Episode 96: Reasonable Doubt

Walking straight into the stronghold of the Chief Regent, the Heroes of Bingle put everything on the line in an attempt to clear their names and save the city of Terlis. But when magic itself is illegal, the odds against them might be impossible to overcome.

##### **DM/GM Intro**

It started as a simple Dungeon Run, but it has become something altogether more dangerous. A quest to save the world. For when these 5 adventurers ventured into that dungeon, they emerged with The Secret Keeper's Amulet. A magical item from a time long forgotten in Aïn, the Aureate age. A time of peace and prosperity that was shattered by the War of Ideas 300 years ago. Only by sacrificing everything were a group of Aïn's greatest champions able to restore order and ensure the safety of the realms. These champions gave up their lives to become the Wardens, 100 foot tall elemental titans who had protected the lands ever since. That is until a cabal, led by the shadowy Ashen Mage, began capturing the Wardens siphoning their power for her own nefarious purposes. When our heroes found The Secret Keeper's Amulet it brought them into contact with The Natural Order, conclave of Wizards who had been searching for the missing Wardens. One of their number, a Wizard named Torvalt "the Timid" told them that the Amulet was the key to unraveling the mystery of the Aureate age and preventing another calamity like the War of Ideas. It alone could unlock hidden memories from the Wardens past, clues about their creation and the lost knowledge of Aïn. So the team began searching for the Wardens, battling members of the Ashen Mage's cabal along the way. As they freed each new Warden they were able to witness a vision of the past and learn more then anyone alive about their worlds forgotten history. This trajectory inevitably brought them face to face with the Ashen Mage herself atop a fiery volcano known as Skyscorcher Peak. There the Ashen Mage rejected the wishes of her ally, a con artist named Vik, and tried to recruit Fahima into her cabal as their fifth member. Vik was furious and smashed a prized Urn held by the Ashen Mage. The resulting explosion released a torrent of otherworldly creatures into the realms. Demons that stalked the open spaces of Aïn, and lay waste to vulnerable cities and towns. Having freed three Wardens, the heroes of Bingle turned their attention to gathering allies. Battling back the demon threat from consolidating their resources. They tried to learn more about Vik's history in Olsvach, and visited the Orcish city of Thorn where Uggo's brother had made an alliance to intensify the Orcs war against the Dwarves. Uggo defeated his brother to assume control of Thorn, but was forced to sacrifice all of his levels of Barbarian to ensure the safety of his people. Weakened and vulnerable, he and the rest of the heroes of Bingle returned to James' hometown of Terlis to reunite with the Natural Order. As they witnessed in their first trip to the city, Terlis was in lockdown. A moratorium on magic had been enacted by the Chief Regent, Persta Samuels, following an arcane murder of a city guard. But that moratorium proved difficult for the team to abide. An official named Audric Lucern tried to confiscate Fahima's pet phoenix, so Uggo publicly threatened to tear the man limb from limb. When Lucern's dismembered body was later discovered, the team was wanted for the murder and forced to flee. Now back in the city after a long absence things have gotten only worse. Wanted posters with the teams faces plastered all over them still hang throughout Terlis, and the moratorium is still in effect but now, demons bombard the city walls. The heroes found refuge inside Nightstone Abbey with James' old mentor at the school, Hermil Fesh.

But shortly after they arrived a concentrated demonic assault broke through the city's northern border. After using magic to repel the attack James attempted to leverage the event by recreating the teams bravery for Persta Samuels in a dream. Hoping she might reconsider the efficacy of the moratorium. Next, they set about clearing their names for the murder of Audric Lucern. They found his grave on the Nightstone grounds, dug him up, and cast Speak with Dead on the rotting corpse. Lucern revealed he had been murdered by thieves, so Siv tracked down some Rogues who had snuck inside the city walls after their Shantytown was destroyed by invading demons. Siv persuaded them to divulge that a large Orc named Beal had been hired to carry out the murder on Lucern. Hired by non other then Vik herself, to frame them and prevent them from ever finding the Ashen Mage. Using Lily's Seeming spell, the team disguised themselves as guards, or bakers, or perhaps guard bakers and tracked Beal to an abandoned building. Deftly avoiding a confrontation, the team managed to cast Suggestion on Beal before a fight broke out. James commanded the criminal to follow them back to Persta Samuels bunker and confess his crimes. As we ended last week, the team marched through the city arriving at the portcullis protecting the front of Persta Samuels barracks. They stand at a secure and well defended fort with a prisoner, magically compelled to present himself to the leader who has outlawed magic.