Session 14 Recap: "Battle of Vraath Keep"
General Summary
The smell of blood in the air and Vraath Keep stirring to alertness, Fortune's Favored found themselves on the attack a bit sooner than they had prepared to be. Still, not to waste the opportunity afforded by the suddenness of it, the group pressed their advantage, scattering amongst the trees, while Alariwyn raised one of the Wargs to send off and whip the others into a frenzy. The tactic kept the wargs and goblins occupied, though the Manticore quickly took to the skies and honed in on the group.
But knowing the party's location and having the strength to capitalize on it are two very different things, as one by one, the group took out the Silent Dark's vanguard force, leaving only the blue dragonborn, Valthruun alone in the tower. An exchange of magic at range proved relatively fruitless on both sides, though as the party attempted to draw in, Valthruun vanished before their eyes and escaped into the night.
With the enemy either dead or fleeing, Vraath Keep fell silent in the party's control, as the group explored the old Dawnspire hold. The first of many valuable treasures was a map of the area, written in cyphered Infernal that depicted the locations of not only the Silent Dark's army but also identified their commanders and a number of other useful bits of information. The two most important, being their concern that Skull Gorge could become problematic should they lose control of such a valuable choke point, and that the army's planned assault on Orchard's River would be taking place in ~12 days and Crimsonwich roughly a month after that.
Further exploration of the keep revealed a hidden hatch that led to the Keep's treasure room "guarded" by the remains of Amery Vraath, which held a not-insubstantial amount of coin, along with several magic items, trophies of conflicts past, and the deed to the keep itself.
The impending threat quieted for the time being, the party began to open up to one another about secrets they had been hiding from one another. Deej revealed his patron as Visilia, the former leader of the Dawnspire. Xerren revealed his true nature to the party, removing his mask and the bandages behind it to show the effects of his encounter with the Forbidden One that left him so detached from Time, and Verna about her childhood and early years, as well as her most recent encounter with Jarret in Orchard's River and the threats made against them all in exchange for her compliance. With the information they'd come for secured and after some discussion, the group sent Alariwyn back to Orchard's River to warn the town of the impending danger, both in their midst and beyond, while they agreed to push on to Skull Gorge in the hopes of slowing the army down further.
As the group attempted to digest all this information and internalize what it would mean for the party as they continued on their path, Last Leaf's tablet began to react with the Keep itself, replaying a moment in the Keep's history from before the conclusion of the Second Calamity. As the party regrouped to watch it and discuss what implications this knowledge might have, the tablet pulsed again, this time a woman stepping through as an ethereal manifestation and introduced herself as Shalinthal Desdemonia and the architect of the party's collective miseries and destinies.
With time to talk, she explained not only that she was beginning to lose the grip on her sanity as it was eroded by the power she had stolen from Sofiel, but that this was not her first attempt to stop the danger that loomed over Iria. She explained that she had been rewinding the timeline of Iria searching for a solution that would save the world, and that she had been the one responsible for shaping their lives and bringing the party together to face the trials that were soon to come. The information was met with mixed reactions, some accepting, others hostile, but her visit was short-lived as the magic allowing her to "visit" was unable to sustain her any longer and she vanished and left the party alone to comprehend the weight of her words, warnings, and the dangers that were still to come...
Rewards Granted
120 platinum, 2100 gold, 2500 silver
The skull of a young black dragon, a necklace of 2 dozen giant's teeth, spiked giant's gauntlet, The Bloodgale, Staff of Life, Frostbrand rapier, deed to Vraath Keep.
Missions/Quests Completed
Routed Silent Dark Vanguard, captured Vraath Keep
Report Date
15 Dec 2023
Primary Location
Related Characters
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