Episode IV: Spectral Trials: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:45, 20 February 2024

pic.jpg
Previous Episode III: The Elusive Red Witch	Next Episode V: Pursuit of Elusive Truths

Spectral Trials is the forth episode of the Trials of the Forgotten Relics campaign. Investigating the newly discovered tomb, the party meets an ancient guardian that puts them to test who then charges the adventurers with an important quest.

Synopsis

Recap

We continue the story in the city of Sagemont where you have foiled a plot to kidnap Chloe at her wedding reception during which Dago and Philip were paralyzed. Sir Aldric, head of the guard, put both men on stretchers and headed towards the temple for the priests to restore them. Chloe’s adopted father, Grendar, the guard captain you met back in Ebendorf, a latecomer to the party, drew all of you to the side and told you that he did not trust any of this. He asked for your help, to come to the temple and make sure that Philip was in good hands. Meanwhile Chloe was persuaded by Grendar to stay at the mansion.

At the temple Dago and Philip were restored and unparalyzed, but their wounds were not healed as expected. You were told that necrotic magic has been infused in the process and the fact that you came so fast, the consequences were less dire. The temple was overcrowded with people that were shouting and yelling, and you quickly realized that somebody has been feeding them false information through flyers.

As Philip’s condition was worse than Dago’s, the priests kept him there to watch over him, while Grendar quickly intimidated the priests to bring everybody there to check on what’s wrong with him. During this time, an old lady asked you for help with some bags that she brought as donations for the temple. As you escorted her into the backrooms, she revealed herself to be Chloe in disguise. She started to tell more of what was happening: the reception was a ruse as Chloe, Philip and Grendar were followed by strange individuals, the same ones that pursued them when they fled Sagemont, 3 months ago. They tried to set a trap for them with the reception, but somehow, they got wind of it and disabled, taking Chloe by surprise.

Chloe told you that the strange individuals are somehow interested in something beneath the temple, as they got some correspondence between them, and she asked you to accompany her to investigate what is going on. But when voices were heard coming from the main hallway, Chloe sent you alone ahead, while she would distract them.

You headed down in the catacombs beneath the temple noticing that the railway down was smeared by blood. You found a hidden entrance already open and going through it you found yourselves in an underground hallway with multiple statues and three bowls of liquid. On the floor two bodies of priests bearing a weird sign on their wrists. You managed to solve the puzzles which opened the door that led you to an underground tomb where you found a group of people. One of them wore a mask and retrieved from the tombstone what seemed to be a golden shaft or rod.

The masked figure was accompanied by two more priests dressed like the others in the garments of Waukeen, an injured abomination which had carved a second breach leading to the sewers, and a frightful woman dressed in red clothes. As the masked individual left, saying that she got what she came here for, the others attacked you, and a battle ensued. The red clothed witch used darkness to disguise herself while attacking you, but Sarya did a clever maneuver that pulled her out of her darkness, the moment when you managed to kill her.

And that’s where we continue our adventure.

Tomb investigation

The adventurers start investigating the tomb. The images in the murals and bas-reliefs picture images that they recognize from the Great Sundering. While divine symbols exist, they don’t depict any known God but rather a general divine being. On the central tombstone there is an open reliquary that has a rod shape in it. The rod is missing, presumably taken by the masked cultists.

On the cultists they find a letter from someone called “Lord S” telling them to meet beneath the Wings of Amber at the Guardian’s Perch. Nobody knows where that is.

On the tombstone they find written: Here lies Sir Kendac Godrisi, hero of the Great War, keeper of the faith. Within this hallowed ground, echoes of history resonate, and a timeless piece awaits under the watchful eyes of the ancestors. To claim the prize, pass the guardian’s judgment and grasp the treasure beneath the gaze of the celestials.

As they push the stone to reveal what is inside, a ghostly apparition forms and speaks to the adventurers. He presents himself as the guardian and asks the individuals if they are willing to take the Guardian’s trials to prove themselves worthy. After some debate, they agree, and the guardian opens a doorway to the side and urges them to enter.

The guardian's trials

The adventurers take the door, and they appear in a jungle where two tribal individuals try to attack a very injured manticore. They ask the adventurers to kill the foul creature as it is a danger for their tribe but seeing that the manticore has a baby and just wants to defend herself, the adventurers take her side. When they heal the manticore, she shapes into the guardian commending the adventurers for their decision and another pathway opens.

The pathway opens into a bridge that crosses a great chasm toward an island where a crumbling tower rests. The bridge is old and partially collapsed and as the adventurers approach, the bridge becomes invisible. The party starts to cross the bridge after they tie between themselves with ropes. During the crossing of the invisible bridge, the party is assaulted by shadowy apparitions coming from the chasm below. Most of them resist the fear, but Ed fails and jumps into the chasm. As the rope holds her suspended in the air, Dago and Mother start to pull her up. The adventurers successfully cross the bridge.

In the tower they find a strange and charismatic individual that tells them that he will give them the last trial. He resembles a colorful Chinese dragon by the name of Strife. He puts some tea for them and then teleports them to a chamber where the trial begins. In the middle of the room is the scroll that they need to retrieve, but as one of the adventurers walks to it to retrieve, he must make a choice: get the scroll or save his companions from falling. He chooses his companions and as they fall, they reappear in the tomb chamber where the guardian commends them for passing the trial.

The guardian tells them that the individuals that came before are dangerous, and they set in motion events that cannot be stopped. He urges the adventurers to get involved: they will soon have to make a choice – destroy this world or reshape it. “Follow them” he says, “and get back what they have stolen”. He also rewards them with his sword found at the base of the tombstone. Dago takes the sword for himself.

Out through the sewers

The adventurers follow the path through the new opening into the sewers and eventually come out into the streets. It’s evening. They want to go to the Enchanted Chalice Tavern to meet with Grendar, but when they arrive there, they find that the captain of Ebendorf has left. They decide to go to Philip's mansion to retire for the night, but they don’t find him at home. They first head to the temple of Waukeen where they find out that the Helmets (the local elite guard) are patrolling the grounds, as they are investigating the murder of several priests there. They also find out that Chloe seems to have been seen fleeing the scene and is considered the prime suspect.

As Philip has been taken to his father’s home, they head there, finding Stonehelm Manor under watchful guard and no one is allowed in. Pondering what they should do they think of infiltrating the manor, but they reconsider afterwards.

Featured characters

The adventurers

Other characters

Chloe Rowen: A young wizard desperate to find who is pursuing her.
Philip Stones: Chloe's fiancée.
Lieutenant Aldric: Head of the guards at Stonehelm Estate.
Strife: a dragon-like mysterious creature met during the guardian's trials.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {| class="wikitable" align="right"
-| colspan="6" |[[File:Reception_at_Stonehelm_Estate.png|center|thumb|339x339px|Reception at Stonehelm Estate]]
+| colspan="6" |pic.jpg
 |-
 | style="text-align:center;" |'''Previous'''
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ''And that’s where we continue our adventure.''
-==== Grendar's request ====
+==== Tomb investigation ====
-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.
+The adventurers start investigating the tomb. The images in the murals and bas-reliefs picture images that they recognize from the Great Sundering. While divine symbols exist, they don’t depict any known God but rather a general divine being. On the central tombstone there is an open reliquary that has a rod shape in it. The rod is missing, presumably taken by the masked cultists.
-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.
+On the cultists they find a letter from someone called “Lord S” telling them to meet beneath the Wings of Amber at the Guardian’s Perch. Nobody knows where that is.
-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.
+On the tombstone they find written: ''Here lies Sir Kendac Godrisi, hero of the Great War, keeper of the faith. Within this hallowed ground, echoes of history resonate, and a timeless piece awaits under the watchful eyes of the ancestors. To claim the prize, pass the guardian’s judgment and grasp the treasure beneath the gaze of the celestials.''
-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.
+As they push the stone to reveal what is inside, a ghostly apparition forms and speaks to the adventurers. He presents himself as the guardian and asks the individuals if they are willing to take the Guardian’s trials to prove themselves worthy. After some debate, they agree, and the guardian opens a doorway to the side and urges them to enter.
-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 guardian's trials ====
+The adventurers take the door, and they appear in a jungle where two tribal individuals try to attack a very injured manticore. They ask the adventurers to kill the foul creature as it is a danger for their tribe but seeing that the manticore has a baby and just wants to defend herself, the adventurers take her side. When they heal the manticore, she shapes into the guardian commending the adventurers for their decision and another pathway opens.
-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 pathway opens into a bridge that crosses a great chasm toward an island where a crumbling tower rests. The bridge is old and partially collapsed and as the adventurers approach, the bridge becomes invisible. The party starts to cross the bridge after they tie between themselves with ropes. During the crossing of the invisible bridge, the party is assaulted by shadowy apparitions coming from the chasm below. Most of them resist the fear, but Ed fails and jumps into the chasm. As the rope holds her suspended in the air, Dago and Mother start to pull her up. The adventurers successfully cross the bridge.
-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.
+In the tower they find a strange and charismatic individual that tells them that he will give them the last trial. He resembles a colorful Chinese dragon by the name of [[Strife]]. He puts some tea for them and then teleports them to a chamber where the trial begins. In the middle of the room is the scroll that they need to retrieve, but as one of the adventurers walks to it to retrieve, he must make a choice: get the scroll or save his companions from falling. He chooses his companions and as they fall, they reappear in the tomb chamber where the guardian commends them for passing the trial.
-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.
+The guardian tells them that the individuals that came before are dangerous, and they set in motion events that cannot be stopped. He urges the adventurers to get involved: they will soon have to make a choice – destroy this world or reshape it. “Follow them” he says, “and get back what they have stolen”. He also rewards them with his sword found at the base of the tombstone. Dago takes the sword for himself.
-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.
+==== Out through the sewers ====
+The adventurers follow the path through the new opening into the sewers and eventually come out into the streets. It’s evening. They want to go to the Enchanted Chalice Tavern to meet with Grendar, but when they arrive there, they find that the captain of Ebendorf has left. They decide to go to Philip's mansion to retire for the night, but they don’t find him at home. They first head to the temple of Waukeen where they find out that the Helmets (the local elite guard) are patrolling the grounds, as they are investigating the murder of several priests there. They also find out that Chloe seems to have been seen fleeing the scene and is considered the prime suspect.
+As Philip has been taken to his father’s home, they head there, finding Stonehelm Manor under watchful guard and no one is allowed in. Pondering what they should do they think of infiltrating the manor, but they reconsider afterwards.
 == Featured characters ==
@@ Line 61: / Line 65: @@
 * [[Philip Stones]]: Chloe's fiancée.
 * Lieutenant Aldric: Head of the guards at Stonehelm Estate.
+* [[Strife]]: a dragon-like mysterious creature met during the guardian's trials.