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The Elusive Red Witch is the third episode of the Trials of the Forgotten Relics campaign. The party accompanies Chloe's adoptive father, Captain Grendar, to the temple to restore the paralyzed Philip and Dago where Chloe convinces the adventurers to investigate the catacombs beneath the temple. Delving into the catacombs, the group discovers that somebody beat them to the prize and escaped.
Synopsis
Recap
So far you found yourselves in the majestic city of Sagemont gathering at the opulent Stonehelm Estate for a grand reception concerning the wedding of Philip Stones, the son of a prestigious noble in the city, and Chloe Rowen, a wizard prodigy, and an apprentice to a famous mage in the city.
During the party, after mingling with the guests and noticing some suspect, shady dealings among the mansion’s servants, you noticed that Chloe went missing. Following the trail of Chloe, you ventured upstairs searching for her, only to be ambushed while opening one of the doors. A couple of servants attacked you, paralyzing Dago and Philip and casting some distractions as you noticed one of them trying to flee with a bird cage containing a bird. Wintson saw a tied-up Chloe in one of the rooms.
After killing one of the servants who turned out to be a shapeshifted doppelganger, Ed figured out that the bird might actually be Chloe and, by breaking the concentration of the servant that was carrying the bird cage, the bird transformed indeed into Chloe. The rest of the disguised servants fled the mansion.
And that’s where we continue our adventure.
Grendar's request
Before they are taken to the temple, Lieutenant Aldric, chief security guard at the estate, orders the guards to secure all the entrances and escort all the guests out, including the adventurers. Then they bring two stretchers, they board Dago and Philip onto them and leave for the temple. Meanwhile, captain Grendar Ironkith, takes the adventurers aside and asks them to help him with this situation. He promises them that he will explain everything later and asks them to come with him at the temple to see more of the situation with Philip and Dago. He also convinces Chloe to stay home.
At the temple the priests restore Philip and Dago, but they notice that the wounds take slower to heal than usual, as they observe some necrotic energy lingering. Dago is fine, but Philip’s lower constitution made him still suffering from lingering effects. Captain Grendar shouts into the temple for more priests to come to investigate what is happening to Philip, reasoning that the temple of Waukeen owes a lot to the Stonehelm family for being their main supporters and donors. Most of the priests rush to the side chamber while Dago is set free.
The temple is unusually full tonight and the adventurers notice that many people carry flyers and coupons with promises from the temple. As they investigate, these coupons seem fake, and it seems like somebody wanted the temple to be full. An older lady asks the adventurers to help her with the bags she wants to donate to the temple. After they help her take the bags towards the backrooms, she reveals herself to be Chloe in disguise. Chloe quickly explains that the party at the Stonehelm estate was a ruse, trying to lure the strange cultists to the estate in order to trap them. Unfortunately, someone disabled the traps, and Chloe and Philip were caught unprepared.
Chloe tells the adventurers that she and Grendar managed to get some cultist communication specifying that they are targeting something beneath the Temple of Waukeen. As such, she asks the adventurers to accompany her to discover more about what these strange cultists want from her, as she and Philip cannot have a life with them on their tail. But before they can head down into the basement of the temple, noises and voices can be heard coming from the front entrance. Chloe tells the adventurers to head there alone, and she will catch up with them after she distracts the priests coming to inspect the backrooms.
The adventurers go into the basement, realizing that the railing contains traces of blood. They find a catacomb with many tombstones and an open entrance going deeper. The air coming from the entrance is thick and heavy and they realize it’s been opened very recently.
The temple catacombs
Going down the stairs they find a rectangular room with 6 statues, 3 on each side, of various creatures holding various items in their hands. They realize it’s a puzzle. They also notice the bodies of two robbed individuals lying on the floor dead. They identify their robes as belonging to the temple of Waukeen garments and both individuals have a similar mark on their wrists. One of the dead has its head missing and next to a wall, to which they deduce it’s a stone door. During their stay here, the ground shakes at regular intervals, like somebody is pounding on the floor.
The adventures start tempering with statues that grant various attributes while subtracting others. They manage to figure out the solution to the puzzle and the stone door opens. They see a stick fog in the hallway, and they pass through.
On the other side they see a tomb with a large tombstone in the center. Large murals and bas-reliefs lie on the walls and ceiling. In the room they also see several individuals: two masked individuals that seem to be hold a rod, presumably taken from the tombstone; a very disturbed lady dressed in red holding two swords; a lumbering abomination that seems to have carved an exit in the back wall; two more individuals dressed as priests of Waukeen.
One of the individuals wearing a mask speaks with a female voice, commanding the red female to dispatch the adventurers, and both of the masked individuals leave through the newly opened passageway that seems to lead into the sewers. A combat ensues where the adventurers manage to kill the red lady and her helpers.
Featured characters
The adventurers
Other characters
- Chloe Rowen: A young wizard desperate to find who is pursuing her.
- Philip Stones: Chloe's fiancée.
- Lady Althea Starheaven: A guest at the party.
- Lieutenant Aldric: Head of the guards at Stonehelm Estate.
- The Red Witch: A disturbed lady dressed in red clothes that attacks and taunts the party.