KWN.3.5 An Order of Magnitude

Campaign So Far Recap

The last few months have not been easy for our heroes. Prior to their joining forces, each faced new challenges which brought them to Sundabar only days before its eventual destruction. Sundabar fell to an ambush assault by a dark alliance of orc and drow, but thanks to assistance from the paladins of Avraathe, many citizens were able to evacuate. Those remaining loyal Knights of Holy Judgement regained their strength in Silverymoon before dismantling the orc’s garrison and defeating the orc general Hartusk, eventually breaking the orc’s hold on Sundabar, reclaiming the city for survivors to begin rebuilding.
Returning to Silverymoon, the newly assigned Triad of Aethurial, Pax, and Tristain were charged with completing contracts and quests for both funds and reputation to held rebuild the Order, with each Triad going their own ways and reconnecting in Elturel in the south, a holy city that would welcome the knights while they reorganized and decided their next steps. With this overarching goal in mind, the heroes started working in the city and followed seemingly disparate threads of mysterious murders leaving victims grey and withered, and a string of sabotaged garrison equipment missing crucial components. Upon further investigation, the party learned of Arkmenos, a master thief who had coopted members of the Zhentarim to ransack the secret burrows of Deckon Thar, the ancient bandit king of Silverymoon’s past. Arkmenos returned to Silverymoon wielding the Truesilver Crown, using the ancient relic to hide himself and use magic typically forbidden by the city’s magical defenses. Simultaneously, Deckon Thar had sent his lieutenant, a wight, into the city to track down and murder each of those involved with the theft.
In working with Captain Grapeshot of the city guard, the party was able to connect the threads of the Zhentarim and their involvement with Deckon Thar through a dwarf named Brammus, who had been responsible for coordinating the garrison thefts while also working for Arkmenos. The dwarf pointed them to an underground network of exports Arkmenos ran beneath the Lionshield Trading Coster. Here, the party found themselves ambushed by cultists of Cyric. Fighting their way through the cultists and a series of trapped pathways through the Silverymoon sewers, the party finally tracked down Arkmenos, operating a contraption build out of the missing garrison components that drilled new pathways through the sewers, interconnecting vaults and magical storage rooms of the local university.
The party finally overwhelmed Arkmenos and his forces and arrested him. Interrogating Arkmenos, they learned that he works for Draxhar, “the demon of a thousand faces” and is a devout follower of Cyric, but knows little else of the greater schemes that intend to bring Cyric back to the material plane. They learn of Folio Halfrun, a gith who also works for Draxhar, who has recently moved to Neverwinter due to complications in Daggerford where he previously operated. With Arkmenos thwarted, the party return with allies to the tomb of Deckon Thar and, with the power of the Truesilver Crown donned by Tristain, managed to defeat the bandit king and his undead horde. Once back in Silverymoon, the party return to the crown to the rightful owner, the newly appointed High Lord of Silverymoon and take care of a few business matters before departing for Everlund.
On their way southward, the party stops at the historical burial grounds of the Knights of Holy Judgement and see that it, like the Tormite cemeteries near Sundabar, had been ransacked, with all of the corpses missing and a teleportation circle left behind by a presumed necromancer. In studying the scene, Pax is able to determine that the teleportation circle is connected to some location called “Crypt of the Hellriders,” but no further clues are found.
Arriving in the mercantile hub of Everlund, the party explored the famous Bell Market before making their way to the Keep of Vigilance where they met High Watcher Merek and discussed joining the upcoming League of Champions hosted by the newly built arena south of the city. Needing a fourth member, the party search out potential additions before settling on Masterbreaker, the goliath they met in Silverymoon who served as the Zhentarim leader’s bodyguard. They also watch the new ally become the champion of the fighting pit in the Missing Minotaur after soundly beating Bonefist, an individual for whom there was a bounty in Silverymoon that she now lays claim to via her victory.
Prior to the start of the tournament, the party visit with the local Harpers at Moongleam Tower, asking for use of their teleportation circle on their way to Neverwinter. The Harpers are willing to offer these services in exchange for a favor, namely, helping resolve a disagreement that is taking place in the High Forest and threatens to cause tension between the varied forces of power that operate beyond the city. The Harper says they’ll reach out to their contact, who will be ready to guide the party through the forest when they are ready. The party also accept a request for help from a local farmer whose cattle are going missing. Studying the area and recent events, its determined the creature causing problems is a Roc, and that it would be possible to deter the roc from these feeding grounds via a small dose toxin used as a deterrent. The party agrees to go and acquire this poison and return to deal with the roc threat.
The new group, having settled on the name Avengers, soon after find themselves in the illusionary-environment-shifting arena for the placement round, which sees 16 teams competing through an obstacle course of deserts, jungle, riverbeds, and volcanic biomes, with the party ultimately placing third behind the clerics to Tempus and the elves of the High Forest, while just ahead of the Blood Hunters led by Gerron. In their first round, the party and Masterbreaker make quick work of a local group representing the Stag at Bay tavern before facing Leechbrain’s Legion in the second round. This bout proves to be more challenging, with a sorcerer taking control of Masterbreaker and a vengeful Bonefist trying to disguise himself and get revenge. The party defeat the four mercenaries, however, and proceed to the semi-finals, in which they face the elves of the high forest in a desert canyon. This round too proves to be challenging, as they face off against a skilled archer, a duelist who fights one-on-one with Aethuriel, and a trained druid who takes the form of a giant scorpion and nearly overwhelms the up-close fighters of the Avengers.
With this victory secured, the party depart the arena with one day between them and the championship round in which they could walk away 20,000 gold richer.

Session Summary

While waiting for the subsequent semi-final battle to begin, the party discuss Pax's mysterious carriage ride with Gerron. Pax explains that the Blood Hunter offered to split the financial winning with the Avengers in exchange for a secured victory. Weighing their options, the knights opt for not holding back and letting the fight play out as intended, despite the offer.
Exploring the arena grounds during the intermission, the members of the Avengers are swarmed by enthusiastic fans demanding autographs. Tristain is more than happy to oblige, while Pax perhaps too effectively scares a young child, who wets his pants while being carried by an older brother. The two storm off, but Aethuriel pursues them, calming the child and providing a "magic" candle that will protect them from danger. Once the crowd dissipates, the members continue on, catching a bit of a theatrical production about Malar's followings hunting a unicorn and one by one being thwarted by the goddess of nature. Aethuriel also stops at a local artisan's store and picks out a pair of fizzy winterberry jams locally made from Tentown-sourced berries.
Within the arena, the Avengers observe the semi-final bout between the paladins of Tempus and the Blood Hunters, Gerron and Arcurth, across a white-water rapids riverside arena with a singular, central stone island. The party make note of the initial ferocity with which the two monster slayers strike and their abilities to heal and fight collaboratively when in close proximity to one another. Though the warriors of Tempus gain an early advantage surrounding the pair of Blood Hunters, the benefit is short lived. When Gerron leaps into the air and magically takes control of a pair of opponents, Arcurth uses the confusion to unleash a brutal whirlwind attack that knocks one victim into the waters wear the fall unconscious against an outcropping rock downstream. Shortly thereafter, Gerron and Arcurth overwhelm two of the other paladins, and the last is forced to withdraw. In a short, decisive victory, the monster slayers move onto the finals, still having not deployed the two twin children who accompany them into the arena, but have yet to partake in the competition.
On the way back to Everlund, the party members, now reunited with Masterbreaker as well, discuss strategy, weighing the pros and cons of different approaches to their upcoming battle. They debate splitting the monster slayers up, trying to extend the fight to tire them out, or prioritizing the children to remove their wild card advantage. When back in Everlund, they find a corner of the bar at the Stag at Bay, with Masterbreaker tired of the attention she draws from the Missing Minotaur by now. At the Stag, Tristain shares tales of their adventures with Leo Laughingsteel, the proprietor, and asks the gathered locals for advice on how to proceed against the Blood Hunters. Several young and excited trappers speak up, but fall silent when an older, more grizzled figure speaks up. Pushing back his parted, greying hair, Ruldon explains that the monster slayers treat the tournament like any other hunt, their opponents as prey, and for the Avengers to succeed, they need to use this tactic against them. When pressed for details, Ruldon explains his moniker, "Ranger of the Storm" comes from a job guiding archaeologists and researchers in and out of the High Forest during a storm caused by some sorcerer's spell gone wrong. As these talks of tactics play out, Aeuthuriel and Masterbreaker enjoy a fine bottle of Elverquisst made by local Thold Ramaeras, while Pax nurses Phandalian Brewing Reserve. Before long, the two knights return to the Keep of Vigilance while Pax stays behind to play cards before calling it a night.
Once back at the Keep, Tristain and Aethuriel are greeted by a frantic John Drake who explains that High Watcher Merek had been found unconscious in the catacombs. The acolyte leads them to Merek and the knights tend to his wounds as he explains that he heard a strange noise and saw a disfigured individual casting spells to raise the dead. As he watched, the figure sensed his presence and slammed the door against him with a magical blast that knocked him down, breaking his arm and opening his head. With Drake's assistance, Merek departs, leaving the knights to investigate.
Between their initial investigations and returning to the scene with Pax the next morning, the party discover a teleportation circle of the same design as the one seen south of Silverymoon. Able to observe it more closely here, Pax discovers a pair of concerning revelations. First, the runic script is modified in such a way that it is capable of inter-planar teleportation, a magnitude of higher power. Second, one of the runes of power, an ornate Z-like symbol, is reminiscent of an icon he once saw historically associated with the Order of Profane Souls, though he doesn't know what it means. The party also learn from Merek that the creature he saw was a sort of fiendish-undead amalgamation of miscellaneous parts. At this escalation of threat, the party aid Merek in starting a chain of communication to all other Knight of Holy Judgement churches with buried knights, while Pax drafts and sends a letter to his Ghost Slayer contact, Tordhar located out of Yartar as well as his Order's base of operations.
With this news weighing on their minds, each member spends the day working around the Keep, aiding in setting defenses, organizing chapel services, and minding miscellaneous tasks. During this time, a young woman approaches Tristain, offering him a basket of baked goods as gratitude for paying her family's entrance tax upon arrival, even though he didn't know them. The two exchange awkward pleasantries for a moment before the woman departs, hoping to see him around in the future.
As the sun begins to set, the party rejoins with Masterbreaker and share a carriage, both for expediency and privacy, on their way to the arena. They are escorted through the pressing crowds into the backstage area where their familiar drow handler and the monster slayers await them. Pax and Gerron exchange a look as the former seems to acknowledge his fellow Blood Hunter with respect and empathy, before a glare of competition overtakes these emotions. Before long, the teams are separated to their respective corridors and the booming voice of Grandmaster Zoar overtakes the halls, preparing the raucous crowd for the final round of the Champion's League.

Session Overview

Date Played:
December 19, 2021
Party:

• Aethuriel
• Pax
• Tristain

Time Passed:
Eleint 4, 1493 (PM) - Eleint 5, 1493 (PM)
NPCs:

• Gerron
• Arcurth
• Masterbreaker
• The Grandmaster
• High Watcher Merek
• John Drake

Loot: