Trials and Tribulations

***Zor, Dravago 19, 993 YK***

The party found itself standing in tepid ankle-high water in a small cavern, face-to-face with the Daughters of Sora Kell, as the black receded. The three sister hags studied the party intently and spoke with them, answering questions and posing their own. They discovered that Teraza had foreseen their arrival and this was why Katra had sent them invitations, but the sisters were even unsure why the group decided to come. They did ask if the sisters knew anything about the potential murder of one of the guests. Teraza prophesied a confusing clue:

“Two in one. Soon one and done. In shadow and storm, he would tread, knowing what lies ahead. Seek the face of devotion, for when it seeks you, his fate is sealed.”

Teraza then offered to tell the party members how they would die. The only one to take her up on this offer was Ixen. Her prophecy of his death was this:

“Black is your death, fueled by hatred and vengeance. Laid low by the ghost of grief. You die alone. Not a hero’s death. Something quiet.”

While Ixen pondered that, hoping to use the knowledge to avoid his death, Gin managed to anger Sora Maenya and draw her ire. Katra had a private conversation with Josephine, intimating that there were a number of parties interested in her and that everyone was trying to manipulate her. Siegfried then decided to ask the sisters about Ashurta’s Blade, which also sparked Maenya’s anger, though Katra quelled it briefly. The Daughters indicated they knew exactly where the blade was located and could help the party find it, if they ask for their help. The price? Complete three trials for their warlords. Each of the warlords of Droaam was tasked with coming up with a trial and the party can choose any three to complete. If they do so and succeed in the trials, the Daughters will give them the information they seek. The party agreed and the Daughters returned them to the entrance hall.

[TRANSCRIPT]

***Far, Dravago 20, 993 YK***

The following morning, they met with each of the warlords. The potential trials were:

**Gorodan:** Kill a specific giant in Xen’drik.
**Sheska:** Spy on a political rival in Cazhaak Draal.
**Tzaryan Rrac:** Steal the Shield of Galifar from Sheshka and give it to him.
**Kethelrax:** Investigate missing kobold miners.
**Zaeurl:** Accompany the Dark Pack on the Great Hunt, two nights from now.
**Ghyrrn:** Help the gnolls kill a minotaur lord that is using bargaining with “dark gods”.
**Drul Kantar:** A mystery. He would only tell the party what the trial was if they accepted first.

Volik met with Sheshka to find out more information regarding the Shield of Galifar. The meeting was tense. Sheshka remaining fairly tight-lipped about it. He tried to appeal to her sense of morality, but found persuading her to aid them to be difficult. The only real information he got was obtained when she slipped up and mentioned the Shield of Galifar was in an ossuary. Ixen later indicated that there is a location in Cazhaak Draal referred to as the Ossuary, and is often used as a prison of sorts, as far as he knows.

Erring on the side of caution, the party decided to pick ones from individuals they already seemed to know decently well: Kethelrax, Zaeurl, and Ghyrrn. Each time they accepted a trial, the name of the warlord was carved onto the backs of their left hands. Given that Zaeurl’s was the only one with a time limit, they decided to tackle it first. In the meantime, they figured it best to continue investigating the potential murder. At one point, they began to suspect Helkashtai might be the target and, unable to locate him, sought a way to tap into the scrying foci the Zil had been surreptitiously handing out. Lacking the arcane might to do so themselves, they had to find someone else with the capabilities. They settled on asking the Valenar. The elves agreed to help… if Siegfried dueled their warrior delegate, Saer Vordalyn. He agreed and went out into the rain to combat the elf. The battle was difficult and Siegfried almost lost, but managed to take his opponent out.

Following through on their deal, Niath Iraenele used a ritual to tap into the network of scrying crystals. She used Gin as a conduit to allow him to take control and peruse the crystals, trying to locate Helkashtai with the limited time they had. He had to randomly target crystals, not knowing who possessed which one. In his scans, he heard Midian Mit Davandi speaking with the Darguun delegates. He also contacted Tzaryan Rrac, who briefly took control of the scrying from Niath and Gin, offering knowledge and power, but Gin turned him down. They finally found Hekashtai as Ambassador Jorasesh met with him. Though the time they had left to scry was short, they heard Jorasesh mention that he had recently visited with House Phiarlan and Lyrandar, who possess the Mark of Shadow and the Mark of Storm, respectively. They deduced that Teraza’s clue may be pointing to Jorasesh.

Uncertain what to do with this information, they warned Jorasesh that his life might be in danger and began to plan for their first trial. At the same time, Ixen accidentally interrupted Zaeurl’s son in the middle of him stalking Drego Sarhain through the halls. The elf was not pleased and took special note of Ixen, insinuating that he would make the Great Hunt *interesting* for Ixen.