Unnamed Party

### Members

Dandak Gammidge, Otis Monsentrio, Dimble Sheppen, Savage Flame, Ivellios Nailo, Raveia Disaarin, Alonso Viora, Faewyn Velres, Kilvar Rumnaheim, Light Of The Morning, Kelnok Grakk, and Leonal Valantir

### Status

Active

Deeper Pie Friends is an adventuring party that formed in the village of Fishhook to stop the threat of the aboleth, Xantharatoth. Since then the party has gone on to save the life of King Semaj BigAxe and become agents of the kingdom of Rylandaria; whilst fighting against the forces of the Cult of the Bleeding Eye and the kingdom of Bruxia.

The group later took the name, The Pie Friends, after various shenanigans involving pies and Gerald the Baker.

Following the death of Father Inorias and the end of the war between Bruxia and Rylandaria, the party went their separate ways: some staying in Bruxia as part of Ivellios' new cabinet for ruling Bruxia, whilst others continued to travel the world.

## History

### **The Mystery of** **Fishhook**

Dimble, Kelvar and Ivellios arrived at the town of Fishhook to investigate the disappearance of several caravans and merchants in the vicinity. While investigating the Lonely Sailor tavern they encountered Otis who was singing there, Dandak and Savage who were simply passing through and Faewyn and Raveia; who were investigating disturbances to the surrounding forests.

After their initial meeting in the Fishhook tavern, the group were drawn outside by the screams of a woman (who turned out to be a caravan guard). After searching the area, they noticed tracks leading to the dilapidated church of Pelor. Inside they encountered Zoltan, who immediately drew their suspicions; particularly after he summoned several monstrous fishy locals to help him try to kill the party. After the tense encounter, a now magically charmed Zoltan led the party down into the caverns underneath the town of Fishhook.

The party cut down the mutated villagers down there who were under the control of the aboleth Xantharatoth. It had been slowly converting the townsfolk into his personal slaves to help launch an attack on the city of Oxenbridge. They encountered the aboleth itself in an underground lake, where, after a tense battle, Savage blew the creature to smithereens with a fire bolt.

In the creature's lair, the party found Alonso - a half-elf caravan guard with a tea obsession - trapped in a cage, and various letters indicating a plot planned by Father Inorias and the Cult of the Bleeding Eye, to assassinate King Semaj BigAxe and his lords during his birthday celebrations in Oxenbridge.

### **The Lady Of The Woods**

After leaving Fishhook to travel to Oxenbridge, to warn the king of the plot; the party encountered a group of cultists setting up strange scarecrows in the fields of local villages. After the party fought and killed the cultists, including Rydian, the party learned that the scarecrows had human eyes and were part of Father Inorias' crooked plan.

After travelling for several more days, the party came across a blockage of hay bales placed out by starving peasants; it turned out that they were from the village of Marlock; which had been struck by a terrible drought that had destroyed the crops. Also according to the peasants, the lord (Lord Gornock) had taken what little food and grain they had.

The party traveled through Marlock and on to Lord Gornock's mansion; which was surrounded by an ancient forest in full bloom. Upon arrival at the masion, they were greeted by Lord Gornock himself and his young son, Tyrios; who seemed distressed that the locals were suffering. He explained to the most of the grain and provisions were being sent to Oxenbridge for the army; as King Semaj believed a war to be brewing with Bruxia.

Raveia flirted with Lord Gornock, who explained that he had struggled in recent years after the death of his wife and second child. Dimble snuck off to investigate the rest of the mansion incognito, while Alonso, Dandak and Ivellios went to investigate the ancient forest.

Dimble discovered a large pile of food and other offerings in a locked room and confronted Lord Gornock. Ashamed, Lord Gornock admitted that he had also been keeping some provisions as an offering to a being known as the Lady of the Woods. She was an ancient being who had helped Lord Gornock sire a child with his wife, in return that he gift the child to her on the child's tenth birthday. When Tyrios' tenth birthday came around, Lord Gornock refused to give up the child, and so the Lady cursed his wife and second child to both die in childbirth. Since their deaths, the Lady had also blighted the crops and caused the villagers to suffer.

The party decided to help Lord Gornock by confronting the Lady of the Woods. They stepped inside the ancient forest outside the mansion, to find that it was in fact a separate plane of existence all together. Here time seemed to flow more slowly, and the fruits of all the trees had the most exquisite taste, as well as addictive magical properties. After finding several satyrs that roamed this forest, they were eventually led to meet the Lady of the Woods. Confronting her over the starving villagers and the death of Lord Gornock's wife and child; the Lady stated that she would only break the curse if Tyrios was given to her. Ignoring this offer, the party attacked her. In a vicious battle, in which Dimble took down all the satyrs (who actually hadn't wanted to join in the fight), Ivellios blew the Lady of the Woods apart with his eldritch blast.

Feeling that the curse had been lifted, Lord Gornock offered the party his seal as well as saying he would help them however he could in the future. The party then informed him of the plot to assassinate the king. Lord Gornock told them to head with all haste to Oxenbridge to prevent it; where he would meet with them before the king's birthday celebration.

### **Assassins in Oxenbridge**

After travelling to Oxenbridge and preventing the assassination, Father Inorias and Semaj II BigAxe fled the capital. The King rewarded the party with a house in the city, and declared war on Bruxia, mistaking the cultists for Bruxian agents. The party were tasked with ensuring that safe passage through Blackenhall would be possible.

### **Swamperton and the fall of Blackenhall**

After a brief excursion to the bullywug kingdom of Swampenton - in which no regicide happened, honest - the party arrived at Blackenhall to find it under the control of a drow priestess of Lolth. The party thwarted the drow plot to take over the city, rescuing the captive Lord Mauldeth. The party also helped to hold back a hobgoblin attack on the city, and freed around fifty refugees that had been enslaved by duergar in nearby mines (these refugees were most likely killed in the hobgoblin attack).

After brief celebrations, the party were tasked with bringing Father Inorias - last seen in the Vonkrul Mountains - to justice, and were to safely return Semaj II to his father (he's a very naughty boy).

### **The Sacking of Trapper's Grove**

Upon entering Bruxia, the party learned that a bounty had been issued against them by Lord Wolton, and were attacked by the Halfling Death Squad. After surviving the encounter, they continued to the nearby town of Trapper's Grove. The party discovered that Trapper's Grove was populated not just by the living, but also by undead creatures such as zombies, vampires and ghosts.

The party intended to keep a low profile, knowing that they were wanted, and so attempted to assume false identities. Exploring the town, the party quickly found a bakery owned and run by a ghost named Gerald Houndsley. They also met with the vampire mayor, Deacon Thunderstrike, and enquired about the purchase of undead servants, which Dandak took exception to on religious grounds.

After forming a peasant's revolt, the party confronted the mayor, however the event got out of hand as he already knew of the party's presence in the town. Offering the reward to the impoverished peasants, the party acted quickly, causing chaos and attacking not only the mayor, but also the peasants. Dandak fled the town and left the party behind, however the remainder of the party invaded the mayor's home and killed the vampire. It is here that party met Grakk, as he involved himself in the fight after his friend, Terrance, was murdered by a stray lightning bolt cast by Deacon Thunderstrike.

After delivering the killing blow to Thunderstrike, the party began sacking the town of Trapper's Grove, razing it to the ground. Leonal followed Dandak out of the town, as the remainder of the party continued onwards.

### **Thieves in Brenton**

Along the road to Brenton (the next town on the party's journey to Ravensdawn), the party came across a loquacious merchant; whom they promptly murdered, only to find out he was a spy for Hennet. Taking his cart and his notes, the party later came across an old saw mill where the lumberjacks had been murdered. It seemed to be the work of a nature spirit, known as a Verdant Prince. The party conversed with wildlife sent on behalf on the Verdant Prince, where they learned that it was at war with the town of Brenton for felling parts of the forest.

The party said that they would enquire into trying to stop the felling of the trees before Dimble promptly took a collection of twelve of the deer messengers as his own personal sled-pullers.

Upon entering the town, Ivellios visited the local church of Nerull to get healing, where upon the help he received, decided to join the church. Meanwhile, Savage had his coin purse stolen by on orphan, which led the party to Crooked Corner Orphanage. From they headmistress of the orphanage, they learned that all thieves in the city pay tribute to Jason Artimus, the mayor. The party decided to pay Jason a visit.

Upon arriving at Jason Artimus' cold, wooden mansion in the middle of town, they were greeted by the ghost himself and a grand buffet and party. He offered them a deal, help him remove Lord Wolton as the First Minister of Bruxia and he would take command, and promptly put an end to the war between Bruxia and Rylandaria. The party agreed, and also offered as a sight of good faith to deal with any of Jason's problems within the town. He tasked then with dealing with a difficult priest of Nerull, Ilvin Doombar.

After killing the priest, the party were attacked again by the Halfling Death Squad, though their leader Ishmael again got away. Dimble then recruited the hunter known as Dorn to work as his manservant and Otis was attacked by a revenant of a farm hand he had killed in Oxenbridge. After spending several days camped up in Jason Artimus' mansion, Jason showed the party of his portal through the Negative Energy Plane - which he said would be a quick way to get to Ravensdawn and take down Lord Wolton.

The party promptly decided to step through the portal shortly after Jason Artimus.

### **Trapped in Hollowheart**

After passing through the portal, the party arrived in the cellar of The Hellhound, a tavern in Hollowheart on the Negative Energy Plane. Asking around, it became quickly apparent that Hollowheart had become isolated from the other realms of existence, with people only allowed to travel into the Negative Energy Plane but not out of it. The source of this seemed to be the tyrannical Skull Lord, who had been placed in charge by Lord Wolton.

During the first night, Ivellios was contacted by Nerull, the God of Death, who convinced Ivellios to denounce Orcus and instead follow him. In the morning it was discovered that the Skull Lord had learned of the party's presence in Hollowheart, and was now in search of them.

After exploring Hollowheart, the party encountered several groups who, for varying reasons, wanted to leave the Negative Energy Plane. They agreed to complete tasks for these these groups in exchange for assistance in leaving. They helped Sigmund Cross in stealing a ledger from Melanie DeWinter, a fellow vampire who had pledged allegiance to the Skull Lord; they assisted the cambion Anastacia Alamantar by killing two succubi in the city; they also agreed to help the pirate captain Thadeus Thunderbeard by discovering what happened to some of his crew who had been sent into the sewers to hide their treasure from the Skull Lord.

After completing these tasks, the party discovered a cave system underneath the sewers that seemed to link directly to the Skull Lord's castle. Within this cave, they came across a large gathering of ghouls and ghasts under the control of Orcus. Ivellios, now being courted by both Orcus and Nerull, chose the latter and the party killed the ghouls.

Further into these caves, the party discovered a passage into the Skull Lord's castle. While exploring the cellar, the party came across the Black Knight torturing a fellow guard who had failed in his duties to capture the party during their time in Hollowheart. The Black Knight was ambushed and narrowly killed in a tough fight. Wounded, the party escaped the castle in order to rally their allies and attack the Skull Lord.

After fleeing the castle the party learned that, in the time they were in the cave system, the Black Knight had discovered Sigmund Cross' involvement in the plot and attacked his home, killing dozens of vampire while Cross escaped. The Skull Lord, upon learning of the Black Knight's death, withdrew the majority of his soldiers back to the castle.

After tracking down Cross and forming a plan of attack the party initiated the assault on the castle, using the pirate's cannons to bombard the castle walls and creating a false portal out of the city to draw troops out. After ambushing this force, the majority of the remaining forces were dispatched from the castle, leaving the party the sneak in to confront the Skull Lord.

In the Skull Lord's throne room, the party came face-to-face with the leader himself; a mountainous, three-headed skeleton capable of acting with immense speed and power. The Black Knight had also been resurrected, much to the surprise of the party. After killing this weakened Black Knight, the party banded together to fell the Skull Lord, his body shattering into hundreds of bone fragments upon his death.

Unfortunately, during the fight, Ivellios was also killed during the fight, after his use of the Rod of Wonder caused an aggressive red slaad to appear and ultimately kill him.

After the fighting had subsided, the Skull Lord's army had been defeated. Anastacia and Sigmund both vied for the throne, however the party forged a tenuous truce between them to maintain peace.

### Ravensdawn

Since leaving Hollowheart, the party arrived at Ravensdawn - the capital city of Bruxia.

## Main Members

The group of adventurers that gathered together in Fishhook has had several members over the months that they have been together. Those members include:

* Alonso Viora - a half-elf monk and connoisseur of tea.
* Dandak Gammidge - a halfling monk and cleric of Heironeous; he is the moral compass of the party. He left the party after the desolation of Trapper's Grove, but has since returned to after working with Hennet.
* Dimble Sheppen - a gnome revived rogue, who is a skilled thief and a kleptomaniac. He owns the pub in Bruxia called the Blacksmith's Arms.
* Faewyn Velres - a dragonborn ranger, who is the powerhouse of the party.
* Ivellios Nailo - a deranged dark-elf warlock, who made a deal with the demon lord, Orcus. He later changed his mind and made a pact with Nerull instead, before his untimely death via a red slaad he had summoned. He was later reincarnated as a minotaur.
* Kelnok Grakk - a monolithic half-orc barbarian.
* Kelvar Rumnaheim - a dwarf ranger.
* Leonal Valantir - a human eldritch knight, he is the simple but effective meat shield of the party.
* Light Of The Morning - a tabaxi ranger, also known as 'Cat Daddy'.
* Menye Waempo - a pot-smoking druid that the party met in the World Serpent Inn.
* Otis Monsentrio - a human bard, who has a tendency to skin people and wear their flesh.
* Raveia Disaarin - a tiefling druid, who cares more for animals than she does the people. She is followed by a wolf and a ghostly cat called Morgan Freecat.
* Savage Flame - a tiefling war mage, he is the arcane expert of the party.