1.5: Lukragg the Deceased

((Not sure who was supposed to summarize this quest, so for now I’m putting another slew of--you guessed it--bullet points! However these are probably going to be much more general/vague because this is a placeholder for someone else. I’d just like us to have \*something\* here. Additions welcome, as always)).

* The party heads into the Coriander Woods temple and walks through a labyrinth of dangerous rooms. Some are trapped with magic and some are impossible to pass without correctly solving puzzles within them. The party spends a good deal of time stuck in a particular room with doors that keep looping to the same rooms over and over again before finally finding a way out, into a nebulous sort of darkness that is less a room and more akin to floating in outer space.
* Although there is no clear ground or walls, the party walks as if on something solid, to the only notable object in the room, another door, with an ornate keyhole. Bagel seems sure this is a door to a piece of the ultimate weapon.
* Lukragg, Captain of the Dragon Wings, is there examining the door.
* Grukk pretty much just charges him immediately and won’t let him talk to us.
* Lukragg uses lots of magic energy to subdue Grukk, which is pretty unusual.
* Perlapae and Caireann try to help Grukk while the rest of the party tries to open the door, -Lukragg notices the people swarming the door and rushes them for the key. But Bagel creates copies so that Lukragg can’t be sure which key matters.
* The party takes turns hurrying towards the door with their key copies knowing that one will eventually fit while Grukk continues to duel Lukragg, but his magic seems to have taken a mind of it’s own. It fires independently of Lukragg, focusing solely on the people rushing the door, leaving Lukragg to fight Grukk with only his physical strength and weapon.
* The group is forced to stagger their runs until finally Timmeron is the one who makes it into a very feminine, finely decorated bedroom.
* A half-naked Half-Elf appears and calls herself Wrynn. She’s flirty with Timmeron as she explains who (and more importantly, what) she is--one of the Ascendant. And their are seven others like her hidden away behind locked doors.
* Timmeron tells her about Lukragg’s suspicious magic and Wrynn seems confident that it has come from one of her brethren, a spirit named Albert whose specialty was energies (and who was also apparently in love with Wrynn).
* Timmeron decides that he must wield Wrynn to defeat Albert, and runs back out. Wrynn confirms the presence of Albert on Lukragg, and uses her own power to suppress him long enough for Grukk to land the final fatal blow on Lukragg the Unsleeping.
* Albert briefly appears before the party and talks to Wrynn, who teases him for losing to a newly-awakened Ascendant. He seems both bitter and fond of her as he disappears.
* When the party worries about where Albert’s gotten off to, Bagel and Wrynn seem to both agree that he would be inherited, so to speak, by Lukragg’s second in command. Which meant this weapon had just been passed on to his first mate, Murag.
* It seems that all key-holding parties present have an inherent stake in Wrynn, including Bagel, and can talk to her in their minds. Bagel talks about maybe putting her presence into an object to better channel her, and discusses her potential with the group, half of whom think they need to utilize her to be a match for bad guys wielding the other Ascendant, and the other half think that the spirits were locked away for a reason and shouldn’t be used by \*anybody\*, let alone a ragtag group of would-be adventurers.
* Sajaina ain’t having none of this magic bullshit and looks for a way out. The group eventually follows her and they get out of temple and hide in entrance when they notice the Laputi are still there, looking like they’ve gotten full control over the field. Things appear calm.
* Sajaina hides in the temple entrance with Perlapae and Caireann keeping her company while rest go out to talk to Maharaja.
* Maharaja Zahiam thanks the rest of group solemnly, but quickly asks about Sajaina. Grukk says she died in the fight within the temple. The Maharaja slowly accepts this, and is able to show some sympathy for the lost life of one of his people, despite her actions.
* Meanwhile Sajaina sneaks Perlapae and Caireann out of the temple around to where they see Veller and his men in the distance.
* Veller asks about why they aren’t with the others and quickly makes the connection the Sajaina is very much NOT supposed to be out here and should probably not be presented to the Maharaja. When they tell Veller Lukragg is dead by Grukk’s blade, Veller excitedly runs to hug Grukk, interrupting his conversation to congratulate him and then quickly withdrawing.
* Perlapae decides to try and help Sajaina with her own connections, and forces herself to go talk to her Tenera (High Tender Heliod of the Laputi) about the whole incident. She does not know that Grukk told that lie about Sajaina’s death.
* High Tender talks to Maharaja on Perlapae and Sajaina’s behalf, Maharaja is quietly furious about the lie. He makes it clear that exceptions are not to be made in these sorts of situations.
* Maharaja goes back to the rest of the group, threatens to make them outlaws for harboring a fugitive throughout the civilized world due to their many allies. Grukk says something snide about Crag having no need of Mura’kesz as an ally. Maharaja appears unruffled. Group hold their ground and does not give up Sajaina.
* Maharaja turns to take his leave but Timmeron begs the Maharaja to alert the other world leaders to the fact that the Dragon Wings have a handle on this weapon they know he knows about. The tell him he plans to do so at the next council, and recommends everyone avoid spreading rumors until then.
* The Maharaja leaves them and the High Tender tries to soothe him before parting and leaving with his troops while the Maharaja allows Veller to take him back (although Heliod tries to talk him out of that and into allowing \*his\* men to escort him home).
* Exhausted after all the craziness of many battles, with an Ascendant spirit speaking in their heads, and a newly-placed warrant out on all of them, the party starts the trek to the thankfully nearby Dyffryn Caidris.
* A caravan picks them up off the side of the road fairly quickly in exchange for some manual labor and entertainment (Sal).
* The caravan leader is a married Dwarven man, and within a night or two Grukk sleeps with his wife. They are caught in the act by her husband, who reacts by loosening his own pants and joining in the fun--much to Grukk’s astonishment.
* They arrive in Dyffryn Caidris after a few days’ ride, and quickly identify the reasonable Stag’s Rest inn to stay at in the heart of the capital, Caervy. Caireann visits friends (though not family) in the capital, and Timmeron plans to spend the next day trying to get in contact with an Elven political figure to at least alert them to the basics of what the party has uncovered, trusting the Maharaja to divulge the details at the council he’d mentioned.
* Sajaina asks to use Baygrith’s… thing-that-lets-you-talk-remotely-to-people-I-can’t-believe-I-can’t-remember-what-it’s-called to contact her best friend back at home, but it backfires and instead pulls Sajaina’s friend, Yatirem, \*to\* them in DC. Sajaina is of course ecstatic for this malfunction and throws her arms around her friend. Yatirem is shocked, teleporting suddenly from his desert bed to an Elven laboratory in the undergarments he was sleeping in (#nightshiftlife), but he quickly gets over all that once he realizes that his missing best friend is alive and in front of him, er, on top of him. And she gives him clothes--that helps, too.
* Baygrith is considerably surprised, immediately returning to his work bench to reexamine his tool (and to continue his work on his motorized assistant/portable work bench, Gadgette).
* Caireann visits \*her\* best friend, Karrek the artificer, in his home, where he is delighted to see her again after what has been a long and confused absence, muddled with reports of her being chosen by Astor in the papers.
* Caireann and Sajaina both bring their friends back to the Stag’s Rest that night and introduce them to the party. Karrek excitedly talks gadgets with Baygrith and Yatirem peppers the party with questions about their incredible story thus far.
* Grukk generously buys the whole group a feast and they basically close out the inn with their food, drink, dancing and revelry, having well-earned a night to enjoy their most recent victories.