Dragon's Blood - The Life of Nya

               Born on the 7^th of Eleint 1466, year of the Mages in Amber, in a small tiefling village in the northern Dragonspine Mountains, was Lady Orhialla Tarnash, or as her friends call her, “Nya.” One year after birth, a merry band of do-gooders, who wiped out all but the helpless and the children, raided the village.  Eventually the group took those remaining to Teshwave, giving the children to a local orphanage either to be placed eventually or to grow up within those walls, which to them, either way was a win; the children were not growing to grow up in a village of “terrible people.”

                Lord Tarnash had desired a child for many, many moons.  As a very high up member of the Zhentarim, he had his people looking out for any children available at the local orphanages and upon hearing about four or five new young children, he set out to hopefully choose one.  He chose the youngest, a one-year-old girl, and called her Orhialla. 

                When I was around nine or ten, I was playing in the woods outside our home in the Southwestern Dragonspire Mountains, when a bear mauled me.  The attack was very brutal, putting me almost on deaths door, so my dad injected me with something he knew would heal me… His own blood.  From that experience, I learned then that he is, in fact, a silver dragon, which is a huge secret actually. 

Because his blood healed me, I got a little extra, first, some sorcery, and second, something I didn’t quite notice right away, but I no longer noticed the icy chill of the mountains as much, granting me the nickname “Nya” among those of us in on the joke.  Nya, or steam, in the native tongue of one of my staff.  You see, silver dragons are known for certain resistances for cold, and tieflings, having our devil or demonic heritage, have resistances to heat, so hot and cold… steam.  Ha. I thought it was soooooo hilarious too… But it worked. 

Being Lord Tarnash’s daughter, I was granted a very high position in the Zhentarim that most felt I hadn’t properly earned, some, because I wasn’t his natural born child, and others because they worked very hard for their positions.  Eventually, I grew quite tired of their belief that I was not up to par with my status within the organization, so, I set off to prove myself.  

Tales from Toril- The Ironfang Eight: Book One, Chapter Three, Condensed

The Journey to the Keep

Dramatis Personae:

Liavara Kayne, the Aasimar Warlock of Neifion, the Lord of Bats, librarian extraordinaire, Magister of Ironfang Deep

Iona, the Wood Elf Monk who can't stay alive

Shump, the Half-Orc Cleric who keeps Iona from permanent death, and replaced Ishir after his untimely demise

Keh-Tee, the four-armed Mad Catter Warlock of Y'Chuk, Lord of Ironfang Deep

Lady Orhialla "Nya" Tarnash, the Tiefling Sorcerer and Lady of the Zhentarim

Teegan, the Dragonborn Sorcerer of Many Faces

Orvu, the Human Rogue who loves shinies

Franklin, the one armed, one legged Human Ranger, who later regrows both limbs

       On the walk to Alaghon, the group encountered a pirate ship and decided they needed to possess it. They attacked the ship and after slaying the crew, they claimed it as their own. They arrived in Alaghon in style, aboard their new ship. The group began looking for maps to find exactly where Ironfang Deep was located; it was an old dwarven keep, that has been "lost" for a very long time. Keh-Tee informed all they met that he was the Lord of the Keep, but no one believed him since the keep had been lost for so long. After a couple of days, a message was sent to the group's room at the inn they were staying at, inviting Keh-Tee to a special room down below. Of course the cat is curious, so he went- but they would only admit him and two guards. While the other began deliberating over who should accompany Keh-Tee, Orvu and Lia volunteered and the three left.

       Upon entering the room they had been invited to, they met a gnome... it was Teegan. He had also been collecting old maps of where the keep was believed to be, and he and Lia planned on comparing them to current maps to figure out exactly where this keep was. They began gathering traveling supplies and left within a couple more days. Orvu had been left in charge of their newly acquired ship, so she remained in Alaghon while the rest of the group began their journey.

       After a couple days of travel, the group arrived in the town of Nonthal, a town that despised adventurers. They had a supernatural occurrence happening just outside their town that attracted many seeking treasure and glory. Keh-Tee announced himself as the Lord of Ironfang Deep, not an adventurer, and while they were leery of him, they allowed the group to stay the night. Nya made the mistake of identifying herself as an adventurer and was denied a room. Lia attempted to help Nya, which got her denied a room as well, but since they weren't sure if she was really an adventurer, or just being nice to the tiefling, she got to stay in the hidden room in the stables. She also suggested to the townsfolk that they use their tunnels to their advantage, and do something like the Yawning Portal. Then they could get revenue from the adventurers instead of having them simply be leeches.

       The next morning the group set off toward the Orsraun Mountains in search of their keep. They lost all but Teegan's horse a couple of days into the journey; a dragon from Tiamet's cult found them. The group was hounded frequently by the dragons, and began trying to conceal themselves as best they could.

       One day the group happened upon an outpost in the hills; it looked to have been used fairly recently, but the place was completely deserted. They decided to stay the night at this outpost, and enjoy having real shelter. The next morning the rangers who inhabited the outpost returned, and the group explained who they were and what their mission was. They learned that higher in the mountains there were yetis, who had attacked the group and claimed several of their people; Franklin, their leader and the man who knew these mountains best, was among the missing. The rangers explained that Franklin had gone the highest up the mountains, and if anyone would have an idea where the keep was, it would be him. They ended up spending a couple of days at the outpost with the rangers, making new healing potions and scrolls. When they finally left, it was in search of Franklin and the keep.

       After a few more days of travel, they came upon some tracks that led them to a group of yetis. The yetis seemed to be mostly out hunting, so there was only a small group of them to contend with; but there were a few small dragons there as backup. That battle was long and painful, but eventually the group won, then ventured into the yeti's cave in search of Franklin. They found the ranger missing one arm and one leg, they healed him as best they could, but regrowing his limbs was beyond Shump's powers. They took Franklin with them, attaching Teegan's broom of flying to his hip to give him an awkward quasi-leg.

       The group traveled for a few more days, fighting various yetis and the occasional dragon, when they saw a large blue dragon circling overhead- it was certainly looking for them. Their single encounter of a blue dragon, back in Greenest, when Lia shot it once with her eldritch blast, gave the group a false opinion of blues. Teegan pointed out to the group how wimpy blues are, while Keh-Tee used the mind powers of Y'Chuk to wipe his memory of what exactly he was doing; Keh-Tee's plan worked, the dragon completely forgot about the cult, its mission to find the group, all of it. They didn't see the blue again for a few more days.

       When they saw the blue again, it demanded that the group pay it tribute for being in its territory. Of course they didn't want to, they had worked hard, and killed Iona and Nigel (Lia's familiar) several times, for their treasures. This of course became a fight, dragons are as greedy, if not more so than the group. This was one of the hardest battles the group had faced yet- the blue managed to kill Iona and fly off with her before anyone could stop him.

       Iona awoke chained in a cave, with the blue in front of her. He informed Iona that she was to be his eyes and ears among the group, she would keep record of everything she saw and eventually he would come collect the information. She could not resist his commands, he had her soul in a gem. He completely wiped her memory of their encounter when he finished breifing her, so she would still carry out his commands without realizing what she was doing; this also kept Keh-Tee from figuring out that her memory had been tampered with. The blue put Iona back to sleep during the memory wipe, and when she woke again she found herself in the cave, unbound, and the stage was set to look like a fight had happened. Iona quickly made her way toward the group.

       Eventually the group made it to Ironfang Deep. They were low on supplies, and tired from their trek to their keep, and wondered what surprises were in store for them now.

The red line on the map marks the route the group took in this chapter.

The Life of Liavara, Librarian Extraordinaire

      Liavara Kayne grew in up Candlekeep, one of the greatest libraries to even exist in Faerun. Lia was the only aasimar child in the Keep, and her silver locks made her stand out to the other children. Being different made life difficult for Lia, she so badly wanted to fit in, to be part of the jokes and the games, but children are cruel. The others decided she was as angelic as her heritage, and they couldn't let an angel run around with them- she wouldn't let them have any fun, and would always tell if they caused trouble. Though none of this was true of Lia, the others thought it was fact, and therefore she wasn't permitted to play with them. Lia withdrew into the books that surrounded her, and study became her entire world. She grew to hate her own race, and the angels who had created them, since it was their divine attitude that had made her so isolated as a child.

       Lia became the apprentice to one of the traveling librarians, who would roam Faerun to bring new knowledge to the other libraries. Suddenly her withdrawal into books had paid off. She got to travel the continent, reading every book she could get her hands on, and refusing to leave anything unread. Eventually her tutor allowed her to continue on alone, so she could spend more time in each library, and she happily allowed them to part ways- though they always kept in touch.

       One day Lia received a package from her old mentor, a book that was written in gibberish, with a note telling her to protect this book with her life, for it contained knowledge that could never fall into the wrong hands. The next day she was assaulted by people who were after the book. It was fortunate that Lia had always been rather pragmatic and thought it best to leave the book hidden while she was out and about. Once Lia realized that there really were people after this book, she knew she needed to do something extreme to gain the power required to keep it out of the wrong hands.

       In her cell at Candlekeep, many years earlier, she had found hidden in the wall, a book about ancient fey pacts, pacts that warlocks had made in the past with archfey. She had found one of the fey in it interesting enough to research, Neifion, the Lord of Bats. Lia had viewed the book as her secret treasure, and still carried it; so she found the ritual required to call upon the Lord of Bats and beseech him for assistance. This fey could be a big enough power source to help her protect this book, and possibly even allow her to read it.

       Neifion had been without a warlock for over a century and was willing to take the meek librarian in. In truth, Lia reminded him of another warlock he had once known.

       Once Lia was granted power by her Lord, she set out to search for a way to read the book. About a month into her journey, she was taken prisoner by some drow, and rescued by Teegan.

Tales from Toril- The Ironfang Eight: Book One, Chapter Two, Condensed

From Waterdeep to the Keep

Dramatis Personae:
Liavara Kayne, the Aasimar Warlock of Neifion, the Lord of Bats, librarian extraordinaire
Iona, the Wood Elf Monk who can't stay alive
Shump, the Half-Orc Cleric who keeps Iona from permanent death, and replaced Ishir after his untimely demise
Keh-Tee, the four-armed Mad Catter Warlock of Y'Chuk
Lady Orhialla "Nya" Tarnash, the Teifling Sorcerer and Lady of the Zhentarim
Teegan, the Dragonborn Sorcerer of Many Faces
Orvu, the Human Rogue who loves shinies
Ishir, the Dragonborn Fighter who met his end to the Deck of Many Things; and now inhabits a dwarven golem

       At the inn the Ironfang Eight lodged at during their stay in Waterdeep, there was a pit that had different chambers, always changing called the Yawning Portal. Sometimes people didn't make it out at all, sometimes they barely survived, and sometimes they came back with a small fortune. The patrons of the inn made bets about every group that went down, about who would come back, when they would come back, etc. One day the Eight were approached by a group who issued a challenge: the two groups would go into the pit, each leaving one person behind in the inn, and they had eight hours to return; the group that came back with the most money received half of the other groups winnings. The Eight gladly took the bet, and leaving Teegan behind to gamble, the group ventured down into the pit.

       The Eight took a different route than the other group, so they would not be likely to bump into each other. The first chamber the group entered was a small, inviting kitchen with the table set for dinner... Except that everything was on the ceiling. They used their brooms and flight spells to investigate the kitchen and found that they could not move any of the furniture. One person took a loaf of bread from the table, and while it did release when grabbed, the moment the grip on it loosened, it floated back to its original place on the ceiling. The group was baffled by this room, but decided that it wasn't worth wasting anymore time on.

       The party next entered a room that had an acid pool beneath it, with something that would allow it to drain. While examining it, they triggered some sort of alarm that caused them to be attacked by several jellies. The battle was difficult, but the group prevailed. They knew it would take time for the acid to drain enough for them to investigate, so they moved on to a room that had a throne, and a strange green orb that was suspended in midair. Ishir's impatience caused a trap to be set off, and suddenly Iona found herself trapped in the orb, while the rest of the group was now facing a dragon. They defeated the dragon, and freed Iona, and after gathering their treasures they moved on to another room.

       A corrupted angel awaited the group in the next room they entered. The battle was grueling, it even took Iona's life. Had they not been able to cleanse the angel of its corruption, bringing about guilt about it slaying Iona, she may have died her final death. Fortunately for the monk, the angel felt guilty enough to resurrect her. Finally the group went back to the room where they had faced the jellies, and found the acid to be drained. Under the acid was a deep, dark pit, with levers on one wall, and two doors of metal bars, like jails have, flanking the levers. Ishir once again was a bigger threat than the actual enemies, as he decided to play with the levers... He released something dark and twisted from one of the doors and the group was forced to flee before it could end them. They got away, but Iona again sustained injuries due to Ishir's impatience. Finally, the group decided it was time to head back to the inn to learn the results of their expedition.

       Instead of finding the way up though, the group found a well dressed man alone in a room. The man had the Deck of Many Things, and wanted to play. Everyone drew cards, with greedy Ishir taking three, and slowly revealed them in turn. Keh-Tee received two wishes and the deed to Ironfang Deep. Nya received a mortal enemy and the ability to undo any one event that happened at any point in time. Lia got a bag with $50,000 in gems and the vizier card, which lets her receive the complete truth in answer to a single question, and she was given one year to use it. Ishir met his end with his second card; his soul was put in an orb and sent somewhere in the Underdark where the group couldn't go. Orvu received three wishes, and later used one to obtain the orb with Ishir's soul; with as many times as she was injured from his carelessness she found it to be poetic justice. After parting with the man, the group headed back up to the inn. The results of their riches were tallied, and they managed to win the bet with the other party. The group was happy with their prizes.

       They spent a couple days shopping before they were told it was time for them to travel. When they arrived at the teleportation site, they were greeted by Shump. He told the group that his God had told him to come to them, and with losing a member they seemed like they could use another person; they readily agreed. Had Shump not joined them, Iona would have likely died her final death soon after. The spell could only send six people, so the group had to leave Teegan behind in Waterdeep.

       Arriving at their destination, they discovered that they needed to get to a floating city- that was what the cultists were using to travel south. The group snuck onto the city with no trouble, though after takeoff the cult was made aware of their presence. They approached the white dragon who was aboard the city under the guise of making a tribute, and with Keh-Tee's persuasive powers, they were able to gather some information. They found out the location of the priestess' quarters and made their way there. Keh-Tee and Lia both donned the robes of priests and knocked on her door... They did not take into account that the leader would know all of the other cultists who were high enough in rank to wear the purple robes. The fight was a struggle, but they prevailed as usual. After several fights with the cult, they managed to completely purge the floating city of the cultists. The giants who owned the city thanked them, and offered to take them wherever they wished. They were dropped off a day's walk from Alaghon, a coastal town near the mountains where they believed Ironfang Deep to be.

The red line across this map shows the group's journey from Waterdeep to the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars

The Bane of Vecna: the cultists

The Cults of Vecna and Kas

Read more of their struggles with the cultists here.

Photo courtesy of greyhawkery.blogspot.com

The Drow Priestess

       The Drow Priestess is the first cultist the group met in Blackmoor. She managed to steal the Heart of Vecna and get away from the party unscathed. They next met the priestess a couple days into their journey to Kester. After a nasty battle the priestess escaped again, taking Aerys with her. A few days later she was spotted with the duergar, burning a small farming village down and interrogating vampires from Kas' cult. She escaped the party's grasp again, but this time they did some damage to her first. The last time the party fought her was during the Championship in Kester, and again their adversary escaped.

The Duergar

       The Duergar was first met in Yecha, he was setting fire to the town when the group arrived. The party has met him three other times, and each time he was alongside the Drow. As is the case with the priestess, he always manages to flee before the party can strike a killing blow.

Josiah

       Josiah is Jarrid and Jayce's older brother. Originally he was one of Oryn's agents, but the cult corrupted him with the Book of Vile Darkness. When the party faced him, they barely survived and managed to get the Book away from him- at the cost of Jayce's life. Josiah was tricked into taking the Void card from the Deck of Many Things, trapping his soul in a gem.

        The Cult of Kas rescued Josiah from the soul gem and turned him into a vampire. He led the cult's assault on the Vale of the Mage, intent on genocide. Josiah gave the party a history lesson on the Vale, revealing that it was Vecna who made the Vale what it was; having a huge impact on Aurora. The group was only imprisoned by him briefly before Narg rescued them, and the final battle for the Vale of the Mage began.

       Josiah was last seen during the battle for the Vale, appearing moments before Oryn set off the positive energy explosion that decimated the valley. He was not seen leaving the Vale before the explosion occurred, and is currently presumed dead.

Jarrid

       Jarrid also began as one of Oryn's agents, but was corrupted by the cult after Jayce's death. He was filled with rage at the loss of his brother, and blamed the party for it; he joined the cult to get vengeance for his brother. The party was able to slay him the next time they met, and hopes that he will stay dead.

The Sultan of Kester

       The Sultan of Kester is a powerful wizard, rivaling Pharin's skills, and a member of Vecna's cult. He was first encountered after the Championship fight in Kester, when Pharin, Andolin, and Nanu entered his palace to collect Pharin's prize for winning: the Talisman of Ultimate Evil. The entire tournament was an elaborate trap the Sultan laid for Oryn, and it failed. It is unknown if the Sultan ever actually had the Talisman, or if he just used it as bait. The party managed to escape him thanks to Nanu using a wish to get them back to the safety of Ekbir. Oryn destroyed the palace right after the group escaped, and laid waste to other parts of the city that Pharin hadn't set on fire.

       The party next met the wizard during their trek across the Sea of Dust. He seemed to have a vendetta against the group, since they had not only escaped him mostly unscathed, but he also lost his palace and most of his city because of them. They fought a grueling battle with him, and eventually the Sultan seemed to become frustrated and vanished. The party didn't think they had seen the last of him.

       The Sultan was sensed near the Vale of the Mage moments before it was destroyed, but he did not put in an appearance. He followed the party to Ralliakkan's fortress, and was then wished to House Braz'Dracon by Ralliakkan; she wanted the trouble to go away; he began a full assault on Pharin's home.

       The assault of House Braz'Dracon killed many members of Pharin's house, though no one important. The Sultan took control of the party's minds and forced them to turn on Pharin, some aiming to kill and others aiming to disable. Most of the Ekbir Underbazaar was destroyed during the battle that swept through the town. Cinder, an ancient mage, made an appearance in the fight and assisted the party in taking him out. They learned that the Sultan is a dracolich, and a patchwork-looking dragon, as if squares of flesh were cut from other dragons and sewn onto his body. His phylactery wasn't destroyed, so even though he was defeated, the Sultan may still be at large, just hiding to lick his wounds and plot his next act of revenge.

The Bane of Vecna: the characters

Read more of their adventures here!

       Aurora Isilime, the valley elf bard, is five foot two, 122 pounds, with generous curves. Her hair and eyes change color with the season, as do all valley elves- the hair is so pale it is almost white on Midsummer, that darkens through the year, turning a rich golden at the height of winter. Her eyes are a pale amber in Midsummer, and they darken to gold in winter. Aurora is incapable of sitting still, she is always fidgeting with her instruments, or singing or humming something. Music is her entire world, everything is a song, even if only for a moment. She considers herself to be the best bard the Vale has ever produced, and there is no one to dispute that claim since not many leave the Vale. Aurora wants to be the stories and songs, not just sing those others have written. Her ultimate goal in life is to find out what happened to the One True King of the Vale; it is the only story she has never finished. 

Photo courtesy of Deviantart 

       Skye Vindhalle, the air genasi druid, was brought to Oerth from the Elemental Plane of Air when she was an infant. Skye's memories of her childhood on that plane were wiped by her birth parents in order to protect her. She spent much of her childhood playing in the woods, as if nature itself were calling to her. She ended up becoming a druid because of the pull nature had on her. While she can be spacey at times, and enjoys staring at butterflies instead of paying attention to her surroundings, the druid can be formidable when pushed. 

       Willow Liadon, the eladrin rogue, grew up in the feywild, coming to Oerth much later in her life. The youngest of the Liadon clan, and the least magically inclined, she is the outcast in her family. She became a treasure hunter after gaining the attention of her God. Willow spent years hunting for the Sword of Kas after losing her best friend; he had had a paper in his possession with the words written on it- his final request. Determined, the eladrin set out on her own to find the sword, eventually catching the attention of Oryn Talus, the party's mysterious benefactor.

       Pharin and Andolin Braz'Dracon are half-drow and half-brass dragons who have been permanently locked into their drow forms by their brass dragon mother. The pair shared the same egg, and they are two halves of a single soul. Originally from Toril, the twins came to Oerth after Ironfang Deep was taken over by the Ironfang Eight. Pharin is a self-centered wizard who thinks he is Lolth's gift to the world. Andolin, being the better half of their soul, is a fighter and ranger, who attempts to keep his brother in line, and rarely succeeds. Istus, the Goddess of Fate and Destiny, has made the prophesy that Pharin will be the harbinger of the destruction of Oerth. 

       Dervish is a Kasathe fighter from a distant planet. It is unknown to the party how he ended up on Oerth, and he has never given anyone his real name. Dervish connected with a mercenary band before being recruited by Oryn, and spent much time roaming the Dry Steppes with his crew. He is a secretive person, who is usually the first to notice when Pharin is lying or has done something to harm the group.

       Nanu is half-orc and half-nightmare, the proper term for her kind being nightmorc; she is similar to a centaur, but reacts with rage when called that. She has spent her life in a nomadic tribe that roams the Plains of the Paynims; which has led to her having some social awkwardness. Nanu frequently says exactly what she is thinking, giving her the appearance of being crass, while really she just doesn't understand more civilized interactions. A gifted smith, she spends most of her free time working on custom armor for herself- since she can never find any that fits her in a shop.

       Pimbin is a halfling shadow monk from the temple of Nerull. As an assassin, little is known about the halfling, and he rarely volunteers information. The halfling is most often seen following Pharin around, since the drow causes so much death and destruction, Pimbin is his loyal follower and seems smitten with him. When he is not with Pharin he is with Dervish, doing pretty much the same thing. All the party really knows of Pimbin, aside from his crushes on Pharin and Dervish, is that he is slow to trust and quick to jump into any fight.

       Lan El'Mandragoran is another enigma to the party; he is very lawful, so they take care to keep him from spending much time with Pharin, lest he feel the urge to kill the wizard. Lan is a devoted paladin of Pelor, and refuses material goods unless his god allows him to take them. Always wanting to do the right thing, this holy man is an important agent of Oryn's, since only he has the holy power to counter many of the cult's defenses. 

       Lothar is a talented smith, and was a cleric of Moradin before he became the Guardian of the Book of Vile Darkness. The sovanni is always quick to offer himself as a sacrifice if it means helping the group defeat the cults. There is more to this feline than meets the eye, but the party knows little about him thus far.

       Aeryn and Aerys Shayl are also secretive agents, who have spent little time with the party. They are both talented archers and rangers who work together with frightening synergy.

       Ralliakkan is a master thief, cunning and able to sneak into almost anywhere undetected. Her features are uncommon amongst the drow, with black hair and purple eyes. She is as beautiful as she is deadly, and takes suicidal risks on a regular basis. 

       Oryn Talus is ancient, and has been present during major events that took place centuries ago. Little is known about the mysterious benefactor of the group, other than he is terrifyingly powerful and will do anything to keep Vecna from returning to the world. Oryn collects odd things, whether it be artifacts or people, and while he appears to be scatterbrained at times, that seems to be a cover for the formidable man who lies beneath the mask. 

       Jayce and Jarrid were the sons of the barbarian King and Queen. They were a powerful team, who would do anything to keep their people from harm. Jayce was a little slower than Jarrid, so he was easily manipulated into Pharin's schemes- part of the reason Jarrid turned on the group after Jayce's death. The death of Jayce gave his parents the martyr needed to rally the rest of the barbarian clans to join the war against the cults. 

Adventures in Oerth- The Bane of Vecna: Book One, Chapter Twenty-Three

The Parting of Ways

Dramatis Personae: 

Oryn Talus, the mysterious and ancient "Halfling" who has employed the group; also known as Cinder, the ancient power that is said to destroy every world

Aurora Isilime, the Valley Elf Bard and Bae'qeshel; "The Silver Tongued Siren;" who has more instruments than she can carry, and sings to things she shouldn't

Pharin Braz'Dracon, the Half Brass Dragon, Half Drow Wizard and Priest of Lolth; "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 and Dragon blood Sorcerer

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

Pimbin, the Halfling Shadow Monk of Nerull and Starlock of Y'Chuk
Willow Liadon, the Eladrin Rogue, summoner of elephants

Lan El'Mandragoran, the Human Paladin of Pelor

Lothar, the Sovani Smith and semi-Cleric of Moradin, High Priest of Lolth, Cleric of Istus, forced Cleric of Asmodeus; Kas Reincarnated 

Aerathema, the Wood Elf Druid

Ralliakkan, the Drow Rogue

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

Narg, there's really no way to describe Narg, Narg is just Narg

Haasenpfeffer, the giant positive energy bunny that Pharin regularly tries to summon

Comrades we have lost:

Jayce, the Human Barbarian- killed by Josiah; soul possibly destroyed by Pharin

Jarrid, the Human Barbarian- killed by Pharin, Pimbin, Andolin, and Dervish during Kester Championship

Aeryn and Aerys Shayl, the Human Ranger twins- killed during the Sultan of Kester's assault of House Braz'Dracon

Nanu's Innocent Bystander Slaughtering: 18

Pieces of Vecna Acquired: Hand and Eye

Other Components being kept out of the cult's hands: Book of Vile Darkness. Fang of Kas, the Dagger of Cinder, and the Sword of Kas

NOTE: Things will be mostly from Aurora's perspective. Anything in italics is from a third person, since the bard can't be everywhere at once.

***** Ekbir, the Underbazaar

       As we gathered our bearings after the grueling battles over the last twenty-four hours, a crowd of drow began flooding out of their fortresses. I decided to explain to them what exactly had just happened, because it sounded like fun and I like telling stories where I'm the star. Pharin and Pimbin wandered off to try to find where Cinder's weapons had wandered off to; the wizard wanted that staff back. When I was about halfway through my tale, Ralliakkan announced through the rings that around eight thousand thri-kreen were converging on the city. We had to escape, now. Pharin met us at the crater, where I was quickly wrapping up my tale, and teleported us to the one place he thought we'd be safe: the Demonweb Pits, inside Lolth's Tabernacle. 

***** Lolth's Tabernacle

       I once again found myself in the presence of my new goddess, who was wearing the form of a beautiful drow female with sultry curves and a full, pouty mouth. If I didn't know who she was, I would definitely want to have a night with her. Lolth released Dervish from the flask, and settled in to tell us about Cinder.

       Cinder was too powerful, and there was a prophecy that he would destroy not just Oerth, but every world. The realms as a whole would cease to be if Cinder had been permitted to stay as he was. All of the gods came together to bind Cinder into a rather benign form, suppressing the majority of his abilities. They thought a halfling would be an appropriate race for Cinder, since halflings are one of the most harmless races; their cheery demeanor would do well to calm the storm that resides in Cinder. And now, thanks to the cults, this ancient power has been freed. Not good. 

       After hearing Lolth's tale, Pharin began blaming his prophecy of being the destroyer of Oerth on Oryn. He was doing his usual obnoxious round about laying blame bullshit, but Lolth saw through it and hurled a web at him. I think I'll like my new goddess. 

       Dervish decided to bring up the attempted genocide of my people, as well as Pharin's destruction of the Vale, thinking Lolth would serve as a judge or something. The kasathe seems to think he's some sort of constable and actually has power to do things. He demanded I be paid reparations for Pharin's actions, and Lolth produced a beautiful blackened longsword. Not wanting to offend the Spider Queen, I took it. The moment my hand closed over the hilt, I saw the sword's forging; this was Lolth's Moonblade, and she oversaw its forging personally. While I would have liked to see Pharin punished, I couldn't complain about such a wonderful gift. Plus Lolth probably would have taken offense, and I've heard stories of what happens to people who offend her. 

       Even though I accepted the sword, Dervish continued pressing the issue. The result was a ridiculous circular argument between him, Pharin, and Lolth; it was rather amusing. Eventually Dervish got tired of arguing in circles and dropped his charges against the wizard. It's probably a good thing he did too, I'd hate to think what Lolth would do if she grew bored of the fight before the kasathe gave up. 

       Once that was settled, the Spider Queen had something to show us. First we saw thri-kreen destroying Ekbir, and Pharin's compound. The Dry Steppes Oasis was aflame, and the Forgotten City was surrounded by about twenty thousand soldiers; they weren't in the city though, probably because of the pillar of light. Absolutely nothing remained of Kester. The cults had swarmed everywhere we had touched and destroyed it. All of the good we had done was just reversed. 

       Lolth announced that someone was knocking at her door, but she didn't know who. Apparently the goddess couldn't just look through a peep hole or something. Pharin offered to investigate it, and we were suddenly standing outside the Tabernacle, Narg was banging on the gate and Ralliakkan was standing to the side. Narg handed out letters to us, and vanished, leaving Ralliakkan behind. 

       Dervish's letter was from his mercenary group in the desert. They had escaped the decimation of the Oasis, and were currently hiding in some mountains to the north. Their leader had been lost to them, and they were requesting that Dervish come lead them.

       Pharin's letter was from his priestess, who had a theory about the beacons. She thought they could be used as a bridge between worlds. The wizard needed to join his house to assist in this; he also wanted to start his own wizard school.

       Nanu's letter was from her tribe, telling her that some of their leaders had signed on with one of the cults. They needed the nightmorc to come home and help them.

       I got a letter from Gabrielle's College! The Battle Bard herself had heard of me and wanted to write my story! My idol had noticed me! I knew I was the best bard to leave the Vale! One of my dreams had been accomplished, and I couldn't stop squealing with joy.

       Pimbin received a contract from his temple, with the party's names down as the marks. The halfling was being tasked to kill the people he had spent months with. He couldn't tell anyone about the contract because of a geas, and he couldn't just squirm out of it. Pimbin's loyalty was being tested, would he stay loyal to his order, or would he stay loyal to his comrades?

       In lieu of a letter for Willow, Ralliakkan recruited her. She offered to take the eladrin with her, on the condition that Willow followed her every instruction. It wouldn't be easy, but the rewards would be plenty. Willow accepted the offer to be Ralliakkan's apprentice.

       Ralliakkan decided we needed to blow off some steam before we went our separate ways. She took us to a beautiful bath house filled with pools as far as the eye could see. We spent the next day lounging in Ralliakkan's bath, drinking, and enjoying ourselves. While most of us were still not parting as friends, we were parting under amicable terms, and that was about as good as we could get. 

Adventures in Oerth- The Bane of Vecna: Book One, Chapter Twenty-Two

The Sultan Returns

Dramatis Personae: 

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 Braz'Dracon, the Half Brass Dragon, Half Drow Wizard and Priest of Lolth; "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 and Dragon blood Sorcerer

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

Pimbin, the Halfling Shadow Monk of Nerull and Starlock of Y'Chuk
Willow Liadon, the Eladrin Rogue, summoner of elephants

Lan El'Mandragoran, the Human Paladin of Pelor

Lothar, the Sovani Smith and semi-Cleric of Moradin, High Priest of Lolth, Cleric of Istus, forced Cleric of Asmodeus; Kas Reincarnated 

Aerathema, the Wood Elf Druid

Ralliakkan, the Drow Rogue

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

Narg, there's really no way to describe Narg, Narg is just Narg

Haasenpfeffer, the giant positive energy bunny that Pharin regularly tries to summon

Comrades we have lost:

Jayce, the Human Barbarian- killed by Josiah; soul possibly destroyed by Pharin

Jarrid, the Human Barbarian- killed by Pharin, Pimbin, Andolin, and Dervish during Kester Championship
Aeryn and Aerys Shayl, the Human Ranger twins- killed during the Sultan of Kester's assault of House Braz'Dracon

NOTE: Things will be mostly from Aurora's perspective. Anything in italics is from a third person, since the bard can't be everywhere at once.

***** Ekbir, House Braz'Dracon

       At the voice of the Sultan, Pharin grabbed his favorite bitch (Pimbin), and vanished from the room. Pharin began an evacuation of all non-essential personnel in his house, sending them to the teleportation circle he had made in the Forgotten City. What he didn't realize was that a large portion of the people in the complex had been killed the moment the Sultan blew in; including the Shayl twins, who had been in the mess hall. The Sultan began reanimating Pharin's guards and ordered them to attack the survivors.

       Willow was further in the complex than the rest of the party, she had gone to scout while the others dealt with Pharin, and Aurora's kin. The rogue drew her Wand of Wonder in defiance, and six hundred butterflies burst forth; not nearly as helpful as the elephants Willow tends to summon. Suddenly she found herself in a force cage, with no lock to pick the eladrin appeared to be trapped. She rose her wand again, and this time she did summon an elephant... in the cage with her; there was barely enough room for her to avoid being smashed by the beast.

       As we flew out to deal with the Sultan, I contemplated just leaving. Maybe if I wasn't around to help the Sultan would kill the damned drow for me, and he would likely receive a much more interesting death than one I could provide. I thought about taking the nightmorc and Willow with me; I sometimes liked Nanu, and I usually liked Willow, I couldn't leave them to be cannon fodder for Pharin. Since Dervish tended to sway in favor of Pharin, he was on his own for escape, and Pimbin was off humping the drow's leg so he didn't matter to me. I just needed to find Willow and then the three of us could get out of here.

       Dervish interrupted my planning to ask about the anti-magic manacles, he wanted to arrest Pharin using those. I'm not sure why he thought he had authority to arrest the drow, but I suppose if he wanted to help with the wizard problem I'd join- even though his ideas for handling Pharin probably didn't include the ways of slicing him up that I was imagining, much to Luna's displeasure. The kasathe suggested we find Willow and get the hell out of there to rest, I had enough magic energy left to set off a single teleport spell.

       We emerged from Pharin's laboratory to a full scale war raging in the house; there were house guards fighting desperately for their lives, while their former comrades were being raised as zombies to slaughter them. Blood, innards, and limbs were flying everywhere, and there was absolutely no space to walk in these halls; we had to fly over the mess to get to Willow. 

       While the others were planning to leave Pharin and Pimbin to their fate, the wizard was barricaded in his office. The drow began frantically summoning a glabrezu to assist him in this battle. The demon was wrested from Pharin's control quickly, giving the party yet another foe to face.

       Willow was still alive when we finally made it to her, though she was still locked in the cage with her elephant. I may need to write a song about the rogue who loves elephants, it'll have an upbeat tempo and written to be played primarily on violin. As the notes and tune began swirling around my mind, I reluctantly pulled myself back to the task at hand; there would be time later to write this song. I drew my Sword of Sharpness and hacked at the bars of Willow's prison... nothing happened. After some trial and error, we decided that Willow needed to teleport out of the cage, and it worked. Though we couldn't teleport ourselves out the House Braz'Dracon. Either douchebag had a ward in place that prevented us from leaving, or the Sultan had done something to trap us. So much for escaping and getting some rest. Reluctantly we resolved to meet douchebag and his leg warmer in the house's Temple of Lolth. 

       After we had barricaded ourselves in the temple, the Sultan began banging at the doors, attempting to gain access. Fortunately for us, in most drow homes the Temple is the most fortified place to be; for the moment we were safe enough to make a plan. The banging went on for a few moments, and the suddenly there was silence. Pharin felt his wards begin to go down, and we all heard a soft, giddy laugh in the back of our heads; that was unnerving. Then every light went out and we stood in silence and blackness. 

       We sat in the silent darkness for about twenty minutes before we heard screams of terror erupt from throughout the complex. The cacophony of voices being twisted by such a great evil chilled me to the bone. These cries were worse than those of Luna earlier today; was it really today that the Vale was destroyed? It seemed like it was ages ago, not hours. A couple of minutes went by before the screams became muted, and a gurgling sound was added to them; almost like they were drowning. Perhaps they were, but they were drowning in their blood, their terror that filled them was choking them into silence. The drowning wails faded until once again we were shrouded in silence. 

       A soft thud struck the temple's door, a thud that quickly became louder and more constant. It sounded like hundreds of bodies were banging against the door, trying to break in- which is probably exactly what was happening. Finally Pharin's priestesses began trying to open portals for us to escape, to no avail. The Sultan had us surrounded and trapped. The drow told us of an escape shaft that would take us directly to the surface, Even that exit was blocked. It seemed there was no escape, we would all die in this prison, I doubted Oryn would arrive in time to rescue us, if he was even in fighting shape- the Vale seemed to have taken a lot out of him; and no one was offering up any wishes to get us out of there. 

       Pharin sensed an absence of presence moving through his house, that he assumed was the Sultan. Emptiness was moving slowly through the complex, making its way toward the Matron Mother's room, and leaving traps in its wake. 

       Dickbag told his Matron, I never learned her name because I don't care, to open a portal to her room that would drop us slightly ahead of the roaming emptiness. When she began working her spell to open a portal, she collapsed into unconsciousness; apparently the Sultan had anticipated even that. Pharin did something to augment a dimension door that would allow others to get through while he stayed behind. Instead of seeing our location through the portal, there was only static- but at least this spell worked. Four of Pharin's soldiers went through, as did Dervish, Nanu, and Willow; I was supposed to go through, even though I really didn't want to, but I was at the end of the line and Nanu's ass was too big for me to follow behind- the doorway closed right on her tail. I was stuck in the temple with Pharin and his leg warmer, but it was better than being out there.

       The group landed in the Matron Mother's room and found themselves surrounded by abominations that seemed to be piles of animated gooey flesh; they had no substance or features, almost like a Yochlol, but without the eye, and more macabre. Fire and ice began raining down on the sea of goo that surrounded the group, but it didn't seem to be thinning out the fleshy waves. They found a seven foot tall wall of the goo blocking them in the room.

       Pharin got the oh so brilliant idea to try the holy symbol of Vecna's that he had has Jayce purify so many months ago. The wizard was attempting to use it to regain control of the ambient magical energies that were being turned against us. It was a decent idea in theory, but Pharin's plans don't seem to go the way he wants most of the time. He began working on a magical trap for our enemy, but it backfired on him; jackass was able to throw an anti-magic field up before it injured him. Too bad, I would have loved to watch something literally blow up in Pharin's face. 

       As I watched Pharin begin setting up a new scheme to escape, that icy rage that had been frosting my soul took over, and the desire I had been feeling to kill the drow grew. The party had been targeted by a mental blast by the Sultan that told them they needed to stop the drow by any means necessary. While that didn't necessarily mean they needed to kill Pharin, the bard's pre-existing hatred for the drow was amplified and the desire to end the wizard was consuming her mind. The Moonblade attempted to help Aurora, but the Sultan was even able to block off that communication. I was suddenly aware of other presences in my mind, those of my comrades, and I began learning some interesting secrets about them; unfortunately that meant they learned some things about me I would rather them not have known, but you can't keep secrets from your hive. 

       I was aiming to kill the drow, but stupid Pimbin decided he just wanted to restrain him. It was because of the halfling's crush on Pharin that the damned drow managed to escape us. He teleported himself and his women out of the complex and into the Underbazaar, basically just outside the complex walls. 

***** Ekbir, the Underbazaar

       Pharin knew he had to get somewhere that would give him an advantage against his party, so he ran to the shop owned by Ralliakkan's brother, Lyathfikash. His shop was one of the only ones left standing on that block, and he had it protected by countless wards. Pharin quickly explained the situation to him, and began setting up another attempt at teleportation; this time the drow was going to see sanctuary with Asmodeus- Pharin had clearly grown desperate. 

       We knew where Pharin had scampered off to, so we all took off in flight after the drow. He had to be stopped, no matter what. Dervish used my ability to project my voice by hundreds of feet, and speaking through me, he demanded the drow's surrender. If we weren't as one, I would have found Dervish using my voice offensive and violating, but he was me, so it was only slightly disconcerting. The thrill of having these voices in my head, of moving in perfect concert with the others was exhilarating; I never wanted to stop being "we" and go back to just "me." I reveled in the thrill of it all, the frozen rage within me amplifying it; I was finally going to kill Pharin. If only Skye was here, she would enjoy being in our Collective, and I knew she would love to help us stop the drow. 

       Pharin began running to the other side of the bazaar, hoping to escape that way, or at least keep his pursuers at bay. When the drow was almost to the other end of the bazaar, he found himself back in front of Lyathfikash's shop. There was no escaping his fate this time. 

       A massive explosion of energy went off around the shop, destroying every building except the one the Sultan wanted brought down. Apparently the wards on that shop were better than those of House Braz'Dracon. 

       We still needed to get in the damn shop since our explosion didn't work, so Dervish used a spell that opened up a section of the wall, allowing us entrance. Desperate, Pharin used the blood he had given Dervish, the blood running through the sorcerer's veins, and ignited them- causing massive pain to the kasathe. Whatever the drow did to Dervish would not be tolerated, how dare he harm one of my hive. Willow responded to Pharin's attack by drawing her Wand of Wonder, and summoning another elephant positioned to land right on the drow. The jerk reversed gravity before he could be squashed into jam, but Willow was fast enough to dispel that. He still didn't get smashed into drow paste, but we were confident it would happen. 

       Nanu charged into the shop where and was stopped short by Lyathfikash. As she ran at him, he hacked into her with a Vorpal Sword, and completely disintegrated her and most of her belongings. The foul foal was no more. Pharin's rogue held a quill out to me, and I suddenly found myself in a crystalline prison- with Luna screaming at me. Pleased that she didn't have to yell anymore she settled down; I knew I couldn't escape, so I decided to drop into my desperately needed reverie. 

       Pharin's rogue next held an iron flask out to Dervish, imprisoning the warrior. During the chaos Willow had snuck around to Pharin's flank, and grasped his arms to slap the anti-magic shackles on him; the eladrin was foiled by the shop keep, who landed a heavy blow, stunning her. With the bulk of the party dispensed of, Pharin's priestess resurrected Nanu, knowing that the nightmorc would return to the land of the living untainted by the Sultan's magics; she was nude and unarmed, but otherwise fine.

       Another wall of the shop exploded inward, revealing a six foot tall blonde man, wearing armor that seemed to be made of lava itself. Cinder had arrived. The ancient myth was locked in a duel with the Sultan, and severed the hold he had on Willow and Pimbin. Pharin used the distraction to clamp the shackled onto Willow's arms. not knowing she had been freed of their foe's grasp. With the destruction of part of his shop, Lyathfikash promptly booted the party out of his building; the shop keep wanted nothing to do with the war that was being waged against Pharin.

       Once outside, Pharin released Dervish from the flask, though the fighter was now under Pharin's control. The drow was commanded by his goddess to return Cinder's staff to him; he had been using it since he discovered the command to unlock it. Pharin also decided to use his other staff as a projectile, and threw it at the Sultan. Cinder caught his staff easily and slammed an end of it on the ground, a peculiar looking burst of energy blossomed forth from the impact. The other staff hit the Sultan square in the face and exploded on impact- the Sultan went flying from the shock of the blast.

       Pharin got an idea that would imbue him with more power, thinking it would help him slay the Sultan. The wizard set up a circle and asked his goddess to assist him in making a wish. He was suddenly imbued in clerical energy, but his wish assistance wasn't granted yet; the capricious goddess didn't feel like helping him yet.

       A storm was raging inside the cavern, with lightning bolts constantly hitting Cinder. In a flash of fire, the ancient mage was standing right in front of the party, asking if they were friend or foe. They agreed to stand with him against the Sultan, the party needed all the help they could get. 

      The nude nightmorc asked the party for assistance with armor and a weapon, so she could actually fight in the coming battle. Eventually Cinder got tired of her just standing there asking, and gave her armor. He then gave her the sword handle and shield strap- the items that were previously contained in the brass balls found in the Forgotten City Vault. 

       Pharin's priestess requested on his behalf the wish assistance the wizard had asked for. Lolth answered her priestess's prayer and Pharin sprouted four more arms and eight eyes. While Pharin summoned a Yochlol to possess his sword, Dervish asked Cinder to let the bard out of the quill that was perched in Pharin's hat. The drow didn't want to let Aurora out, so the ancient mage declined Dervish's request. Instead, Pharin sent the quill to Lolth.

       I was ripped out of my reverie again- I'm getting really tired of that- and found myself sitting in that crystalline cage before Lolth. She asked if I wanted out, and to serve her, I don't know if it was desperation, or seeing her punish Pharin for slaughtering my people, but I wanted to join her. I agreed thrice, and since Luna didn't make any objections, I became one of the Spider Queen's parishioners. Ideas for songs that could manipulate the mind and compel the body briefly flashed before me; my new deity was giving me a glimpse of the rewards I could gain being in her service. Lolth would teach me the ancient arts of her Dark Minstrels, the Bae'qeshel. With that, the goddess returned me to my party. 

       We spread out and prepared for what was promising to be a brutal fight, especially with how tired so many of us were. When the Sultan reappeared before us, Pharin hurled a ball of fire at him, and somehow Cinder charged it to make the blast more devastating. Willow drew her wand again, but this time she didn't summon an elephant, she made the entire cavern light up like a bard club. Dervish was ordered to guard Pharin's women, and for some reason the dumb ass actually did what he was told. We continued to make fire rain all around the Sultan, but he seemed unphased by it.

       Cinder hit Nanu with a massive burst of power, I think it was an undoing spell; the nightmorc wasn't in the best shape. Hopefully that was an accident, and he wasn't turning on us. Willow tried again to summon an elephant, but instead she was engulfed in darkness- at least her disco was gone. Pharin used an ethereal hand to stab the Sultan in the back, shattering his shield. The drow then tried using a philter of love on him, but the Sultan was unaffected. Pharin realized that the Sultan was a lich. 

       Dark beams of evil flew from the Sultan's fingers and slammed into Cinder. The ancient mage responded in turn with what looked like about a hundred magic missiles- Oryn gave Pharin a scroll that does that, there has to be a connection between them. Cinder followed the missile assault up by dropping a column of light onto the Sultan, which pummeled him into the ground. The Sultan somehow survived that attack, though it seemed he came close to death, Cinder stalked toward him like a panther to its prey. 

       Pharin raised the Sultan into the air using telekinesis, and the goo that was the Sultan's body vanished. He must have teleported somewhere to escape his fate. 

       Knowing how powerful his foe is, Pharin used a wish to age himself into an ancient dragon. The way the drow worded his wish made him merge with his twin. Andolin and Pharin were sharing a single entity, but they were now extremely powerful, and ready to finish the Sultan. An ancient two-headed brass dragon wielding a staff had entered the fray.

       I heard a swooping noise coming from above us, it sounded like the beating of wings. Flying above us was a fucking dragon... great, our adversary was a huge patchwork dragon. The Sultan had patches of different colored scales, as if he had sliced off squares of others and sewn them on himself. Considering what a psycho he is, it wouldn't be surprising if that's exactly what he did. As he soared overhead, Dervish managed to lasso the beast with adamantine wires, entangling him and making the dragon crash to the ground. The Sultan didn't take kindly to being treated like livestock, and electrocuted Dervish, paralyzing him in fear.

       The Sultan sprouted six more heads, which added to how bizarre he looked; a patchwork dragon is odd enough, but a seven headed patchwork dragon is a bit much, even for my imagination. If I didn't hate the Sultan so much I might write a song about how weird he is. The dragon leaned his head down to the paralyzed Dervish, and tried to eat him; Andolin summoned him back to the iron flask to save him- if he hadn't been merged with Pharin, the kasathe would not have left this fight alive.

       Pharin, Nanu, and I dropped fire on the Sultan, had we been on the surface the sky itself would have appeared ablaze. One of the Sultan's heads breathed a cone of cold at Pimbin, hitting the halfling. Another head hit Nanu with a poison cloud, while the other five heads looked at Pharin and exhaled two cones of cold and three lightning bolts. We responded by dropping more fire on his highness. I sensed something huge rallying behind the Sultan, accompanied by a glowing light. Throughout the cavern "move" echoed, and we knew Cinder was setting off something huge to destroy the dragon. I hoped this blast wouldn't destroy Ekbir as the Vale had been. 

       We knew we couldn't get away as easily as normal, so Pharin banished Willow to get her out of range. I took off on my broom, and somehow we all managed to get to safety before the explosion went off. The cavern was bathed in a blinding white light, and the only sound I could hear was my ears ringing. 

       Everything evil had been devoured by Cinder's explosion, and there was no sign of the Sultan- only a crater where he had been standing. We won, hopefully for good. 

House Braz'Dracon