A Reception of Deceit is the first episode of the Trials of the Forgotten Relics campaign.
Walkthrough
In the late hours of the afternoon, the bustling city of Sagemont greets a peculiar caravan, its members a motley assembly of adventurers, each bearing their own secrets and stories. Among them were Ed and Elinor, siblings bound not just by blood but by destiny, their arrival in Sagemont marking the beginning of a journey neither could have envisioned. Accompanying them were companions as diverse as the lands from which they hailed: Sol, a red dragonborn monk with a serene demeanor belying his fierce heart; Mother, a stone golem whose silent vigilance spoke of an unyielding loyalty to Ed; Draella, a half-elf with eyes as sharp as her wit, clutching a vial of light stolen from the ethereal realms; and Gwaindir, a wood elf whose home in the Wooden Realm had been betrayed by Draella’s theft.
The artifact in question, the Light of Caeth, became the center of a heated debate between Draella and Gwaindir, their voices echoing the discord of a fractured family. Elinor, with the wisdom of one who has known loss, took the burden upon herself, her decision unspoken yet resolute. Draella, her heart heavy with worry for her ailing daughter, departed for her abode within Sagemont, while Gwaindir sought solace in the embrace of the forests that skirted the town, the stone walls of civilization an anathema to his soul.
Meanwhile, Ed, Elinor, Mother, and Sol ventured towards the Stonehelm Estate, their invitation to the union of Chloe and Philip a beacon in the gathering gloom. Ed’s persuasion opened gates that would have barred others, and within the estate, they found themselves enveloped in the warmth of celebration, though shadows lingered at the edges of joy.
Elsewhere, Dago, a goliath of towering ambition, sought recompense for deeds done in the shadows. The Ebonheart Guildhall, a place where honor and treachery danced in equal measure, offered him a warning through Roland’s grave tones: a storm was brewing within Sagemont, a storm that had already claimed lives. Unperturbed, Dago’s path too led him to the Stonehelm Estate, drawn by the promise of a celebration unaware of the gathering darkness.
In the quietude of his study, Wintson, a scholar whose thirst for knowledge was unquenchable, delved into mysteries that bridged the arcane and the tangible. A courier’s arrival brought with it a puzzle missing a single piece, a mystery that beckoned with a silent whisper. Remembered obligations tore him from his reverie, guiding his steps to the Stonehelm Estate, where fate awaited.
Under the opulent canopy of the Stonehelm Estate, paths converged, and strangers became allies. Philip, with the ease of one born to lead, introduced the adventurers, unaware that the night would demand more of them than mere pleasantries. Suspicion and intrigue wove through the festivities like a serpent, leading Wintson on a chase that ended in violence, a harbinger of the chaos to come.
Together, the adventurers peeled back the layers of deceit that enshrouded the estate, their journey taking them from the revelry of the party to the silent accusations of poison vials hidden away from prying eyes. As the night deepened, so too did the mystery, culminating in a desperate search for Chloe, whose absence cast a pall over the celebrations.
Ambushed by treachery, the clash of steel and spell echoed through the corridors of the Stonehelm Estate, a testament to the courage of those who fought.