Beyond the Looking Glass
Dramatis Personae:
Tilea Aervavil'A'Sum, the Wild Elf Circle of the Moon Druid Barbarian
Scritch, the Weremonkey Squirrel Thief and Tilea's Animal Companion
Sachi Kno, the Vistani Weremonkey Thief
Tabitha Marie Lennox, the Human White Witch of Mystra, youngest of the Lennox triplets
Spot, Tabitha's Homunculus
Nikko, Tabitha's Flying Monkey familiar and Warlock of the White Witch
Azure, Nikko's Witch Light Familiar
Dot, the Tabaxi Cheetah TherinthropeHomunculus and White Witch
Pip, Dot's Flying Monkey Familiar
Speck, Dot's Homunculus
Isabella Catalina Hazelgrove, the Human Assassin and Scritch's Knight
Isabeth Katherine Hazelgrove, the Human Assassin and Catalina's sister and Knight
Sypha Alohrea Lennox, the Human Sorceress, eldest of the Lennox triplets
Agatha Leah Lennox, the Human Black Witch, middle of the Lennox triplets
Syndal Al'Vherin, theFour-year-old Human girl who Tilea released from an amulet,- kidnapped by Strahd, now working with Talmot Now cleansed of the soul brand clouding her mind
Clarah Kno, the Silver Dragoness and Sachi's insane wife
Comrades we have lost:
Pineck, Anvil's Horse- turned into soup by a cursed crate
Kithri "Quickshadow" Tealeaf, the Lightfoot Halfling Werebat Order of the Lycan Blood Hunter and Ruin Raider- left to become Archivist
Forgrotken Anvilrocker, the Blugrim Forge Cleric of Moradin- killed by the Talmot Wives
Lythana, the Human Werewolf Order of the Ghost Slayer Blood Hunter-captured by the Talmot Wives, then turned evil mauled to death by Tilea
Bruenar Shieldwall, the Shield Dwarf Shield Fighter the party hired- became the Harbinger of Apsu
Tilea Aervavil'A'Sum, the Wild Elf Circle of the Moon Druid Barbarian
Scritch, the Weremonkey Squirrel Thief and Tilea's Animal Companion
Sachi Kno, the Vistani Weremonkey Thief
Tabitha Marie Lennox, the Human White Witch of Mystra, youngest of the Lennox triplets
Spot, Tabitha's Homunculus
Nikko, Tabitha's Flying Monkey familiar and Warlock of the White Witch
Azure, Nikko's Witch Light Familiar
Dot, the Tabaxi Cheetah Therinthrope
Pip, Dot's Flying Monkey Familiar
Speck, Dot's Homunculus
Isabella Catalina Hazelgrove, the Human Assassin and Scritch's Knight
Isabeth Katherine Hazelgrove, the Human Assassin and Catalina's sister and Knight
Sypha Alohrea Lennox, the Human Sorceress, eldest of the Lennox triplets
Agatha Leah Lennox, the Human Black Witch, middle of the Lennox triplets
Syndal Al'Vherin, the
Clarah Kno, the Silver Dragoness and Sachi's insane wife
Comrades we have lost:
Pineck, Anvil's Horse- turned into soup by a cursed crate
Kithri "Quickshadow" Tealeaf, the Lightfoot Halfling Werebat Order of the Lycan Blood Hunter and Ruin Raider- left to become Archivist
Forgrotken Anvilrocker, the Blugrim Forge Cleric of Moradin- killed by the Talmot Wives
Lythana, the Human Werewolf Order of the Ghost Slayer Blood Hunter-
Bruenar Shieldwall, the Shield Dwarf Shield Fighter the party hired- became the Harbinger of Apsu
NOTE: Things will be mostly from Tabitha's perspective, anything in italics is from a third party view since the Witch can't be everywhere at once.
***** Kilencedik Honap 1, CY 745, Temple of Mystra
We rushed to the Temple to find out what was going on. Belmont shouldn't have been able to break out of there, he was behind some of my strongest wards. There was massive destruction to the Temple, there were dead Shieldwalls everywhere, signs of some serious magic use, and a hole in the wall.
I hurried to repair the wall and tried to contact my sestras, but the spells just fizzled out like there was no target. They weren't in the Temple, which is where I'd left them... This was bad. The Book told me it had said "hi" to the intruder, but they told it to shut up, and the voice felt like all of the elements combined. Book also told me that I couldn't bring any of the dead Shieldwalls back, their souls were gone. The Shieldwalls who didn't die from this didn't see much, this all happened in just a few seconds. I tasked my Blessed of Apsu with scrying for my sestras.
While I was doing that, Tilea was outside communing with nature to see what she could find out. She learned that a ball similar to my bubble burst through the wall and whoever was inside it sent out several other globes to attack while he collected Belmont.
Sachi randomly wandered in and gave me a book he needed read, but it was all written in some stupid code that I didn't feel like puzzling out.
I realized that whoever had done the soul brand on Sypha must be the same person who took my Sestras from my Temple. I had to go home and see my shitty parents. Mother would have the answers I sought.
As soon as I arrived I knew something was wrong. Neither of my parents claimed to have any memory of Sypha, and they claimed Aggie had died years ago. The memories seemed genuine, so someone had tampered with their memories. I searched both of my parent's libraries, hoping to find a book that would lead me to the answers. All the while, my parents were trying to convince me to stay with them, at least spend a few days. I realized after a while that the little mannerisms I was so familiar with weren't there, my parents were acting off... wrong. They definitely were not my parents. Coming up empty, I decided to return to the the Temple.
Exiting, I realized this was a maze, not my home. I'd never left the Temple. My wards seemed fine, and I had my makeshift coven help me check and strengthen them, just in case.
The Book told me that since both of my Sestras had used it, it could find them for me, it needed only my permission. I declined, at first. But the more I thought about it, the more worried I became, and I very reluctantly gave in. My Sestras were more important to me than my beliefs on the dark magic linked to this Book.
I was in a black void with little flecks of light, then I whoosed to Toril and ended up in a chamber. A robed figure was sitting on a throne made of bones. Both of my Sestras were chained to a wall, naked and badly wounded. Belmont walked into the room and the figure said "again, we need to find her." Belmont drew his whip and flicked his wrist toward my Sestras. The vision faded just before the whip struck. I wasn't sure who the "her" was that the figure was looking for, but I suspected it was Syn.
There was an odd pressure on my chest after using the book. I didn't have time to puzzle that out now though. My Sestras needed me. I called the rest of the group to return to the Temple for a meeting. Then I sat down with my books.
Three hours later, Cat appeared, looking like a tiefling. She dropped 100 bags of holding on my desk and told me to clean up better after myself next time. Each bag contained an item I'd touched in the maze. The maze was a trap to get my DNA. Cat had gotten everything I touched and killed all of Shaft's minions. She asked me to activate one of Sypha's hexbags, so I did, then I gave her a bead of luck to thank her.
***** Kilencedik Honap 2, Temple of Mystra
After much debate, we decided we needed distraction so a strike team could get to my Sestras. If we could get hexbags on them I could pull them out with magic. Cat and Tilea went to scout and discovered Shaft's location was on a plot of land that Sachi owned. The problem was, the place wasn't actually in Toril, it was in a mirror realm, its own plane. Somehow in this mission, Scritch ended up attached to a wraith guardian.
I got my coven researching how to deal with mirrors while I went to Aggie's coven- the Grand Coven- to get their help. I figured since it was Aggie in trouble, they'd help me. I sent Dot to the Archivist, and Sachi to Sigil to see if he could learn anything there.
The Grand Coven is nothing but evil bitches. They planned to look for Aggie, but wouldn't do so with me. They also refused to promise they'd get Sypha too, since she wasn't in their coven and therefore wasn't a priority.
I communed with Mystra to see if she could aid me. She said she couldn't help with the mirror realm, but the Book could help us find the Cypher Codex. I needed that spell, but I couldn't risk tainting my own soul. Tomorrow I'll do a ritual with my coven to keep the corruption at bay while I use the Book.
Clarah spoke to a wizard and said there was "a portal in the place and another portal in the place that's going the opposite direction of the place, and somebody on both sides has to die to create it." She had a ritual that would do it, but we'd need a lot more juice.
***** Kilencedik Honap 3, Faerun
I set up the ritual to hold back to corruption with 129 witches, to keep it in a multiple of three. The second the ritual started everyone was completely cut off from me. A torrent of wind held them all at bay, while a paper whipped around the circle. After a minute it landed, there was a little red water drop- not ink or blood, water- on a map. Cat and Kittie said it was about 10 miles from where they found some lineage papers.
We appeared in a thinly wooded area with a bear nearby. Sachi jumped on its back and it panicked and took off. Hearing his screams, I went to him, just as the bear was diving into lava... Somehow, by Mystra's grace, Sachi and I survived.
There was a small cave we needed to enter, but it ended abruptly in lava. Sachi and Tilea turned into elementals and dove in. I spotted a shaft in the ceiling of the cave and sent Spot up there to check it out. It narrowed quickly, so Scritch turned into a gaseous form and went to investigate.
After a few minutes lava began filling the cave- somehow this had to be Sachi's doing. Scritch called us all to him and we found him bleeding profusely over a box that had gears clicking. He wouldn't let me heal him. The heat began growing worse, so I closed off the shaft and teleported us back to where we'd left my coven.
***** Kilencedik Honap 4, Sigil
Scritch took the Codex to a contact in Sigil that Sachi had hired to decrypt the books for us. It was going to take a few days.
***** Kilencedik Honap 5, Temple of Mystra
I asked the Book if it had a ritual that would get my Sestras away from Shaft. I needed to save them now. Before he took them from me. It had a ritual, that required two innocent souls to trade for my Sestras. I couldn't ask anyone to do that for me. It was just to much.
***** Kilencedik Honap 6, Temple of Mystra
Grant showed up today with a tattoo covering literally every inch of him, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He said it would help him face Belmont. I tried not to stare when he disrobed to show us the tattoo; this was the first time I'd ever seen a man naked... I don't think I succeeded at not turning crimson, nor did I succeed at not staring. It was a rather overwhelming sight.
Scritch finally returned and asked if we knew anyone named Trevor. I knew several, but Grant knew who Scritch meant. Trevor Belmont, who had been dead for 600 years.
Tilea randomly announced she wanted a spell to steal the wraith who possessed Scritch's pale horse. Book had one, of course, that required 50 willing souls to die. I refused to help her with it.
Later in the day I had a lengthy conversation with Scritch about redeeming the Book, which I was interested in doing, but I didn't know where to start. This devolved into the Book going off on a tirade about being misunderstood. Magic itself isn't evil, it's how it's used that's evil.
Somehow this turned into Grant suggesting an infiltration to save my Sestras. We needed two innocent souls for it, and he figured between himself, Sachi, Cat, and Kittie, we had two innocent souls. I couldn't ask Grant or the others to do this for me- it was just too much. But all four of them were willing to do it. They'd be able to get themselves out of there, and Grant seemed set to face off with Belmont. He flashed his tattoo around again- making me turn a deep red- and insisted they'd all be fine. They all went to get drunk in case any of them didn't make it back.
***** Kilencedik Honap 7, Temple of Mystra
We got the ritual all set up and ready to go. I couldn't give any of them any boons or items charged with my magic, we couldn't risk Shaft getting anything of mine. Grant set up a blood recall as a failsafe.
As soon as the four of them vanished, Sypha and Aggie appeared on the floor. They were both near death, but I used my most powerful healing spell on them instantly. I couldn't wake them though, but that I'd worry about after Grant and the others got back. At least they were out of Shaft's hands now.
When they arrived in place or Agatha and Sypha, Grant immediately stepped up to face off with Belmont, while Sachi, Kittie, and Cat began working on a way to escape. Tilea and Scritch arrived at Shaft's front door, after his wraith tore a hole open for them. The six of them unleashed complete chaos in Shaft's domain, and robbed him blind. Scritch appeared as DEATH to Shaft... A squirrel of DEATH.
About five minutes later, Sachi, Cat, Kittie, Tilea, and Scritch appeared in the ritual chamber. Without Grant. I waited... 10 minutes and he hadn't returned. I waited... 30 minutes and he hadn't returned. My heart was pounding in fear. Clarah wished for Grant, and a mangled, bloody heap of a body appeared...
Grant was gone.
We rushed to the Temple to find out what was going on. Belmont shouldn't have been able to break out of there, he was behind some of my strongest wards. There was massive destruction to the Temple, there were dead Shieldwalls everywhere, signs of some serious magic use, and a hole in the wall.
I hurried to repair the wall and tried to contact my sestras, but the spells just fizzled out like there was no target. They weren't in the Temple, which is where I'd left them... This was bad. The Book told me it had said "hi" to the intruder, but they told it to shut up, and the voice felt like all of the elements combined. Book also told me that I couldn't bring any of the dead Shieldwalls back, their souls were gone. The Shieldwalls who didn't die from this didn't see much, this all happened in just a few seconds. I tasked my Blessed of Apsu with scrying for my sestras.
While I was doing that, Tilea was outside communing with nature to see what she could find out. She learned that a ball similar to my bubble burst through the wall and whoever was inside it sent out several other globes to attack while he collected Belmont.
Sachi randomly wandered in and gave me a book he needed read, but it was all written in some stupid code that I didn't feel like puzzling out.
I realized that whoever had done the soul brand on Sypha must be the same person who took my Sestras from my Temple. I had to go home and see my shitty parents. Mother would have the answers I sought.
As soon as I arrived I knew something was wrong. Neither of my parents claimed to have any memory of Sypha, and they claimed Aggie had died years ago. The memories seemed genuine, so someone had tampered with their memories. I searched both of my parent's libraries, hoping to find a book that would lead me to the answers. All the while, my parents were trying to convince me to stay with them, at least spend a few days. I realized after a while that the little mannerisms I was so familiar with weren't there, my parents were acting off... wrong. They definitely were not my parents. Coming up empty, I decided to return to the the Temple.
Exiting, I realized this was a maze, not my home. I'd never left the Temple. My wards seemed fine, and I had my makeshift coven help me check and strengthen them, just in case.
The Book told me that since both of my Sestras had used it, it could find them for me, it needed only my permission. I declined, at first. But the more I thought about it, the more worried I became, and I very reluctantly gave in. My Sestras were more important to me than my beliefs on the dark magic linked to this Book.
I was in a black void with little flecks of light, then I whoosed to Toril and ended up in a chamber. A robed figure was sitting on a throne made of bones. Both of my Sestras were chained to a wall, naked and badly wounded. Belmont walked into the room and the figure said "again, we need to find her." Belmont drew his whip and flicked his wrist toward my Sestras. The vision faded just before the whip struck. I wasn't sure who the "her" was that the figure was looking for, but I suspected it was Syn.
There was an odd pressure on my chest after using the book. I didn't have time to puzzle that out now though. My Sestras needed me. I called the rest of the group to return to the Temple for a meeting. Then I sat down with my books.
Three hours later, Cat appeared, looking like a tiefling. She dropped 100 bags of holding on my desk and told me to clean up better after myself next time. Each bag contained an item I'd touched in the maze. The maze was a trap to get my DNA. Cat had gotten everything I touched and killed all of Shaft's minions. She asked me to activate one of Sypha's hexbags, so I did, then I gave her a bead of luck to thank her.
***** Kilencedik Honap 2, Temple of Mystra
After much debate, we decided we needed distraction so a strike team could get to my Sestras. If we could get hexbags on them I could pull them out with magic. Cat and Tilea went to scout and discovered Shaft's location was on a plot of land that Sachi owned. The problem was, the place wasn't actually in Toril, it was in a mirror realm, its own plane. Somehow in this mission, Scritch ended up attached to a wraith guardian.
I got my coven researching how to deal with mirrors while I went to Aggie's coven- the Grand Coven- to get their help. I figured since it was Aggie in trouble, they'd help me. I sent Dot to the Archivist, and Sachi to Sigil to see if he could learn anything there.
The Grand Coven is nothing but evil bitches. They planned to look for Aggie, but wouldn't do so with me. They also refused to promise they'd get Sypha too, since she wasn't in their coven and therefore wasn't a priority.
I communed with Mystra to see if she could aid me. She said she couldn't help with the mirror realm, but the Book could help us find the Cypher Codex. I needed that spell, but I couldn't risk tainting my own soul. Tomorrow I'll do a ritual with my coven to keep the corruption at bay while I use the Book.
Clarah spoke to a wizard and said there was "a portal in the place and another portal in the place that's going the opposite direction of the place, and somebody on both sides has to die to create it." She had a ritual that would do it, but we'd need a lot more juice.
***** Kilencedik Honap 3, Faerun
I set up the ritual to hold back to corruption with 129 witches, to keep it in a multiple of three. The second the ritual started everyone was completely cut off from me. A torrent of wind held them all at bay, while a paper whipped around the circle. After a minute it landed, there was a little red water drop- not ink or blood, water- on a map. Cat and Kittie said it was about 10 miles from where they found some lineage papers.
We appeared in a thinly wooded area with a bear nearby. Sachi jumped on its back and it panicked and took off. Hearing his screams, I went to him, just as the bear was diving into lava... Somehow, by Mystra's grace, Sachi and I survived.
There was a small cave we needed to enter, but it ended abruptly in lava. Sachi and Tilea turned into elementals and dove in. I spotted a shaft in the ceiling of the cave and sent Spot up there to check it out. It narrowed quickly, so Scritch turned into a gaseous form and went to investigate.
After a few minutes lava began filling the cave- somehow this had to be Sachi's doing. Scritch called us all to him and we found him bleeding profusely over a box that had gears clicking. He wouldn't let me heal him. The heat began growing worse, so I closed off the shaft and teleported us back to where we'd left my coven.
***** Kilencedik Honap 4, Sigil
Scritch took the Codex to a contact in Sigil that Sachi had hired to decrypt the books for us. It was going to take a few days.
***** Kilencedik Honap 5, Temple of Mystra
I asked the Book if it had a ritual that would get my Sestras away from Shaft. I needed to save them now. Before he took them from me. It had a ritual, that required two innocent souls to trade for my Sestras. I couldn't ask anyone to do that for me. It was just to much.
***** Kilencedik Honap 6, Temple of Mystra
Grant showed up today with a tattoo covering literally every inch of him, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He said it would help him face Belmont. I tried not to stare when he disrobed to show us the tattoo; this was the first time I'd ever seen a man naked... I don't think I succeeded at not turning crimson, nor did I succeed at not staring. It was a rather overwhelming sight.
Scritch finally returned and asked if we knew anyone named Trevor. I knew several, but Grant knew who Scritch meant. Trevor Belmont, who had been dead for 600 years.
Tilea randomly announced she wanted a spell to steal the wraith who possessed Scritch's pale horse. Book had one, of course, that required 50 willing souls to die. I refused to help her with it.
Later in the day I had a lengthy conversation with Scritch about redeeming the Book, which I was interested in doing, but I didn't know where to start. This devolved into the Book going off on a tirade about being misunderstood. Magic itself isn't evil, it's how it's used that's evil.
Somehow this turned into Grant suggesting an infiltration to save my Sestras. We needed two innocent souls for it, and he figured between himself, Sachi, Cat, and Kittie, we had two innocent souls. I couldn't ask Grant or the others to do this for me- it was just too much. But all four of them were willing to do it. They'd be able to get themselves out of there, and Grant seemed set to face off with Belmont. He flashed his tattoo around again- making me turn a deep red- and insisted they'd all be fine. They all went to get drunk in case any of them didn't make it back.
***** Kilencedik Honap 7, Temple of Mystra
We got the ritual all set up and ready to go. I couldn't give any of them any boons or items charged with my magic, we couldn't risk Shaft getting anything of mine. Grant set up a blood recall as a failsafe.
As soon as the four of them vanished, Sypha and Aggie appeared on the floor. They were both near death, but I used my most powerful healing spell on them instantly. I couldn't wake them though, but that I'd worry about after Grant and the others got back. At least they were out of Shaft's hands now.
When they arrived in place or Agatha and Sypha, Grant immediately stepped up to face off with Belmont, while Sachi, Kittie, and Cat began working on a way to escape. Tilea and Scritch arrived at Shaft's front door, after his wraith tore a hole open for them. The six of them unleashed complete chaos in Shaft's domain, and robbed him blind. Scritch appeared as DEATH to Shaft... A squirrel of DEATH.
About five minutes later, Sachi, Cat, Kittie, Tilea, and Scritch appeared in the ritual chamber. Without Grant. I waited... 10 minutes and he hadn't returned. I waited... 30 minutes and he hadn't returned. My heart was pounding in fear. Clarah wished for Grant, and a mangled, bloody heap of a body appeared...
Grant was gone.
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