Adventure 19

**Real World Date: 11/26/2017**

**In Game Dates: January 20th, 5001 M.E. - January 23rd, 5001 M.E.**

**XP: 1600 (Total: 12601)**

## Crossroads

The party reaches a crossroads on their way to Valya. The military procession is heading west. Heading east is a funeral procession for the late leader of the church of Aubade, Quinn Weatherton. There are numerous clerics as well as a long line of civilians following the procession. Coming from the north is a merchant caravan that moves off to the side of the road to allow for the funeral and the military march to pass.

Traveling with this caravan is Dhamon Darkstar, an Eladrin Bladesong. He approaches the party, seeking out Arkul Wrax and Aust Nailo. He tells them that he is on the hunt for rebels from the Daeryn Forest who are fleeing after a failed coup. He has been charged by the government of Daeryn, the **Azure Conclave**, to seek them out and bring them to justice. In his travels and searches, he discovered intel about the two men and he believes there is an ambush awaiting them when they arrive in Valya. He says that he will accompany them if they'll have him since this is his only lead regarding the fugitives he is pursuing. He seems genuine, although Ren senses he is leaving something out. The party agrees and Dhamon joins their group and travels west with them.

Dhamon is contacted by Omar Trickfoot through the sending stones and he warns him the ambush is definitely in Valya and it is being orchestrated by the **The Sisterhood**, which he relays to the party. They explain their history with the group to Dhamon and Ren.

## End of a Pilgrimage

As they are traveling, they military procession reaches the outskirts of the city of Valya, which they discover are filled with travelers camping outside. They ask some people and it turns out the city is a source of a lot of pilgrimages, and many of them stop outside the city and await an invitation from the representatives of the church they follow to enter the city. This is normal and expected, and often people will be outside the city for long periods of time.

As they pass by, a woman approaches the party in the back of the procession. She is worried about a homeless man that is going through one of the tents. He's been asked to leave, but he won't leave. She doesn't want to tell the military because they might just slaughter him, so she figured asking the party to use a firm hand to show him out would be better. The party agree, despite believing this might be a trap, and they get off their wagon to speak with this man.

## Ambush O'Clock

 **Location** | Pilgrim Encampment - Outside Valya

The party approach the tent that is being ransacked bythe homeless man. They are cuatious and ask him to stop, when suddenly the homeless man throws off the rags covering him to reveal that he is a demon known as a Vrock. The civilians around the tent flee in terror as the party does battle with it. During the battle, the Vrock gambles and attempts to summon another Vrock and is successful. They party is able to slay the creature before it can do too much damage.

As they finish, Cedra's lieutenant, Brutus Mardale, and a squad of clerics devoted to Gallant approach to make sure everyone is safe. They are too late to assist in the battle, but they heal the party. They question the woman who summoned them, who is around, and she reveals that she was elected by the group to find someone and ask for help with the demon, but she didn't know it was a demon. The party believe her, and decide to move on, the ambush defeated. They rejoin the procession and they march into the city of Valya.

## Holy Streets

The majority of **The Unseeing**, or city guard, part ways with them after they enter the city. They believe they are safer within the walls, and return to their duty of protecting the city. The procession continues through the **Gallant District**. They reach the barracks of **The Unseeing** where the Crown of Olum is to be stored. Once they reach there, the rest of **The Unseeing** depart and half of the clerics of Gallant stay below as the other half go into the barracks with the Crown.

Sir Fenthril Sunmoore insists that he join them up until the moment that the artifact is sealed away. Lord Cedras Taff explains that this vault they are sealing it in is quite secure, and that it's a holy place and it's not apprpriate for outsiders to be in there. After Wrax and Aust also insist on following this through until the end, Cedras says he can allow a max of two people to come up with them. Fenthril says he will be okay if Wrax and Aust went. He trusts them to see it through. They agree and head up, leaving the rest on the ground with the wagon.

## Vault of Chains

Dhamon doesn't want to let the two out of his sight, so he goes invisible and follows the group up to the top of the barracks. When they reach the top of one of the towers, they see a large metal box wrapped in chains that Cedras calls the **Vault of Chains**. That is the enchanted vault that will store the artifact. The hole where items is desposited is on the roof of the tower, so they proceed to the roof.

On top they see a hatch on the floor of the roof. There is a large opening that requires three keys and a smaller opening that requires only one. Cedras explains that the smaller one is only for desposits, and only requires one of the members of the **Holy Conclave**, the rulers of the city to open it. To retrieve an items requires three keys, however, and three members' keys. His men open the chest containing the Crown as Cedras waxes poetic about the artifact.

## Deceptions Revealed

Lord Cedras Taff has been seeking out various evil artifacts for the express purpose of locking them up. He had solid leads on many of them, but he could not find anything concrete about the Crown of Olum. So he says it was fortuitous that he ran into that coven of hags, whom he let capture him. He "gave up" what he knew about the artifact, thinking it was enough info to tantalize them, but nothing likely that they would find, then escaped. However, months later when the coven seemed to have found it and deployed it in the Veryd Forest, he was thrilled that it had somehow yielded results. He was sad for what happened in the Veryd Forest, but he was now glad that the crown was revealed and could now be contained.

Wrax and Aust become suddenly very nervous. They get ready to fight. Dhamon prepares as well, though he isn't sure why it's suddenly very tense. Two of the soldiers of Gallant suddenly turn into werewolves right before their eyes and they reveal they have no intention of locking the artifact up, but actually intend on using it. Cedras offers the players two options. They can join them, help them use the artifact for good, or they can become their enemies. The players opt for option two.

## Fighting a Losing Battle

 **Location** | The Unseeing Barracks - Rooftop

Down below, sitting with the wagon by himself, Ren notices that the clerics of Gallant that were waiting down below with him have gotten ready for battle. They pull out their weapons. Ren climbs on top of the wagon, waiting for an attack. He can't see, but hears sounds of battle up above, so he hops on one of the Pteranodons and flies up to the roof to see the battle that is ensuing. He hops off the dinosaur and lands on the tarp covering the rooftop, cutting a whole in it to see down into the battle.

Dhamon reveals himself as Wrax and Aust attack. They manage to injure many of the soldiers and the werewolves, but they are quickly overwhelmed. Cedras puts on the Crown of Olum and a charm spreads out around him. The players resist, except Ren, who is charmed into helping them. To help them, however, he decides to cast a healing spell that will take ten minutes to cast, effectively taking him out of the battle. Once Cedras realizes he can't charm them, he tosses the artifact to one of his men and orders him to leave and hide it somewhere.

The party is overwhelmed, knocked down, and tied up...

## Sneaking Through the City

 **Location** | Valya - Alleyway

The party awakes to find themselves imprisoned without their gear. They are healed, as they got a full days rest, they are unsure what had happened to them. Before they can really get their bearings inside this prison, a Dwarf woman comes down a set of stairs and unlocks their cells. She introduces herself as Korra Greybridge, a priestess of Morkai. She believes they are being set up and wants to help them, but she can't explain everything right now. She shows them where their gear is and they escape quietly.

They duck down sides streets and alleyways, trying not to garner any attention. They make their way towards another part of the city, which Korra says should be an entrance to a safe place to hide. As they make their way down an alleyway, they are ambushed by several of **The Unseeing**. They defeat them eventually, making sure they aren't being followed. They hear alarms go off as the city goes on lockdown, thier ability to escape the city cut off. Korra leads them down below.

## The Underground

Korra takes them under the city into a series of unfinished tunnels. She explains that these were a series of tunnels designed to create a method of public transportation that ran underneath the city (a subway) but interest in it and funding dried up. These tunnels are mostly forgotten, which is why she thinks they are safe her for while. This is also where her group, **The Underground** meet. As she leads them through the tunnels she explains what their group is.

They were a group of clerics from different churches int the city that met regularly just to discuss their jobs, their churches, and politics, or whatever came up. Through these discussions they collectively noticed their leaders, and the leaders of this city, were acting strange and doing things in secret for no reason. Together they noticed a pattern emerge, and realized something fishy is going on. It was really when Quinn Weatherton died under suspicious circumstances that they really began to think there was something devious going on.

## Meeting the Crew

Korra leads them to a side chamber in these tunnels where four other clerics are waiting. There is Maevis, a stern Human priest of Gallant. There is Shay, a Moon Elf priest of Ancillia, who is quiet and pensive. There is Morgan, an Verydian Elf priestess of Isbrea, who is dressed scantily and has a haircut that unnerves Wrax for some reason. Finally there is Jalen, a Half-Elf priest of Aubade, who is wealthy looking but scared. They are all nervous that Korra brought these fugitives here, but she assures them it was the right thing to do.

The group decides what to do next. Maevis will try to get close to the inner circle of Cedras to gain some intel and maybe discern their plan. Shay will try to use divine magic to discern the location of the Crown of Olum and any other intel that would be useful. Jalen reluctantly agrees to speak to his noble contacts in hopes of finding out if anything movers or shakers are working with Cedras or know anything useful. Morgan says she will ask any of her clientele at her temples of Isbrea (usually bath houses and sometimes brothels) to see if she can discern anything useful from the rich and sometimes immoral. Korra says she will lead the party to a hiding place and make sure they are well hidden before she goes back to the surface.

## Nobody Expects the Fourth Ambush

 **Location** | Valya - Subway Platform

The party is lead by Korra further into these series of subway tunnels. Eventually they reach an important juncture, only to have several men jump out of the shadows. Korra warns them that attacking them would be a mistake, but two of them reveal themselves to be Wererats and they attack anyway. They party slowly takes them all out, with Korra tying up the Wererats and healing them.

She asks them to take her to their leader, as she has an offer for them. She doesn't mean them any harm and just wants to talk. The two Wererats realize they have very little choice and agree. They are untied and those two lead Korra and the party to meet with their leader...