Session 13

**Session 13 of the Eden campaign** took place on 24 January 2020 (in Eden time: 2 August 120 3A; ended 9 August ca. 2:00 PM).

## Synopsis

The Usual Suspects regroup and prepare to topple Fredgar Whitehelm's plans. In the Arcaneum of the Golden Tower, they fight the Impostor--an extraplanar being in the guise of Tuderick Torunn--who was attempting to operate the machine. Upon descending, the Usual Suspects discover that--yet again--time seems to have eluded them, and a terrible civil war took place within Tzand, of which Mzundelft was victorious.

## Quests

### New Quests

* **A Cold Wind on the Horizon (Everyone):** Prevent Keldar from conquering Erideon.
* **A Veil of Darkness (Everyone):** Uncover the ontology of the Impostor.

### Completed Quests

* **An Enemy at the Gates (Everyone):** Clear your name in Mzundelft and  discover Fredgar Whitehelm's true intentions.
* **That Which is Unknown (Everyone):**  Defeat the Impostor.
* **The Spoils of Victory (Everyone):**  Stop Fredgar's plans in Tzand.

## Summary

### Pixietown

The Usual Suspects awaken in the pixies' settlement to the sound of high-pitched laughter. After a short deliberation, they decide to venture back into the Golden Tower to attempt to confront Fredgar Whitehelm and disrupt his plans. They ask the pixies for help returning to the tower, and Alvin eventually agrees to teleport everyone to the Arcaneum. However, the spell goes awry, and the Usual Suspects appear a short distance 'outside' the Arcaneum.

Huron and Asutali manage to stop themselves immediately using the Immovable Rod and a spell. Iago and Shump fall a short distance before stopping themselves, catching themselves on a ledge and on a rope Huron tied to the Immovable Rod, respectively. Ulfgar, however, plummets much further, losing his sword before landing just over 20 floors down. Without Ulfgar, the rest of the party enters the tower through a window near where Iago landed, and Ulfgar himself enters through a much lower window.

Upon entering the tower, both groups encounter and quickly dispatch some of Whitehelm's men. Asutali flies down the tower to find Ulfgar and to retrieve his sword. After this point, none of Whitehelm's men offer any more resistance, and the party sees many dwarves descending the stairs and elevators.

### Adventures in the Golden Tower

Reunited once more, the Usual Suspects climb up to the Arcaneum, only to find a large metal door covering the entrance. Failing to breach the door, magically or otherwise, Ulfgar sets dynamite upon the columns supporting the floor of the Arcaneum and lights the fuse. However, when no explosion is heard, the Usual Suspects return to find a cloaked female dwarf destroying their dynamite charges. This dwarf quickly flees into the now-open Arcaneum and shuts the door behind her.

Frustrated, Shump resorts to pounding on the door with his bare fist and shouting. In response, the many cogs covering the face of the door begin to move around, forming the face of the she-dwarf who fled behind the door. The face introduces itself as Hjala, the guardian of the Arcaneum. She claims that Hjartarson Coldwind just entered the Arcaneum and ordered her not to let anyone else enter. Shaken by disbelief, the party demands to see inside. Hjala complies, showing through a magical lens an image of Tuderick Torunn (the real Hjartarson) at the controls of the reassembled device, adorned with the emblem of Clan Whitehelm. The party tries to convince Hjala that Hjartarson is an imposter and would never wear such symbols, though unsuccessfully. Asutali then reveals Hjartarson's death to Hjala, passing along a thought strand encoded with her memory of his corpse. Wordlessly, Hjala's door swings open to allow the Usual Suspects access to the Arcaneum.

The Usual Suspects discover the Impostor at the Arcaneum, standing at the controls of the now-spinning machine. He pays no heed to the party until Ulfgar charges at him, at which he demands that they hand over the eyestones and leave, lest they meet their ends at his hand. The party moves to attack the Imposter, who responds by drawing a glowing red blade. Shump engaged the Imposter in a melee while Ulfgar charged in on Tanngrisnir. Warhelm, Huron, and Asutali provided supporting fire, and Iago began casting spells of healing and warding. However, the Imposter proved to be a formidable foe; he cut down Tanngrisnir, dealt a greivous smite to Shump, caught one of Huron's arrows out of the air, and deflected Warhelm's musket ball with his blade. The Usual Suspects soon began to breach the Imposter's defenses, landing several severe blows on the dwarf.

After receiving one such blow, the Imposter suddenly stopped, and his flesh began to crumble to dust. From the crumbling dwarf rose the Imposter's true form - a shadowy extraplanar being. The mere sight of the Imposter's true form struck fear in most of the party. With its long, grasping arms, the Imposter threw Ulfgar, now unconsious, across the Arcaneum and dealt several fatal wounds to the ever-tenacious Shump, who remained on his feet in defiance of death. Iago set the Imposter ablaze with radiant flame, and Huron followed with a vial of burning oil. Burning and weakened, the Imposter rushed over to the unconscious Ulfgar, tore off his pack containing several eyestones, and passed through the floor. Asutali gave chase, flying down the elevator shaft and following the Imposter out a window. The imposter made off toward Keldar, clutching Ulfgar's pack and swerving to avoid Asutali's spells, but she struck down the being, reclaimed the pack, and returned to the Golden Tower. Exhausted but luckily still alive, the Usual Suspects rested just outside the Arcaneum before making their way down to the city of Tzand.

### Outside the Tower

A civil war has erupted outside the tower

Now that Stavenberg is at war with Keldar, Fredgar Whitehelm took many of his men back to Brunleft to organize a defense. His remaining troops were then set upon and destroyed by the soldiers of Mzundelft, Fallhammer and Kragstett, although at significant cost.

Nonetheless, it appears that--for now, at least--Fredgar's plans for Tzand have been entirely laid to waste.

### Outside Mzundelft

The Usual Suspects also learn of activities afoot throughout the rest of the continent.

At the Battle of Woodbury, on the 2nd of August, the legions of Keldar served a crushing defeat to the forces of Tyrland, who are now in a full retreat. The Keldari columns advance throughout most of eastern Tyrland, and are soon to reach Leiton.

Meanwhile, Keldar has obtained several important victories in the North against the Free Provinces.

At the same time, the Paladins of Kel have declared war upon the state of Stavenberg, with whom relations were already strained. This took place on the 4th of August.

Against the New Monarchy, the Holy Order's forces remain in a dire stalemate after the Lord Lautrec delivered a pyrrhic victory in the Siege of Tourall. Although the duchy has fallen, the Grand Master's men have been unable to continue their offensive.