Arc XIV: The Unforgettable Birthday Celebration

## Arc XIV Characters:

* Sylvia Hyacinth [She/Her] (played by Reagan - He/Him) - An Eladrin Fey Wanderer Conclave Ranger.
* Trey Clout [He/Him] (played by Evan - He/Him) - A Triton Warrior of the Sun Soul Monk.
* Nixim [She/Her] (played by Nora - She/Her) - A Tiefling Draconic Sorcery Sorcerer.

## Arc XIV Synopsis:

### Session 1:

Weeks ago, letters had been sent to the PC’s, inviting them to the second birthday party of Arthur Ashcreek. Each of them responded that they would come, and now, the day had come. Try Clout woke up for his usual routine of stretching, smoking and surfing, before finding it quickly interrupted by Aura and Arthur at his door, making sure he is coming to the party and asking if he would be willing to help out a little bit in setting up the party since he is already so close. He agrees to help but asks for a few minutes so he ca prepare here. The two leaving thanking him as he lights up some seaweed before they’ve even fully closed the door.

Trey makes his way to the town square of Summermoon packed with people gathered for the party. Amara Ashcreek comes up to him and asks if he can take a cluster of gifts and move them, as well as any others he finds to the gifts table. Before he can muster an answer she is already gone dealing with another problem. He goes about his newly appointed task and is given many more the moment its over.

Meanwhile on the Orange Road, Sylvia and Nixim discuss the gift that they had brought for young Arthur, a collection of toys from Nixim’s childhood which had been passed down for generations. As they reach the front gate, they follow the crowd to the town square where they find Trey running his errands. They hold an awkward conversation for a short while before Aura rings the town bell and asks the guests to move to the beach where Arthur will open his gifts. The crowd makes its way down while Amara taps on the tables to get them to walk behind all of them.

The crowd gathers with Arthur, Aura and Amara in the front, the other children of the town close in front of them, and the rest of the crowd scattered about the beach. After Trey embarrasses himself by taking credit for the gift of an official adoption decree by the Alaric family he runs to his house to fond something else for Arthur and Nixims gift is loved by both Arthur and Aura. On his way to found a new gift, Trey sees a group of Sahuagin coming onto the beach and something else cresting above the water far out into the distance.

The Sahuagin charge ahead and grab the children gathered around the party while Trey rushes ahead and intercepts a group of them and is able to save a few of them before charging into the water after the other kidnapped children. While underwater he sees a huge Dragon Turtle just before it breaches the surface and takes a large bit out of Aura who was hovering above in her full Dragon form.

Trey, Sylvia and Nixim are able to work together to save all of the children aside from Arthur and another Half-Orc child. Aura is hurt too badly to come with them but begs the three of them to save her son. They have left one of the Sahuigan alive and Trey intimidates him into showing them all where they had taken the children. They take to the ocean and find a sigil traced into the ocean floor that when they touch it, they are teleported into a familiar looking building. The Laughing Mausoleum catacombs has somehow found itself deep under the ocean, and once again these three are deep within, looking for a member of the Ashcreek family.

Faced with a door to the north, they open it and enter a room with doors to the left and right, a mirror on the north wall that they cannot see themselves in, and a large reflecting foundation in the middle. Trey looks in the puddle and finds himself completely entranced by his own reflection until Nixim slaps him across the face to snap him out of it. Nixim and Sylvia then take the West door, where the one again find themselves in a room with an ooze inside of it, but notably, instead of a key hanging on the back wall, the key is within the ooze itself. The two are able to handily take care of the ooze before grabbing the key and returning to the central room. Trey went by himself to the East door and found a wall of cabinets. The moment they are opened the cabinets all caught on fire and he saw that there were dozens of keys hanging inside the cabinets. Trey frantically pulls keys over and over again until he finds the one that opens the door behind them and also heads back to the center room.

They each take turns looking into the pond in the center and becoming similarly charmed by it as Trey was until they are hit in any way and snapped out of it. Soon they realize that those who hold the keys are now visible within the mirror on the North wall. After some investigation they find two keyholes and enter into another room with two trapdoors within it. Both trapdoors seem to go down endlessly. Sylvia goes right and Trey goes left. Sylvia quickly finds a new room at the bottom, but Trey climbs for several minutes and never finds anything besides a deeper pit. He drops off the ladder and catches it again after realizing that he still was not reaching any new rooms. They all head down the right ladder when Trey returns and the find themselves in a workshop with a large tank that the Half-Orc child is inside of floating in a strange liquid. They break the glass and as the child lands on the floor, he rapidly ages to the size of a 16 year old, but he still has the mind of a young boy. Searching about the room they find all kinds of research on rapid aging and growth.

After telling the Half-Orc that they will be back and calming him down they move forward, leaving him within the room to stay safe, they enter an office with books on Necromancy, body swapping and a personal journal that Sylvia puts into her bag to take with them. Behind a large painting of The Ember Keep they find a spiral staircase and at the bottom they find a large cave where another tank like the one in the previous room, housing Arthur with a skeletal zombie standing int front of it. Damir Mortyss taunts the PC’s and telling them that he really is tired of their meddling. He breaks the tank with a flick of his hand and casts a spell on Arthur as he also ages up to the size of a Young Gold Dragon. Mortyss commands Arthur to kill the meddlers. The group avoids Arthurs attacks and instead takes the fight to Mortyss.

After a long battle, Mortyss realizes that he is likely to lose and lets go of his control over Arthur and makes his way to the staircase to get away, but not before throwing one last Fireball at the group, which knocks Sylvia and Nixim unconscious. Thankfully, Arthur wakes up and is able to help the two stabilize themselves and get back on their feet. Unlike the Half-Orc child, Arthurs mind has also aged up along with his body. Thr group then make their way back, picking up the Half-Orc and returning to Summermoon.

Washing up on the shore, Aura rushes to meet them and hugs Arthur, lifting him up and nearly crushing him. She turns to the PC’s and thanks them for saving her son, but asking what happened. After trying to explain for a moment, Aura realizes they are badly hurt and heals them with her Draconic magic and asks them to explain again. Sylvia remembers that she has Mortyss journal, where it is explained that he was trying to take over Hyranor by stealing Arthurs body after again him up to adult age. Aura looks very worried still and asks if they still consider themselves adventurers for hire. When she hears the answer she likes, she offers them all a job. Kill the man who kidnapped her son. She tells them that she can give them the power that they need in order to do so. Τhey all happily agree and are granted a kiss on the head by the Dragon lady, granting them more power than they have ever experienced. She thanks them again and the three head out to find Mortyss one last time.