Delve Into the Shadowlands 5: Rescue

Previous Episode: Delve Into the Shadowlands 4: Twisting Time

## Synopsis:

It’s been over half a year since the mercenary Tarmak fell through a thinning to the Shadowlands. For months, mercenaries entering the Mouth of Chaos have uncovered odd objects, potential clues to his whereabouts, and a recent divination has granted insight to a method of retrieval. The mission may be suicide: find a means to enter the Shadowlands, somehow locate Tarmak from amidst the raw depths of the plane of chaos, escape through the Astral Plane and siphon life from magic to eject them from the throes of death. But it can be done, and there are those who would risk it all to bring back their lost comrade...

## Client:

Nwalme, adopted son of Xekral Shadhavar, has asked a group of trusted friends to accompany him.

## Mercenaries:

* Darius, Harengon Bard
* Erthish, Silver Dragonborn Zealot Barbarian
* Gnarlap, Silver Dragonborn GOO Warlock
* Ima, Half-Drow Celestial Warlock
* Nwalme, Shadar-Kai Phantom Rogue
* Nyx, Tiefling (Half-Orc thread) Echo Knight
* Svali, Dwarven Rune Knight

## Adventure Summary:

As the party prepared to stop Tarmak's rampage, they were joined by two of the patron from the tavern: Svali, a Dwarven Rune Knight, and Barri, a Gnomish Cutthroat. They told the rest of the party that they had previously been able to stop Tarmak's rampage by backing him into a Mouth of Chaos right before it shifted, but that it had been a difficult task.

Tarmak(?) appeared, silently advancing, and Nwalme tried to speak to him. Tarmak(?) ignored him, brandishing his axe, and forcing us into combat. The fight went well, and Tarmak(?) was close to falling, when another Tarmak (henceforth referred to as Two-mak) came running into town behind him, already looking fairly wounded. Two-mak attacked Tarmak(?), and revealed that Tarmak(?) was actually another construct of ice and mud, like the one that had been found in the Mouth of Chaos previously. Erthish destroyed the construct, and Darius used a sleep spell on Two-mak, as they were an unknown entity.

Nwalme tied up Two-mak, and upon his awakening, questioned him. As far as the party could tell, he was the real deal, and they decided to rest for the night before continuing on their way, looking to meet Emirikel and find out the nature of his debt to Tarmak. That night, Nwalme had a dream where a voice spoke to him, telling him that Two-mak was indeed another simulacrum. The next morning, the party, joined by Svali and Two-mak, headed east, towards the last known location of Emirikel.

As the party travelled, when passing under a massive rock, a shadow watched them pass below. Looking up, the party saw what appeared to be a dragon, with a masked man mounted upon it, matching the description of Emirikel. Emirikel blasted Two-mak with psychic energy, dispersing him into ice and mud, then flew down, and offered to assist the party with rescuing Tarmak, to repay his debt. Emirikel was then revealed to be the Otherworldly that Tarmak had freed from the Lonely Coin. This offer was too good to pass up, so the party accepted his help, joining him on the dragon, and being flown to a spell gate, the only way they would be able to reach Tarmak's prison in time to save him in the brief moments he would be in the Shadowlands.

Emirikel took temporary leave, flying around the spell gate, promising to rejoin the party after they had crossed. Each of the party members had to accept a curse from the demon guarding the gate, though Darius was able to fast talk the demon into taking a curse away from him. Ima was cursed to have the next person she inconvenienced blow it way out of proportion, Gnarlap was cursed to have his place of residence burn down when next he slept in it, Nyx was cursed \_\_\_, Erthish was cursed to lose her abilities if she deviated from a much stiffer morality, Svali was cursed \_\_\_, and Nwalme was cursed \_\_\_.

After reaching the location Tarmak would be appearing in, Emirikel re-appeared, and the party re-mounted the dragon, flying up to recover their lost friend. As Tarmak reappeared, falling through the sky, a horde of demons flew out of the trees around them, and the next minute saw the party fighting to keep the way forward clear, and prevent the demons from taking down the dragon and Emirikel. As Tarmak was snagged out of mid-air, Nwalme threw his Portable Hole into an Uncertainty Satchel, and the world turned white.

The party awakened in the Astral plane, surrounded by white space. Mysteriously, Emirikel and his dragon were not with them. They all felt empty, stuck between life and death, and the next 30 seconds would determine whether they would be able to return to the Material Plane. Luckily, Erthish still had her Starium Seraph, which she allowed to float, giving each member of the party healing in pulses. Between the salves provided by Nyx at the beginning of the adventure, Ima and Gnarlap's healing capabilities, and potions that had been found throughout their adventure, the party was able to escape back home, even grabbing the Starium Seraph as they vanished.

The party awakened in an abandoned city, which stood completely empty. ~~While they collected their bearings, Tarmak began to glow white, and a horde of demons flew out of him, scattering into the Westernlands. As that was happening, Darius' golden fiddle melted into another demon, and the rock in Ima's pocket turned into an imp. As the demons scattered, The party saw a sail on the horizon, indicating they wouldn't be alone for much longer.~~ Further exploration of the city revealed that there was a relatively large demon presence in the city, but they were mostly non-hostile. The party were (relatively) safe.

## Outcome:

The party was able to rescue Tarmak and escape the Shadowlands. ~~92 demons escaped to the material plane, and~~ Emirikel and his dragon likely did as well.

The party split, with Nwalme, Gnarlap, Nyx, and Tarmak returning to Abishot, and Erthish, Svali, Ima, and Darius staying in the Westernlands to assist the settlers.

## Adventure Rewards:

Everyone is still alive. Tarmak has been rescued, alongside Svali.