Session XI: Vaxoltanol and Swimming Death Report

General Summary

Quel Anather

After initial exploration of Quel Anather, the group decided to return for more magical items. In the morning they noticed that their friend Delru is missing. He left to the group some gold and message in the stone, saying that he and Elella left to discover some background of Delru's race. 
The group left and went to Quel Anather, opening it with the Crown.

Four Souls

They've discovered braziers in the middle of the City of Dead where one brazier was on fire. Each of these braziers told them story of the soul that it kept inside. 

Sil’Qua

In the library they met Zheana Vaenla, old librarian who was expelled from the kingdom. Her queen cursed her with eternal silence for her blasphemy against Isilnar. She attacked Florence and with her Silence zone put up quite a fight, however they defeated her in combat. After her death all books have disappeared except one which Gleipnyr took.

Al’adore

First their visited the large house on the square. They found a chest in a bedroom that trapped Vanesa and Alarion inside, almost consuming them. However, Gleipnyr was able to find a way out - hidden in the deer's head.
On the market, they met Eryarus Al’ion - spy of queen who was hiding in Quel Anather as a rich merchant. He knew that something was off with the queen, but wouldn't dare to defy her. His last memory was black mist with terribly scream echoing through. He attacked them as soon as they left his house. He and his spiritual spies put up a hard fight for the adventurers, but they were able to slay him in the end. After his death all markers and spies disappeared and only thing that left was a ring, with no markings and no writings. Plain ring which Alarion took.

Fer’endor

As their last stop, they visited graveyard. When they entered, they saw 5 graves - with their names. Local gravedigger Ven’il Alar welcomed them and presented them with their new homes. He almost killed Vanesa, but her orcish origin kept her from dying in the grave. Ven'il was mage apprentice and his purpose was studying what happens with elvish souls after their death. He was sending this information to her queen and as all those before him - he died during mysterious black mist with screams. After his death all what was left was a small black key, which Florence took.

Freeing the City of Dead

After adventurers slain all those 4 souls, all four braziers were on fire. Then they collapsed with a strong wave, pushing all aside and taking all those ghostly buildings and all those captured souls with it to the afterlife. The city was free. From the ashes of braziers one last fire appeared with a woman's voice, thanking the adventurers for their help and as a reward - answering all their questions.
Gleipnyr finally found out that his master is after some curse that hunts his family for generation, leading so back in history to the founder of Quindae family Angor Quindae who was fighting with the demons during The Great invasion.
Florence  found out about his master Galan, but it was nothing he didn't already knew. 
Vanesa Winterhall asked about the person she was looking for her entire life - but she didn't get any clear answer.
Then the flame extinguished and all was over.

Vaxoltanol 

After they gave a Black key to the guards at the Brass gate, they were allowed to enter the city. Florence understood very fast that dwarfs are not really welcomed here. 

Market of All

After few hours in the city they decided to visit the market. They were looking for a "greeny". From their information, it was probably a goblin. They also figured out that he was quite expensive but a great source of information. While they were waiting for more than 2 hours to meet him, Vanesa was offered sex by a Deep gnome in his basement.  

Wecnen

This goblin sitting on a horde of gold, gems, magical scrolls and magical items. All those items were payments from previous visitors. He was able to provide some information about Cyrus and Florence, for a lot of gold, gems and scrolls paid by the adventurers. 

Shinny Magic Shop

Adventurers also visited a magical shop named Shinny Magic. They were in heaven - so magical items and yet so few gold. However, they haven't left empty handed. The party bought for their cleric Alarion a lightbringer, sword of pure light and sun - Sunblade.

The Black Harbor

 After they finished their shopping-spree, they decided it is time for some more exploring. They visited the black harbor - several minutes down using a crane, to harbor. They saw a endless black sea full of ships. They met a one-eyed captain - Faragwen. Dwarf. He recruited them to help him slay a "sea snake" big as ship for 500gp. They accepted, boarded his shop and started their journey. Gleipnyr and Vanesa were not really liking their time on the ship as sea sickness gave them a hard time. However, after 2 days they met the "sea snake".

Destroyer of Ships - Kraken

 Their "sea kraken" was actually a enourmous Kraken. As soon as he attacked the ship, all were on alert, doing their best to slay the beast. There was a hope of victory as their swords started to shine with Selune's light and their bodies were protected by Selune itself. However, they were no match for this ancient being. 
Florence was grappled first, swinged above kraken's mouth, he literally sent a burning shit down the Kraken's throat before being thrown away to the dark sea. The next was Vanesa. She was grappled by a Kraken and he was going to eat her, however as she was falling down to Kraken's mouth, she teleported herself at the last second. Gleipnyr escaped the ship at the last second before its hull broke in half. And Alarion with his wings was flying all over, trying to slay the beast but to no avail. Kraken sent them all to the depths with his mighty tentacles, crushing them all. They however, did not die on spot as they were able to breath underwater thanks to Vanesa's magic. The only person who escaped alive was Gleipnyr, who was swimming from his death as fast as he could, tentacles swinging next to him, slaying his copies one after the another. And when he finally won his race against death itself - Waterfalls. He noticed, thanks to Alarion's sight incoming Waterfalls. However, he decided not to die today. He quickly swam to the rock and took a strong hold. He was able to climb the rock. On one side - black sea, sunken ship and probably all of his friends dead. On the other side - neverending darkness and fall to the end of the world. 

Fall into Lowerdark

Next to the sunken ship, Gleipnyr saw some bodies - he noticed its Vanesa, Florence and Alarion. The current was taking them to their end. But with the crown on his head - able to bring dead back to life, he decided to risk everything. He jumped to the darkness, catching all of his friends in the free fall. Right before the crushing landing, he used his magic to slow their falling saving them all.

Return from the Dead

After they catched their breath, they found out that one of them wasn't breathing - Florence. Gleipnyr started to use the Crown to bring him back to life. However, before he was able to finish the spell, Florence woke up. His eyes were surrounded by some runes of unknown language. But no one really took a second though as - they were fucked. They are stucked even deeper in Underdark. The worst part - Lowerdark. No one is going here, the time have stopped here. No one really know what is going on here as everyone is too scared to visit it.

Lowerdark

On their first day of travells in the Lowerdark, they found a some words engraved on the wall - "Death walks here". They started panicking as this is not really the best welcoming. They took a route and found a dead body of some elf. He was dead for centuries if not millennia. The elf had a book - describing a story of Angrazoar, the Destroyer and group of adventurers who tried to stopped him from his tyrany. They all failed and ended as his servants. He gave them nicknames - Death, Ruin and Destruction. All those were supposed to be powerful entities as they were able to destroy a dragon in a brink of an eye. Again - not really a nice place where you want to be.

Illithid

On their second day in the Lowerdark, they found a passage - long tunnel with several marks of intelligent life - marks of clothing and paint. They decided to follow this mark. Later they found two gnomes - they were in some form of "trance". When they presented themself to the gnomes, they mindlessly attacked them, sending themself to death. Gleipnyr used his invisibility to investigate what those two gnomes were guarding - it was some sort of modern laboratory. He was walking for a while through the complex, later finding a Mind Flayer. It was doing some research. After a while, some other mindflayer came and after even longer while, one more. One of them walked immidiately to the death gnomes as if it knew something happened. Gleipnyr started running, telling the rest of the party about the situation. They tried to escape - but.. to late. Vanesa was mind-controlled by one of them. One of the mind-flayers got her. Alarion tried to rescue her, but his mind was no match to one of mind-flayer. His psychic powers devastated Alarion's mind, rendering him completely useless. After a long battle, they were finally able to slay him. Trying to escape, half of them was stunned because of the mental attacks of mind-flayer. Additional mind-flayers started to come. Alarion was turned invisible by Gleipnyr and then the group tried to escape - again. Too late, Gleipnyr was caught and as a brain-washed doll followed the mind-flayers. However, Alarion woke up, attacking the mind-flayers and Gleipnyr in hope that death Gleipnyr will be useless to them and later they could bring him back to life. This plan worked. Selune's light was able to hurt mind-flayers enough so they escaped, saving Gleipnyr's brain for his own use. 
Alarion was however powerless - there was nothing he could do to bring Gleipnyr back as he was missing component. He decided to sacrifice his gift from Selune - the ring. First gift he ever received from his goddess. It worked, Gleipnyr was back among the living. 

Regroup

After a while, they finally catch up to Vanesa and Florence, telling them this story and starting a camp. They survived their first real day in Lowerdark. However, everyone was thinking if they can even ever get out alive ?

Rewards Granted

Gleipnyr Sorento 

• 3000xp Fight with Kraken
• 500xp for exploring city of Vaxoltanol
• 7000xp for saving the city of Quel Anather
• 2500xp for bravery among imagination 
• The Crown
• Book of Memories
  • Can stop time, for storing memories and thoughts of the user
  • Have advantage on perception checks while using the book with both hands
  • Can copy any document in an instance
  • Serves as spell-book, where no ink is needed for copying spells

Vanesa Winterhall 

• 3000xp Fight with Kraken
• 500xp for exploring city of Vaxoltanol
• 7000xp for saving the city of Quel Anather

Florence  

• 3000xp Fight with Kraken
• 500xp for exploring city of Vaxoltanol
• 7000xp for saving the city of Quel Anather

Alarion Naeron 

• 3000xp Fight with Kraken
• 500xp for exploring city of Vaxoltanol
• 7000xp for saving the city of Quel Anather
• Sunblade

Campaign

Hope of Aldur

Protagonists

Vanesa Winterhall

NG Half-orc (human) (Circle of Water)
Druid (Circle of Wildfire) 3

13 / 32 HP

STR
15

DEX
16

CON
20

INT
12

WIS
20

CHA
16

Alarion Naeron

LG Dragonborn ()
Cleric 5

11 / 50 HP

STR
20

DEX
12

CON
16

INT
15

WIS
20

CHA
13

Florence

Gleipnyr Sorento Quindae

True Neutral Fire Genasi (Numerian Noble)
Fighter 3
Wizard 15

400 / 66 HP

STR
25

DEX
18

CON
22

INT
18

WIS
15

CHA
18

Report Date

02 Apr 2022