After dealing with Yarno, we all needed a moment, so we ended up taking a short break on the roof. It gave us a bit of peace before diving back into the chaos. Syndra got in touch with her contact, Y, who dropped quite the bomb on us: the cult's planning to summon Orcus back into our world tomorrow morning, sometime between 5 and 9am. Not exactly the news we hoped for. It feels like we're set up to fail, but it's all about minimizing the damage now. Best case, we stop Orcus from fully coming through but have to deal with his undead champions and any smaller dragons lurking around the city. Worst case, we fail completely, and Orcus is back for good.
After digesting that delightful bit of information, we went to update the city guard about what's coming. They needed to know, even if it's just to brace for impact. They are going to evacuate the section of the city near the crack to the abyss. Next stop was the bank, where we managed to drain Yarno's account—felt good to hit him where it hurts, even after the fact.
I then tagged along with Rick to the pawn shop to settle my debt with the thieves' guild, at least the money part of it. While there, I picked up some scrolls and healing potions; can never have too many of those, especially with what's coming.
The rest of the gang headed to the lake to deal with the dragon bones while I took a moment to write a report back to the empire. They need to be in the loop about everything going on here, just in case things go south. It's hard to believe it's only been a week since my last report. Feels like a lifetime ago. Meeting this group, learning about the Orcus threat, and everything since—it's been non-stop. Here's hoping we can pull through tomorrow.
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Tonight proved to be one of the most grueling yet pivotal encounters of our journey. As the city of Neverwinter slept, unaware of the darkness lurking within its walls, we set out to confront Yarno, a key figure in the cult's nefarious plans. With the knowledge provided by the thieves' guild, we divided our forces, aiming to cover both Yarno's known hideout and a secondary location to ensure no escape route was left unchecked. Our ranks were bolstered by the goblins and our newfound undead dragon ally, a testament to the strange bedfellows this quest has created.
Upon entering Yarno's supposed hideout, the tension was palpable. A monk, a mere decoy, nearly bested Ines with a surprise attack that was as brutal as it was unexpected. This skirmish was but a prelude to the main event. We discovered Yarno's true location, a construct cleverly disguised to mimic his appearance, a facade housing his family to cast spells through. It was an elaborate ruse, one that nearly cost us dearly.
Forced to adapt quickly, we pursued Yarno to a second location, an apartment building where Mark Spector, our spectral ally, had kept watch. Disguised interactions and illusions thickened the air with treachery. The apartment, a macabre scene of blood and deception, revealed Yarno's penchant for dark magic and illusion. Our battle with his ghostly bodyguards was fierce, pushing us to our limits.
In the midst of chaos, I stumbled upon a box containing an orb, a device rigged with a trap that unleashed a devastating fireball upon opening. This moment of vulnerability was Yarno's chosen time to strike, shedding his disguise in a desperate bid for escape. However, his attempt was thwarted by Kayrizz's timely counterspell and my deployment of the scroll of silence, a gift that proved to be Yarno's undoing.
The battle was arduous, and victory was hard-earned. Yarno's demise marks a significant milestone in our quest, yet it brings little solace. The orb's discovery, hidden within the trap-laden box, is a grim reminder of the dark forces we contend with. Moreover, the debt we owe to the thieves' guild hangs over us, a shadow amidst our triumph.
As I pen this entry, my thoughts turn to the path ahead. The cult's backbone has been fractured this night, but the beast is far from slain. The favor owed to the thieves' guild is a lingering concern, one that we must address with caution and cunning. Our journey is far from over, and the road ahead promises more danger and moral quandaries.
Yet, in this moment of quiet reflection, I am reminded of the strength and resilience of our band. Together, we have faced the abyss and emerged victorious. The bonds forged in battle are unbreakable, and with my companions by my side, I am ready to face whatever darkness lies ahead. Our resolve is steadfast, our purpose clear. We will continue to fight, to protect Neverwinter, and to keep the shadows at bay.
Otto Wilhelm
]]>I need to know if the thieves guild in this city is as clueless as the town guard, because if they are not, then they will have the information we need. So I went to steal the scrolls in my weakened condition. If I try and take the scrolls with customers in the store, it is unlikely they will kill me outright, both to keep the stores cover and to find out who I am before they kill me.
It turns out they know what they are doing… When I awoke, I was tied in a chair with several sacks over my head. I informed them that they had passed my test, and with some sharing of information and convincing, we came to an arrangement. They gave me the location where the wizard, Yarno, will be and where he is likely to flee to tonight. Along with a scroll that will help us keep him from teleporting away. In return for all three necrotic Orbs that the cult possesses and an unspecified future favor from me, it would seem that they agree with me that the utter destruction of the city would definitely be bad for business. I was then released into the city and made my way to the inn, where I ran into some of the others. They needed the cart as they were collecting the bones from various locations around the city.
I told them where Yarno would be and went to bed to recover. I should be awake by midnight.
Kayrizz and Cindra, with a sense of purpose, approached the majestic yet bound dragon. The dragon, its eyes reflecting centuries of wisdom, spoke of a hidden control room concealed by illusion magic within the notorious flesh pit room. This revelation sparked a new plan in the adventurers' minds. Ines, with her adept understanding of the arcane, cast a spell of detect magic. Guided by her spell, the group discovered the elusive control room.
The control room, a place of eerie secrets, was dominated by a control panel set under a large window that provided a clear view into the flesh pit room. A table, curiously shaped like a bear, was strewn with schematics, and among various artifacts lay a metal shard. This shard, infused with bone powder, held the potential for necromantic magic—a key element in their unfolding plan.
Otto, with a keen eye for detail, examined the control panel and found it brimming with energy. The ghost of Kayrizz, an ethereal presence in their midst, aided in removing the lower panel, revealing the inner workings of the device. Through meticulous examination, the group deduced the panel's intricate function.
Ines, ever insightful, realized the device harbored enough power to free the dragon in the adjacent room. By using the metal shard as a makeshift battery, they could potentially channel the device's energy to the dragon. Cindra, demonstrating quick thinking, fashioned a harness for the shard using ropes. The plan was to suspend it over the flesh pit, redirecting the energy to the shard rather than the abominations below.
However, the task proved perilous. As they maneuvered the heavy shard into position, Cindra lost her footing and plummeted into the pit. In a swift reaction, she cast turn undead, repelling the grotesque flesh to the walls and preventing further harm. From above, Otto skillfully manipulated a mage hand spell, retrieving the rope and securing the shard in place. With a deep breath, Otto pressed the button, activating the mechanism. As the energy surged into the shard, the ropes slipped from most hands, and Rick was dragged into the pit alongside the shard.
Rick, ever the healer, quickly tended to Cindra's wounds. With the assistance of Otto's mage hand, they managed to secure the shard and rescue their friends from the pit, just as the effect of turn undead was waning.
The climax of their endeavor was at hand. Barthalamue, the dwarf ghost, gallantly carried the now-energized shard and shattered the collar that enslaved the bone dragon, which was once a regal gold dragon. In a stunning transformation, the dragon morphed into a dragon-born skeleton, expressing its gratitude and readiness to join the fight against the cultists. The adventurers stood together, a renewed sense of hope and determination in their hearts, as they prepared to face their next challenge in the shadowy depths of Neverwinter.
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The sun rose in the Neverwinter sky as our motley band of adventurers made their way to the imposing castle, a place of power in this bustling city. Our purpose was clear: to inquire about the progress of the investigation regarding the journal Ines had entrusted them with—a journal that held vital information on the whereabouts of the elusive dragon bones.
The Head of the Neverwinter Guards awaited us within the castle's walls. His expression was stern, a reflection of the weighty matter at hand. With a polite nod and a touch of unease, we exchanged pleasantries before I inquired about the town's efforts. Sadly, he had not yet heard back from the group he dispatched to investigate the warehouse near the notorious “Crack to the Abyss.”
Intrigued and determined, we set out towards the warehouse. As we neared our destination, chaos erupted in the streets. Cultists had taken to the streets, hurling bombs with reckless abandon. A battle ensued, and amidst the chaos, Kayrizz, a newfound companion in our group—a dragonborn with an enigmatic aura—performed an extraordinary feat. With a flourish of his arcane powers, he raised one of the fallen cultists as a loyal servant, a spectral reminder of our triumph.
Upon reaching the warehouse, a scene of utter chaos greeted us. Signs of a fierce confrontation were evident in the shattered remnants of crates and debris strewn about. The air was thick with tension as we moved deeper into the darkened interior, a feeling of dread weighing heavily on our shoulders.
Kayrizz, with his newfound spectral servant, took the lead, sending the ethereal scout to investigate the adjacent rooms. The first room revealed a shocking sight—a skeletal dragon, a grim guardian, or a warning—we could not tell. Its lifeless bones seemed to mock our quest.
In the second room, a standoff unfolded. Cultists, draped in sinister robes, faced off against a small group of guards, the city's defenders. With swords and spells poised for battle, it seemed that we had stumbled upon a momentous confrontation between light and darkness.
The third room was unlike anything I could have ever imagined—a pit of writhing flesh, a grotesque pit of despair that chilled my very soul. What malevolent purpose it served, we could not fathom, but it was a grim reminder of the horrors lurking in the shadows of Neverwinter.
The day took an even more unexpected turn as Ines, ever the intrepid explorer, bravely entered the room that housed the animated dragon. Its bones glimmered even in death, a testament to the majesty it once possessed. Ines, skilled in the ways of understanding creatures and their histories, discerned that this was once a gold dragon, a creature of noble and radiant nature. It was not dead but reanimated. Remarkably, it showed no signs of hostility, and our suspicions deepened.
With newfound knowledge in hand, we charged into the standoff room, determined to put an end to the sinister cultists' machinations. Blades clashed, spells flew, and we fought valiantly to protect the beleaguered guards. Though many had fallen, we managed to stabilize a few and tend to their wounds as best we could. It was a grim scene, but our resolve remained unbroken.
Kayrizz and I, forming an impromptu reconnaissance team, left the standoff room to investigate the reanimated dragon further. My knowledge of the arcane arts allowed me to comprehend languages, bridging the gap between our species. Through our conversation with the dragon, we unearthed a chilling revelation—he was bound to the leader of the cultists, a puppet ensnared by malevolent strings and that there was a dangerous invisible creature in the room with the flesh pit.
Our focus then shifted to the dreaded flesh pit room, a place of unimaginable horrors. The others were already inside, investigating it. As I peered into the room, my keen senses, honed by the arcane arts, allowed me to spot the hidden menace. Without hesitation, I cast a scroll of magic missiles, rendering the invisible threat visible. It was a ghastly creature, one that hungered for our destruction.
The room erupted into chaos as more abominations emerged from the flesh pit, boneless creatures writhing and clawing their way into existence. The battle was fierce, a desperate struggle for survival. We rallied the remaining guards; our ranks diminished, but not our spirits. With a determined spirit, we fought back the tide of abominations and dispatched the once-hidden terror.
In the end, we emerged victorious but battered, victorious but changed. The warehouse, once a haven for dark secrets, now stood as a grim testament to the battles fought within its walls. The dragon is still in its unnatural bondage.
As I conclude this entry, I am reminded that our quest to recover the dragon bones has grown more perilous and convoluted than ever before. The leader of the cultists remains elusive, and the true scope of their plans remains a shadowy mystery. But we stand undaunted, ready to face whatever challenges lie ahead in the name of justice and the protection of Neverwinter from Orcus.
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I found the building where the secret tunnel from the castle tombs lets out. The building is currently occupied by a thieves guild fence running a general store. I went invisible to check around inside since they were still open. The proprietor was behind the counter talking to someone about the use of an endless bottle of water. I found that the entrance to the basement is a trap door behind the counter. I then started to head back to my room and saw the glow of a fire as I approached. As I feared those drunk “heroes,” I found some cultists and had a brawl in the street. I snuck back to my room through the chaos and dropped my invisibility. Shortly after, Tael knocked on my door. They found an orb and wanted to see if I knew what it was.
Outside, they handed me an orb of necromancy. I told them it could be used to raise and control the dead. I then demonstrated by having the dead cultists move the now-smoldering cart to the side of the road and clean up the street by having the dead cultists pile themselves into it.
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After taking a short rest from our last battle and interrogating one of the cultists who told us that a package of bones was sent to the castle and that the local boss was a fellow named Crow, we ventured further into their underground hideout and found them in the final stages of trying to raise an undead dragon to create chaos in the city. Presumably to mask their actual plans. We attempted to break the concentration of the casters but failed, and then had to fight an undead dragon while the cultists unsuccessfully tried to gain magical control of it. In the fight, Syntra, Sirk, and Tael went down, and Ines was in the dragon's mouth when it smashed through to the street above!
What can I do against that? I tried, but after being caught in its breath weapon, I knew I had to get out of there, so I retreated back to search the other room. I found some magic scrolls and a box of healing potions. I grabbed a few for myself and ran back to the battle, only to find that somehow everyone was still alive. As Syndra revivified Sirk, only for him to jump into the magic fountain that the cult was using and then run to attack the dragon, which bit him and released all of the residual magic in a large explosion that killed both Sirk (again) and the dragon! What a sacrifice.
After the battle, I gave the healing potions to the others, and they gave the hand of Orcus that Sirk had to an angel that was summoned to the battle to take back and secure in a divine realm. We then returned to our room at the Beached Leviathan for a meal, a bath, and some rest. Even though it was only 2 in the afternoon, we were all exhausted.
When I woke around 10 p.m., I snuck off to the docks to find the dock master and record a list of every ship that was scheduled to depart for the next 4 days. Just in case. Since the other will most likely be resting until morning, I figured I would do some recon work and see if I could find where that secret passage from the tomb lets out.
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When Sirk returned to collect the show donations that were being guarded by the goblins, he was approached by members of the Orcus Cult who noticed the hand around his neck. He told them he was interested in joining and they offered him the position of Pugalist champion of Orcus. He arranged to meet them at the Beached Leviathan later tonight to talk more. He then tracked us down and joined us outside the abandoned house we tracked the disguised skeleton to. The skeleton entered the basement.
The house was only a couple of blocks from where Ines exited the sewer earlier so she went with some backup to find a sewer entrance to the basement. Which they did and the basement was empty. She signaled for us to join her and we continued to track the skeleton through the sewer to Yarno's layer but he was not home; just some cultists of Orcus that we ended up sending to him.
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We were brought upstairs to see the person in charge of maintaining the history of Neverwinter and after talking to Barthiel our ghost friend, and writing down the missing pieces of early Neverwinter history, he gave us some gold. At a lull in the conversation, I asked this lead historian who THE greatest champion fighter of Neverwinter would be and he said that it would have to be Sir Talvin leader of the first group of 9 champions. I then inquired if he did anything that might get the attention of Orcus. He did not know but directed me to the city library.
Once outside some of the group wanted to go to the city marketplace and have Serk put on a show juggling the Goblins or something while blatantly wearing the hand of Orcus in order to flush out some cultist members. I was more interested in following up on my lead at the library so Syndra and I did that instead.
It took about an hour or so but I was able to find a mention of Sir Talvin having defeated a demon lord in a list of his accomplishments. It may not have been Orcus but defeating any demon lord would make his name known in the abyss.
As we were heading back we saw some of the others chasing a robed figure into an alley and by the time I caught up, they had rendered the robed skeleton unconscious. It would seem at the end of the show they spotted some people in the crowd using illusion magic disguises who teleported Ines away causing Rick to shoot him, probably the wizard Yarno, with an arrow and the chase was on. I made the suggestion that Rick magically mark the skeleton and Smyrna wake him with magic just as we get out of sight from the Alley so that we can follow him back to Yarno and probably Ines. Sirk returned to the goblins at the site of the show and we began to follow the skeleton. Along the way we ran into Ines who said she was teleported into a sewer on the other side of Neverwinter.
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As we walked through Neverwinter on our way to the docks, the others told me some of what the man in yellow had told them while they were on watch. Orcus the demon lord of the abyss whose hand we now have hanging around Sirk's neck needs 14 Templars which he will raise or recruit from the living and the dead in order to emerge on the material plane. The only ones they know of are Yarno an evil wizard that they have tangled with before and a champion fighter of Neverwinter entombed below Castle Never.
After securing rooms at the Beached Leviathan Inn we went to the docks to see if Syndra's vision was in any way a literal ship which it wasn't but while looking around I saw the same thief that Tael was talking to in Fandolin. He must have traveled by teleportation to get here so fast. As I passed by he was mumbling to himself “Why does he always suit me with these tasks” and looked like he was possibly looking for someone. What is Tael's connection in all of this?
We then went to Castle Never which had various tours available of the castle, the city, and the tombs. So we took the tour. The first level is the various past kings of Neverwinter. The next area was the first Kings 9 champions followed by the most notable Kings 9 champions and then the previous Kings 9 champions. Then a section for notable officials including a peasant who became honored due to some notable battle that no one remembers. Along the way I spotted a secret door and given how far we had traveled I am sure we were outside of the castle grounds to the northeast and have a suspicion of where it might emerge.
The last area had three unknown tombs but Ines recognized the relief of one of them. She then, to much surprise, summoned the ghost of Barthiel a dwarf barbarian from one of her magic items and confirmed that it was his grave and the identity of who the other two graves were. He said he was killed by a demon of the abyss that they were fighting in this area before the city of Neverwinter existed. Can you be a champion of a city before the city existed? Or is it one of the 27 other entombed champions or someone in the notable section?
The ghost and the tour guide kept talking all the way back out of the catacombs which caught the eye of a guard who “invited” us upstairs to talk to someone…
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