Light of Illumis: Episode 03

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== Synopsis ==
The party leave Confluence with the expanded party of companions (a dwarven glass merchant, her bodyguards and counsins, plus a wizard and her bodyguard, and 2 youths). The party head northward towards Tharnham. On the road they fight a group of undead and the wizard ends up being processed by a ghost.
==Recap==
===Recuriting Minnie===
The party have just left Lord Roy's estate in Confluence, having just met with the injured Minnie. Bertholdt wishes to bring Minnie along with the party on their quest, while the others are more hesitant. Bertholdt is adamant, thinking this is the fate of Tempos. Kerberos says if it is indeed what Tempos wants, then flip a coin to see if fate really wants her with the party. Bertholdt thinks this is a good idea and flips a coin that Cornelius gives him. Bertholdt however doesn't fall what result he wants ahead of time, and flips heads, and claims this is the result he needed.
The party agree to these terms: After the Philosophers' Stone is used in Heatstroke, they will let Minnie use it to identify her wand. Kerberos offers to carry the Philosophers' Stone since he is more resistant to Wizard Mind tricks, but Hellen needs to think about it first. Cornelius says to mislead her into thinking that he is the one carrying stone, when he is instead using a decoy box and stone. Hellen plans to cast upon the decoy stone so it also radiates magic.
The party return into the estate and talk with Minni & her bodyguard, Bruce. She agrees to travel with the party on their quest, and shakes their hands, but Kerberos refuses to shake her hand. Hellen returns upstairs to rest, and Lord Roy hosts the party to dinner. Over dinner Lord Roy goes into more detail about his past, and his family's generational wealth. Cornelius manipulates Lord Roy into giving a donation to the party's quest of 53 gold.
The party acquire some slings, none of the party know how to use slings proficiently.
===Leaving Confluence===
The next day at dawn, the party meet up with Minnie and the 3 of the youth followers that Cornelius recruited. Kerberos casts on Minnie's bodyguard, Bruce, who was injured by the undead.
As planned, upon the decoy stone in secret, and Cornelius conspirciously puts the decoy box in his bag within site of their travelling companions.
The party and their new companions meet up with Opal, the dwarven glass merchant, with her 2 dwarven companions and 8 human body guards. 
The group set out northward towards Tharnham. Along the road the group is attacked by the undead, but that threat is easily dealt with between the party, the wizard, and the bodyguards. Hellen and Bertholdt use , Kerberos and Cornelius support the fighting force.
But after the combat, ghostly hands reach out towards a terrified Minnie. The ghost emerges and processes Minnie. Cornelius casts his at the ghost, but the ghost is too powerful to drive out.
The processed Minnie speaks: You. We're coming for you. Leave it here. Leave it now and your lives may yet be spared. Drop it to the ground and your families and children for 100 generations will be spared. Do not, and we'll bring doom on each of your heads, on each of your families. 
Combat: Party vs Ghost
 
Bertholdt casts , but he doesn't cast the spell strong enough to affect the ghost or Minnie. Hellen casts . The bless spell damages the ghost. Kerberos tackles Minnie, casting on Minne, but all the healing power goes into healing Minnie and there is no overflow that affects the ghost.
Processed Minnie begins to cast a spell, but Bertholdt interrupts the spell by grabbing hold of Minnie. Hellen helps Bertholt with grabbing Minnie to the ground and using rope to tie her up. Cornelius casts at Minnie. Kerberos tries a but Minnie resists. Minnie's guard calls to the party not to handle Minnie so roughly.
Kerberos tried his , but Minnie also resists it. The party are out of now. Opal in the wagon says they should leave Minnie on the side of the road tied up and keep traveling callously. The ghost tells the party that her Master will come for them, amongst other threats.
Cornelius attempts: : Exorcise. However as an undead, the ghost resists the spell.
The party is out of options, but Bertholdt simply says the party has gotten the message and the ghost can leave now. The body goes limp and falls to the ground unconscious. Everyone is amazed, including Bertholdt himself, who was preparing to cast a bless spell. Bertholdt bluffs and acts like he knew that the ghost would leave once its purpose was fulfilled. Kerberos expresses doubts.
Combat Ends
Bruce puts the unconscious Minnie into the wagon. Kerberos heals 2 of the injured bodyguards. Then the group continue northward.
20 minutes later Minnie wakes up. Hearing she is normal, she is untied. She says she will cast a oh herself, making Cornelius & Hellen have to react by moving with the Philosophers' Stone. However she actually casts on Bertholdt.
Combat: Party vs Ghost Part 2
 
Bertholdt goes to tackle but misses. Kerberos casts . Minnie casts at the wagon, hurting Opal and Bruce. Bruce retaliates and stabs Minnie. Cornelius heals Bertholdt. Hellen grapples Minnie to stop her casting more spells. Hellen notices that Minnie has a spell and a ring of protection.
Kerberos charges Minnie while riding his donkey, Barney, but hits Hellen by mistake. Cornelius casts on Hellen. Bruce misses. Bertholdt tries to grab her, but unable to do so.
The Oxen attempt to run away from the , pulling the cart along with the sphere. Opal and her guards rush after the cart.
Minnie tries to stab Minnie, but misses. Kerberos shield rushes Minnie, knocking her into the ground. Bruce grabs some rope to tie up Minnie. Cornelius chases after the flaming cart. Minnie gets tied up and goes unconscious.
Combat Ends
Bertholdt admits that he failed to exorcize the ghost. The party will keep Minnie tied up and gagged until they are able to remove the ghost inside.
Cornelius catches up to the cart and dives on to the cart, trying to avoid the , and breaks the wood connecting to the 2 oxen to stop the cart. The rest of the party catch up.
Opal examines the damage to her cart. Her provisions were inside and the Flaming Sphere is still active. Kerberos attacks the sphere with his axe and tries to push the sphere out of the cart but is unable to do so.
Eventually the sphere dissipates and the fire dies down. Opal salvages what she can from her cart. The group then head northward.
That night they rest in a nearby village. Bertholdt casts on the unconscious, tied up, Minnie, causing her to react in pain, showing the ghost is still inside her. Kerberos pays Opal's human mercenaries some gold to watch Minnie overnight.
In the night the party are awoken to the guard's shouts. The ghost had left Minnie's body. The ghost gives one last threat and flies away. Minie is left behind.
===Arrival at Tharnham===
2 days later the party arrive in outside Tharnham. Tharnham has new defensive walls from their sieges with the undead in recent years. The field before the walls are littered with old bones. The dwarf guards on the walls call out to the party to hurry inside before the sun sets. Once inside the gates the party see the outer town is mostly abandoned. The party are lead to the underground part of Tharnham. The Dwarves eye the human clerics with suspicion.
Kerberos speaks with the guard lieutenant about getting access to the dwarven tunnels to reach Mil Faldur. The lieutenant points out all the problems of late have been caused by humans. Humans left the demons into Eridon. Human necromancers raised the dead. The War for Arcadia was caused because of Human Nobles. Kerberos agrees that the humans are the children of chaos. The two argue for a while, especially as the guard considers Kerberos a city dwarf.
Bertholdt interrupts the Lieutenant, saying he will prove their might, and casts . The process of Create Campsite leaves the dwarves impressed, but still won't let the non-dwarves inside the underground part of town. Kerberos will go in alone to talk with the city lord on this matter to get permission.
===The King of the Dwarves===
Bertholdt is escorted to the chambers of King Einard Blacksteel. 
:You're brought into what appears to be a recently refurbished but old section of the city. The hall here has classic ancient dwarven architecture, of being just a little bit taller than a dwarf's height. Dwarven style of building your your hallways just barely tall enough for a dwarf to get in so if a human has to come in or fight their way in they have to like hunch over and awkward for them. So it's got these low ceilings these wide hallways and you know nice carved Stone floors all the way though. It's not like the super fancy styles of floors it's like nice and flat on the sides on the the bottoms and the sides and the tops with just a little bit of carvings along the edges and it is a a long slog through the echoey hallway into this underground great hall.
:The ceiling quickly triples or quadruples in height. Your night vision slowly adapts to this darkened environment there are bioluminescent fungi arranged around columns giving just enough light that you can see all the way across the hall way farther than your dark vision would normally allow in a situation like this. You can get brought deep into the great hall. There's a little bit of water dripping from somewhere indicating that the place is not kept up to standards.
Bertholdt is brought before the Dwarven King. He is on a raised dais, upon a throne. Around him is the 4 royal guard and a cleric. Kerberos kneels before the King and pleads his case. He explains they are traveling to Heatstroke to empower Illumis to destroy the undead that are touched by the rays of sunlight with a Philosophers' Stone. The King's Cleric is able to confirm the stone's presence with a .
The King points out this will only aid humans who live above ground, and not the dwarves who live underground. The underground undead will never be hit by the sun's light. Kerberos argues that by hindering the local necromancers, it will stop their spread above ground and will stop them attacking the dwarven towns from above. The King then is worried that the demons will find out about the tunnels if they eat the party. The King's brother, Zweihard Blacksteel died at Heatstroke. Kerberos says that he will build upon the great deeds of great people like Zweihard to succeed in his quest.
The King agrees, under the provision the humans are blindfolded. And the King wants the dwarves want full credit for helping in the quest, and makes Kerberos swear upon his god, Felumbra, to spread the story if he lives though the mission. Bertholdt makes such a pledge. He is dismissed, and told he and his friends are to proceed.
==Mil Faldur==
The humans are put upon the back of a wagon and blindfolded, and taken though the tunnel to the eastern dwarven town of Mil Faldur. THe journey takes several days. 
Mil Faldur has be greatly damaged by an attack from a few years ago, The population inhabit the underground city underneath. The surface is overrun by the undead.
The party will have to fight across the surface city to the docks and use one of the boats abandoned there. One of the youth followers knows how to pilot ship along the coast.
Before leaving Mil Faldur, they get supplies and the gear for their ritual. Mirrors, a diamond, and some stands. The mirrors reflect light into a diamond. Under the diamond is the Philosophers' Stone. The party will cast into the stone, and return the light back into the sun. 
Category:Light of Illumis Episodes
Category:Light of Illumis