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

[purepolarpanzer]

The Alms Tree Hotel

Aulstein looks unimpressed at the posturing of the undead, but the same cannot be said of the undead when it comes to Vargath. Almost as if they were struck, the guests around the party all take a step back. Irrimelda's friendly facade falters for a moment as she looks nervously to the party's weapons. And just like that the stink is gone, as though it were never there. The guests move on, and the officer in the crisp uniform reaches below the level of her desk and retrieves a leather wrapped package about the size of a large coin purse. "My mistake, Lord. I was going to have our inspectors look over this for your own safety, but you and your... companions... seem more than capable of handling a little danger. Please, accept my sincere apologies for delaying the respected and mighty Lord of Bone in his duties." She gives a respectful bow.

Spoiler: Insight DC 16

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Her respectful words are dripping with barely contained sarcasm, but she is not joking when she calls Aulstein the Lord of Bone.

Aulstein simply grunts, takes the package, and turns to leave. "With me. I don't trust these stinkers as far as I can throw them." He speaks loud enough for Irrimelda to hear, and her smile grows a little. "Let me show you to my office. There we can talk, work on the portal key, and do our duties to our respective patrons." The dark wizard moves quickly for a man his age, leading you out of the hotel and through the undercity streets at an accelerated pace.

A Half Hour Later

Aulstein leads you down a much more sparsely populated side street, to a naked stone wall around the back of a small mausoleum. He looks furtively up and down the alley to make sure no one is observing, then leans in to whisper something to the stone wall. A section of stone opens like a silent door, and he urges you inside. "Quickly. QUICKLY!" Once you are all inside the dark room on the other side, Aulstein closes the door behind you before uttering "Light." The room illuminates, as do other rooms in the mausoleum, glowing with a spectral grey-green light that reminds you of a moon lit sea. You are standing in a cluttered office that looks like it could have been transposed from the university above ground attached to what appears to be a small, humble home. "Please put your shoes on the mat by the door. I can't abide people tracking filth into my sanctum." Aulstein takes a seat behind a desk and pulls the top off an ancient globe to reveal a decanter of brandy and a collection of glasses. "Drink? Or should we get right to business?"

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 30/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- There's a quiet disappointment in Vargath that he doesn't get to bust heads and cleave some undead in twain, but reason still guides his actions and once they back down he merely gives a gruff grunt of satisfaction, before following Aulstein out and leaving the monsters to whatever business they otherwise have. Time would catch up with them eventually. They'd make sure of it. He stifles a laugh when Aulstein refers to the house as a 'sanctum'. Half the students at university had said the same of their dormitory rooms, as if it held any significant weight. The laugh is covered by him removing the boots - a small gesture that was solely intended to put the man more at ease before they took his head. "Talking will be easier over drinks. Wet the tongue." And if it gave them more time to observe and learn, so much the better.

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (48/48) THP: 3/10 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 3/4 2nd - 0/3 3rd - 0/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 0/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Comprehend Languages. Disguise Self. Praised into Health (43). Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane. Aid. Mad/Frightened/Quirk: Fastidious about his appearance to a distracting, unhealthy degree. 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 The cambion surveyed the hidden space. He appreciated the call for cleanliness, even if he not like the thought of his stockings touching any ground in this realm. He smiled at the host and remarked, "Yes, a drink would be most useful for washing that unsavory busines out of our mouths before attending to our pressing affair." He made a point to look around the room before adding, "The change among the heads of the unliving to this hungering horde have dampened the stock placed in enterprising souls like you. A pity the old guard has lost its eminence. They were less...demanding."

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.
Aulstein: Human wizard at odds with Darakhuls, but a necromancer.

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.

Unknown Egg. Vargath has an egg that might be a moon drake, recovered from an oven in the Iron Ghoul territory of the sewers of Harumvale.

Imperium has a unicorn sourced for arena consumption.

Spoiler: Bence's After Shadow

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Confirmation that the ritual and journal at Bence's Cabin had merit: "Meanwhile, the remains of the prisoners are dragged away by the victors, no doubt for a victory meal. A magically amplified voice begins speaking in the language of the ghoul empire, which Mal's magic translates precisely. "Ghouls, ghasts, darakhul, and mortal guests, we have the honor of hosting Pale Night's emissaries! Servants of the illustrious planar mage John Bence, they come to us with the Moonlit Lady's contribution to our great goal, and a full day ahead of schedule! That means the portal is one day closer to completion! Soon, very soon, the Death Prince's armies will come marching into this world from the 113th layer, and the world will become our larder! To honor them, we have a special bout lined up tonight! A feast that all may partake in! For it is rare that such a luscious, sweet treat becomes available to us! I present to you an embodiment of everything that is pure and good! I'm sure it will taste delicious when our champions are done with it!"

A number of ghouls lead a equine form with chains around it's legs and a hood over it's head into the arena. The creature bucks and kicks, but mighty though it is it cannot shrug off the chains, which looked spiked and painful. The form is pure white except for the grime of the sewer, but even besmirched there is a gravity about the creature that causes the crowd to go silent in awe. "No worries, folks, those chains stop the beast from escaping, either physically or mystically. As long as they hold our dinner is bound. But not quite helpless! Do we have any volunteer chefs who will prepare the meal for all of us hungry, hungry folk?" It is at this point that a ghoul roughly removes the bag from the creature's head, revealing a pearlescent horn that emanates an internal light. These creatures intend to maim, kill, and butcher a unicorn, then serve it up like a spitted pig."

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: 27/41 (27/43) THP: 0/5 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Mal's Aid, Nome's Hero's Feast (immune to poison/frightened, Wis ST adv). Mad/Frightened/Quirk: Fascinated with binding and power over death. Concentration: Spell Slots: 1/2 Second Wind: 0/1 Action surge: 1/1 Irrimelda's sincerity is touching as she proffers the small package respectfully, bowing to Aulstein. There's a marked shift in her cooperation now that her guests have backed down, and it can only mean she'd felt threatened by them before Vargath had intervened. Whatever quarrel Aulstein has with her guests, Irri clearly wants no part in it. Set's brow furrows at the mere mention of the Lord of Bone, but thankfully his confusion is short-lived. "Let me show you to my office. There we can talk, work on the portal key, and do our duties to our respective patrons." Another puzzle piece clicks into place. The Lord of Bone is an Elder. Aulstein's patron. In order to worm his way closer to the Empire's leadership, Aulstein is bound to the Bonelord. Irrimelda was apologizing for delaying His work, of which Aulstein is merely the instrument. Set's shoulders slump as he pulls back the veil on Aulstein's full sacrifice for Harumburg. No doubt he had the courage to accept the Lord of Bone's offer without flipping a coin for his soul. As Set looks on at Aulstein, he wonders if the old wizard has any kin. Perhaps sisters in Harumburg, their lives hanging in the balance of his actions. Perhaps a brother already gone, but worth avenging. Clearly Aulstein isn't one to shy away from getting his hands dirty. Clearly he understands that the ends justify the means, and that undermining this place from within is worth the cost. Set's grip on his glaive tightens as he follows the older man out of the lobby. Set spares one last glance for the undead officer minding her hotel, but Irri quickly passes out of view. There is something beyond unsettling about the mask of life pulled over her undead flesh. Set turns to Mal, opening his mouth to ask if he knows the source of such power, or how to distinguish between the living and these undead. But just as quickly, Set remembers they're not safe yet, barely controlling the impulse. Soon they'll be able to speak freely. As Aulstein guides them into his oasis, Set removes his boots and pulls down his shemagh, grimacing at the filth staining his robes. He makes every effort to brush away the worst of it, removing his gloves last and leaving them by the door as well. As he looks back and forth between Iceblood and Aulstein, Set's gaze lingers on the imposing musculature and pronounced features of devilish ancestry. "Surely we don't need to stand on ceremony, even still?" Set asks openly, turning his gaze from Mal back to Aulstein. "Is there a place in here where my friend can rest while we share a drink?" Glancing towards Mido, Set adds, "he's endured much of late, as I'm sure you can understand." Spoiler: OOC Show Rolled a 1 on insight in Discord

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: max 38-> 34/45 PP: 17 Conditions: heroic encouragement, Aid Concentrating: no Selissa shucked her stained and filthy cloak with some relief. She shed her cruddy boots and replaced them with the sandals she normally wore, unwilling to risk having to run out in barefoot. She prowled around the little office, as if inspecting the decorations. It was a remarkably human space down here among the monstrous dead; she imagined the humans above used similar things in their time-wasting 'paperwork' and other such nonsense. When out of eyeline of the wizard, she made eye contact with the others and inclined her head to the side a little in question. Ah, if only they knew thief-sign. Now? Her hands, wooden and non, flexed their fingers ready.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Lord of Bones' Sanctum

Aulstein smiles a small smile while raising an eyebrow as he looks over you all, then nods in the direction of the next room. "Your man may rest in the living room. I have a very comfortable couch that he may use to catch his breath." Aulstein pours each of you a glass, but doesn't round his desk to hand them out, instead sliding them across towards you all. "Now that we have refreshments, let us get down to business..." He tips back his own glass, and if you follow suit you find the brandy to be sickeningly sweet, tasting of cherries and strawberries. It is almost more a syrup than a liquor.

"I have a feeling about the lot of you. Something I can't quite put my finger on, but something that gives me a small measure of hope. Say what you will about Pale Night, but if legend holds true she has some affection for the living, even if she twists and mutates them. The same cannot be said of Orcus. I have venerated the lord of the undead from afar for decades, but that was back when I couldn't imagine him coming to this realm personally and taking the reins, so to speak. Which brings me to my next point..."

He sips his brandy again and places a steadying hand on the edge of his desk facing him. "You don't have the portal key. If you possessed magic of that caliber I would detect it. I don't even know if you are who you say you are, but I doubt it. Servants of Pale Night are not known to comfort the mad and put extra effort into keeping them alive. You also show naked disgust at this crumbling necropolis hell hole. I don't know if you're adventurers, agents of some other power or what, but I know one thing." He leans forward just a bit, still out of range of most weapons with the desk between. "If the portal to Orcus' realm is opened and stabilized, we're all completely ****ed. I don't expect you to trust me. Hell, I don't even expect you to like me. But our odds of stopping that from happening are greater working with some accord than with this meeting culminating with some of us dying. So what say you? If you mean to kill me now is your best opportunity, but if you mean to save this world from falling to demons and death I can be extremely valuable. I only ask for clemency for past deeds. In exchange I will be your man on the inside, and I will work to save this realm from being wiped out by these damnable ghouls and their demon lords." He finishes his drink then clenches his knuckles against the edge of the desk. "What say you?"

Spoiler: Insight DC 10

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He seems to be telling the truth.

Spoiler: Insight DC 15

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He actually IS telling the truth. He must be really angry at these undead and demons for stealing his home.

Spoiler: Insight DC 20

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There are few forces more powerful in a humanoid's mind than the instinct for self preservation. This Lord of Bones is not willing to sacrifice himself, but it goes beyond that. Deep down he is not willing to extinguish all life on this plane or see it mutated to monsters beyond mortal understanding. He is genuine, he is scared of the forces arrayed against this world, and his is not happy about cutting a deal with people he doesn't know, but he is putting all his bets on this gambit. He is also prepared in some way if you say no and decide to try to slay him. He is staying very close to this desk, and seems dead set on keeping it between you and him. One wrong move or word could lead to him initiating hostilities first, so choose your words and actions carefully whether you mean to accept his deal or see him dead.

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 30/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- A lot of words had come tumbling out of Aulstein's face, but the long and short to Vargath was that he was an unprincipled coward. He didn't strike Vargath as a fool, instead probably one of those who prided himself very much on his intellect and acuity. Which meant that he'd been happy to enjoy the trappings of control and amoral power until it all became too real and his spine turned jelly. But what did that mean for them? He seemed truthful in his cowardice, and in his vaunted 'sanctum' it would be an odd offer to make if he simply planned their deaths. They'd been lead deep into the belly of the beast by the man, and now he threw down a metaphorical gauntlet: grant him forgiveness and take his aid, or fight him and be lost and alone in the hellhole. To Vargath there seemed only one smart choice, unpleasant though it was. That they had no real authority to grant clemency was perhaps a technicality at this point. If he hitched his horse to their wagon, and they succeeded, then their influence would be sufficient. The great half-orc ponders the question, idly fiddling with his wolfskin cloak, but he doesn't respond. The others had eyes and ears too, perhaps they saw something he didn't. Perhaps they had questions he had not considered. But the man, ultimately, wasn't wrong, and Vargath only sees one smart play: the one they'd been maneuvered into.

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: max 38-> 34/45 PP: 17 Conditions: heroic encouragement, Aid Concentrating: no The elf eyed him suspiciously for a long while, green pupils sharp and half-sheathed like knives beneath her lids. "Being honest," she begrudgingly said to the others, seeing now the raw fear that bubbled beneath the black magus' collected exterior. Her wooden fingers twitched with the ghosts of instinct, clutching for a hilt or bowshaft. Stupid human. Serving a monstrous god and not liking the result. Embrace a serpent, expect the poison. People like this might have doomed the world. They'd certainly doomed her to having to walk through these sewers, and that was unforgiveable enough. She hesitated. Another choice of working with evil against evil. But she was already forced to work with the corpse witch back at Harumburg, so in the end, delaying the wizard's rightful end was just one more ugly necessity. The world itself hung in the balance, and all the innocents upon. Abruptly she was struck by a longing for the outside so intense she nearly flinched before it slowly subsided. The right thing to do was: "Don't like it, " she told the others, her voice flat and flinty, "But think we should. Depending."

[Riggdgames]

Set Al-Sayyid Changeling Fighter/Hexblade AC: 17 HP: 27/41 (27/43) THP: 0/5 PP: 12 PIv: 13 PIs: 9 Conditions: Mal's Aid, Nome's Hero's Feast (immune to poison/frightened, Wis ST adv). Mad/Frightened/Quirk: Fascinated with binding and power over death. Concentration: Spell Slots: 1/2 Second Wind: 0/1 Action surge: 1/1 Still lingering by the door, Set nods respectfully in thanks as he motions for Mido to retreat to the other room. After dropping his gloves next to his boots, Set removes the glaive from his back and leans it up against the wall. No need to carry that burden further, not in here. They're finally among friends after all, safe in Aulstein's sanctum. As Set approaches the bar he reaches out for the glass of brandy like a man in the desert reaching for water. Quickly bringing the contents to his lips, Set stifles a gag, gulping to force some of the syrupy concoction down his throat. The aftertaste lingers, an annoying reminder that mistakes were made. As Aulstein speaks, the lies pouring from the wizard's mouth taste a great deal worse. Set's adrenaline spikes, stomach churning as he forces himself to be still. He'd left the glaive at Aulstein's door. Stupid. Just one more mistake on an ever-growing list. Set's fingers twitch at his side, hand sliding up his hip to grasp the hatchet at his belt under the bar. He eases the loop around it loose without taking his eyes from Aulstein, carefully raising the hatchet a few inches. He could pull, jump over the bar, and strike, but were the others ready? He glances sideways at Vargath and Mal, but it's Selissa of all people who speaks first. "Being honest." When Set finallay takes Selissa's meaning, his head starts spinning faster than if he'd swallowed the whole decanter of brandy. He briefly wonders if it's some trick or spell of Aulstein's that has addled her mind, but the hatchet in his grip drops a little lower. "Don't like it, but think we should. Depending." Incredulous, Set eases the hatchet all the way back down into its loop. Did she truly believe him, or was it a feint? Aulstein's offer is too good to be true, that's certain. But what the hell is certain anymore? A moment ago Set had believed the man was one of Harumburg's finest. A man who served the Lord of Bone like Set serves the Shadowkeeper, and all to protect the people he cares about. Whatever else he might be, this man is no hero of Harumburg. Whether he's the Lord of Bone or that's just one more lie, clearly he serves only himself. Himself, and perhaps Orcus. An offer to help seems too good to be true coming from a man like this, but if Evergreen thinks this is the right path, perhaps Set is still missing something. The only thing he knows for certain is that he doesn't have a clue what's going on. "Well. We knew that we'd have to get our hands dirty down here, right? Mal? Vargath?" Set looks at the other two, his hand still resting on the hatchet. Spoiler: OOC Show Rolled a 2 on insight in Discord

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (48/48) THP: 3/10 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 3/4 2nd - 0/3 3rd - 0/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 0/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Comprehend Languages. Disguise Self. Praised into Health (43). Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane. Aid. Mad/Frightened/Quirk: Fastidious about his appearance to a distracting, unhealthy degree. 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 Maledictus remarked after letting the others brew and reply. He knew doing so jeopardized discussion. Some were wont to speak frankly. Yet, he preferred to let the babbling brook have several tributaries. The fiend-blooded did not wish to appear too eager. He replied, "Such an item as the portal key would be well hidden, rather than toted like a dandy where a mage with some proficiency could taste and see its presence." That correction aside, he added in his unwavering calm tone, "Ceremony is a useful device for differentiating from beasts and superior beings. In the case of the Pale Night's gate, that rite would flatten the distinction almost entirely. Clemency is a strong term, yet perhaps we can come to an accord" He withdrew his black briar pipe, carefully lighting it. He took a few puffs, releasing alternating humanoid and demonic skulls, "We have our own reasons to see this ritual falter, and our own labors to conclude. Yet, I think my Matron could find better use for you than moldering in a sarcophagus--or the esophagus of a jumped up guttersnipe who happened to weather darakhul fever."

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.
Aulstein: Human wizard at odds with Darakhuls, but a necromancer.

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.

Unknown Egg. Vargath has an egg that might be a moon drake, recovered from an oven in the Iron Ghoul territory of the sewers of Harumvale.

Imperium has a unicorn sourced for arena consumption.

Spoiler: Bence's After Shadow

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Confirmation that the ritual and journal at Bence's Cabin had merit: "Meanwhile, the remains of the prisoners are dragged away by the victors, no doubt for a victory meal. A magically amplified voice begins speaking in the language of the ghoul empire, which Mal's magic translates precisely. "Ghouls, ghasts, darakhul, and mortal guests, we have the honor of hosting Pale Night's emissaries! Servants of the illustrious planar mage John Bence, they come to us with the Moonlit Lady's contribution to our great goal, and a full day ahead of schedule! That means the portal is one day closer to completion! Soon, very soon, the Death Prince's armies will come marching into this world from the 113th layer, and the world will become our larder! To honor them, we have a special bout lined up tonight! A feast that all may partake in! For it is rare that such a luscious, sweet treat becomes available to us! I present to you an embodiment of everything that is pure and good! I'm sure it will taste delicious when our champions are done with it!"

A number of ghouls lead a equine form with chains around it's legs and a hood over it's head into the arena. The creature bucks and kicks, but mighty though it is it cannot shrug off the chains, which looked spiked and painful. The form is pure white except for the grime of the sewer, but even besmirched there is a gravity about the creature that causes the crowd to go silent in awe. "No worries, folks, those chains stop the beast from escaping, either physically or mystically. As long as they hold our dinner is bound. But not quite helpless! Do we have any volunteer chefs who will prepare the meal for all of us hungry, hungry folk?" It is at this point that a ghoul roughly removes the bag from the creature's head, revealing a pearlescent horn that emanates an internal light. These creatures intend to maim, kill, and butcher a unicorn, then serve it up like a spitted pig."

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]

In the Lord of Bone's Study

Aulstein's moustache and beard tremble a bit as he ungrits his teeth, relaxing a few small measures. "If your Matron has the authority to see that I am taken care of after this conflict, and allowed either to resume my studies here or allowed to leave the country in peace, then we have an accord, and you have my assistance, such as it is." The dark wizard pours himself another brandy, then unlocks his desk door and removes a flask. "Anyone who drank the brandy needs to have a shot of this. If you don't the poison will kick in soon. Sorry, just a small insurance policy. You understand." He gives an embarrassed smile, as though he has committed a social faux pa, passing the flask across the desk. Just like that, Aulstein has become nice and amenable. At least on the surface. Anyone who could use poisoned liquer as a bargaining chip in a negotiation can't quite pull off the helpful old man persona. Maus, now wearing his disgust openly, tips back the flask without comment. It is obvious that he would rather be crushing Aulstein's throat between his hands, but like all of you, he agrees with the necessity of this dirty work.

Aulstein than reaches into the same desk drawer and withdraws a cigar, lighting it up with a quick cantrip. "So our first order of business is finding out where the real servants of Pale Night are and getting the portal key from them as soon as possible. My last intelligence had them staying outside the city in a tavern, but they must be on their way at this point. The trick will be to intercept them. So, unless any of you can foretell the future, we'll have to use my spirit board to try to figure out where they and the portal key are. Then you all go kill them, take the key, and then find somewhere safe to stash it. A portal key is a master craft magic item, and replacing it will set their plan back by months, perhaps even a year. It must be our top priority. Agreed?" Aulstein puffs on the cigar, blowing the smoke away from the lot of you. "Look, I don't want to pretend to tell you all what to do, but I have been planning the downfall of the ghouls and the other Lords for some time now, so please consider my advice first and foremost."

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 30/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Frustrated and disheartened, Vargath feels the temptation to simply snap the man's neck and be done with this entire thing - but logic stays his hands, which instead grasp the passed flask. Antidote or not it still tasted as bad as everything else. "You planned this for that long, but need to rely on the first random group you find in the middle of a ghoul brawl? What was your plan if we hadn't appeared?" He's irritable, and frankly doesn't care what Aulstein's plots were. "And why not just destroy the key instead of 'stashing it'?" His eyes narrow. "Surely keeping it just leaves the opportunity for them to take it back."

[purepolarpanzer]

The Lord of Bone's Study

Aulstein does his best to look apologetic about the poisoning. It isn't very convincing. "If not you then I would have commissioned adventurers to find the undercrypts myself. You just happen to make it especially convenient. I don't trust anyone, living or dead, but I trust people's instincts for keeping themselves alive, as the one thing that everyone in this office can agree with is "We don't want to die!". As for the portal key, you could smash it if you want but those things are exceedingly valuable these days. An untuned portal key is worth roughly three quarters of the value of this entire kingdom to the right buyer. In this world damned by gods and man a portal key represents a way out. With the right key and the right door, a portal key could get you to literal heaven. Or literal hell if that's more your speed, but I don't judge." Aulstein makes sure that everyone has had their drink from the flask before continuing. "Totally your choice what you do with it. For all I care you can toss it into the Mountain of Smoke. But the ghouls and the vampires and any of the other lords and NEITHER of the kings can be allowed to get their hands on it!"

Spoiler: DC 5 Arcana Check

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Portal keys need to be tuned? With what? A fork?

Spoiler: DC 10

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You may have heard that portal keys can't just be used to go to multiple places. Something about how they're made. Portals are ridiculously rare though, so you don't know much.

Spoiler: DC 15

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Portal keys are created in many ways, and can be any object. Most design intricate keys, aesthetically relevant to their purpose, often ornate and gaudy as all hell. Like most magic items, gold, platinum, diamonds, and other special things channel stronger magic more easily than base materials. However, at least one key was a wizard's dirty left sock, but that wizard's abilities were far greater than anyone alive today. One thing that is true to all of them, however, is that they are created "blank" and then tuned to another plane by whoever owns them through ritual. Once a key has been tuned, it can be used in the construction of a stable portal in one of a dozen ways.

Spoiler: DC 20

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The nearest mage known to make portal keys lives far outside the valley, halfway across the continent in a warded fortress with the might of a small nation and the magical firepower of an entire university of wizards to defend it. The last time he made one was over a decade ago, and rumors say he now owns the kingdom that bought it when they reneged on the deal. Another was rumored to be traded for a single soul. Either way, there are certainly more mages out there capable of making them, but none of them are advertising that skill.

Spoiler: DC 25

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The Maker of Things who aided Haram in conquering the Vale could probably make one, logically speaking.

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: max 38-> 34/45 PP: 17 Conditions: heroic encouragement, Aid Concentrating: no The air hadn't lost its potential for violence. Selissa watched the wizard, unblinking and unmerciful. "True servants," she said. "What do you know of them?" It wa annoying, but she didn't really have a better plan, assuming what the wizard said was at least adjacent to the truth.

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 30/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- Vargath snorts. "I'll find my way to my destined place in my own time. I don't need some trinket to get there. They're hard to make and expensive to replace; smashing the blasted thing is in everyone's best interest if it keeps it away from the shamblers." He wasn't aware of who could make them, exactly, but they wouldn't be commonplace, and he didn't particularly need the wealth of a kingdom in his pockets. His interests had always laid beyond money. "Once you're done elaborating on the actual servants, I expect we'll need that 'spirit board' of yours." He doesn't make any particular effort to hide his disdain for the situation. Aulstein wasn't their friend, he was essentially their captor with a long leash, and this agreement was as temporary as they come.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Lord of Bone's Study

Aulstein leans back in his chair before continuing. "Unfortunately there isn't much to be known about them. As much as they pretend to work together the Lady of Madness and the Demon Prince of Undeath have egos that defy rationality, and very different goals. If they were transporting a portal key, it was in exchange for something big. And now neither side is going to have what they desired. The demon lords will blame each other and the cultists will go to war instead of mutually agreeing to waltz to an either/or apocalypse. So Pale Night wouldn't have sent schmucks, but she also wouldn't have sent anyone she couldn't afford to lose to treachery. No one you can't handle." Aulstein turns to a large bookshelf and removes a wooden box in the shape of a book which opens up to a somewhat weather beaten spirit board, with considerably more symbols and phrases than your average one. "We knew that at least one of them was demon blooded in some capacity. Some intelligence said tiefling, some said half-demon, some said fiendish. So a Cambion fit the bill. Word was that was the leader, a true born child of Pale Night. The rest were expendable muscle." He gives a bemused look to Set, Vargath, and Selissa. "You can see why the guards were happy to see you."

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (48/48) THP: 3/10 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 3/4 2nd - 0/3 3rd - 0/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 0/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Comprehend Languages. Disguise Self. Praised into Health (43). Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane. Aid. Mad/Frightened/Quirk: Fastidious about his appearance to a distracting, unhealthy degree. 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 Maledictus drank the liquor, and then the flask as a formality. The wizard did not need to know he had an unnatural panacea flowing through his veins since the voluptuous worshipper sang her tunes. The fiend-blooded appreciated the gesture to subdue potential threats. He considered his more martial cohort's advice, but the scholar knew a good deal concerning these keys. They were something to neither waste nor cast aside. Mal remarked, "You may not wish to see the realms beyond, but I am more inclined to take possession of the object for further study. These foci are works of art, which neither of the organizations could afford to lose." He looked over the group and added while the cambion-looking bard smoked his pipe, "How about some music while we unlimber and prepare for another salvo into the cesspool citadel. Conjure what spirits you must, generous host. Do you happen to have any statuary in your sanctum?" Maledictus drew forth his bone inlayed violin from its coffin case. The scholar tuned the instrument, then set the bow's sinews over the gossamer strings. Soon his baritone voice loosed a haunting dirge that strangely soothed and disturbed the soul. "San Rosé was lost at sea Along with a Fiendish company Their powder caught under fierce attack The king never got his emeralds back They're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found The Royal Charter in Nessus bay One of two hundred lost that day Miners' pockets filled with gold Dragged them down to the ocean cold They're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found They're down, drowned in the depths below Where the sun don't shine and the winds don't blow And the timbers crack and the mainstay fails We'll all find peace wrapped within our sails Mary Celeste was found alone The fate of her crew is still unknown Murder, fraud or acts bizarre No one can say but chances are They're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found Hail The Revenge for their bravery Tried to escape fighting fifty-three The surrender of her last sixteen crew Couldn't save her boards from the briny blue They're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found They're down, drowned in the depths below Where the sun don't shine and the winds don't blow And the timbers crack and the mainstay fails We'll all find peace wrapped within our sails Pity the crew of Hermione Suffered a cursèd mutiny Their vicious captain caused the brawl Mutineers and victims all They're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found Admiral Enki's wheels of wood Caught ablaze like they never should Floats of cork filled with weights instead Sent families off to the riverbed They're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found They're down, drowned in the depths below Where the sun don't shine and the winds don't blow And the timbers crack and the mainstay fails We'll all find peace wrapped within our sails All my friends are dead and gone I'll join them soon, it won't be long Whether lost at sea or far ashore To the ocean return forevermore We're down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found Down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found Down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found Down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found Down, downed and drowned Downed and drowned and never found"

Spoiler: OOC

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Shall Play a Song of Rest if we wish to attempt a short rest while the wizard works his art. Also, would like to bind a statue spirit if a vessel is available.

Song: "Downed and Drowned," by The Longest Johns (solely their copyright), lightly amended to fit into the D&D cosmos.

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.
Aulstein: Human wizard at odds with Darakhuls, but a necromancer.

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.

Unknown Egg. Vargath has an egg that might be a moon drake, recovered from an oven in the Iron Ghoul territory of the sewers of Harumvale.

Imperium has a unicorn sourced for arena consumption.

Spoiler: Bence's After Shadow

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Confirmation that the ritual and journal at Bence's Cabin had merit: "Meanwhile, the remains of the prisoners are dragged away by the victors, no doubt for a victory meal. A magically amplified voice begins speaking in the language of the ghoul empire, which Mal's magic translates precisely. "Ghouls, ghasts, darakhul, and mortal guests, we have the honor of hosting Pale Night's emissaries! Servants of the illustrious planar mage John Bence, they come to us with the Moonlit Lady's contribution to our great goal, and a full day ahead of schedule! That means the portal is one day closer to completion! Soon, very soon, the Death Prince's armies will come marching into this world from the 113th layer, and the world will become our larder! To honor them, we have a special bout lined up tonight! A feast that all may partake in! For it is rare that such a luscious, sweet treat becomes available to us! I present to you an embodiment of everything that is pure and good! I'm sure it will taste delicious when our champions are done with it!"

A number of ghouls lead a equine form with chains around it's legs and a hood over it's head into the arena. The creature bucks and kicks, but mighty though it is it cannot shrug off the chains, which looked spiked and painful. The form is pure white except for the grime of the sewer, but even besmirched there is a gravity about the creature that causes the crowd to go silent in awe. "No worries, folks, those chains stop the beast from escaping, either physically or mystically. As long as they hold our dinner is bound. But not quite helpless! Do we have any volunteer chefs who will prepare the meal for all of us hungry, hungry folk?" It is at this point that a ghoul roughly removes the bag from the creature's head, revealing a pearlescent horn that emanates an internal light. These creatures intend to maim, kill, and butcher a unicorn, then serve it up like a spitted pig."

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.

Spoiler: Portal Keys

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Portal keys are created in many ways, and can be any object. Most design intricate keys, aesthetically relevant to their purpose, often ornate and gaudy as all hell. Like most magic items, gold, platinum, diamonds, and other special things channel stronger magic more easily than base materials. However, at least one key was a wizard's dirty left sock, but that wizard's abilities were far greater than anyone alive today. One thing that is true to all of them, however, is that they are created "blank" and then tuned to another plane by whoever owns them through ritual. Once a key has been tuned, it can be used in the construction of a stable portal in one of a dozen ways.

The nearest mage known to make portal keys lives far outside the valley, halfway across the continent in a warded fortress with the might of a small nation and the magical firepower of an entire university of wizards to defend it. The last time he made one was over a decade ago, and rumors say he now owns the kingdom that bought it when they reneged on the deal. Another was rumored to be traded for a single soul. Either way, there are certainly more mages out there capable of making them, but none of them are advertising that skill.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: max 38-> 34/45 PP: 17 Conditions: heroic encouragement, Aid Concentrating: no With no preperations or words to share, Selissa waited, wooden fingers gently rubbing the string of the Student's Bow. Could she feel the string through the bark-shod digits, or was it just the phantom of her lost fingers? Whatever devilry, she'd be ready.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Lord of Bone's Study

Aulstein grunts at the music being played, seeming noncommital, but when it becomes clear you are taking a break he goes into his small kitchen and returns with some pastries that are surprisingly fresh. That done, he begins communing with the spirit board, using a small lens and holding his hand over it. After a few moments, the lens floats into the air and begins to roam the board. "Where is the portal key of the servants of Pale Night?" After nearly ten minutes of the lens roaming the board, it spelled out "From whence ye came." Aulstein frowns at this, looking suspiciously at the party before asking his next question. "What has happened to the servants of Pale Night who were supposed to deliver the key?" The response is much shorter and much faster this time- simply "Boom. Gone." The Lord of Bones blinks, then shrugs. "Apparently the servants of Pale Night followed in either mine or your footsteps, and then... exploded... somehow. Perhaps an opposition spellcaster attack or... a collapse of a tunnel... or something. Do any of you have any insights on this? Or perhaps another question for the spirits while I have them roused? Keep in mind, they aren't all knowing or infallible."

[Amnestic]

Vargath Hubrecht Half-Orc Rune Knight Fighter AC: 19 HP: 30/49 PP: 13 PIv: 12 PIs: 10 Conditions: Infected (Lycanthropy) Concentrating: -- The half-orc raises one eyebrow at the news, and doesn't do a particularly subtle job of looking to his companions. It...certainly sound like something that they had done. He wasn't sure if that would complicate getting the portal key from under a massive pile of rubble or if that meant it was off limits. It was probably worth clarifying. "I have an idea of what might have happened, but we'd need to check to be sure. Is the key destroyed or intact? The servants were just the couriers, after all - even if they exploded the artifact could still be fine." And if it were crushed, all the better.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Lord of Bone's Study

Aulstein divines with the board, getting back a response of "INTACT". "Seems it survived the explosion. Which means it must be recovered." The Lord of Bones begins to put away the board before looking expectantly to those present. Maus still looks deeply bitter about being deceived, and only waves his hand in response.

[Theophilus]

Mal Levistus Tiefling Bard 5 AC: 14 HP: 41/41 (48/48) THP: 3/10 PP: 11 PIv: 13 PIs: 11 Spell Slots: 1st - 3/4 2nd - 0/3 3rd - 0/2 Fey Touched: 1st - 0/1 2nd - 0/1 Masquerade Tattoo: 1st - 0/1 Levistus Legacy: Armor of Agathys - 0/1 Darkness - 1/1 Bardic Inspiration: 0/4 Healer's Kit: 20/20 Mal Conditions: Comprehend Languages. Disguise Self. Praised into Health (43). Immune to poison frightened. Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Loki's Bane. Aid. Mad/Frightened/Quirk: Fastidious about his appearance to a distracting, unhealthy degree. 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 Maledictus diminished his music to pianissimo as he pondered the revelations. The key remained, which was preferable. The scholar inquired, "Do any others hunt this key?" The fiendish emissary did not wish to come upon other seekers unaware. He fine tuned a string on his viol as he pondered this, a hundredth adjustment in the span of minutes. Rogue notes, like rogue agents, required culling. Mal considered the situation before them. The key, its location, and the situation around the device would be pertinent to their search. He realized an important, obvious fact that floated before them. "What does this key look like?"

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.
Aulstein: Human wizard at odds with Darakhuls, but a necromancer.

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.

Unknown Egg. Vargath has an egg that might be a moon drake, recovered from an oven in the Iron Ghoul territory of the sewers of Harumvale.

Imperium has a unicorn sourced for arena consumption.

Spoiler: Bence's After Shadow

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Confirmation that the ritual and journal at Bence's Cabin had merit: "Meanwhile, the remains of the prisoners are dragged away by the victors, no doubt for a victory meal. A magically amplified voice begins speaking in the language of the ghoul empire, which Mal's magic translates precisely. "Ghouls, ghasts, darakhul, and mortal guests, we have the honor of hosting Pale Night's emissaries! Servants of the illustrious planar mage John Bence, they come to us with the Moonlit Lady's contribution to our great goal, and a full day ahead of schedule! That means the portal is one day closer to completion! Soon, very soon, the Death Prince's armies will come marching into this world from the 113th layer, and the world will become our larder! To honor them, we have a special bout lined up tonight! A feast that all may partake in! For it is rare that such a luscious, sweet treat becomes available to us! I present to you an embodiment of everything that is pure and good! I'm sure it will taste delicious when our champions are done with it!"

A number of ghouls lead a equine form with chains around it's legs and a hood over it's head into the arena. The creature bucks and kicks, but mighty though it is it cannot shrug off the chains, which looked spiked and painful. The form is pure white except for the grime of the sewer, but even besmirched there is a gravity about the creature that causes the crowd to go silent in awe. "No worries, folks, those chains stop the beast from escaping, either physically or mystically. As long as they hold our dinner is bound. But not quite helpless! Do we have any volunteer chefs who will prepare the meal for all of us hungry, hungry folk?" It is at this point that a ghoul roughly removes the bag from the creature's head, revealing a pearlescent horn that emanates an internal light. These creatures intend to maim, kill, and butcher a unicorn, then serve it up like a spitted pig."

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.

Spoiler: Portal Keys

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Portal keys are created in many ways, and can be any object. Most design intricate keys, aesthetically relevant to their purpose, often ornate and gaudy as all hell. Like most magic items, gold, platinum, diamonds, and other special things channel stronger magic more easily than base materials. However, at least one key was a wizard's dirty left sock, but that wizard's abilities were far greater than anyone alive today. One thing that is true to all of them, however, is that they are created "blank" and then tuned to another plane by whoever owns them through ritual. Once a key has been tuned, it can be used in the construction of a stable portal in one of a dozen ways.

The nearest mage known to make portal keys lives far outside the valley, halfway across the continent in a warded fortress with the might of a small nation and the magical firepower of an entire university of wizards to defend it. The last time he made one was over a decade ago, and rumors say he now owns the kingdom that bought it when they reneged on the deal. Another was rumored to be traded for a single soul. Either way, there are certainly more mages out there capable of making them, but none of them are advertising that skill.

Report daily updates to Mistress Moira at last light.

[purepolarpanzer]

The Study of the Lord of Bones

Aulstein uses the lens, and an ethereal green light seems to gather around it. First it spells out "NONE YET". The device spells the word "LANTERN" swiftly enough in response to the second question. As the final word is marked out the board begins to shake and the lens trembles, and Aulstein closes the board in one swift motion. "That's enough for today. The auguries tend to aggravate the dead eventually. Now, before you leave, I have some things that may aid you. An adventuring party came down and raided the necropolis last week, and I managed to win some of their gear at auction. I hope you don't mind hand-me-downs." Aulstein stood up from behind his desk and moved to get some things from deeper in the house. Shouting back, he says "I also didn't launder all the stains out. Let's say these items were not captured quietly..."

Spoiler: OOC

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Aulstein will bring goodies once everyone has checked in in the Discord.

[Awful]

Selissa Betula Wood Elf Scout Rogue AC: 16 HP: max 38-> 34/45 PP: 17 Conditions: heroic encouragement, Aid Concentrating: no As the evil wizard went out of easy earshot, Selissa glanced at the others. "Trap worked, at least," she said, a hint of dry satisfaction in her otherwise standard flat tone.