Episode 3 Part 1 "Occupied Skulls"

Session #5: 7/7/2019

**23 Vesarim 2349 of the 5th Age**

## **Recap**

* The party had just finished gathering equipment at Cloud on a Mountaintop's Mystical Emporium and were preparing to leave when a hooded figure entered Cloud's shop and gave Cloud an envelope.
* Cloud quickly called in his favor with Kandra, he wanted a book called the Planus Axterum from the very place the party was looking for Keefax, the Horned Alliance's secret fortress.
* Cloud sent along an individual he trusted to aid the party on their mission, a teifling ranger named Zevah.
* The party avoided a checkpoint where the Blackscales were accosting civilians and bluffed their way across a bridge to the far side where they entered the sewers.
* In the sewers Kandra was nearly killed by a trap but was saved by Thokk who had been enlarged by Vendrin.
* The party passed through the archway using the key phrase but Vendrin and Kandra were shot from behind by two animated Ballistae, however, they quickly advanced deeper into the demiplane.
* The party investigated the fortress, and in the fortress's prison they found a drow assassin named Cor Ik'anim who helped them take down Keefax.
* The party apprehended Keefax, cut off his hands, and gagged him to prevent him from casting before Thokk, Zevah, and Vendrin looted several additional books from the library, as did Cor.
* The party quickly left the fortress, on the way out Kandra interrogated Cor about his relationship with her mother, Kyorlan, just before teleporting away Cor looked Kandra in the face and admitted to killing her mother.
* The party hurried back through the sewers to the surface.
* On the way back toward Cloud's shop, the party stopped by the Silverwind museum hoping to convince him to give them the Ring of Yr by having Keefax admit to its theft.
* Xyn Orath revealed himself to be a dragon and told the team they were welcome to the Ring of Yr but that they would have a great deal of trouble returning it to Artek because the Blackscales have a blockade around the city.
* Xyn suggests that to end the blockade and escape the city they will need to drive the Blackscales out. He believed that the king must be under the influence of someone as he had been acting strangely even before betraying Elbereth.
* The party left Keefax with Xyn Orath before going to Cloud on a Mountaintop to give him the Planus Axterum and ask for his aid, though he would refuse to give any.
* The party undertook a plan to infiltrate the Shadwin Citadel by having some of them pose as prisoners while others followed using the Dust of Disappearance.
* The party did not make it very far before being discovered and apprehended but while they were being processed before being taken to the dungeon they escaped with the help of their invisible companions.
* The party took one of the Blackscales hostage and had him lead them through the castle to the king's chambers.
* The hostage attempted to escape when they encountered another squad of soldiers, but the party easily dealt with them as well as a group of commoners that had been possessed by monsters.
* The party advanced to the king's chambers where they prepared for an epic battle with the creature that had been controlling the king and so many others. When Thokk rushed forward and used the Staff of the Mad Mage on the creature... turning it into a second staff.
* What followed was a fight with a group of staff and soldiers that had been infected by the brain creatures.
* The party successfully removed the Intellect Devourer from the king, however with no way to restore his brain he died.
* The party quickly fled so as not to be implicated in regicide.
* The group met with Xyn Orath in the silverwind museum before agreeing that someone should impersonate the king and inspire the city to rise up against the blackscales. Xyn Orath left to call a meeting of the islands high council, while the party figured out what their next move was.

## Notes

Zevah received her reward for retrieving the Planus Axterum but chose not to tell the party what it was. After the events of the session, she went to see Cloud to question him about his interest in Planar travel.