Guardians of the Isle

**Guardians of the Isle** is a campaign that takes place in the island of Vestya . The story follows a group of adventurers who have obtained word that a dark and mysterious force is making it's home in the temple of Vestya, the oldest standing temple in known Vestya. Traveling from the southern tip to the north, the group must discover the source of this evil and destroy it at all costs. The DM of this game is Starfoxer117.

## Characters

* Orryn: Orryn was a male forest Gnome barbarian PC. He owned an over-sized warhammer and was once an exterminator. He was played by Apeirogon.
* Brenmythe Galkilia: Brenmythe is a female Half-Elf fighter PC. She is the captain of the *Kanelya.* She is played by Apeirogon.
* Toland Jupiterra: Toland is a male Human fighter PC. He obtained his pet pseudodragon during this adventure. He is played by Gustav Cannon.
* Krillin: Krillin is a male Human rogue PC. He can't keep his hands off of anything valuable he finds, landing him into trouble more often than not. He is played by Cave-Art.
* Adran Sianodel: Adran is a male High Elf sorcerer PC. He always prefers aristocratic living and will always try to get his way no matter what. He is played by Dalton.
* "Old Thrashbarg": Old Thrashbarg male is a Human fighter NPC. Known as the best general in the Elendul guard, Old Thrashbarg resigned for the sole purpose of adventure. Finding himself in such an urgent mission, he hired Orryn, Toland, Krillin, Adran, Kerland, and Barthymn.
* Kerland Jakobs: Kerland is a male Half-Elf ranger NPC. A known alcoholic, he spends most of his time mapping the group's travels with a flagon of ale in hand. He is really only in it for the money.
* Barthymn Knucklecrusher: Barthymn is a female mountain Dwarf barbarian NPC. Famous in the city of Bevrimn for fist fighting, Barthymn is a good friend of Old Thrashbarg.
* Cistell Whyte: Cistell is a female Amnian fox wizard NPC. She is part of the Thiamor Stone Mage's Guild and has a taste for adventure.
* Erilan Serbas: Erilan is a male Human warlock NPC. He is extremely old and slightly sickly but strangely intelligent and wise. He was saved from bandits by the PCs.
* Aoth Morn: Aoth is a male Amnian Bobcat bard NPC. He is the son of Zenithar Morn and Kerri Morn.
* Caracene Tyde: Caracene is a female Amnian Skunk wizard NPC. She is the best friend of Cistell Whyte and part of the Thiamor Stone Mage's Guild.

## Story

### Bright Beginnings

Upon hearing of an evil force that has recently overtaken the Temple of Vestya in the north, Human fighter "Old Thrashbarg gathered a group of adventurers from throughout Daerraphere to help him destroy the dark force. He eventually gathered together Orryn, Toland Jupiterra, Krillin, Adran Sianodel, Kerland Jakobs, and Barthymn Knucklecrusher and had gathered them all in the Breamwatch Bay. After explaining their objective, the group began to trek northward. Barely escaping a group of bandits AND cultists, they met a wizard named Erilan Serbas. Saying that he would be happy to tag along, the group let him come with on their adventure. After spending some time in the many towns on their path, the adventurers got caught up in some political chaos.

### Prisoners

Arriving in Drimwell, they saw that the current leader was not only a tyrant but a suspected cultist. Taking it upon themselves to find out if he really was a cultist, Adran, Toland, and Orryn decided to sneak into the tyrant's home and find any proof of his evil background. Finding a note confirming that he was a cultist, the three were caught and brought to the dungeons below the city. Orryn escaped but went missing soon after. Adran and Toland were also able to escape, killing the tyrant of Drimwell in the process. Outside, they met up with the rest of their group and met a sailor named Brenmythe Galkilia who had been traveling across Lake Thiamor. She reported that Orryn had been killed in battle. Asking for a ride, they were brought across the lake. Shipwrecking on Thiamor Stone, the group met the Thiamor Stone Mage's Guild and quickly became friends with Cistell Whyte, an Amnian fox who asked them to take her off the island once the boat was fixed.

### New Friends

Being taught magical abilities by the leader of the guild, Zenithar Morn, they were asked to obtain a scroll from an ancient ruin. Nearly dying in the process, the group was rewarded handsomely. However, no one ever told them about the purpose of the scroll. Several shenanigans later, the the guild came across a strange ghost wandering beneath the guild's main hall. It hinted towards a strange blade in which Brenmythe had come across. Back at the courtyard, the group was shocked to discover that Rathel Sceni (a well-known member of the Thiamor Stone Mage's Guild) had been brutally murdered and robbed of the scroll. Eventually, Adran, Toland, Brenmythe, Krillin, Cistell, Zenithar, and Caracene had came up with the conclusion that Torm (another sketchy mage) had stolen the scroll and killed Rathel to distract the guild while he escaped to a cave in one of the many mountains on Thiamor Stone. Tracking him to this location, the heroes fought quickly through the tombs hidden beneath the mountain. The further they followed Torm, the more they learned of the dungeon's history as the first official lair of the Court of Blades. Eventually, the heroes confronted the warlock in a large, echoing chamber with a seemingly bottomless pit laying in the dead center. Torm stood among a large, steel tomb, preparing some sort of evil ritual. Fighting viciously and vigorously, the truth came that Torm was summoning magical energy into his own body, thus making him Ascendant. Successfully transferring the magic into his soul, the warlock began to fight more savagely. In the end, Toland fund himself stuck through the stomach by Torm's longsword. However, with a thirst only quenchable by vengeance, Toland pulled the sword from his bloody wound and jumped off into the pit with Torm. With luck on his side, the fighter landed on the brink of the abyss, able to catch himself. However, Torm was not so lucky. Falling into the never-ending darkness, he let out a cry of anger as the pit exploded with blue light. Watching in awe, Brenmythe announced her famous quote;

"The play, sir, is over."

### Through Knuur

After the ordeal with Torm, the heroes left to board their newly repaired ship and say goodbye to their Thiamor Stone allies. Followed off the island by Cistell Whyte, Caracene Tyde, and Aoth Morn, they landed safely in the fishing town of Velstadt, where Adran had decided to stay. The rest continued to head northward to the Temple of Vestya. Riding horses they had bought in Velstadt, they encountered a fat, Dwarven merchant with a cart who was heading in the same direction as them. He promised to help transport their stuff if they promised to protect his cart from monsters on the path. Soon, they had made their way halfway up Mount Knuur when they noticed a sudden blizzard about to pass through. Adding to this, a tribe of goblin sappers (goblins with explosive kegs of oil on their backs) were attacking them. The merchant was left dead and the cart lay useless in the end of the fight so they just continued their way up the bleak mountain. When things couldn't get any worse, the blizzard struck, along with a horrid beast that had been tailing them. No one suspected a thing until an abominable yeti began to chase them down the mountain. Finding themselves cornered by a cliff, Toland attached a basilisk tooth to an arrow in which he fired into the yeti's chest. Turning it to stone for a short time, Cistell made sure it didn't come back by casting a *Meteor Swarm* spell. However, while it did destroy the yeti's statue-like body, a ball of fire also landed on an unsuspecting Toland Jupiterra. Instantly killing him, the group gathered his pieces and left for Iannocia to the North of Mount Knuur. Once there, Caracene cast a *Reincarnate* spell, bringing the fighter back to the overworld.

### Urgak's Lair

After checking in at a tavern in Iannocia, Cistell and Caracene announced to the group that they would be parting ways with them the next morning to pursue their original careers as traveling wizards. The following morn, they graciously thanked the group for taking them off the island, said their goodbyes, and walked off into the city. After this, the rest of the party went off to venture northward. On the way through the Iannocian peninsula to the Temple of Vestya, they came across a guard from the city who claimed to have been sent to investigate the temple. Along the way, however, they were attacked by a tribe of orcs. Most were kidnapped, and all he wants to do is save them. The group offered their help, and with it, they raided the camp. Navigating through icy trenches, they came across a balcony that overlooked the frozen sea below. Standing there with 3 prisoners was Urgak Wolfskull, the fierce orog chief that ravaged the land. At first, they tried to reason with him. When that didn't work, Toland fired two arrows at him; On hitting his hand, and one striking the prisoner next to him. A long, violent battle pursued, ending with Urgak hanging from a cliff by a rope. Around his neck. After they pulled his corpse up and looted it, Brenmythe found a flail that she later recognized from her years of sailing as the Flail of Chiefs.

### End of the Road

Once they had cleared Urgak's lair, the party (along with the three guards they had saved) traveled half a mile Northward to the Temple of Vestya. Upon reaching the ancient structure, they could easily tell that something was wrong. The sky was much grayer and dark than normal and the temple seemed lifeless. They entered the ginormous steel doors and immediately came across a zombie donning a violet cloak, supposedly an undead archpriest. They then came to the conclusion that a powerful necromancer took over the temple. But after clearing the temple, they found not one necromancer. They did, however, find a dark well of magic in the worship room that seemed to be pulsating with vile, purple energy. Inspecting it only summoned a deep, demonic voice to speak to them. As it spoke, it said;

*“I’ve awaited your arrival. Toland the fighter and your trusty pseudodragon… Brenmythe Galkilia and with your ship, the Kanelya… and how could i forget Mettaton the assassin… All of you come to slay me… How quaint. Lay down your arms. It’s no use fighting me… Look at me! I am pilot error, I am fetal distress, I am the random chromosome… I AM COMPLETE AND UDDER MADNESS!!! But enough, I was created as a way to store magic by your so called ‘Archpriests’. But with all this power, i became sentient. Ascendant, if you will. Almost like that fool, Torm. Except I am more than that. I plan to take this island, and with your bodies, I can achieve this goal… So please, if you could allow me to possess your bodies, I would gladly grant you some...artifacts I’ve created from my well of magic. Just think of the power…”*

Fearing a trap, the party declined the suspicious offer. Mettaton, however, accepted it. Once it was made clear, a burst of energy was cast from the well, shocking the unsuspecting rogue. The deal was a fraud, and Mettaton was about to be possessed. Enduring the magical energy, he was set back down, unharmed. In a rage, the magical being in the well (who revealed himself as *The Host*, a well of magic bent on the destruction of all life in Vestya), jumped into a large humanoid form. He was still made from purple energy, but has now covered in black armor and had a pair of dragon-like wings. With a mighty longsword and shield, a violent battle ensued. Although they tried their greatest to fight him, the party found themselves helpless against the monstrosity. It was only when Toland Jupiterra was only inches away from being stuck in the chest by the mighty sword that something miraculous happened. *The Host* was thrown back at least 30 feet by a volley of green fireballs. To the adventurer's surprise, it was the entire Thiamor Stone Mage's Guild, along with Cistell and Caracene. Knocked flat on his back, the heroes all attacked *The Host* simultaneously, killing the foe with a blaze of fiery glory. After they had been assured of the magical entity's destruction, Zenithar awarded the group with three magical items;

Toland received the *Banner of Solstice,* a bright red banner with the ability to give the wearer an advantage against radiant damage, as well as the ability to cast 1d6 points of radiant damage as a bonus action on an attack. It is unable to be torn.

Brenmythe received the *Chime of Truth*, a small, silver chime that, when targeted at a creature with the ability to speak, would force them to say the full truth about any topic the wielder chooses. Whenever the item is lost, it will return to the item within 12 hours of losing it unless it is in a dead-magic zone.

Mettaton received the *Hood of Blades,* sleek, black cloak that gives the wearer the ability to deal 1d6 more damage with weapons that deal slashing damage, as well as an advantage against blades (shortswords, longswords, greatswords, rapiers, etc.) The *Hood of Blades* is waterproof.

Upon asking Cistell and Caracene why they came back, Cistell answerer,

"*We heard a rumor of a group of adventurers traveling to the temple. Once we realized you had made it, we couldn't just stand there to see what would happen. Caracene contacted the guild, and we all came as quickly as we possibly could."*

As well as being given magic items, a courier came several days later with money from each of the four cities in Vestya. In all, the players received 1000 platinum pieces, as well as the gratitude of many in the island.