The Rise of Xa'azra

Rise of Who?

The Rise of Xa'azra is the first major quest undertaken by a unnamed group hailing from Silverymoon.

## Description

A group of unconnected individuals are infected with tainted blood and must cross the sword coast to save not only their own lives, but possibly everyone's.

## Members

* Alas Trisquirelle
* Alston
* Astrid Adlyn
* Ding Dong
* Ril
* Valmaia of Hope

## The First Leg

### The Crime

A group of criminals infiltrate and steal ancient tomes from The Vault of the Sages. Raljuun himself, in an hour of desperation conscripts a group of individuals in the lobby of the library to track down the criminals and return the stolen items.

Going into the basement of the building, they find a tunnel burrowing into a neighbouring building.

### The Warehouse District

Tracking the criminals, the group finds a link to a location in the Warehouse District in a high end clothing shop.

With difficulty, they eventually find their way into the warehouse specified. The inside is empty, but in the offices they find a tunnel into the City Sewers.

Inside, they find a base set up by a cult. After failing to stop the ritual that was happening, or save any of the texts stolen, the group are infected with tainted blood.

After everything calms down, everyone is arrested by Paladin Hebor.

### The City Gaol

Once incarcerated, the members of the group were interrogated for their suspected involvement in the cults activities.

After a long rest, the group were awoken by their jailers breaking into their cells, horribly disfigured by a black ichor.

Upon making their escape from their cells, they find the Gaol in disarray. Alas and Astrid find their way outside, while the rest of the group retrieve their weapons. While doing so, Ding Dong and Val come into contact with the black ichor that seems to creep into any room that they occupy.

Rapidly, Ding Dong and Val are completely covered in the ichor and seem to die and disintegrate. Going into the main lobby of the building, Alston and Ril are confronted with Paladin Hebor holding back a crowd of infected guards.

Meanwhile, Ding Dong and Val meet a god in a room who tasks them with a quest to prove that they are worthy of his help. They enter a greenhouse with a acid fountain in the centre, surrounded with living, aggressive plants. With difficulty, they defeat the plants and earn a plaque with the name Xa'azra on it.

Joining the fight in the lobby, things go well for Ril and Alston until the remaining members of the cult join in the fight. At which point the black ichor begins to creep into the room. Ril kills the cult members, causing the ichor to retreat, revealing the living bodies of Ding Dong and Val.

Paladin Hebor, realising that he has murdered many of his fellow guards and innocents, flees the facility.

Ding Dong, Val, Ril and Alston exit the facility to find Alas and Astrid outside waiting for them.

### The Escape of the City

Realising that they have to escape the city, the group goes to The Vault of the Sages to report to Raljuun. Upon arrival, the building is thronged with guards. Using various methods, they all gain access to the building and find Raljuun, who leads them to Professor Toast, an expert on all things odd and arcane.

He explains that they are being used to create a portal to allow something unknown through into this reality, and are magically linked together. He can't fix them, but his colleagues in Candlekeep can. He gives them an Arcane Orb to help them, and sends them on their way, telling them to visit a temple on their way out.

Visiting a nearby Temple of Ilmater, the group speaks to Granny Gertrude, who helps lessen the effects of the curse and gives them some candy to help.

Through various means, the group gather some supplies and exit the city, eventually all hitching a ride on a caravan.

### The Trouble with the Troupe

Joining a travelling troupe, called the Trinity Big Top, the group begins their journey west, to Longsaddle but are waylaid on their journey, and have some children stolen by their attackers.

### The Elven Supremacy Movement

The attackers are Elves from the Elven Supremacy Movement, leading to their first side-quest: **The Elven Supremacy Movement**.

### The Difficulties With Werepeople

Reaching Longsaddle, the group enters the town proper.

Ding Dong, continuing to think that he is Alas, purchases a weapon and clothes like his. Alston is approached by a suspect blacksmith who mentions something about a mission. It is suspected that this has something to do with the cult.

Going to The Ivy Mansion, where Sir Hopsworth is currently housed, his children are returned to him for a reward of 500gp.

Kipper Harpell, a powerful magician with a speciality in teleportation magic says he will help the group if they help him with his difficulties with the local werewolf population, will assist them on their journey. This leads to their second side-quest: **The Difficulties With Werepeople**.