Life in Death...
It is midday
You are in Tirasa preparing to make your journey to Ailec, the supposed lair of the Lich known as Vaarn. You have Ukko and 3 members of the Laminae with you. Cassaundra Chapman, Emrys, and Storn
Do you have any preparations you need to make before you set off? Do you have Diamonds?
You have a full day's journey ahead of you from Tirasa to Ailec.
It's a cloud filled day as you set off at noon
What are you guys doing on the way over?
::Marching Order::
As you Near the outskirts of the town, you are walking along a forest road
::perception Checks::
You are attacked by crossbow bolts shot from somewhere within the forest.
::Encounter Party vs. Cultist attackers. the Greenleth faction intervenes to mop up the last of them::
After the battle they are approached by a member of the Greenleth Faction.
"You there, Stop right there.
Your headed to Ailec Aren't you?
Are you servants of that Evil bastard then? If so, You will die like these things.
If you are heading to Ailec, My Advice: DON'T. There's an evil there that sucks the life out of any that cross its borders. Half my men have succumbed to his wickedness.
If you value your lives, stay out of Ailec."
::The party can either fight or talk their way out (DC15 Persuasion/Intimidation/Deception) of this encounter::
The other two are in varying states of decay. Their bodies adorned in piecemeal armor. Not at all a matching set. A rusty, blood covered weapon is plunged through one of them (These look like the party!) On a DC 15 Investigation check, You find a note folded up in one of their pockets. Blood covers its edges. it simply reads.
"A WARNING" You move into the Cemetery. A line of torches seems to illuminate a path leading to a Mausoleum or chapel of sorts. As you move past the rows of weather worn graves You begin to hear wordless whispers moving past your ears ::encounter Party Vs. 4 Wights:: You enter this building and the only thing in this structure is a staircase that seems to lead down underground. You follow this pitch black path for about 400 feet. After which the path opens up into this large Hall. It vaguely resembles a cathedral or a throne room of some ancient palace. Your footsteps echo off the hewn stone floor. The ceiling stretches high above you into blackness You see light illuminating a section up ahead. Varn watches you as you approach. He stands from his throne. There is a warrior of some kind in black armor standing at his right side. "*chuckles* Fools. You stand against me, You interfere with my plans, and now you wander into my kingdom of death to what end? To try and stop me? To kill me? *Evil Laugh* I AM death. Run along, children. This is where heroes come to die. (If someone tries to Cast a spell, immediately counterspelled) You wield magic like a petulant child! None of you have earned these gifts. You were given magic by virtue of birth? By pact with a demon? From Nature? *Chortle* I have traversed the planes, I have held court with Gods, I have read and studied the magic arts of thousands of darkened Tomes. I have conquered life and death. What hope have you of defeating me? *Evil Laugh* I will feed on your life essence. ::Encounter Party Vs. Vaarn and Death Knight:: ((On his death, The Death Knight's armor fades away and falls off and Isolde you recognize the face beneath. The face of your Brother, Ja'ak))
A voice rings out in the hall. "SEE?!? Look what they've done! Your so called friends, murdered your only family in cold blood! These are supposedly heroes of the realm?"
You see Adluak emerge from a darkened corner of the hall. "This is why I left the teachings of Auril behind. There are far more powerful gods out there. Gods that have not forgotten us. gods that can alter life and death. HE is the true master of this universe! You know of whom I speak. He can bring back Ja'ak! You only need to give yourself to his teachings. Join me in our righteous cause. Free your mind from its shackles! Become HIS CHAMPION"
::If the party refuses or attacks Adluak:: Then you will not be spared from the Atrophy that is to come. The Voidharrow will take you too!
::encounter party vs. Adluak:: What is the voidharrow? That is what awaits us all. Tharizdun remaking our Universe. He's done it once before. The void harrow sits just outside his prison. The essence of the Voidharrow has seeped into this world in the form of a disease. A plague. Soon it will spread to all things and he will breathe new life into our lungs!!
If the party Resurrect's Ja'ak, He will be forthcoming with information on where the Phylactery is. "I... I was taken by Adluak. He said we had a mission of Glorious Purpose. But when we arrived here, He turned on me. He and the Lich easily overpowered me and I became his Thrall. He had me execute people. Citizens of this town. Commit profane acts to their bodies. In doing so I broke my oath to Auril and became nothing. Soon, I didn't even need to be under thralldom. I was committing heinous acts in His name. He tore out the last vestige of goodness inside of me. And once that happened, he said I was ready. The last thing I remember is Vaarn pointing at me and saying something. Then all went black. And... i awoke here." "There are places below. Beneath this chamber. I have seen them briefly. If there is something he has hidden from you, That is where it will be."
Outskirts of Town
Night begins to fall as You approach the outskirts of Ailec and you are immediately struck by the haunting aura of the place. What once looked to be a vibrant bustling town now stands as a ruin. A marker of death and decay. Buildings have been leveled to rubble. Not a living soul is in sight. It feels like not only is the town physically dead, but spiritually dead as well. As if its entire essence was absorbed or destroyed. You pass through the razed structures that were once homes and businesses. Suddenly you hear a noise, as if some debris has been moved by footsteps. ::On a successful Perception check:: You hear the shuffling of feet and what sounds like the sloshing of flesh along the road nearby you. As one form followed by another, followed by another begin shambling out of the houses and rubble and begin moving toward you ::Encounter Party Vs. 6 Zombies:: Quiet returns to the forsaken town. You continue onward You see the Tower of the Archon in the distance. You enter it and find it in an equal state of decay. Two sets of stairs lead to open sky as it looks like the top of the tower has been destroyed. The back wall of the tower opens up to a path that continues on and seems to lead to some sort of cemetery. What would you like to do?In The Cemetery
The sun disappears over the horizon as you move toward the cemetery You approach the gates and are greeted by a disturbing sight. Ravens and other Carrion birds scatter at your approach revealing what appears to be several bodies, mutilated and violated and propped up against the gate. You notice that some of the heads bear a striking resemblance to people you have seen before. 4 Females and 3 Males. One of them is a woman with blonde hair and dressed in earth tones. She has a bow resting at her side Another woman, crudely painted purple and what appears to be goat horns have been affixed to her skull as her head is slumped down An elven woman dressed in furs, a greatsword rests on her lap. Her body is broken and bloodied. Another body, the face obscured by a white hood, has a sword plunged through her back One of the men has their skin crudely painted blue. A rope wrapped tightly around his neck seems to be what did him inThe other two are in varying states of decay. Their bodies adorned in piecemeal armor. Not at all a matching set. A rusty, blood covered weapon is plunged through one of them (These look like the party!) On a DC 15 Investigation check, You find a note folded up in one of their pockets. Blood covers its edges. it simply reads.
"A WARNING" You move into the Cemetery. A line of torches seems to illuminate a path leading to a Mausoleum or chapel of sorts. As you move past the rows of weather worn graves You begin to hear wordless whispers moving past your ears ::encounter Party Vs. 4 Wights:: You enter this building and the only thing in this structure is a staircase that seems to lead down underground. You follow this pitch black path for about 400 feet. After which the path opens up into this large Hall. It vaguely resembles a cathedral or a throne room of some ancient palace. Your footsteps echo off the hewn stone floor. The ceiling stretches high above you into blackness You see light illuminating a section up ahead. Varn watches you as you approach. He stands from his throne. There is a warrior of some kind in black armor standing at his right side. "*chuckles* Fools. You stand against me, You interfere with my plans, and now you wander into my kingdom of death to what end? To try and stop me? To kill me? *Evil Laugh* I AM death. Run along, children. This is where heroes come to die. (If someone tries to Cast a spell, immediately counterspelled) You wield magic like a petulant child! None of you have earned these gifts. You were given magic by virtue of birth? By pact with a demon? From Nature? *Chortle* I have traversed the planes, I have held court with Gods, I have read and studied the magic arts of thousands of darkened Tomes. I have conquered life and death. What hope have you of defeating me? *Evil Laugh* I will feed on your life essence. ::Encounter Party Vs. Vaarn and Death Knight:: ((On his death, The Death Knight's armor fades away and falls off and Isolde you recognize the face beneath. The face of your Brother, Ja'ak))
A voice rings out in the hall. "SEE?!? Look what they've done! Your so called friends, murdered your only family in cold blood! These are supposedly heroes of the realm?"
You see Adluak emerge from a darkened corner of the hall. "This is why I left the teachings of Auril behind. There are far more powerful gods out there. Gods that have not forgotten us. gods that can alter life and death. HE is the true master of this universe! You know of whom I speak. He can bring back Ja'ak! You only need to give yourself to his teachings. Join me in our righteous cause. Free your mind from its shackles! Become HIS CHAMPION"
::If the party refuses or attacks Adluak:: Then you will not be spared from the Atrophy that is to come. The Voidharrow will take you too!
::encounter party vs. Adluak:: What is the voidharrow? That is what awaits us all. Tharizdun remaking our Universe. He's done it once before. The void harrow sits just outside his prison. The essence of the Voidharrow has seeped into this world in the form of a disease. A plague. Soon it will spread to all things and he will breathe new life into our lungs!!
If the party Resurrect's Ja'ak, He will be forthcoming with information on where the Phylactery is. "I... I was taken by Adluak. He said we had a mission of Glorious Purpose. But when we arrived here, He turned on me. He and the Lich easily overpowered me and I became his Thrall. He had me execute people. Citizens of this town. Commit profane acts to their bodies. In doing so I broke my oath to Auril and became nothing. Soon, I didn't even need to be under thralldom. I was committing heinous acts in His name. He tore out the last vestige of goodness inside of me. And once that happened, he said I was ready. The last thing I remember is Vaarn pointing at me and saying something. Then all went black. And... i awoke here." "There are places below. Beneath this chamber. I have seen them briefly. If there is something he has hidden from you, That is where it will be."
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