The Madness of Men in a World of Monsters (D&D 5e IC)

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Vargath's afternoon had been quiet after returning from the shop with his manacles. He'd spent some time setting them up on his bed and making sure they were secure, and the rest of the time working out - to keep the blood flowing and to keep his mind occupied on things other than the desire for the reddest of meats. Tomorrow was the big day, in which he finds out if Fixir's Elixir was all it was talked up to be, or just another snake oil sold. He returns to the group freshly bathed and scented, his armour freshly polished and oiled, his weapon freshly sharpened and cleaned. Though they were likely going to be thoroughly soiled in short order, he wanted to at least refresh his body properly, so as to keep his mind likewise refreshed. It wasn't enough to solely rely on the Elixir after all. He needed to keep his own mind intact, and pushing himself away from beastial habits should help. Maybe. He only had so much knowledge of the beasts. "If we can we should try to capture this Sewer Lord - or Master - alive." Vargath slides his notebook onto the table with his notes regarding the bounty lists. Six thousand for his live capture, plus some additional for some otyugh, that they'd likely find in the sewers at some point. "Aside from everything else there's a tidy sum available for doing so. If we're hunting them, we could do worse than getting paid in the process. No sense leaving coin on the table." When the topic of who to bring along comes up Vargath is divided. Ulu is a fine fighter for the most part, and her powers would no doubt be useful against the undead, but the idea that the spell in question might harm those of "lesser mental fortitudes" causes him to stop. He believes himself no lesser than any other, but with the beast gnawing at his soul, now was not the time for him to add additional hindrances to his body. "If the choice is between invisibility and disguise and both can be seen through, I see no reason to go with the one that poses greater risk to ourselves. Perhaps the disguise may be utilised better at a later time, but for now, I believe the invisibility is the better option." Again, he refuses to state his truth for why, his justifications vocalised instead with other rationalities - weak ones, perhaps, but he'd take a weak rationalisation over stating the truth and giving it the weight of verbalisation.

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP1: 11/11 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Diodorus' Healing Light, Nome's Hero's Feast Concentration: That Evening, at the Writ and Raven As Mal explains the military precision of the Darakhul and their ability to marshal ghouls and ghasts into a fiercer force, Set's eyes drift, staring off into space as he imagines a hoard of undead gathered beneath the city. "Doresain?" Set asks Mal, thinking from context that he must be a god, father to ghouls in the same way that Gruumsh One Eye is father to orcs. A curse on both of them, either way. Set nods in return as Selissa reveals they would not be offered a guide from among the thieves of Harumburg. No surprise, that. If they knew firsthand what lay beneath the city, they could hardly be blamed for steering well clear of the sewers now. Invisibility or camouflage? For a moment, the choice hardly seems to matter. Set watches Nome's fingers play with Ulu's braids, unable to dismiss a pang of jealousy as her attention and praise is focused elsewhere. Scratching his neck and looking away, he refocuses as Vargath relates a series of bounties and makes his own preference plain. Set absentmindedly reaches for his coin, turning it over and over in his fingers as the map curls back on itself. Ulu was a far superior fighter, and if it came to blows she would undoubtedly serve them better. But Vargath knew that. He knew that he'd be the one taking the brunt of any counterattack with Ulu sidelined, and he still wanted Maus along instead. Set flips his coin into the air, watching it tumble end over end before catching it in a closed fist. Maus is weak, though. For all his size, he's just a shell of a man. Prone to crumbling when his allies need him. Ulu the Unyielding would be the better choice. She could be counted on to hold firm, and Set knows better than most the value of good camouflage. Opening his hand Set finds the ankh standing tall, like a tree of the Green faith staring back at him. Maus, then. Funny how Set's desires always cleared up while the coin flew, but often as not the coin chose differently. Stowing it, he clears his throat. "Vargath's right." Throwing support behind the Mighty feels natural, at least. Hesitating a moment, Set finds a reason quickly enough. "We know so little, still. Once we've seen the situation below, camouflage will serve better." Set looks to Nome and Ulu hopefully. "Perhaps we can even test our fortitude above-ground when there is more time before taking your charm below. Not that we'd need to," Set adds, suddenly anxious that she'd recant her earlier praise. "I've no doubt we can handle the charm without ill-effect. But for the moment, being able to pass completely unseen and unheard would be invaluable while we figure out what's down there. Don't you think?" Set asks the other three.

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: 38/38->40/40 THP: 7 PP: 16 Conditions: Concentrating: -- That Evening, at the Writ and Raven. The choice between stealth and social deception was such a non-brainer Selissa didn't even have to think about it. The notion that Nome's magic was embuing them with necromantic witchery enough to cause side effects only sealed the deal. "Obvious choice. Stealth is better. Awareness brings caution," she replied to Set in her typically unpolitically-polite manner. She glanced up at the giant man, pondering something. "Will you fit, Maus? Large for tunnels." She looked down at the map, then between the two auxillaries; the hulking Maus, the ebony tiefling with her paladin. Ugh. It was people matters - ideally, they'd be able to bring both, as the paladin was a deadly fighter in close combat, perfect for the miserably cramped confines they were about to encounter. Well, whatever; she couldn't stop people being stupid. Instead, she responded to Vargath's talk of bounties. "Might be best not to capture Sewer Lord alive. If undead, aligned with the crown. Would just be returned to owners that way."

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Vargath grits his teeth slightly. "You think they set a bounty on their own ally? That they're going to just throw out thousands of gold in reward only to release him again? They're paying half as much for a corpse. I'm not seeing the logic here. Maybe the upper echelons of power here are vampires, but don't expect everyone to be a servant of them, otherwise it would be common knowledge." He releases some of his tension with a shrug. "But maybe you're right, and we can empty their coffers one turn in at a time. Not the most glamorous of revolutions, I'll grant you."

[purepolarpanzer]

The Writ and the Raven- Mission Planning

Ulu's eyes close as the choice is made, and Nome smiles and inclines her head slightly as her boon is refused (or postponed). Maus gives a nod of approval. "I am glad ye have chosen to bring me. I did wish to test Moira's claims myself. A few ghouls in the sewers won't prove her words, but if we may find this necropolis she referenced my mind will be changed." He turns to respond to Selissa's question with a smile splitting his beard. "I borrowed a relic from my old alma matter from my schooling days. It's a belt... well, more of a girdle, but that's beside the point... that will reduce my size by half. It has an illustrious history of being used by goliath diplomats who were visiting the college, and even a student or two back before that species cut ties with the quote "civilized" parts of the Vale." He patted his bag. "You won't have any trouble aiming shots over me when I'm less than five feet tall, my friends. As far as this Sewer Lord goes, I would think that the moral thing to do would be to turn in the corpse to the crown, while the practical thing to do would be to ask Selissa's unsavory friends for a bounty from them for the monster's death. I'm sure that the expiration of the leader of their opposition will be high on their list of tasks for us. I favor when the right thing to do matches up with the most profitable path, don't you all?"

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 7/7 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 4/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 1/1 2nd - 1/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 1/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 4/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Praised into Health. Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane Mal Concentrating: --- Soreshu Ancient Companion: Sage Companion HP: 30/30 (32/32) Companion AC: 16 Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12 Sage's Counsel: While within 15 feet of the companion, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom checks. Praised into Health. Immune to frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage Nome's Suite Maledictus watched the proceedings. The attache let the decision fall to the others, curious to see their selection and rationale. While tempted by Nome's magic, if only to have her sworn sword at their side and her praises lavished once more, Maus' art would allow them the choice to engage their foe on more favorable terms. He agreed with Maus, "A fortuitous alignment of reward and benevolence enriches everyone." The scholar poured more into his brandy snifter, adding, "Since you come, Maus, I would share a curiosity I uncovered from your college. Harumsvale suffers perennial vampire spawn, middling necromancers, and ghoul nests. Apart from this darakhul encroachment, attempts to root out the other undead never seems to skewer the patroness, archmage, or artifact source for their renewed presence." "In tandem, Grand Arbiter Myrus Malkaav hosts either a strong bloodline or blood lust. His likeness haunts the halls of nobility and the magistracy every eighty years. A profound oddity to have such identical echoes within two generations over a millennia. Wouldn't you agree?" The statue spoke up, with a grave soberness. "Pieces begin to take shape on the board. Perchance you may profit from a martial tutor for this delve, but while I persist I offer this counsel: Your foes prefer closeness and trend toward weaker and weaker offensive action at a distance. If you can delay closing with them, you may grind them to nothing before their teeth do the same to your flesh." Maledictus raised his glass and drained it after saying, "Hear, hear! We ought also to recognize the darakhul can dabble in the arcane, venerate filth like Doresain, and warp nature whenever their hunger does not overcome their minds with raving madness. The Imperial forces may include priests and arcanists the deeper we delve." Soreshu nodded grimly at the reminder that darakhul were not like the ghouls and ghasts under their dominion.

Spoiler: OOC

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Areas of Research:
- Religious orders and necromantic lore concerning undead encounters within the Capital (assumed Religion): 22 Discord
- Historical figures within capital to look for potential aberrations in its successions, especially if someone looks strikingly identical to personages throughout history: 19 Discord
- Arcane research into tools or spells to further augment his arcane abilities (e.g. tools to add or enhance his spellcasting, such as the bardic instruments or staves of power.): 21 Discord

Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: outcast exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.
Nomcebo: Ulu's handler. Ink skinned tiefling with prehensile tail and an obvious allure.
Kagiso: Ulu's slave and carriage driver.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...
Tree-house horror: elven make. Demon infested. Extremely rare creation.

The presence of the so-called "evolved" ghouls is troublesome. Said to be the chosen of Doresain the Ghoul King, Darakhuls are more motivated, more intelligent, and leagues more dangerous than their lesser kin. They have a subterranean empire on the other side of the continent, and their attempts to bring their Imperium to the surface have only narrowly been thwarted by the actions of great heroes and dedicated rulers. If Darakhuls have come to Harumvale, then the eyes of the Ghoul King have turned in this direction, and things truly are worse than imagined. Darakhul have a mystical connection to lesser ghouls and ghasts that enhances their intelligence and discipline when the evolved ghouls are present, turning them from hungry predators to a military unit.

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Spoiler: Half Troden Bardic Instrument Key

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Arcana- High Docent Half Toden directs Mal to a specific scroll on a specific shelf in a specific wing when pressed on this subject. He seems... oddly insistent... actually. It turns out to be a book of songs, actually, and one of them is penned by none other than High Docent Half Toden.

Lo, behold the works of the Maker of Things,
Wands, staves, instruments, wonders, and rings,
His traveling cart rolls from town to town
And trades mystical wonders for enough coins to drown
Sometimes human, sometimes dwarf, sometimes gnome,
He claims fate calls him, binds him, and keeps him from home
He forged Harum's hammer that split the Eternal Rock
Tinkered Trelmari's picks which defeat any Lock
He defies time and age, but one note rings true
Find one of Harum's adamant coins and he will find you.

Spoiler: Harumburg Library Lore

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Religion- There has been a near constant history of undead in and around the capital of Harumsvale. It seems like every three to five decades or so some priest or paladin of Harum organizes a purge that "purifies" a coven of vampire spawn, a hidden necromancer, or a ghoul nest. But it seems to Mal (and to High Docent Toden) that this always treats the outward symptoms without handling the cause. Vampire spawn are rooted out, but rarely is a true vampire found. Students at the university are found to be dabbling in the forbidden arts, but no one ever catches the teacher who revealed such secrets to them. And each time a nest of ghouls is rooted out there is often a new infection there within a century. Half gives Mal an anecdote about one building in the industrial district being raided three times within his lifetime.

History- Docent Toden cannot corroborate much in this area of research, but Mal does find several portraits that bear an astounding resemblance to Grand Arbiter Myrus Malkaav, each of them depicting some variety of civil servant or noble position with roughly eighty years between them. When Post Master Geller Rell passes away from a wasting disease, eight decades or so later Chief Accountant Daedren Gastaf, who has the same severe eyes, hooked nose, and pale skin but a different haircut, takes his position a serves with merited distinction. There is a general trend in these dopplegangers to rise in the ranks of the government over the centuries, and Mal finds records dating back nearly a thousand years.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 11/11 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Diodorus' Healing Light, Nome's Hero's Feast Concentration: That Evening, at the Writ and Raven Set stares at Maus as he speaks of finding the truth, but says nothing in return. For now they all need to focus on getting into the sewers and back out unscathed. With luck, Maus would live long enough to see the full scope of his failings. Even as Set's thinking it, however, Mal has other plans. The tiefling systematically pours out the results of his research like so much brandy, then asks Maus if he likes the taste. Set drains his own drink in silence, unable to look back at the giant. "Perennial vampire spawn and a Grand Arbiter who persists through the ages. Odd." Set utters this last word with no small amount of contempt, skin burning as Mal independently corroborates so much of what Moira had already told them. What she'd told Maus before her untimely death. Circumstantial or not, there's a clear pattern of evidence. "Please, excuse me." Set stands, bowing his head politely to Nome before exiting in search of the nearest washroom, either in the suite or outside if necessary. Barricading himself within, Set pushes the wall with both hands, exorcising a deep breath held for too long. He'd known she hadn't been lying. Maus, Selissa, even Vargath might've suspected otherwise, but he'd known. There would be no hunt for Moira. Now they just needed the final proof. And if they could find the truth about Moira and her vampires, they could find the truth about Bence and Pale Night. They could put all the pieces together. Set washes the face that isn't his before returning to the others and grabbing a glass of wine, similar to what his host holds.

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: 38/38->40/40 THP: 7 PP: 16 Conditions: Concentrating: -- That Evening, at the Writ and Raven. At Vargath's snippiness, the elf gave a flat look back. "Reasons. Could be bait. Honeypot, to lure in strong adventurers who could cause problems otherwise. Disguise to hide connections between undead and Crown. Doesn't need everyone to be aware to serve undead ends. Just enough, and can twist system. " She rolled those green, green eyes, and continued, tone drier than Set's desert home. "Course, could be unrelated undead controlling undergrounder to underground controlling undead. "

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- The half-orc rolls his eyes. "Jump at every shadow and you'll leap out of your own feet. You can make as many theoreticals as you like, but do you really think handing it over to a bunch of underground criminals is better than the guard?" He snorts derisively. "But whatever, we don't need to make a decision now. Need to capture them first regardless. No sense putting the cart before the ox." Longevity of an individual didn't necessarily mean vampire. He'd heard word of magical elixirs that could extend one's life far beyond its normal constraints. Highly sought after of course, and incredibly expensive when they did appear, but perhaps not out of reach for the ruling class of the capital. Still, undead abomination did seem the more likely explanation, and he doesn't feel that voicing the elixir hypothesis would be worth anything. Either way they'd find out eventually. "Seems like we've got the beginnings of a plan - when do we execute it?"

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: 38/38->40/40 THP: 7 PP: 16 Conditions: Concentrating: -- That Evening, at the Writ and Raven. Selissa made a tch! of dismissive annoyance at Vargath's insinuations of overcaution. Was it so hard to comprehend that rot at the head will spread to the tail? Icily, the prickly wood elf said: "Meeting contact at dawn. Go after that." As Set returned and picked up a wineglass, she slipped past him, giving him a sideways look as she did so. "Don't drink too much," she said, then was out the door. It closed behind her with a click.

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 11/11 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Diodorus' Healing Light, Nome's Hero's Feast Concentration: That Evening, at the Writ and Raven Set returns just in time to see the very end of Vargath and Selissa's exchange, but she is already slipping past before he can hope to get any context. The distraction from his own thoughts is a welcome one. "Don't drink too much." She's a ghost before he can offer a response, as is her way. Staring down at his glass for a moment, Set hesitates before bringing it to his lips and drinking deep. "Everything alright?" he asks Vargath, settling back into a comfortable chair nearby. "Relatively, I mean." Lycanthropy notwithstanding, Vargath would be the one leading their pack through sewers full of undead tomorrow. With luck, they'd learn what lies below unnoticed, but if the veil failed, it'd be his body in harms way first. That is, assuming Dr. Fixer's elixir worked as advertised. A part of Set wants to ask Vargath again about the whispers that plague him, but he bites his tongue. Perhaps after they're tested below-ground and the danger isn't imminent. Perhaps after they know for sure that Vargath's lycanthropy is contained. Eventually he'd have a chance to ask Vargath what he knew of the giants and their relation to the gods, if any. As Set finishes his glass of wine, he notices Nome pouring herself another. He places his empty glass on the low table in front of him, but wordlessly declines a refill, nodding in thanks.

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Set's question isn't an easy one to answer, at least not totally truthfully - he wasn't okay, he knew. Things were getting worse and he didn't see any solution. He couldn't exactly publicise his condition in the city either, for fear of hunters that would come for his head. He sighs, suddenly quite tired. "We'll find out tomorrow." It's a short answer, but an honest one. He didn't know. There were so many variables. So many things could go wrong. And if they were going below he'd have to keep a hard track of time so as not to miss the window for Fixer's elixir. "If it's not, we'll just have to overcome whatever happens." It's as optimistic as he can manage, all things considered. Just keep moving forward, through whatever come their way.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Writ and the Raven- Nomcebo's Suite

Nome raises an eyebrow at Set's declination of further wine, but her smile never wavers as she tops off her own glass. For those of you who stay up for the rest of the evening your hostess fills the time with pleasant conversation, endless flattery, and orders down to room service. She almost seems to be purposefully keeping people awake as she requests another song from Maledictus, stories of Set's homeland, and tales of your time together as a group. Ulu, for her part, goes to bed early, as does Maus, each of them murmuring about preparing for tomorrow.

Dawn- Nomcebo's Suite

At the crack of sunrise there comes a knocking at the suite door, almost as though the knocker was raised and waiting for first light. Upon being let in, Darby, wearing his same loud patched suit from yesterday, enters in a cloud of cigarette smoke, carrying a messenger bag under his arm. He looks to either direction in the hall way before shutting the door behind him. Maus has been up for hours preparing himself with stretches while reading his books, and Ulu, despite being ordered to stay, has woken up early for this meeting as well. "If something goes wrong down there, it is I who will be sent down to recover you. It will be good for me to know where you will be so I know where to search." Noticeably absent is Dr. Madaras, but Darby sheds some illumination on this by handing over a note that had been tacked to the door indicating that Ignacius would remain behind for this mission. With everyone accounted for, Darby pulls some papers from his bag, spreading them across the coffee table and beginning his presentation.

Spoiler: Map

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"This is the area of the sewer that the most ghouls and ghasts have been patrolling. It cost the lives of some of our quickest and quietest Brothers to find out what little we have. These used to be our smuggling tunnels, but our agents report lots of digging tools and piles of fresh earth down there, so don't be surprised if the tunnel network has gotten more extensive than indicated here. These rooms here..." He points at the left most chambers. "Were for storing supplies. When we left em they were specifically kept high and dry to prevent damaging sensitive goods. Our spies reckon that's where they're keeping the Corpse Dust. Maybe even making it. We'll pay handsomely for any of the drug you destroy. This chamber here..." He points at the round chamber in the upper left most corner of the map. "Was a VIP cell. Secure door, secure locks. We've got word that a prisoner was moved in there with a bag on their head and hasn't been moved out yet. We'll pay good coin to find out who they've got in there, and if they're someone important we'd like to take possession of them. Now, this tunnel here..." He sweeps his hand over the small tunnel in the center of the top of the map. "That's where the excavation is probably going on. It's a secret tunnel, so you'll have to locate the entrance. Look for the purple rock and push it inward." He points at the right most rooms with double thick walls. "We kept more stolen goods here, but we've got no eyes that deep in, so if the deaders have repurposed them, who knows what they're doing there. If you find anything valuable, we'll buy it off you." He then indicates both the bottom left and the bottom right. "Entrances and exits leading to the upper sewers. You'll want to come in and leave from one of them." Darby takes a final drag from his smoke before flicking it with expert precision into a tray on a nearby cabinet. "You might find resistance in the upper sewers, but the deaders mostly stay below during daylight. There's a fair amount of traffic up top, but only among the humans under the employ of the Sewer Master. Maybe darakhuls too, though. Be prepared for resistance as soon as you get your feet wet. Any questions?"

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Vargath spends the night in his manacles as a precaution, though thankfully they're not needed. What little sleep he did receive was restless, and he greets the morning barely anymore rested than when he went to bed. When he awakens and consults his imagine a mirror though he finds a stranger looking back at him. The hair growth had increased further, his teeth were now more protruding and sharper than ever, his fingernails had now hardened and sharpened into deadly spikes, and his once dark grey eyes now gleam with yellow light. He'd expected something like this of course, but it was still perturbing to see a false face staring back at him. Today was the day. For the others it would be a day of fighting and bloodshed, but for him the true fight only began at sundown, and it would be one he faces alone, for everyone's safety. Gathered in the room with the rest, the half-orc's eyes sweep over the map as he makes mental notes of the information on offer. Simple enough design thankfully. He was already aware that his nose picked up more than it usually did - the stench of the smoke from the man's clothes was choking, even across the table. "What's the estimate on numbers?" His voice is sharp, and to the point. They had to have some ideas if they'd managed to map this much - Five? Ten? Fifty? - even if it was mostly guesswork. It'd be crucial to know how they needed to stretch out their resources throughout the expedition below. His runic magic was unfortunately not infinite. He finds the man's demeanour unpleasant, but then at the moment he found most everything unpleasant. Maybe Ignacius would dig up some information on a cure with his 'research' while the rest of them were stomping through the sewers.

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 11/11 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Diodorus' Healing Light, Nome's Hero's Feast Concentration: The Writ and the Raven - Nomcebo's Suite After Vargath's carefully measured response, Set nods and echoes, "whatever happens." He studies the half-orc for a few seconds longer before the insistent push for music and stories takes precedence. Nome's flattery compels Set to stay a good deal longer than he'd intended, but eventually the need for a bath and sleep finally allows him to pull away. A foray into the river on their way to Harumburg couldn't completely purge the scent of turnip juice and demon blood. If anything, the smell of real soap made it plain just how badly he was in need. Set lies still in a tub of hot water until it goes cold, thinking back on his last bath before scrubbing himself clean. Finally, Set retires for the evening. Dawn - Nomcebo's Suite Set hears voices outside his door just after first light, having thoroughly enjoyed many of the comforts the suite has to offer, including a soft bed. He takes an extra minute to appreciate it before rolling out of bed and pulling his robes on, stretching quickly to try to wake himself up. Among those already gathered, Darby attracts a certain amount of attention between his chosen style of dress and the cloud of smoke that precedes him. Vargath, however, demands attention more insistently as the stranger who wasn't new to any of them. "What's the estimate on numbers?" Thankfully, it's still Vargath, even if his teeth look sharper than his voice. All business until the job's done. Well, if he didn't want to address the wereelephant in the room because he was focused on the task ahead, Set could let it go for the moment. "Beg pardon if you mentioned something before I got here, but what is Corpse Dust? How is it destroyed, and is there danger to those who destroy it?"

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 7/7 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 4/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 1/1 2nd - 1/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 1/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 4/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Praised into Health. Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane Mal Concentrating: --- Esai Ancient Companion: Warrior Companion HP: 30/30 (32/32) Companion AC: 16 Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12 Sage's Counsel: While within 15 feet of the companion, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom checks. Warrior’s Protection (Warrior Only). When a creature within 5 feet of the companion makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, the companion imposes itself between the creature and the danger. The creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the saving throw. Praised into Health. Immune to frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage Nome's Suite Evening Maledictus reveled in the late night, drinking in the attention of Nome. However, the detached core of his mind studied each person's antics and actions, recording their behaviors at rest. He requested leave after a while, securing a space to meditate. Exploring the hidden twists and wends of the tiefling would be another pastime in another celebration. Mal focused on the grimier future and prepared. As he did, he clutched a familiar sphere and mentally recited an update to his employer. "Initiated inquiry. Circumstantial evidence obtained. Archives revealed Myrus Malkaav's unnatural longevity. History confirms vampire lord never found. Imperium Darakhul presence underground. We delve deeper tomorrow." Nome's Suite Morning Mal rose invigorated still with the lingering hint of Nome's perfumed praise. He strolled from his chamber with his kit pressed and proper as though he did not anticipate descending into refuse and offal. He smoked his devilish pipe while sipping a morning malt liquor and eating from the breakfast servings. The tome-tower-shielded Esai stood at the ready behind his pupil, resting his hands on the butt of his hammer. When the messenger arrived, Mal gave a curt nod and listened to the report. Mal noted Vargath's continued terseness, though astute observations. Set asked a pertinent question. The scholar eventually asked, "Any known traps, mechanical or magical, established in these lower tunnels? How do the ghouls and their masters detect your scouts--sight, smell, divination?" Esai added, "Any adjacent tunnels that lead deeper nearby? Before they routed you, did you note which direction these darakhul pressed you before you yielded the hideout?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: outcast exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.
Nomcebo: Ulu's handler. Ink skinned tiefling with prehensile tail and an obvious allure.
Kagiso: Ulu's slave and carriage driver.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...
Tree-house horror: elven make. Demon infested. Extremely rare creation.

The presence of the so-called "evolved" ghouls is troublesome. Said to be the chosen of Doresain the Ghoul King, Darakhuls are more motivated, more intelligent, and leagues more dangerous than their lesser kin. They have a subterranean empire on the other side of the continent, and their attempts to bring their Imperium to the surface have only narrowly been thwarted by the actions of great heroes and dedicated rulers. If Darakhuls have come to Harumvale, then the eyes of the Ghoul King have turned in this direction, and things truly are worse than imagined. Darakhul have a mystical connection to lesser ghouls and ghasts that enhances their intelligence and discipline when the evolved ghouls are present, turning them from hungry predators to a military unit.

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Spoiler: Half Troden Bardic Instrument Key

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Arcana- High Docent Half Toden directs Mal to a specific scroll on a specific shelf in a specific wing when pressed on this subject. He seems... oddly insistent... actually. It turns out to be a book of songs, actually, and one of them is penned by none other than High Docent Half Toden.

Lo, behold the works of the Maker of Things,
Wands, staves, instruments, wonders, and rings,
His traveling cart rolls from town to town
And trades mystical wonders for enough coins to drown
Sometimes human, sometimes dwarf, sometimes gnome,
He claims fate calls him, binds him, and keeps him from home
He forged Harum's hammer that split the Eternal Rock
Tinkered Trelmari's picks which defeat any Lock
He defies time and age, but one note rings true
Find one of Harum's adamant coins and he will find you.

Spoiler: Harumburg Library Lore

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Religion- There has been a near constant history of undead in and around the capital of Harumsvale. It seems like every three to five decades or so some priest or paladin of Harum organizes a purge that "purifies" a coven of vampire spawn, a hidden necromancer, or a ghoul nest. But it seems to Mal (and to High Docent Toden) that this always treats the outward symptoms without handling the cause. Vampire spawn are rooted out, but rarely is a true vampire found. Students at the university are found to be dabbling in the forbidden arts, but no one ever catches the teacher who revealed such secrets to them. And each time a nest of ghouls is rooted out there is often a new infection there within a century. Half gives Mal an anecdote about one building in the industrial district being raided three times within his lifetime.

History- Docent Toden cannot corroborate much in this area of research, but Mal does find several portraits that bear an astounding resemblance to Grand Arbiter Myrus Malkaav, each of them depicting some variety of civil servant or noble position with roughly eighty years between them. When Post Master Geller Rell passes away from a wasting disease, eight decades or so later Chief Accountant Daedren Gastaf, who has the same severe eyes, hooked nose, and pale skin but a different haircut, takes his position a serves with merited distinction. There is a general trend in these dopplegangers to rise in the ranks of the government over the centuries, and Mal finds records dating back nearly a thousand years.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Writ and the Raven- Nomcebo's Suite

Darby takes a deep drag at Vargath's question and exhales slowly, thankfully away from all of you. "We've seen somewhere between two and three dozen undead scattered around that area, but we suspect there may be even more. They seem to always be able to summon reinforcements no matter the losses we inflict. But we intend to do our part to up your odds, stranger. We'll be launching raids all across the city and upper sewers about ten minutes before you get down there. Hopefully we can pull some number of their forces away from their base to give you the best shot at striking a mortal blow." Then he turns to Set and says "Corpse Dust is a new narcotic that these buggers have been flooding the streets with. It's cheap, addictive, and carries a high mortality rate. They're raking in silver from it and putting us at a disadvantage. One of your goals should be to attack their production and stores, if you like coin that is."

Finally he turns to Mal and Esai to answer their questions. "We're not sure how they find our Brothers. Rumor is they can smell the living. For your sake I hope that's a load of bull. As far as our... tactical retreat... they pushed us into the upper sewers. They don't seem to care as much about that region, but it's unsuitable for smuggling- most of the tunnels are too small to move people or cargo and the Guard keep tabs on it. They almost seem fanatically dedicated to keeping us out of the lower sewers though."

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: 38/38->40/40 THP: 7 PP: 16 Conditions: heroic encouragement Concentrating: -- Selissa had dressed a little differently today. She'd wound strips of waterproofed leather around her arms and legs, almost bandaged like a mummy, and her dangling loincloth of decorated leather was absent. Her voluminous hair was even bound up into a enormous circular braid, to keep it from scraping walls or dipping into contaminated water. She'd put herbs between two pieces of cloth and made a facemask out of them, ready to be pulled over her mouth and nose. Her expression was neutral as even, except for a slight downturn at the side of her mouth. She really wasn't looking forward to going into sewers. "Darby, " was all she'd said in greeting when the smoking man had entered, and she'd listened carefully as he gave information. She frowned down at the map. "They favour any tactics? Ambushes? Rushes? They leave guards or rely on normal presence?"

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Dozens of them. It'd be a long fight, and if they had a leader of some sort - an 'alpha', for lack of a better term - then they'd need to keep something back for them. It was going to be a slog. His question answered, he quietly falls into silence, his eyes boring into the map as he drills it into his mind. With his enhanced sense of smell, visiting a city's sewers was not his ideal destination.

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 41/41 (43/43) PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Nome's Hero's Feast Concentration: Dawn - Nomcebo's Suite Set's frown deepens as Darby explains that the dead always seem to be able to reinforce themselves no matter how many losses they take. A city below a city, isn't that what Moira had said? Without a way to rain destruction down on them from above, the undead would just keep coming. First thing's first. They couldn't rely on vague notions of what lay below. "Seems like," Set starts to say, looking between Vargath, Selissa, and Mal, "if we really intend to figure out what's going on down there, we should make for the excavation point, or at least where we think it is." Set taps the map at the secret tunnel, then traces his finger to the left all the way back past the VIP room and the rooms expected to be full of Corpse Dust. "Along the way, if there's an opportunity to find out who they're hiding or destroy their drugs for coin, it can only help us." Set examines the map for another moment, putting himself in those tunnels with the shrieks of ghouls and ghasts surrounding them, endless cries echoing in both directions. Biting the inside of his cheek, Set looks up at the others. "I don't know if there's anything we can do to safeguard our path of retreat, but whether we start in the left tunnel or the right, it would be nice to know we can get back to the surface."

[purepolarpanzer]

The Writ and the Raven- Nomcebo's Suite

Darby considers Selissa's question for a few moments before responding, smoke coming from between his teeth. "Tactics will depend on if there's a darakhul with em or not. Leaderless, the ghouls and ghasts will throw themselves at you like wild beasts. If a darakhul shows up expect big brain moves. And your friend here..." He gestures at Set. "Has the right idea. The undead know the sewers, so if they think they can get behind you and catch you on your way back out they will. My recommendation is to hit em hard, make the full circle, and get out on the other side. Anything else is done at your own risk."

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: 38/38->40/40 THP: 7 PP: 16 Conditions: heroic encouragement Concentrating: -- Selissa gave a small nod of thought. "Then enter from left, exit from right?"

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 7/7 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 4/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 1/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 1/1 2nd - 1/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 1/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 4/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Praised into Health. Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane Mal Concentrating: --- Esai Ancient Companion: Warrior Companion HP: 30/30 (32/32) Companion AC: 16 Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12 Sage's Counsel: While within 15 feet of the companion, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom checks. Warrior’s Protection (Warrior Only). When a creature within 5 feet of the companion makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, the companion imposes itself between the creature and the danger. The creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the saving throw. Praised into Health. Immune to frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage Nome's Suite Morning Mal listened to the answers. The tielfing added, "That path seems good to me. Darby, do you have a sample of this Corpse Dust? Was any of the rooms or caches lined in lead or other abjuring materials?" He puffed at his pipe steadily, which produced a series of skulls that possessed oversized jaws.

Spoiler: OOC

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Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: outcast exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.
Nomcebo: Ulu's handler. Ink skinned tiefling with prehensile tail and an obvious allure.
Kagiso: Ulu's slave and carriage driver.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

Show

Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

Show

The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

Show

There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

Show

Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...
Tree-house horror: elven make. Demon infested. Extremely rare creation.

The presence of the so-called "evolved" ghouls is troublesome. Said to be the chosen of Doresain the Ghoul King, Darakhuls are more motivated, more intelligent, and leagues more dangerous than their lesser kin. They have a subterranean empire on the other side of the continent, and their attempts to bring their Imperium to the surface have only narrowly been thwarted by the actions of great heroes and dedicated rulers. If Darakhuls have come to Harumvale, then the eyes of the Ghoul King have turned in this direction, and things truly are worse than imagined. Darakhul have a mystical connection to lesser ghouls and ghasts that enhances their intelligence and discipline when the evolved ghouls are present, turning them from hungry predators to a military unit.

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

Show

Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

Show

Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Spoiler: Half Troden Bardic Instrument Key

Show

Arcana- High Docent Half Toden directs Mal to a specific scroll on a specific shelf in a specific wing when pressed on this subject. He seems... oddly insistent... actually. It turns out to be a book of songs, actually, and one of them is penned by none other than High Docent Half Toden.

Lo, behold the works of the Maker of Things,
Wands, staves, instruments, wonders, and rings,
His traveling cart rolls from town to town
And trades mystical wonders for enough coins to drown
Sometimes human, sometimes dwarf, sometimes gnome,
He claims fate calls him, binds him, and keeps him from home
He forged Harum's hammer that split the Eternal Rock
Tinkered Trelmari's picks which defeat any Lock
He defies time and age, but one note rings true
Find one of Harum's adamant coins and he will find you.

Spoiler: Harumburg Library Lore

Show

Religion- There has been a near constant history of undead in and around the capital of Harumsvale. It seems like every three to five decades or so some priest or paladin of Harum organizes a purge that "purifies" a coven of vampire spawn, a hidden necromancer, or a ghoul nest. But it seems to Mal (and to High Docent Toden) that this always treats the outward symptoms without handling the cause. Vampire spawn are rooted out, but rarely is a true vampire found. Students at the university are found to be dabbling in the forbidden arts, but no one ever catches the teacher who revealed such secrets to them. And each time a nest of ghouls is rooted out there is often a new infection there within a century. Half gives Mal an anecdote about one building in the industrial district being raided three times within his lifetime.

History- Docent Toden cannot corroborate much in this area of research, but Mal does find several portraits that bear an astounding resemblance to Grand Arbiter Myrus Malkaav, each of them depicting some variety of civil servant or noble position with roughly eighty years between them. When Post Master Geller Rell passes away from a wasting disease, eight decades or so later Chief Accountant Daedren Gastaf, who has the same severe eyes, hooked nose, and pale skin but a different haircut, takes his position a serves with merited distinction. There is a general trend in these dopplegangers to rise in the ranks of the government over the centuries, and Mal finds records dating back nearly a thousand years.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Writ and the Raven- Nomcebo's Suite

Darby produces a small leather pouch from an inner pocket and tosses it in Mal's direction. "Thought you might ask, if there were mages or alchemists in your group. Rolled that off an addict. Our own alchemists say it's a cocktail or a powerful numbing agent and a potent stimulant. Makes you feel invincible. I personally watched a Dust Head take a guard's warhammer to the skull and ignore it for a solid minute before he remembered his brains were leaking onto his shoes. My analysis was limited to magical divinations, but I detected, surprise surprise, a moderately powerful aura of necromancy. My personal theory? It temporarily gives it's users the unyielding vigor of the undead. Just another good reason to destroy all of it you come across, you ken it?" The pouch is sealed with a brass snap, and inside is roughly three grams of a dull grey powder. "If you're feeling experimental you can take it like most other narcotics, but if you value your health I wouldn't recommend it." Darby, without seeing any irony, takes a drag of his smoke and exhales towards the empty corner of the room.

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (48/48) THP: 0/0 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 4/4 2nd - 2/3 3rd - 2/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 1/1 2nd - 1/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 1/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 1/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 4/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Praised into Health (43). Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane. Aid. Mal Concentrating: --- Esai Ancient Companion: Warrior Companion HP: 30/30 (32/32) Companion AC: 16 Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12 Sage's Counsel: While within 15 feet of the companion, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom checks. Warrior’s Protection (Warrior Only). When a creature within 5 feet of the companion makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, the companion imposes itself between the creature and the danger. The creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the saving throw. Praised into Health. Immune to frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage Nome's Suite Morning Mal caught the pouch with his inherent grace. The scholar opened the pouch carefully, sifting the contents with a dagger tip. He replied, "A fortuitous sample. Unless someone wishes to sacrifice themselves for discovery sake, then we may use this as a beacon to find the larger stash." He continued to ingest his own preferred blend of spices and tobacco, while the attache inspected the illicit material in his possession. He then stowed the contents on the inner side of his belt, ensuring to discreetly conceal any bulge or edge that suggested the pouch's presence. Then the mage drew his viol and played a few notes. Set, Selissa, and Mal swelled with vitality as the bard invoked his art. "Let us take no chances down in the city's bowels."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

19 Arcana to analyze the Corpse Dust. (Discord)
Cast Aid on Set and Selissa along with himself.

Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: outcast exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.
Nomcebo: Ulu's handler. Ink skinned tiefling with prehensile tail and an obvious allure.
Kagiso: Ulu's slave and carriage driver.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

Show

Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

Show

Spoiler: Bence's Journal

Show

...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

Show

The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

Show

There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

Show

Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...
Tree-house horror: elven make. Demon infested. Extremely rare creation.

The presence of the so-called "evolved" ghouls is troublesome. Said to be the chosen of Doresain the Ghoul King, Darakhuls are more motivated, more intelligent, and leagues more dangerous than their lesser kin. They have a subterranean empire on the other side of the continent, and their attempts to bring their Imperium to the surface have only narrowly been thwarted by the actions of great heroes and dedicated rulers. If Darakhuls have come to Harumvale, then the eyes of the Ghoul King have turned in this direction, and things truly are worse than imagined. Darakhul have a mystical connection to lesser ghouls and ghasts that enhances their intelligence and discipline when the evolved ghouls are present, turning them from hungry predators to a military unit.

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

Show

Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

Show

Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Spoiler: Half Troden Bardic Instrument Key

Show

Arcana- High Docent Half Toden directs Mal to a specific scroll on a specific shelf in a specific wing when pressed on this subject. He seems... oddly insistent... actually. It turns out to be a book of songs, actually, and one of them is penned by none other than High Docent Half Toden.

Lo, behold the works of the Maker of Things,
Wands, staves, instruments, wonders, and rings,
His traveling cart rolls from town to town
And trades mystical wonders for enough coins to drown
Sometimes human, sometimes dwarf, sometimes gnome,
He claims fate calls him, binds him, and keeps him from home
He forged Harum's hammer that split the Eternal Rock
Tinkered Trelmari's picks which defeat any Lock
He defies time and age, but one note rings true
Find one of Harum's adamant coins and he will find you.

Spoiler: Harumburg Library Lore

Show

Religion- There has been a near constant history of undead in and around the capital of Harumsvale. It seems like every three to five decades or so some priest or paladin of Harum organizes a purge that "purifies" a coven of vampire spawn, a hidden necromancer, or a ghoul nest. But it seems to Mal (and to High Docent Toden) that this always treats the outward symptoms without handling the cause. Vampire spawn are rooted out, but rarely is a true vampire found. Students at the university are found to be dabbling in the forbidden arts, but no one ever catches the teacher who revealed such secrets to them. And each time a nest of ghouls is rooted out there is often a new infection there within a century. Half gives Mal an anecdote about one building in the industrial district being raided three times within his lifetime.

History- Docent Toden cannot corroborate much in this area of research, but Mal does find several portraits that bear an astounding resemblance to Grand Arbiter Myrus Malkaav, each of them depicting some variety of civil servant or noble position with roughly eighty years between them. When Post Master Geller Rell passes away from a wasting disease, eight decades or so later Chief Accountant Daedren Gastaf, who has the same severe eyes, hooked nose, and pale skin but a different haircut, takes his position a serves with merited distinction. There is a general trend in these dopplegangers to rise in the ranks of the government over the centuries, and Mal finds records dating back nearly a thousand years.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Writ and the Raven- Nomcebo's Suite

Mal's attempts to discern more information about the corpse dust don't yield much, perhaps because he approaches it from an arcanist's point of view. It does radiate necromancy, but not any specific spell.

The Upper Sewers Under Harumburg

True to Darby's word, the upper sewers are cramped and uncomfortable. You reach them by going down a small tunnel that the Brothers have excavated behind a tea shop, and you find yourselves crouched in a pipe with a steady flow of water beneath your feet on a downward slope. It requires significant squeezing to navigate. "Follow that pipe for thirty yards, then climb the ladder down. It's a long trip, so pace yourselves, and if the ladder is slick watch your grip. See you on the other side." Darby clambers back up the pit leading down this far, leaving you to your fate.

After crawling on your knees for nearly one hundred feet, the pipe appears to be broken, with the water flowing down into the darkness below. Approximately forty feet down it splashes into more running water down below. Underneath the flow of water is a ladder going down all the way to the ground, slick with run off from the flow.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Need DC 10 Athletic Checks not to take a tumble down the hole.

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 41/41 (43/43) THP: 5/5 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Mal's Aid, Nome's Hero's Feast (immune to poison/frightened, Wis ST adv) Concentration: The Writ and the Raven- Nomcebo's Suite Set watches the corpse-dust change hands with interest, but bites back a comment, merely holding up his hand and shaking his head, confirming he doesn't wish to endanger their venture by experimenting. A few minutes later, Mal shares a similar sentiment as he draws his bow and delivers vitality one note at a time. "Let us take no chances down in the city's bowels." Set gulps as the sound swells, feeling himself rise to meet the music. Elements of it remind Set of Nome's song, but in many ways Mal's couldn't have been more different. Set checks and rechecks the straps on his pack, the tip on his spear, and the edge on his hatchet before walking out of Nome's suite with only a quick glance back at his host. "Thank you again, Nome. Ulu," Set says, nodding to the paladin beside her. "We'll see you both tonight," Set says confidently, still flush with Nome's praise and Mal's tune. The Upper Sewers Under Harumburg Some time later, crawling through the upper sewers towards their true entry-point, Set's confidence holds strong as they encounter the 40 foot drop Darby warned them about. Shrugging off his pack, Set lets the bottom soak as he sets it down to fish out some rope. Tying one end around himself, he silently presents the other end to Vargath. The Mighty would see to it that he got down safely, either by his own hand or by securing his end. He might look half-wolf, half-orc, but it's still Vargath. Set takes a deep breath at the edge, stopping just a moment to peer below. Sparing a glance at the others, Set grabs the top rung firmly and swings around until his foot connects, lowering himself one step at a time. Spoiler: OOC Show Messed up my rolls again... Perception check to look at whatever lies at the bottom, if anything: 7 in discord Athletics check to climb: 13 in discord

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 49/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Vargath takes hold of the rope from Set and nods in accordance. Part of him wants to be at the head of the "pack", to lead the way as the tip of the spear, but his bulk, weight and strength made him a fair choice to stay at the back of the group and make sure none of them went tumbling down. He can't argue with the wisdom of Set's choice to go first, and him last. It also kept his nose at a distance from the sewer stench for as long as possible. Whether that was consideration on Set's part or coincidence he doesn't know, but either way it's appreciated. Once the others have gone ahead of him, using Set's rope for safety, he follows behind, his steady feet crushing any slipperiness that he might encounter, bringing the rope with him as he follows down the ladder one clanging step at a time into the darkness below.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

26 athletics roll to keep his footing. Think he's safe

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: 38/38->45/45 PP: 16 Conditions: heroic encouragement, Aid Concentrating: -- Selissa, looking profoundly discontent with the whole affair, went second, trusting in Vargath and his might to prevent any great disaster with falling. The rungs were slick and slimy under her grip, and she steadfastly forced herself to ignore with what, maybe. Perhaps half way down, it happened. The wooden fingers of her artificial arm didn't quite grip the same as her original, and on the fetid surface of the ladder - they slipped. For the second time in a far shorter time than she'd like, Selissa fell, but this time she stuck the landing, rolling on impact to distribute the force with the greatest injury being, perhaps, the greater contact with the surfaces below. Spoiler: ooc Show 7 to grip, 29 to stick the landing.

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (48/48) THP: 10/10 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 4/4 2nd - 1/3 3rd - 2/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 1/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 1/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 4/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Praised into Health (43). Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane. Aid. Mal Concentrating: --- Esai Ancient Companion: Warrior Companion HP: 30/30 (32/32) Companion AC: 16 Companion PP: 18 PIv: 12 PIs: 12 Sage's Counsel: While within 15 feet of the companion, you and your allies gain a +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom checks. Warrior’s Protection (Warrior Only). When a creature within 5 feet of the companion makes a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, the companion imposes itself between the creature and the danger. The creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the saving throw. Praised into Health. Immune to frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage In the Pit Mal watched the ordeal underway and noted the prospect of plunging headlong into raw sewage. He drew his rapier and whispered several words, increasing his own agility. He then winked at Vargath as his form dissipated into mist. The tiefling reappears midair about 10ft above solid ground. He twisted feline grace to land on his feet securely. The bulky form of Esai took up the rope and worked his way down the ladder in a less arcane manner. The warrior capably rappels as though this endeavor fit into his daily regimen, another act in the military affairs of sieging and tunnel scouring. He rejoined his pupil, holding his shield at the ready. Mal induced his infernal inheritance, coating himself in a frigid sheen that once more transformed his skin to an arctic blue hue. The mage kept the rapier at the ready as he awaited the others..

Spoiler: OOC

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15 Strength for Esai's descent. (Discord)
Mal opts to cast Enhance Ability (Cat's Grace) followed by Misty Step. He will teleport to 10ft above the dry landing area and EA negates the fall.
Cast Armor of Agathys on himself.

Spoiler: Mal's Notes

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Spoiler: Cast and Crew

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Set: outcast exiled princeling of Abydos. Two princess sisters (Sisi and Sythpen Al-Sayyid). Romantic connection for Moira?
Selissa: Blighted or reconstructed wood elf? Purported Scout.
Vargath: Afflicted Lycanthrope seeking to suspend his curse. A Bloodwolf?
Mandaras: Rival to Dr. Fixer.
Dr. Fixer: Moira's lieutenant and cultivates relations with the locals of Vale.
Elder Maus: Seeks to kill Moira. Hired mercenaries who betrayed him.
--Healed to his full 9ft height.
--Disbelieves Moira's insights; seeks to end her directly or indirectly.
--Seeks us to verify the truths of Moira's claims--or stop her by any means necessary.
Maulei: Successor to Elder Maus as elder of Dam'ess.
Uluthando Mikoso "Ulu:" Paladin? of Order. From beyond the Vale. Reacts by gripping her dagger and declaring Tieflings are treated differently...Lawful (N/E?) Order? Calls Mal 'Mdala Ohlonishwayo.' Professes to serve no god, but spirits whose reach may be weaker in the Vale than elsewhere.
Nomcebo: Ulu's handler. Ink skinned tiefling with prehensile tail and an obvious allure.
Kagiso: Ulu's slave and carriage driver.

Spoiler: Dream of Leng

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Spoiler: In Full

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Mal has had this dream before. He finds himself in the legendary Library of Leng, an ancient home of virtually all worldly and mystical knowledge that burned when the city it was located in was razed nearly nine hundred years ago, half the world away. Still, in his dreams it still existed, and these dreams always played out the same. Hours of dutiful research, referencing and cross referencing sources from multiple tomes, carefully reconstructing ancient languages, until EUREKA! Some devastating and profound arcane truth became evident to him, and the sense of accomplisment and relief normally carried with him for several hours after waking up, even if he could never actually remember anything he learned. But this time is different. Mal is well versed enough in the arcane and divine arts to know that sometimes dreams carry real meaning. And as he stares down at what he has been working on, he instinctively knows this bears some significance. Where normally he would have arcane formulas and theorems, he sees only "The One Who Stalks Behind" scrawled over and over again in his own hand, though the words are manic and look like they were written in distress. He searches the paper for any further omen, and down at the bottom of the page, in the smallest script he could possibly manage, it says Behind you!. Just as he is about to turn, a claw as strong as iron grips the side of his head, snaps his neck to the side, and ends all feeling in the bard's body. But he can still hear the deep throated growls, along with the wet noises of whatever killed him beginning to eat him alive. But he never gets to see it before the dream ends.

The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. RIGHT BEHIND YOU! The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind. The One Who Stalks Behind.

Spoiler: Bence's Secrets

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Spoiler: Bence's Journal

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...is a backwards plane, so far removed from the Prime Material that it has not seen an angel or the work of a god in a millennia. I hear that far to the west they do not even worship the gods. Proper savages, but I must remain vigilant, as their knowledge of the ways of this world is far more educated than most. But it is ripe for my conquest. While my Master was tasked with corrupting Avendor, my home plane, a bastion of good and law, my chore is simply to tip the rat into the bucket of the Abyss as it prowls the rim looking for cheese. This plane is already so flooded with the energies of the Abyss that demons spontaneously emerge, monsters manifest in the dark, and their weak leaders bargain with forces they would be wiser to repulse. It will be child's play to nudge it the last few inches into anarchy and destruction, mostly due to the efforts of Pale Night herself. For thousands of years she has been grasping and clawing at this realm, dragging it further from the light and closer to her realm day by day, inch by inch, soul by soul. While my home plane was beyond my ability to destroy, this place will be my masterpiece. With my death at the hands of the forces of good, a symphony of destruction will play the anthem to my ascension to demonhood. The Pale Mother has promised me that each death will bring me closer to my true form, and each rebirth will increase my power, just as our pact promised. I can't wait to die. When will the heroes arrive? I've been planting and tending the seed of the idea in the old giant's mind for weeks now. When will it bear fruit? When can my dark rise to power begin? (The rest is a combination of burned and Abyssal that becomes impossible to read)

Dam'ess- Mass Quasit Summoning. Magic Mouth to Levy Commands re: Retrieve Mirror of Leng, Scepter of Rulership, And Aniot's Cube. Disperse to Appropriate Parties Per The Plan. Burn The Cabin.

Harumburg- Sending to Lord of Bone re: Portal to the 113th. (Indecipherable Due to Burns) In Accordance with Their Great Alliance.

Falluneer- Sending to Lord of Flesh re: (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Ebon Spear.

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)light: Sending to Lord of Blood re: Assassination of (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Yukkot, Recovery of Blood (More Burns).

(Indecipherable Due to Burns)odge- Sending to Cult of Pale (More Burns) re: Initiate Divining Ritual Sacrifices. FIND THE DAMN ZIGGURAT.

Garrunrow- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) Kill the Last Bloodwolf. Recover (More Burns) Key.

Mountain of Smoke- (Indecipherable Due to Burns) crypt. Seize the Ebon (More Burns).

Sussoon- Ensure the Prophecy (Indecipherable Due to Burns)... Pay the Bounty Hunters to Find the Abydossian and the Princesses. re: Sacrifices of The Old Blood

(There is more, but seemingly out of paranoia Bence switched to Abyssal. It is impossible to tell how many lines there are, as the last half of the paper is fully burned away)

Spoiler: Arcane Lore concerning Bence's Notes

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The magic of Contingency is a nearly mythical bit of spell work that was said to be lost when the Library of Leng burned down. It allows a caster to prepare spells in advance for a predetermined event, in this case John Bence's own death, and the spells will automatically cast when the event happens. If Bence is capable of such sorcery, he is likely far more powerful than his flashy death at the party's hands would indicate.

The Mirror of Leng is a artifact of the Library of Leng, said to contain a frozen moment of time where the library was at it's height that a person can temporarily step in to, giving access to the greatest magical library this world has ever seen. Supposedly several mirrors were made, though some are confirmed destroyed after their use led to come calamity of forbidden magics long lost to time. The Scepter of Rulership is said to be an even more powerful version of a Rod of Rulership, a magic item that allows for mass mind manipulation of people to believe that the holder of the Scepter is their rightful ruler. The last time the Scepter was confirmed in play it toppled an entire nation.

Though numbering and organizing the layers of the Abyss is a fool's errand, there are some realms that are constant enough to designate. The one hundred and thirteenth layer is Thanatos, layer of Orcus, the Lord of Death. It is a lifeless frozen landscape where life is snuffed out almost as soon as it arrives, either by the untold legions of undead denizens, the magical aura of the layer itself, or, in the worst cases, by Orcus himself, using his fearsome Wand.

Spoiler: John Bence's Wall Art

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There are no invisible objects in the room, but the entire back wall of the cabin is plastered with profane runes and abyssal scribblings. Where there was nothing to the naked eye, there is an extensive patchwork of spell work, seemingly scribed in the rusted red of blood. More disturbing is the fragments of souls that have been bound to the wall. Faces of people rise and seethe from the wood like a strange and rippling tide, mouths open in anguish. There are not many of them left, presumably due to whatever spell was used here absorbing so much energy, but there is a fine layer of ectoplasm that would indicate that once there were dozens of soul fragments powering this spell. The sight turns Mal's stomach, as the chaotic, destructive magic of the Abyss is written as plainly as news script, but as subtly as any devil could manage.

Spoiler: Monsters

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Barlgura: Demon loosed by summoning ritual on the road to Dam'ess. Slain with its summoned partner by team. (Bless helped with accuracy issues due to invisibility. In the future, layer mind sliver to aid with saves.)
Brazen Hart: Spirit of the wild wood around Dam'ess. Seeks to test the party's mettle by forcing an open fight with the Barlgura.
Horror of Yurl: Shapeshifting kind of monster. Severs limbs, creates euphoria, and slays by consuming the liver. The newest variant flies...
Tree-house horror: elven make. Demon infested. Extremely rare creation.

The presence of the so-called "evolved" ghouls is troublesome. Said to be the chosen of Doresain the Ghoul King, Darakhuls are more motivated, more intelligent, and leagues more dangerous than their lesser kin. They have a subterranean empire on the other side of the continent, and their attempts to bring their Imperium to the surface have only narrowly been thwarted by the actions of great heroes and dedicated rulers. If Darakhuls have come to Harumvale, then the eyes of the Ghoul King have turned in this direction, and things truly are worse than imagined. Darakhul have a mystical connection to lesser ghouls and ghasts that enhances their intelligence and discipline when the evolved ghouls are present, turning them from hungry predators to a military unit.

Spoiler: Instrument of the Bards

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Mal needs a translator, the spells, and woodcrafter to create a new relic.

Spoiler: Full Description

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Still, tucked among the primers and amateur books he finds a book that deals with the blending of magic and music. Specifically, it holds the instructions and rituals for a new version of the famed artifacts known as the instruments of the bards. Unfortunately, about a third of the book is in a language Mal does not understand or recognize, including most of the rites and rituals to imbue it with magic. Still, with a translator, appropriate magics, some study, and someone skilled in wood craft, he may be able to produce one of these relics for himself.

Spoiler: Half Troden Bardic Instrument Key

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Arcana- High Docent Half Toden directs Mal to a specific scroll on a specific shelf in a specific wing when pressed on this subject. He seems... oddly insistent... actually. It turns out to be a book of songs, actually, and one of them is penned by none other than High Docent Half Toden.

Lo, behold the works of the Maker of Things,
Wands, staves, instruments, wonders, and rings,
His traveling cart rolls from town to town
And trades mystical wonders for enough coins to drown
Sometimes human, sometimes dwarf, sometimes gnome,
He claims fate calls him, binds him, and keeps him from home
He forged Harum's hammer that split the Eternal Rock
Tinkered Trelmari's picks which defeat any Lock
He defies time and age, but one note rings true
Find one of Harum's adamant coins and he will find you.

Spoiler: Harumburg Library Lore

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Religion- There has been a near constant history of undead in and around the capital of Harumsvale. It seems like every three to five decades or so some priest or paladin of Harum organizes a purge that "purifies" a coven of vampire spawn, a hidden necromancer, or a ghoul nest. But it seems to Mal (and to High Docent Toden) that this always treats the outward symptoms without handling the cause. Vampire spawn are rooted out, but rarely is a true vampire found. Students at the university are found to be dabbling in the forbidden arts, but no one ever catches the teacher who revealed such secrets to them. And each time a nest of ghouls is rooted out there is often a new infection there within a century. Half gives Mal an anecdote about one building in the industrial district being raided three times within his lifetime.

History- Docent Toden cannot corroborate much in this area of research, but Mal does find several portraits that bear an astounding resemblance to Grand Arbiter Myrus Malkaav, each of them depicting some variety of civil servant or noble position with roughly eighty years between them. When Post Master Geller Rell passes away from a wasting disease, eight decades or so later Chief Accountant Daedren Gastaf, who has the same severe eyes, hooked nose, and pale skin but a different haircut, takes his position a serves with merited distinction. There is a general trend in these dopplegangers to rise in the ranks of the government over the centuries, and Mal finds records dating back nearly a thousand years.

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