Welcome to my newest blog segment, "Tales from the Bunker" in this series I will be telling stories from a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition campaign that I have been DMing for the last year and a half. The party has been through a fair ordeal so far so I figured it is time that some of the shenanigans are immortalized here.
Lets start by introducing the current party:
Galataia Augstrea - Human Bard - Now eldest child of the king of the eastern capital of Keldara, Galataia is a political free spirit that uses her influences to get her by. Setting out from her home with her companions Alexander and Sylvia she was on her own secret quest to locate her long lost and presumed dead brother.
As it turns out, her brother was closer than she thought, being secretly played as another player who dropped after the first few sessions. Naturally Darrel, as he went by now who was a bit of a loose cannon Paladin of Bahamut became a prominent NPC who heard calls in visions he had in the night and ran off in the night only to get corrupted my a "Blight Shard", an remnant artifact from an ancient war. Revealing during the last big encounter of the first main arc that he was in fact Galataias lost brother and ultimately falling in battle in his sisters own arms, his soul is now trapped within the blight shard which Galataia wears blown in glass as a pennant around her neck hoping for redemption.
Valen - Elven Monk - Valen is a unique member of the party as his origins are actually the only one from off continent. Being the provider for his family in a small wood elf village, Valen was out on a hunting trip when the village was ravaged and burned to the ground. Upon returning he spent some time grieving which began to brew a hatred within his soul. Eventually stowing away on a vessel to get away from his past he wound up on the secluded contentment of Varenhiem, a place that is mostly closed to the outside world with the exception of some trade routes.
Once on the continent he began looking for a place to fit in, he very quickly learned of the Vistosan war, a battle of which claimed all but a few of the elven lives on Varenhiem. Living as a nomad he eventually found a monastery in the mountains called "The Wayward Soul Cloister", living there were an order of monks who all share a tragic past and in soul searching found this place. The monks of the Wayward Soul Cloister practice the way of the sun soul in hopes to bring light back to their lost soul.
Valen met up with the current party while traveling on a caravan on a pilgrimage to the six monasteries on Varenhiem, a rite of passage each Wayward Soul monk must complete gaining knowledge of the monastery and getting the boon from each trial. So far he has completed his "Trial of Endurance" from the Rothren Peak monastery, atop the Rothren Mountain on the southern edge of Varenhiem and is currently working on his "Trial of Tranquility" at the island monastery off the coast of the western capital of Enoch where the grand-master has fallen ill to what has been determined as poison.
Natari - Tiefling Rogue - Born and raised in the thick of corruption within the walls of the desert city of Iro'Set. Natari was thought to survive by any means and in turn became a very good assassin. Her family who is one of authority within the city became indebted to higher powers and did not realize the severity until it was too late. While fleeing the city with her family her sister Necyra (Nes-er-ah) turned on the family capturing Netari's father. In the thick of things Netari and her mother were able to escape the city and took refuge at Winters Hold, a rough and tumble but honorable city to the North-East of Verenhiem.
While in hiding a member of a mercenary group "The Brotherhood of Blades" realized Natari's capability and offered her a chance to hone those abilities into something to use for the greater good. She began training with the group, being paired up with Triffi, a Gnomish ranger and her boar companion Truffles (Triffi was another PC who eventually needed to drop from the campaign becoming a NPC).
Once Narari and Triffi were ready they were sent on their first contract, to apprehend a rogue agent named Jarel who betrayed the brotherhood and dishonored its name. This contract took the pair to the south to a town of Fennwright where they met the party and another previous PC Grell (I will explain what happened to Grell later), who was also a member of the Brotherhood. Grell recognizing the sigil on the contract began taking it upon himself to indirectly mentor and test the pair as he is currently dealing with Jarel and his sister Caitlin. The group eventually do apprehend Cait who eventually became an ally after realizing that her brother has gone beyond what she can do to help him but Jarel is still at large as it stands right now.
Crastor - Half-elf-Half -Green-Dragonborn Druid - Because of a prophecy Crastor was pulled from his time 3215 years ago to "bring balance to nature" when a necromancer began tampering with the bones of a long dead adult green dragon and previous protector of the Ravenwood, a thick forest that runs across most of central Varenhiem. Crastor showed up in the story just after Grell left (He is actually played by the same player). In Crastors time the Green dragons watched over the Ravenwood and lived in harmony with the druids that resided within, their only binding was to preserve nature and respect the land. There is a ancient wall running from the southern tip of the continent all the way to the north, this was erected to mark the point that the "civilized world" was aloud to reside and everything west of the wall was to remain natural, this was law as long as Crastor lived. In the current day things are a bit different, before the Vistosan war there was a blight cast on the Green Dragons and Druids of Ravenwood alike.
After this blight wiped out the people, the remaining elves came together over the next thousand years and created the great city of Vistosa, a shining new bastion of light to the civilized world, this encouraged civilization to create trade routes across the Ravenwood sprouting new towns and cities throughout.
When Crastor woke up after being pulled from time Vistosa had already rose and fallen, leaving behind it Farmland, Cities and everything that comes with the progression of civilization. He was out of his element seeing what will eventually be his traveling party leaving a crypt that was not there previously. Crastor quickly learned that a mad necromancer had risen Garathin, the Watcher, the adult green dragon who watched over the forest in his time from his sacred grave and was given new purpose, and possibly a way to get back to his own time. Since which Garathin was returned to the earth and the Necromancer was destroyed but not with great consequence, there are tears in reality in the sky which can see in to the Shadowfell which were created from a ritual that the necromancer started but never completed, the party is currently looking at ways to close them before they get worse.
Crastor, spending his nights in a park, alone in the capital city of Enoch is messing with the city using as much natural magic as he can to reclaim the city to nature while not disturbing natural order. while the party waits for a ritual to be ready. He has also learned of a small group of druids to the north of Fennwright who he has visited briefly giving him some hope for his kind.
Mechaneer Schwartz - Dwarven Artificer - Schwartz on the outside is a typical dwarf, he likes to drink and he likes to work. Born and raised in the under city of Rothren mountain he was given a scholarship at a young age to the Artificer Guild where his brilliant mind would spend his time infusing technology with magic. A Drow invasion drove the Dwarves out of the mountain and displaced the guild to a port town to the south of the mountain called Ironport.
Instead of following suit Schwartz decided that he would uproot and start an independent business in Fennwright offering engineering and artificer services to the people there while funding his further inventions. Schwartz has a prize invention, his automaton Warforged named Sholat. Sholat is essentially a defense protocol magic and energy powered being that Schwartz keeps in his personal bag of holding. He will take any opportunity to make money in which he will use to better his inventions. He is even helping a small business owner named Ugg, a boot maker who has been hit with a very high demand after his boots became a trend with the women of Enoch.
Since arriving in the western capital Schwartz has taken interest in the art of Rune Scribing, a prestige art thought to those adept at various colleges across Varenhiem.
Nexas - Kor Fighter/Ranger - Nexas is a newer member of the party, he was a resident of the fishing villages when the Necromancer and Undead Garathin attacked, using his former military training he managed escape captivity. When fleeing the village he met with the party and was able to give vital intel to the party about the state of the fishing villages. Since the counterattack he has been spending a lot of time around Schwartz secretly crushing on him. Nexas has a knack for hunting and has spent lots of time providing food for the party, he is also known as a bit of a klutz (thanks to a lot of bad dice) and isn't one to pay close attention to his surroundings. that said he is very good with his wakizashi sword and his bow when it counts. He defiantly has trust issues and is easily jealous of people being close to Schwartz.
Ertoss - Lizardfolk Cleric - Ertos is another recent addition to the group, He was born and raised as a follower of Bahamut, residing as a middle ranked cleric regularly taking charity assignments from the parish in the Kobold city of Ek'ro'ki under Varenhiem. Ertoss was assigned to the party as a guide through the underground tunnels when coordinating the assault on the Cunningstone fishing villages, using the underground network he took Schwartz, Nexas, and a mysterious battle mage they met on the way along the edge of the Underdark to reach the mines in the village, allowing them to flank the village from multiple fronts. Ertoss believes that everything can be good so he always tries to reason with the foe before battle breaks out. the best example of this is when Ertoss gave up all of his own rations to a Drider and Drow hunting party to secure safe passage through the short stretch of Undardark. Upon seeing an undead Garathin at the battle for Cunningstone, Ertoss blew the groups cover attempting to commune with the feral creature.
Alright so this covers most of the story so far. Lets talk about where the party is right now.
After the battle for Cunningstone, the group ultimately stopped the Necromancer from carrying out his ritual to open rifts between the leylines that connect the continent with the Blighted Shadowfell while also laying the Undead watcher dragon Garathin back to rest. This was not without impact, Fissures still remain in the sky above points across the world that peer into the Shadowfell, although they can not be traversed, many fear that they will become passable if not dealt with.
Leaving the investigation of the fissures to an order of mystics working with a faction of Shadow-beings named the Shadehunters, rune bound energy beings able to traverse between the natural world and the Shadowfell. The party spent the next month tending to their own vices before getting called back to Fennwright by the leader of the town Captain Leon Brooks. With the trade routes open again between Fennwright and Enoch, Brooks was working with Kara Morningsong, a pure elven paladin and the Appoint of Celestia within the western capital. Kara organized a meeting with the council of Enoch regarding the state of the ongoing events, she requested the party come with her to explain exactly what happened at the event.
The party agreed to travel together to the capital each with their own goal in mind. Upon arriving at Enoch in the early evening the group broke up and took in the city while waiting for morning where their meeting would take place. Notably Schwartz who went to a bar in the slums of town and made friends with a drunk brawler dwarf named Romi.
In the morning the party met at the castle where they discussed the event that had happened leading them to an artifact crown that they found in the keep where they first learned of the necromancer. Upon presenting the "Fifth Crown of Celestia" Kara recognized the artifact as a missing piece needed for her order to commune with the patron directly. we then meet Raquel Quesilla, found to be the living daughter of the necromancer survived his madness by escaping to the capital to her mothers order, raising through the ranks over her fifty years there and now one of the Arch Clerics of Celestia as she was presented at the meeting and informed the party of the capabilities she would have now that the fifth crown is back within the order. Knowing that the Celestian order were one of the main groups present two thousand years prior when the Blight was fought in the Vistosan War the party agreed to wait a week in the city while the communing ritual was prepared.
That night after a successful hunting trip Nexas invites the group to The Rusty Rat, the bar Schwartz recommended from the night before where he offers up his haul of meat to the bartender Glen to cook up and host a gathering as charity. The group meets there that night and has a jolly time. After a few drinks Natari begins to notice symbols and messages hidden across the tavern in thieves cant that bring reference to an organization stemming from her home town, little is known about them except that their roots run deep across the continent and they have a lot of influence in the underground.
After the rest of the party retired for the night, Netari decided it would be a good idea to look further into the rat pack hoping to find ties to her sister and father, finding a secret entrance in the kitchen to a network of underground tunnels eventually leading to a shrine to Raxivort, the rat god of thievery. Netaris investigation was cut short when she was discovered and without the backup of her comrades she was captured.
The same night Crastor and Ertoss opted out of the festivities and decided to take some of the meat to an orphanage where Crastor noticed a child sitting in front of the fireplace alone. To entertain her he used his ability to manipulate the flames, seeing this and being mesmerized by it the child emulated Castors somatics and to his surprise actually got a minor reaction to the flame. The headmaster of the orphanage, being a well educated history scholar took notice and introduced herself to the Druid, recognizing his green draconic features and knowing that the greens are long extinct assumed that there was a unique situation. She mentioned a small order of druids who overlook the Blue Rest Lake to the north and mention how their ancestry may be linked to his time. Crastor decided to take the free week he had to travel there is bird form to get answers, not before trying to secretly "Restore nature to the city" by ritualizing all of his ability to Plant Growth to make an attempt to make the city more green.
The next morning Schwartz, Galataia and Nexas took notice of Nararis absence and went back to the tavern to investigate and after poking around also discovered the secret entrance to the tunnel entrance. after some exploration they stumbled upon the same Raxivort shrine as Netari but this time the leader of this chapter was doing a ritual to commit a group of new initiated to the order. being in cult robes and Schwartz being invisible they joined into the ritual, unaware that the leader knew from the start that they were masquerading. after a few initiates were embraced Nexas was called forth to accept the blessing, his response "I'm good". Blowing the groups cover, he attempted to lunge forward with his wakizashi at the leader but was stopped with a hold person spell. Galataia proceeded to reveal herself and make a deal with him that if he can get Netari back they will never mention the place, being merciful the guild leader released the party with a threat that if they break their oath they will not be killed but life will end for them as they know.
Less than twenty four hours later the party was overheard chatting not so sneakily about the Rat Pack. that night Galataia and Schwartz, carrying out their own tasks in the city alone were assaulted by rat pack acolytes, Galataia was put asleep and taken away before Crastor, who was flying overhead could intervene but he managed to step in for Schwartz and ward off the cultists who revealed themselves as rat lycantropes but not before they were both infected with lycantrophy.
Galataia wakes up in a private quarters of the cult leader and is formally introduced, and then was given an ultimatum. "Your friends are inflicted with a curse of sorts, for our kind it is a blessing if embraced, if not controlled it can destroy your life and all lives around it. It is still curable but only until the next lunar cycle completes, seventy two hours from now. Luckily for you your group has proven to be resourceful and maybe there is something you could do for me if you comply and are successful then I can give you the option for a cure and to go on your way, you can even further work for us as a "unofficial" affiliate." he shows Galatia his private collection of four tomes, regal but ancient "Our order is unique deal mostly in information, usually less than legal but this is my private collection. do you know what these are?" Galatia nods with an uncertain no. "These are unique books, there are six in total each representing an aspect of who you are. the ones I have represent your Barun, Finesse, Awareness, and Allure. There are two that I am missing, One represents your personal Resilience, the other Knowledge. The Knowledge tome has recently been uncovered by an expedition from Enoch in the southern An'krah Desert, and it is being brought to the city to be auctioned at the Trade appoints manor the day after tomorrow, start bid at 450,000 gold pieces. Here is where you come in, Our order is not set up to obtain such physical items, and using our orders funding for such a purchase will be frowned upon. therefore sending my own agents is a liability for being exposed. If you can obtain the tome and bring it to me then I will rid your friends of their predicament, if you can not then the Blessing will become permanent in seventy two hours." Galatia after a moment of considering accepts the mission and agrees to pitch it to the group as a solution. upon agreeing she is provided with three amulets of disguise as well as three invitations to the Gala where the book is to be auctioned.
Later that night Galatia meets back up with the party who are glad to see her unharmed. After mulling over options the group agrees to go ahead with the heist and spends the rest of the night planning and casing for the upcoming mission.
The next morning is the morning of the Celestian ritual, the group meets at the temple in the Imperial district and watches as the high clerics complete a ritual which has not been seen in nearly a century, this opens up a hidden chamber below the temple. at the bottom there is an alter where they were presented a riddle "Follow the leader, Dressed in black, Created by light, Shrouded in Darkness" Valen immediately answering "Shadows". Being correct the group hears a powerful yet soothing voice from beyond the darkness say "Very Well" as a Gynosphinx emerges and introduces herself as The Watcher, consult to Celestia, the being who watches over the world but can not interfere. The Watcher talks about the blight and how it is beginning to re-emerge after being concealed for over two thousand years. She proceeds to talk about how if it comes back into this world then life and order is at risk. She then mentions her brother, The Keeper, Protector of Artifacts. The Keeper is a Andarosphinx who watches over ancient artifacts and their protected locations across the continent, he may be able to provide information on getting the proper means to seal away the darkness for good. He resides in a tomb under the Pyramids of the northern An'krah desert.
After the meeting the group decides that this will be their next journey but fist they have a heist to take care of.
And that is where we are today. In the next segment we will talk about how the heist went, will they get caught, return the book, or keep it for themselves as they leave town. Stay tuned.
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