Adventures in Oerth- The Bane of Vecna: Book One, Chapter Nine, the Road to Kester Part 2

The Bane of Vecna, those present in this chapter:

Aurora Isilime, the Valley Elf Bard; "The Silver Tongued Siren;" who has more instruments than she can carry

Pharin, the Half Brass Dragon, Half Drow Wizard; "The Dark Conjurer;" summoner of demon bunnies, and Andolin's twin

Skye Vindhalle, the Air Genasi Druid and saver of demon bunnies

Dervish, the Kasathe Fighter

Nanu, the NightmOrc Fighter who is late, slayer of innocent bystanders

Pimbin, the Halfling Shadow Monk

Lan El'Mandragoran, the Human Paladin

Andolin, the Half Brass Dragon, Half Drow Fighter/Ranger, and Pharin's twin

Pieces of Vecna acquired: Head and Hand

Other components being kept from cult: Book of Vile Darkness, Fang of Kas, sword hilt

***** Day 8 to Kester

       Our heroes spied the drow priestess of Vecna and the gray dwarf-looking fire guy (duergar) from Yecha surrounded by the ruins of a little farm town. The priestess was standing over someone, looking like she was questioning or threatening- probably both- the individual. There were bodies strewn everywhere, giving the appearance that a large battle had taken place before the group arrived. The dwarf was busying himself destroying a house while the priestess interrogated her prisoner. 

       Pharin used dust of disappearance to make the group invisible, while Dervish and Nanu surrounded the priestess and dwarf in silence arrows so Aurora could start her bagpipes without alerting them. As the party advanced on the pair, the dwarf noticed the silence that surrounded him and broke one of the spells quickly; he then hurried over to the priestess. Once they had finished removing the silence spells, they began trying to strip away the group's buffs and defenses. When their first spell went off, Nanu was suddenly visible, and just a few feet from them. Pharin summoned a pair of "wolf bunnies" and a pair of cave crickets- their chirp is so loud that it engulfs any sounds made near them, rendering spells that require speech useless. One of the bunnies exploded the moment it got near the priestess, likely because of something she did. The group peppered the pair with arrows while Nanu began a melee assault; Andolin appeared behind the pair, stabbing the priestess in the back. 

       Apparently the pair decided they did not want to fight the group this day, they vanished into thin air. The figure they had seen the priestess standing over was still alive, and turned out to be another cultist of Kas. It was decided that they needed to send him somewhere that was better equipped to interrogate the vampire; Pharin sent a message to Lan, who appeared a couple hours later- looking like he had just come from the ruins of Greyhawk; Lan took the prisoner away quickly. During the wait I noticed that the vampire never took his eyes off my drum, he could somehow tell that the Hand was inside it. 

       There was one mostly intact house left, and the group stayed there for the night.

***** Days 9 and 10 to Kester

       We did not get attacked at all this day, but we did meet a very expensive merchant who was also heading to Kester; after much discussion we decided to travel with him.

       The next day was also peaceful, and we gratefully enjoyed the break we were being given by the cults.

***** Day 11 to Kester

       Our heroes were not attacked on this day either, though they did see fighting in the distance. Bodies were flying, and the group couldn't see what exactly was fighting what. Skye decided to scout the battlefield, and discovered it was two thri-kreen hunting parties, but she couldn't tell what exactly the thri-kreen were fighting. After much discussion, the group decided it wasn't their business and stayed away from the fray. 

***** Day 12 to Kester

       That morning the group was awoken by the terrified whinnies of the horses that pulled the merchant's wagon. One of the horses was being shredded to pieces by some unseen force, which made the group decide to investigate from the safety of their Huts. What they saw was worse than they imagined... it was Pharin's demon bunnies. They had finally caught up to the monsters, and now had to face their creation. 

       Pharin set to work making a circle to entrap the monsters, he thought that since they were once his it might work. I used my flute of rodent control in hopes that I could charm the monsters into leaving, to no avail. This brought their attention to us, terrifying those of us who looked at them into paralysis- except for Dervish, who was so scared of them that he ran away. Pharin managed to call one of the bunnies to his circle, while the other two continued to glare at the party and devour the horse. 

       Dervish recovered from his fear and turned back to face the demons, he completely shredded one of them- but it didn't go down. Pharin put that bunny in his bag of devouring to finish it off, and managed to lure the other two into the bag as well. This ensured that the beasts would die and never return. 

       Later that day, as the group was beginning to look for a good place to camp for the night, they spotted more of Vecna's cultists heading their way. It looked like they were looking for the group, but couldn't ascertain their exact location- until they actually saw them. Pharin had made an attempt to contain the Hand, and it was somewhat working. The party made quick work of the clerics, but the fighters gave them a bit more trouble- of course the group was able to take them out without much injury. 

***** Day 13 to Kester

       We were granted another day of peace from the cults. We did spot a thri-kreen hunting party in the distance, but we decided to just sneak around them; thri-kreen can be difficult to fight, and they don't have gear that's really worth the effort it takes to kill them. 

       That night as we were setting up camp, we heard the crackle of an explosion, and saw a streak of flame in the distance. It appeared to be about sixty miles from where we were, so we didn't worry much about it.

***** Day 14 to Kester
  
       Around midday the group saw both cults battling each other in the distance. Andolin had developed a hatred for undead and demanded that the group go kill them- after much deliberation the group decided to let the cults kill each other first, then they would sneak up and kill whoever was left standing. In the end there were only three of Vecna's cultists left standing, and Andolin decided to teleport to the battlefield to finish them off. Taking them by surprise, he killed all three in a single stroke. 

       When they were about thirty miles outside of Kester, they came upon a Brewfest celebration. The majority of the group joined in the festivities that night.

***** Day 15 to Kester/Night 1 in Kester

       When the group began making their way to the gates of Kester, still with the merchant, they saw a group of the vampires arguing with guards- the guards were paid not to allow them entrance to the city. While our party passed the cultists, they all had their eyes on my drum- apparently all of this bloody cult can sense where I'm keeping the Hand.

       Once they were inside the gates of Kester, they parted ways with the merchant and began to head toward an inn. Along the way, an idiotic 15 year-old human male attempted to cut Nanu's pouch from her belt. We think he thought himself invisible. Nanu grabbed the boy by the throat and lifted him with ease off the ground. Pharin patted the lad down and found a small dagger in his possession, which he proceeded to throw down the sewer grate that was near them. This dagger hit a poor drow male who happened to be walking under the grate at that moment. The wound wasn't fatal, it only hit him in the shoulder, but it hurt like hell. Pharin then lifted the sewer grate, and Nanu dropped the human down it... and he landed on top of that poor drow, killing both of them instantly. 

       When they reached the inn Andolin had pointed them toward, Pharin went inside to get them a room, while Andolin wandered off, and everyone else waited outside. Apparently one of the vampires had been tailing the party, and Andolin captured him as their prisoner. Once inside their suite the group began torturing their prisoner. 

       Pharin remembered the ritual that would allow him to find other pieces, and took some of the vampire's blood for it. Unfortunately, the Hand was in their custody, so it pointed at Aurora. 

      During the interrogation of their prisoner, Lan showed up with the vampire he had been given days before. The paladin joined in the torture, and Andolin produced a sun stone of Pelor that Lan had given him. After much of nothing, Lan used a spell that forces undead to speak the truth, though the group didn't learn much from it. They were told that the cult had many of Vecna's pieces, but they could not get an exact number or which ones they had.

       Eventually, when it became clear that they would get nothing more useful from the vampires, Pharin summoned brain slugs, something drow priestesses use to extract information. Andolin used one of them, at great pain to himself, and demanded to learn everything it knew; during this memory transfer, its head caved in. When Andolin finally came back to himself, he told the group that there was a huge gathering of the vampires in the Vale. They could only mean my Vale, since it's the closest one to Kester- now things were personal, they had invaded my home.

This shows the path the group traveled in this chapter.

Adventures in Oerth- The Bane of Vecna: Book One, Chapter Eight, the Road to Kester Part 1

The Bane of Vecna, those present in this chapter:

Aurora Isilime, the Valley Elf Bard; "The Silver Tongued Siren;" who has more instruments than she can carry

Pharin, the Half Brass Dragon, Half Drow Wizard; "The Dark Conjurer;" summoner of demon bunnies, and Andolin's twin

Skye Vindhalle, the Air Genasi Druid and saver of demon bunnies

Dervish, the Kasathe Fighter

Nanu, the NightmOrc Fighter who is late, slayer of innocent bystanders

Pimbin, the Halfling Shadow Monk of Nerull

Aerys Shayl, the Human Ranger 

Andolin, the Half Brass Dragon, Half Drow Fighter/Ranger, and Pharin's twin

Pieces of Vecna acquired: Head and Hand
Other components being kept from cult: Book of Vile Darkness, Fang of Kas, sword hilt

***** Day 1 to Kester

       During the first day of travel toward Kester, the group spotted four wagons on the road, one looking slightly askew. They found three of the wagons to be merchants heading toward Zeif, and the fourth belonged to a noble, who was the reason the others were stopped. The noble's wagon had an axle that was smashed into splinters, to the point that it could not be fixed by a simple mending spell. He was sullen, demanding that the merchant who had an axle give it to him, instead of selling it; but seeing as how that was the only axle to be found anywhere near where the noble was stranded, the merchant had a fair point of asking 1,000 gold for it. 

       When the party finished asking about what was going on, they stopped at the different merchant carts and pretty much bought them out. Pharin, being the dick that he is, purchased the axle, and after knocking the noble unconscious, he "sold" it to the noble for a huge sum of money. 

       The group noticed a halfing dressed in dark colors who did not seem to be part of the merchant group, or one of the noble's lackeys. The halfling was traveling with the merchants because they were from his monastic temple of Nerull; after spending a few minutes talking with the halfling, who introduced himself as Pimbin, the party invited him to join them- he readily accepted. 

***** Day 2 to Kester

       On the second day of travel, the group encountered the drow priestess of Vecna that had attacked them during the gala in Blackmoor. Of course battle ensued, but fortunately the group had given Lan the Head back in Zeif, so they didn't have to worry about losing another piece to the cult. The drow managed to paralyze everyone in the group except for Nanu instantly, but fortunately everyone broke out of her hold quickly. Apparently, the bitch was not used to people resisting her, though she should have been after her last encounter with the group, and started a nasty fire storm centered on herself so that it would move with her.

       Pimbin and Nanu both had items that gave them the ability to start call lightning, and them with Skye had a triple lightning storm going quickly. This epic storm didn't last long though, Aerys used something of her own to end all of the storms- unfortunately, things like that don't let you pick and choose which things you get to keep and which you stop. The priestess was furious at the loss of her storm, and decided to vent her rage on Aurora, Nanu, and Skye, by banishing them. I once again found myself in my ancestral home, while it is a moving experience for me, it is horribly inconvenient to be constantly sent here in the heat of a battle by that bitch.

       Pharin reacted to the banishment of his comrades by summoning sixteen undead bunnies which swarmed the priestess instantly. While the priestess was distracted by that, Aerys seized an opportunity and landed on top of the priestess with her horse. Between the weight of Aerys and her horse, and the swarm of vicious rabbits, it seemed like they might finally defeat this woman. Unfortunately, the bitch had no intention of being killed or captured that day.

       The problem with summoning undead things around a high priestess of Vecna, is that he is an undead deity. With the help of her god, the priestess was able to usurp control of Pharin's rabid swarm, and made them attack Aerys' horse instead. While Aerys was distracted by her horse being mutilated, the priestess opened a portal, seized Aerys, and went through it. The moment she was gone Aurora, Nanu, and Skye returned from their banishment to take in the gruesome scene in front of them. I had been getting a little better about bunnies since Haas, but seeing that many undead monsters ravaging this poor horse was too much.

       Later that night the group received a message from Oryn that he was sending them help to replace Aerys. Even he did not know where she had been taken, which is unnerving on its own. 

***** Day 4 to Kester

       Our third day of travel was peaceful, but the next day more than made up for it. We had still seen no sign of Aerys or the help that Oryn promised us. 

       About halfway through the day the group spotted a group of cultists running towards them, comprised of clerics, fighters, and acolytes- five of each set. They saw them coming from far enough away that the group had time to stop and prepare themselves for the fight. Pharin summoned in eight bunnies the size of wolves in advance so they could also benefit from the magic Aurora was about to cast. He set his enormous bunnies to the task of digging trenches under the battlefield between them and the cultists.

       As the group began drawing closer to where our heroes waited, a warrior on horseback- completely clad in armor, keeping the person's identity hidden- appeared behind the acolytes and began hacking at them. It appeared the help Oryn promised had finally arrived, and none too soon. Between the warrior slaughtering any cultist who came near, and the rest of the group peppering the ones who continued to advance with arrows, they made short work of the cultists. When only two cultists, ones who were fighting the mystery warrior, remained, Nanu leapt over to his aid, while Pharin took one unconscious cultist as a prisoner. 

       When the warrior removed his helm, the group discovered he was identical to Pharin- this was Pharin's identical twin Andolin. Pharin, being the dick that he is, had his bunnies surround Andolin, just to mess with his head. Once everyone had gathered together, Andolin produced the Hand of Vecna, and he threw it on the ground, demanding someone else take it. Since Nanu has the sword hilt, and Pharin has the Fang, that left only Me, Skye, and Dervish as candidates to take the Hand- we didn't know Pimbin well enough yet to give him guardianship over a piece. Skye and Dervish both refused the Hand, so I was again stuck carrying one of those damned pieces around. I hid this one inside my drum. 

       After the group set up camp for the night, Pharin, Andolin, and Nanu took the prisoner off to "extract" information from him. They learned of things from the Book of Vile Darkness that would tell them more of the cult's goals. The group relayed the information to Oryn so he could have Lothar search for those things. 

       Pharin decided he needed to pick up more supplies for their travels, and used a teleportation ring to bring him back to Ekbir. He found some excellent things, including a wish ring with all three wishes, in abandoned shops.

       At about midnight the group heard an odd humming noise, and it felt like everything around them was vibrating in time with the noise. A very dazed Aerys landed on top of the Leomund's Tiny Hut that Aurora had cast, and slid off, hitting the ground with a thud. She was dazed, and badly beaten up- it was clear she had spent the last two days being tortured by the cult. Aurora cast some healing spells on her, while Dervish poured a few healing potions directly onto her wounds. Once they had her stabilized, Aurora set up a makeshift bed for her, and Andolin stayed up all night to keep watch on Aerys- he still had to wait up for Pharin anyway. 

***** Day 5 to Kester

       When Pharin returned to the campsite, in the wee hours of the morning, Andolin filled him in on Aerys' crashing arrival. Pharin used on of his wishes to completely restore Aerys- leaving her in the best shape she had ever been in- and he cleared any potential of her being a sleeper agent away. The priestess has planned to make her Josiah's replacement, but fortunately the drow found that ring. 

       After everyone else was awake, they asked Aerys what happened to her. They learned that Jarrid had been turned by the cult- he had seemed fine five days ago when they saw him in Zeif- and that he had been set to torture her. The group inquired about the knight who had pledged himself to Jarrid, and Aerys described a pile of flesh and metal, that was no longer recognizable as anything- they determined that was likely the poor squire. Aerys had no idea how she escaped the cult, or how she ended up back with the group, everything seemed foggy to her. She believed she was on the ethereal plane, but wasn't sure how she had drawn that conclusion. Aerys went for a walk to clear her head.

       A while later Aerys finally returned, to say that either Andolin or herself needed to return to Oryn, as he had a task for one of them. I wanted her to stay, the last thing we needed was another Pharin in our midst; but the majority of the group voted for Andolin to stay. I do understand why, after what Aerys had just been through she needed to get away for a while. At least Andolin listens to my stories, he apparently enjoys stories about killing things- which I have tons of.

       Later that day Skye sensed a group of wolves a couple miles from the group. For some reason that daft druid decided to turn into a dire wolf to go chat with the wolves. She attempted to befriend them, but they were more interested in the prospect of eating her, than they were in being friends with her. In the end Skye summoned a giant elk for the wolves to eat... alive. A horrible cacophony of screams came from the poor beast as the wolves devoured it, fortunately the poor thing died after about thirty seconds and the screams ceased. I don't see why she couldn't have just left the wolves alone, they weren't coming toward us or anything. I also don't understand why she let them eat that poor elk alive, I thought druids were against shit like that; the ones in the Vale would have killed her if they had witnessed it. 

***** Day 6 to Kester

       As the group was preparing to settle down for the night, they spied a group of fighters in red lacquered armor- identical to the ones who attacked them in Zeif. When they arrived they stated their desire to parley with our heroes. This group was the Cult of Kas, and they were collecting the pieces of Vecna in order to destroy them; they also planned to restore Kas. They called themselves the rightful owners of the Hand that Aurora was guarding, and claimed that the group didn't understand what was happening. These people were also vampires, and they left without a fight.

       All night the group saw them lurking just outside of their camp, but the vampires didn't attack. They left before dawn.

***** Day 8 to Kester

       Our seventh day of travel was thankfully peaceful, giving us a much needed break from constantly being hounded by now two cults. But like it was the last time we were given a respite, the next day made up for the peace.

       About halfway through the day- which seemed to be the time trouble liked to find them- the group began seeing a reduction in wildlife. They saw birds completely encased in ice, scorched land, and decimated farms. Nothing had been left untouched by the devastation that surrounded this land. Soon the group spied the cause of the destruction... It was the drow priestess of Vecna, and the gray fire dwarf thing they had fought back in Yecha. 

This marks the group's travel route during this chapter.

Adventures in Oerth- The Bane of Vecna: Book One, Chapter Seven, Zeif

The Bane of Vecna, those present in this chapter:
Oryn Talus, the mysterious and ancient "Halfling" who has employed the group
Aurora Isilime, the Valley Elf Bard; "The Silver Tongued Siren;" who has more instruments than she can carry and sings to things she shouldn't

Pharin, the Drow Wizard; "The Dark Conjurer;" summoner of demon bunnies

Skye, the Air Genasi Druid and saver of demon bunnies

Dervish, the Kasathe Fighter

Nanu, the NightmOrc Fighter who is late, slayer of innocent bystanders

Lan El'Mandragoran, the Human Paladin

Jarrid, the Human Barbarian, and Jayce's brother

Lothar, the Sovani Smith and Cleric of Moradin

Aerys Shayl, the Human Ranger 

Aerathema, the Wood Elf Druid

Ralliakkan, the Drow Rogue

Pieces of Vecna acquired: Head and Hand

***** Day one in Zeif

       When the group entered the tavern part of the inn they were lodging in, the morning after their arrival in Zeif, no one could find Lan or Nanu- but since both of them tended to vanish randomly, no one thought anything strange about it. The rest of the group decided to find out more about what was plaguing Zeif, and why no one would give them passage on a ship to get there. They needed money, since they had stopped getting paid daily after the loss of their carriage, and the group thought that there might be some money involved in whatever was plaguing the town. 

       The group saw that there were no ships in the harbor, and most shops were shut down- Aurora saw the town as dying, something which saddened me, since last time I had visited this town it was full of life and music. I composed a lovely song about the music dying. They learned that some kind of monster was in the sea, just outside the harbor, and there were no fish left in the bay- there was a bounty on whatever was causing it though, so the group decided to go after the problem. Dervish secured a ship for the next day that had been sitting in dry-dock, the group would only have to pay for the ship if they damaged it, otherwise the ship was free. While Dervish was securing the ship, and Aurora was off looking for one as well- to no avail, Pharin and Skye set to work making a potion of water breathing, that could double as a swim potion; it didn't work. There's a reason I call the airhead "Burnt Potions." 

       The group saw Lan briefly that evening and gave him the Head; he left immediately after receiving it, so he could find a way to shield it. I was glad to have that vile thing out of my possession, it smelled terrible.

***** Day two in Zeif

       The next day the group set out to board their ship, still missing Nanu and Lan, and on the way to the docks, Dervish realized that they were being followed- though he didn't know what was following them, or how many. Skye decided to send her mockingbird animal companion, Buckbeak, to spy on whatever was shadowing them; the poor bird was slain. While Dervish and Skye went forward to get the bird, Aurora and Pharin held their position, and noticed that someone in full armor was advancing toward them. Pharin of course decided to attack it, but it hit much harder, and it paralyzed him. Lucky for him, I was next to him and able to heal him before the villain could do worse. 

       At the same time, on the other end of the street, Dervish and Skye were attacked by another completely armored person. The battle for both pairs was short, for the assailants realized that the group no longer held the Head, which is what they were after. While the group did try to stop them from getting away, they were unsuccessful. As the presumed cultists fled, Ralliakkan turned the corner to see them getting away. She introduced herself to the group, as an agent of Oryn, and suggested they return to the tavern to discuss what was going on. 

       During the drinks Ralliakkan insisted on, the group learned that she had almost had her hands on the Eye when they set off the wish spell that scattered the pieces. They apologized profusely to her, if they had known that they would have used the wish on the Hand instead. She was in the town looking for the Eye, and awaiting instruction from Oryn. Ralliakkan admitted she was already planning on seeing what was in the water, since she thought it may have something to do with the cult, and decided to join the group. On the condition that I not attempt to serenade anything, and if I did she would attack me; we needed the help, so I agreed. Eventually they set out to the docks again to investigate the bay; Pharin and Aurora were tasked with finding the NightmOrc, so they left their party to do so.

       When everyone arrived at the dock, there was a man with a cart of a few items that he still had from when the town was living; the group bought most of his stock. No one had thought to hire a crew for the ship, but lucky for them Ralliakkan had done so for them- they now had a crew of twenty to sail their ship. After a couple of hours of travel, all of a sudden the wind and waves were gone, they had entered a stillness so unnerving that it could only be caused by magic. They began trying to make noise to get the attention of whatever was in the water, but it ignored both Ralliakkan's bomb and Aurora's bagpipes. Finally Pharin flew down to the water and dipped his purified amulet from the cult into the water, illuminating the Chuul that were lurking beneath the surface. 

       Pharin sped away from the water as quickly as his broom allowed, and was pursued by the Chuul. The ship was boarded by the beasts. Pharin summoned two octopi who engulfed the Chuul and began devouring them quickly. While the group battled the Chuul, two undead troglodytes boarded the ship- one above deck, and one below, where only Ralliakkan and ten crew members were fighting; seven of her ten died quickly. Ralliakkan twirled in a horrifying, yet beautiful, dance while fighting the invaders, she kept them at bay and was untouchable. Nanu took the troglodyte down, and seeing that the majority of the Chuul were dead, they all began to go downstairs to help Ralliakkan. 

       That damned drow decided to turn his octopi into sixteen spiders and sixteen bunnies. While I was fine with spiders raining down on us and swarming the beasts, the bunnies were another story. I somehow managed to keep my cool and focus on the fight unfolding before me.

       The group joined Ralliakkan in finishing off the remaining Chuul and the troglodyte, and then the bunnies swarmed down the stairs. Those horrid monsters pounced on the final Chuul and ate it alive. After it was dead, I tried to usurp control of the bunnies from Pharin, to order them to drown themselves, but they were too strong to be influenced by my flute. There's always next time. At the end of the battle with those beasts, only ten of the twenty crew members they had started with were still alive. 

       Then Ralliakkan heard a scratching noise, like something was climbing around the underside of the ship, looking to gain entrance. Everyone rushed upstairs to see if they could find where whatever was scratching would be surfacing. Finally, Pharin sent a bunny into the sea to swim beneath the boat and find the source of the noise. The bunny found itself facing another undead troglodyte, and Pharin ordered it to attack. Dervish flew down to investigate, and saw Pharin's bunny mauling the troglodyte's eye... Dervish and the bunny quickly finished off the troglodyte, and resurfaced to Ralliakkan asking where the map was. 

       Dervish had neglected to search for a map, so Ralliakkan quickly dove in the water and ripped it away from its quickly sinking, dead holder. Dervish caught up to Ralliakkan, and map in tow, they returned to the ship. The map showed the group where the treasure was, and they quickly directed the ten surviving crew members to the island indicated. 

       After a few more hours, the group reached the cave that the map had indicated, and headed in. It was a several hour long trek through the cave, which was constantly going down into water, which deepened and shallowed at random. Eventually they came upon a fifty foot tall, vertical wall, with absolutely no hand-holds. Between brooms and spells, the group was able to travel up the wall until they entered another cavern. 

       The new cavern was huge and round, with the sides slanting inward to make a peak at the top; the peak was open and they could see the sky above. It seemed that they had entered a hollow volcano. Ralliakkan quickly identified a secret door, and after much searching Pharin found the trigger to release the door. Instead of a door sliding open, like one would expect, the volcano slowly moved outward, eventually revealing a treasure room, filled with riches and magic items. They had found and obtained what they were after: money. 

       With the loot packed away, the group headed back to Zeif to collect their bounty and divvy their new found wealth. I, of course, did some spinning on exactly how many Chuul and undead troglodytes we fought; the harder and more epic it sounds, the more money we get. 

***** Day three in Zeif

       When the group entered the tavern the next morning, they were greeted to Ralliakkan, Lan, and Oryn sitting at their table. Oryn delivered the grave news that Jayce had died, killed by his evil elder brother. His death was serving a purpose though, Jayce's parents (who were royalty among the barbarians) were using this horrid incident as a way to rally the barbarians. In death, Jayce was now a martyr, and no one was permitted to resurrect him. I was sadder over his death than I should have been, apparently I had grown somewhat attached to him in our travels; I did not realize that he could have been more than a challenge. But somehow, even through the sadness I felt at peace; due to the magical effects of the sword I had picked up from the volcano.  Pharin learned that Haasenpfeffer was currently escorting Jayce's soul to his afterlife in the realm of positive energy.

       He did bring the group good news in addition to the bad; Oryn told the group was that he had the Book of Vile Darkness, and Josiah, in custody. Though he was thus far been unable to get the book unbound from Josiah- it liked him. When Oryn had been in the midst of fighting Josiah to obtain the book, Haasenpfeffer appeared out of nowhere and landed on top of Josiah. Haas' positivity was great enough to suppress some of the evil in the book, just enough to allow Oryn to take him as a prisoner. 

       Oryn also told the group that the Hand had been acquired by one of his agents. They now had two pieces of Vecna away from the cult! He gave Pharin a new skull, that when given fresh blood and flesh from an undead creature, could point the way to the other pieces of Vecna.

       They told Oryn that the Fang was pointing directly south, and they believed it would be taking them to the Forgotten City, in the southern desert. Oryn told them of an old legend that the Thri-Kreen guarded the Sword, and to use caution around them. He advised them to also be cautious in Kester, which would be the last city the group would see before reaching the Forgotten City.

       Aerathema had spent the last five days trying to break Josiah, to no avail. By the time she emerged from the interrogation room Oryn had set up in the inn, she looked utterly drained. I gave her a restorative spell to help her get some rest. Jarrid had been working with Aerathema to break Josiah, but his efforts were also in vain. I suggested trying to break him with my bagpipes, I'd been working on developing a song that would make a rabbit's head explode, and I thought maybe I could modify it for Josiah. For some reason, this disturbed Oryn, and he walked away. 

       After Oryn left, Lan pulled the pouch containing the Deck of Many Things out of his pack. He had been carrying it since the gala, because Pelor wouldn't allow him to actually draw from the deck- making him the best guardian of it. Lan asked if anyone was feeling like they had luck on their side and wished to draw from the deck. Everyone said that they were indeed feeling lucky, and Pharin shuffled the deck. 

       Dervish drew first. but luck was not with him. He first drew the Idiot card, and his second card was the Donjon card and he found himself instantly imprisoned, leaving all of his belongings behind...

       Aurora drew next, and luck was not with her either. I drew the Void card, and my soul became instantly imprisoned, leaving my body behind...

       Pharin stepped up next, and drew the Talon card, making all of his magical items disintegrate.

       Ralliakkan drew the Rogue card, which made one of her friends turn against her... 

       Nanu received Euryale, a nasty curse that one a deity or the Fates card can remove.

       Skye drew last, and received the Fates card. The moment Ralliakkan saw Skye's draw, she grabbed the genasi by the throat and demanded that she undo all that has just happened; taking them back to the moment they decided to draw. Skye insisted that Lan shuffle, not Pharin, and that no one cut the deck. She was the only one who remembered what had just happened, and even though she told everyone about their previous draws, no one believed her. She's such an airhead that she could have been spacing out and imagined the whole scenario.

       The second time around, Lady Luck decided to visit some the group. Everyone, except Skye, Pharin, and Nanu, received good cards, including Pharin's spider familiar. Skye was the recipient of Euryale this time around, and she began praying to her God to remove it. She also had Lan and Lothar ask their Gods, who didn't care. Nanu drew the Skull card and found herself fighting a spectre of death; which she managed to defeat, but gained nothing from it except her life. Pharin drew the Rogue card, so he now has a mortal enemy for life- but that's much better than his items disintegrating. 

       Shortly after the group had finished drawing their cards, Jarrid emerged from the interrogation room. He gladly took a card, since he felt he had nothing left to lose. The Knight was Jarrid's card, and a young male fighter appeared before him, swearing fealty to him until death. This enraged Jarrid, and he told the group to outfit the young fighter so he could vent his rage on him. While the rest of the group knew that would likely result in the lad's death, they didn't have much of a choice- the boy was no match for Jarrid, even when he isn't raging. They gave him some armor and weapons they had received the day before at the volcano and sent him to his doom.

       Eventually Oryn returned, with Lothar and a bundle of things- Jayce's belongings. The group somberly divvied up his things as they saw fit.

       After that grievous task was completed, Oryn showed everyone into the interrogation room. He had a plan to use divination to get the book away from Josiah- he offered him a draw from the Deck. Josiah drew the Void, making it so that they could take the book. 

       The problem the heroes now faced was that the Book had to be bound to someone, and they had to decide who would take charge of it. Taking custody of the Book would mean that the owner would be locked in a warded room, like the one they were currently standing in, and study the book. Lothar volunteered himself to take it, saying the Moradin had granted him the knowledge to have the book without it completely devouring his soul. Nanu offered to take it, but Aurora pointed out that she can't sit still, and after a few hours the NightmOrc would be losing her mind from being penned up. There was no one else who could take it, I wouldn't for fear that I would have to experience that Hell I felt when I sung to it. With a heavy heart, they let Lothar take them book; once it bound itself to him, Oryn sent him away. He left the group telling them to hurry up with getting the sword so this wouldn't happen again.

***** 
       The next morning our heroes departed from Zeif, heading south toward Kester. When they emerged from the tavern, they found Aerys waiting for them, with horses in tow. The ranger was not happy to be going with the group, since she had heard bad things happened to those who were with them; the group hoped that wouldn't become a pattern.

This is the area the group stayed in for the course of this chapter.