Codename: Sleeping Alley, Report the Twenty-Fifth

General Summary

We met the Alley Sleepers in the permeating fog of danger, laying low in Riverskint after a night at the Festival of Merriment, where some things went to plan and some things did not. But, that is a tale for another time.

A Summons from Mother

Doxia, having done some serious soul-searching after learning of the existence of her daughter, leveraged all her Alerki Ascendency privileges and discovered that there are more survivors of the Ascendency's wrath. Apparently, many of them are being sent to a place called Fellminster, for some unknown purpose. She delivered this information in an awkward clandestine conversation with Aletha of the Flintclaw in the old Riverskint clocktower.
Obviously, this is a place that needs investigating and Doxia has a plan. Thanks to her recent promotion (not every Ordinator can survive a squad of drow invaders) and the utter destruction of her previous Congregation, she's in need of new Ascendency recruits. If the Sleepers can find three willing, trustworthy, and inconspicuous "conscripts," then Doxia can escort our heroes into the tower itself--as "prisoners"--without fear of needing to storm the gates. A pretty classic scheme, and maybe a bad plan, but the best one currently out there.
But who to select for this excursion? Well, Kexan Cloudroot will absolutely need to be there, as he seems to have some insight as to what Fellminster is all about. And the Thricedead are always handy in a pinch, so that seems like a good bed. Also, doesn't Hill owe them one for saving Ever--his precious oak--from corruption? Seems like a solid three right there, so Hama vu Ivory Bee sent his animal messengers flying with instructions to meet at the Thricedead's old headquarters--an hollowed-out tree in Curragan's Shame. With that, it was time to leave Riverskint for the meet-up.

Giving Peace to Honorarrow

Svo'Kool , feeling an obligation to see this whole resistance thing through despite the seductive call of the Tallymook Ensemble, joined our heroes as they ventured toward their rendezvous with fate. Rieta, however, was unable, as she was tending to important "monk business."
Fate, it seems, had a bit more in store for our crew before Fellminster, however, as the restless spirit of Tolse Honorarrow appeared once again and engaged the Sleepers in combat. This time, Tolse appeared as a horrifying two-headed malformed disaster, with one head being the ill-made visage of her doomed son, Stolvan. While this disturbing sight gave some of our warriors pause, Svo'Kool was unbothered and launched a rage-fueled campaign against this seemingly constant nuisance
This battle, however, was different. Tolse, while still vey filled with that vengeful spirit, also seem tired and deflated, like she wanted to be done with this endeavor as well. The fight continued, with Honorarrow growing stronger and stronger with anger-fueled attacks before Aletha saw an opening and just commanded the transformed revenant to be at rest. This didn't entirely work, but her heart was in the right place, as the Tolse/Stolvan monstrosity exploded and begged Aletha to release them. A quick commune with Xun revealed a path to perhaps do just that--the bones of Tolse and Stovlan, buried in some unmarked grave outside Riverskint, must be reunited and given a proper burial for her spirit to finally know peace. This was accomplished through our three crafty adventurers doing what they do best--Aletha talking with her mother and watching some guys, Hama reached out for guidance from Gnet and Svo'Kool rubbing elbows with all sorts of unsavory characters.
Eventually, through these designs (and the judicious application of Honorarrow's blackened, decaying, severed tongue and some Dryadleaf), the bones were located, reburied, and consecrated with another oath by Aletha, this one promising vengeance not just for the Honorarrows, but for every family destroyed through Ascendency violence. This promise she can keep.
With that, it was time to gather the infiltration squad. Surprisingly, it was not Hill waiting for them at the Thricetree, but rather Izzrikorizarikiz, who had apparently sought shelter with Hill (along with all the animals) after the destruction of the Bee. She wasted no time in laying into our absentee business owners for all their various omissions and duplicities before agreeing to go on this mission to the heart of Ascendency power. With Iz, Kexan, and Ynis of the Thricedead in tow, all that remained, now, was to meet up with Doxia and go see a Sovereign with some pressing business.

The Fight at Fellminster

The tower itself, hidden in plain sight through dark magicks, crackled with malevolent energy, sending deep waves of strange power into the sky, reminiscent of the otherworldly presence of the Wormspeaker, the divine spark separated from Kexan, and the eerie purple crystals that seem to be coming out of Gravick. This amalgam of dynamism only heighted as the Sleepers were escorted into the tower--really, just a giant conduit for the conduction of this baleful energy--and came face to face with an avatar of the Sovereign himself, the immortal Cahlor. After some back and forth about the futility of resistance and who is responsible for destruction and violence in a "civilized" world, Kexan determined he had enough and initiated combat.
Worryingly, in addition to the cult fanatics that streamed through the tower, the Sovereign's avatar disappeared, replaced by an inky black giant worm, feeding off the malignant power of this place. Kexan quickly warned the Sleepers that any sustained combat against the worm would be futile, and to instead focus efforts on the thick glass cylinders transmuting the divine energy stripped from Kexan into whatever is powering the Ascendency's machinations. Svo'Kool was only too happy to oblige and ran around smashing to his heart's content.
The battle was both brief and brutal, with Doxia dying in the belly of the worm, defending Aletha from an ignoble fate. Luckily, our team managed to smash all the cylinders before the worm laid them low, and all of that divine energy flowed into Kexan, transforming him from an enfeebled elder to a robust wolf-like man, blind in one eye, an unmistakable symbol of Vallik. And, indeed, it seemed that Kexan is now a vestibule for the Old God himself, who was apparently displaced when his favor was forcibly extracted and trapped by Cahlor. His form restored, Kexan/Vallik dispatched both the remaining cultists and the worm and told the Sleepers that his part in their play was finished--someone was sitting in his chair and he needed to "see about that."
Our crew then gathered their strength--with Hama casting a well-planned Revivify to bring Doxia back to life--because, as Kexan pointed out, their fight is not yet over. While Fellminster might have fallen, the Battle for Riverskint--and the hope of an independent Skint--was about to commence.

And That's Where We Left It

We'll behold the future of both Skint and our Sleepers, as well as see what happened during the Festival of Merriment, during our next session.

Missions/Quests Completed

Operation ArcFall, the dismantling of The Worm/Ascendency power structure.

Character(s) interacted with

• Hymn Slattish, impresario and juggler of The Tallymook Ensemble
• Doxia, mother of Aletha and Manifest Ordinator
• Tolse Honorarrow, an unsettled spirit, formerly of Hammstoke
• Kexan Cloudroot, former leader of The Worm's Share and apparent avatar of Vallik 
• Izzrikorizarikiz, brewmaster of the now destroyed The Ivory Bee 
• Ynis, of the Thricedead
• Svennson, of the Thricedead 
• Xun, Goddess of Change, Wind, and Orphans

Report Date

04 Apr 2021

Primary Location

Skint Parish