the secret from even her close sister Lethi. Mazapal would bear Tritemeus's child, but shortly later died. Fearing for his child Tritemeus returned to Eltenweiss and left the child near a tabaxi village where he knew he would grow up safe. The changeling child left in the hollowed trunk of a tree was none other than Cambio. 
The resentment and anger in Tritemeus continued to grow and began to focus on a single target: the Achivelli. Having learned a substantial amount of information about the group, Tritemeus revealed much of his knowledge to the Muskrats. He explained that the Achivelli have crafted a world in which they contain complete control over what happens and they correct any attempt to alter the course they have chosen. The gods stand by idly because those with great power are now safe in their position and those without can not climb the ranks because of the great forces that oppose them. Tritemeus went on to explain that the Achivelli exert substantial power over many of the great powers of the world without those powers even knowing. The Emperor of the Bronzedawn being one example. The Achivelli influence the Emperor at every turn and wield the power of the Bronzedawn as if it is their own. Tritemeus believes that the Golden Lions contain two members of the Achivelli: a golden dragon and a humanoid. The adventuring party allows the Achivelli to act directly without ever being detected. 
Tritemeus's goal in all of this is to set the world free from the Achivelli's control so that people may choose their path in life without the interference of the Achivelli and may choose to cast off the shackles of oppressors when they see fit. While the Muskrats believed that this goal was worthwhile, they differed with Tritemeus over how to accomplish it. Tritemeus saw destruction as the only means of combatting the great power that the Achivelli wield. One such way is awakening a primordial lord who will kill a couple hundred thousand people before he can be stopped. Cambio could not bring himself to agree with this plan and rejected any offer to work with Tritemeus unless he could change his methods. The two unwilling to compromise their beliefs decided it was best to part ways. Before departing Tritemeus warned the Muskrats to not meddle with his plans or else he would not show restraint as he had done here. 
After Tritemeus departed the Muskrats said farewell to Xendor and Fritari, who decided to head to Halvoy and settle down. Their hope was to avoid Tritemeus and raise Skewhur's child in peace. The Muskrats then continued eastward to attempt and find the Wild Hunt. Shortly after leaving Xendor and Fritari, the Muskrats found a lone traveler, Sullivan "Sully" Hearthsmoke, who claimed to be looking for something in Ashenfall. The Muskrats suspicious of a lone traveler in Ashenfall unquired further and learned that Sully had spent the past few years in Ashenfall and knew the land well and could guide them to the Wild Hunt. Their interests seemingly aligned, Sully joined the Muskrats as a guest and together they continued their journey. Like all their journeys it would not be so easy. As they traveled they encountered a fiery elemental named Incinis who demanded a toll to cross his lava pit so that the Muskrats could continue down the path. During this discussion, Sauvek detected drow nearby preparing to attack the party and catching wind of their ambush a battle broke out. Believing that the Incinis was aligned with the drow the Muskrats began to fight both the drow and the Incinis. Having not had an opportunity to rest after the battle with Skewhur the Muskrats found themselves in a tough spot. They dispersed and began to climb up on the rocky slopes around the path to combat the high ground that the drow had. Tev, still massively enlarged, charged across the rocky terrain and began to crush the drow as if they were insects. 
As the Muskrats continued to battle forward, Sauvek encountered lava elementals, who appeared to be allies of Incinis. With one lucky strike of the lava elemental Sauvek became encased in hardened stone. Cambio attempting to come to his aid scrambled up the jadded cliffs only to come face to face with a House Captain of House Nezzberrean. Wielding a whip and a scimitar he appeared to be a truly formidable foe. Before Cambio could react, the drow snapped his whip and wrapped it around Sauvek's neck and cast him down the cliff into a pool of lava below. Fearing the worst, the Muskrats braced themselves for the second half of this battle between drow and elementals.

Report Date

13 Apr 2022