The Crown of Balance – Session Information – Sessions 9 – 14
Posted by Steve | Filed under D&D
Session 9
The group was stopped on their way out of town by a Kenku named Skittersnip who delivered a message to Chance. It was from the Diamond Daggers leader who wanted to talk to him, and notified him that he owed them for the men they killed. The group continued on the road. Chance told the group his story when Kaiya asks. He asks Kaiya if she will turn him in. She says she will not. Opal is asked about her story and how she met the Raven Queen.
On their first day, they encountered two ogres. One was killed, and the other let go. They were fighting over some buried food.
When they set up camp, they each had dreams.
– Opal appeared on a cliff overseeing the first morning of Toril with a golden metallic dragon. He tells her he is the first, and she is the second. She named him Radiance.
– Chance was taken to the last day of the world. Next to him was an undead dragon named Contagion, with Easton sitting on top of his head. They watched the Raven Queen, in a very emaciated form, walk through a battlefield filled with creatures as far as the eye could see. Before he woke, she turned to dust.
– Kaiya appears in the sealed silver plane and meets Pandora. She tells her that she’s happy to see her.=, and shows her current, past, and alternate scenes of the party’s life. She tells her that she didn’t leave because she was scared and felt safe here. Now, she cannot leave. (She is trapped within by the other gods.)
– Maryn tells the group of a dream she had. She saw them within a magical storm on a blackened plain, fighting a large winged being carrying a sword of radiant light. The party is attacking the being, along with a female surrounded by fire and ice, two large dragon shapes – one golden and one bone, and various other humanoids. She remembers the screams of people dying, the smell of dust and death, and the taste of blood in her mouth.
The next day, they meet an old elven man, named Jub Yammy, selling wooden masks and healing potions traveling towards Baldur’s Gate on the road. He immediately puts on a kitten mask when he sees Opal. He has an elven male face, an elven female face, an ogre face, and a gnome female face. Chance buys the elven male mask, and Kaiya buys the elven female mask. As he heads off, he puts on a blank mask that turns him invisible and proceeds on his journey.
After setting up camp, a storm picks up and lightning starts crashing everywhere. The wind howls and starts to tear down their tents. One lightning crack thunders right next to the group, blinding the group briefly, and there stands a large lightning elemental. The final enemy of the evening is a storm paraelemental.
After it is killed, the group notices other lightning elementals, at least seven, in the distance. The ranger, Elaro, comes out of the forest and yells at them through the wind and rain – “FOLLOW ME! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THIS STORM NOW!” He lights a torch and leads them into the forest. Some ways in, he leads them to what looks to be a large hole heading down under a tree. “This is an old bear den I found! She and her cubs moved out of here a few weeks ago. GET IN!”
The group hunkers down and waits out the storm. They ask Elaro multiple questions. He doesn’t know why people think he’s dead. He does remember a storm like this a few days ago (from his perspective), and nearly getting struck by lightning.
Jerico will find them in the cave, body bruised and broken, a spear glowing out of his back. “Caretaker….Opal Fire….take it…” He falls, a key made of crystals, small stars glow within. “…take it…open…the…door…only you…..free her….keep it close…only…way….” He dies. After a few seconds, his body begins to glow, and fades to bright, tiny motes that hover in the air, then disappear. The spear remains within the ground, flares, then zooms out of the top of the cave.
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Session 10
-Note: The group did not get a full rest.
After seeing the body of Jerico die in their presence, Xanatos yells out “Brother! Nooo!” He also exclaims, upon seeing the spear, “No! How could the Justicar do this?!” (The Justicar is the prime High archon, the wisest, fairest, more ordered member of his order.) He appears to be shocked, and retreats to Chance’s body.
The group travels further into the cave, as they do not want to go out into the storm filled with elementals. This leads to the discovery of an underground halfling laboratory under the Trollclaws. It’s been taken over by a diretroll, one that has been hunting and eating other trolls, which they slay. It is much larger than a regular troll, is black, and has a stony mane. They also save a halfling trader (Carbyn Deffler – “CD” for short) who was brought down as food. He gives them a coinpurse of holding as payment for the rescue, thanks them, and uses a ring to teleport home.
They find the following magical items: Book of Dorne, Spectacles of Balding, Magic 9 Ball, Glasses of Seaing, Dwarven-Throwing Hammer, the Brand of Harmony, and the Ever-Disappointing Mug. In the lab, the also find one of the personal journals of Hinda Wheeters, a crazed looking halfling female. The journal describes how she found the cave while hiding from some trolls. She returns to set up the lad. She has so many “wonderful” ideas, and the local towns keep kicking her out because of some issues she’s had with some of her “testings”. One of note is an overly large, sweet watermelon that grew kobolds from it’s seeds when planted “How would I know it would do that?!” It ends with her saying she’s made enough stable items to open up her shop in Neverwinter. Kaiya also finds 4 other journals and a codex that she can decipher later.
After long-resting in the lab, they head out and avoid the outside trolls and come out past the Trollclaw Hills. The continue north, and come across Dragonspear, a large marble obelisk tower. Kaiya knocks on the door, and they meet Lord Whitestone, an older looking elf. His blinks go side to aside rather than up and down. He invites them in, but Elaro says he needs to head back into the woods to see what damage has been done due to the storm. The party tells him he should go visit Baldur’s Gate, as they believe him to be dead. He tells them to meet him either at the Purple Wyrm Inn or outside near the gate at 6PM. He heads back into the woods, and the party enters the tower.
Lord Whitestone takes them to a nice room with comfortable furniture and offers them food and drink, magically creating it as needed. He eventually lets the party know that he is Radiance, the first dragon/being, and is happy to finally meet his first friend, Opal, who he has been eyeing and smiling at sine their meeting. He answers what he can, and offers his knowledge to the group. They tell him they need to get to the Star Mounts to pick up a package. He offers to fly them their.
He takes them to the base of Star Mount, and when they land, he gives Opal a golden pearl that she can use to call him as needed. He leaves and heads back to his tower. The group reach a stairway heading up. At the base is an old human man asking for help up to the nearest town of Tenjin. The old man is named Truffin Brewstorm, and he trades ales between the mountain villages and the dwarven encampments at the base of the mountain. They proceed up the stairway to the village.
There, Chance begins to be effected negatively by the cold. Opal gives him her Ring of Warmth. They head to the nearest inn, The Snowshoe Inn, and meet Theonora Snowshoes, a dwarven female, the innkeeper. They get 2 rooms to stay the night, and Kaiya is quick to meet Grubby Starwhiskers and Tonk. Theonora tells them the blacksmiths are to the right of the Grocery Mart and the Job Board across the road from the inn. They head to the blacksmiths, the building with an anvil and two hammers (one large, one small). Inside they meet Grubby and Tonk. Tonk is quite excited to meet them, and runs in the back to get cookies and drinks to share. Grubby tells Kaiya that he has finished the tools Magister Lenna requested, three large sphere-globes that act like magical dynamos. He tells Tonk to bring the box, which she does after some searching. They are contained in a large box that requires two of them to hold. (They also learn that Tonk is a very young, but powerful, forgemaster. She can imbue things with magic or tech with her hammer and innate power. Before they leave, they give the dwarven-throwing hammer to Grubby who tries it and summons a dwarf, Thorin Oakensmoke, mid-poop. Grubby says he knows the dwarf. As the party exits, they bump into Thorin who is agitated and covered in poop and urine, and proceeds to yell at Grubby. He gets gently thrown from the blacksmith’s shop.
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Session 11
Kaiya heads to the Grocery Mart to buy some clothes. She buys a winter jacket and boots from the teenage worker named Kaiden, who passes his house number to her. She returns to the inn.
The group decide to go and ask about the protection job mentioned on the board. Theonora offers to allow them to borrow some of her old snowshoes for the job. They talk to a dwarven mining boss named Rorin Bloodstone, who tells them he will pay 5 gold a head for each wolf killed, and the group mentions how much for a yeti. He laughs and says if one shows up, which he doesn’t believe is likely, will pay for its toe as proof. They decide to take the job, and return to Grubby and Tonk’s shop to ask them to hold the spheres while they are on the job.
At the mining entrance, they meet the mercenary leader, a white dragonborn male named Hgrrarraggr or “Drake”, who is hired to guard the entrance with three other guards. He leaves to eat, and the group is attacked by 6 winter wolves. They manage to scare three away, but the blood of the battle brings a yeti to the site. The group kill 5 of the wolves and the yeti. Drake returns and is surprised by the carnage. He thanks the party for protecting the miners, and gets his men in shape.
The party takes the spheres back to the inn, and intend to rest there until the morning. The party headed to their rooms, the girls to one room and Chance to his own. Before bed, they were visited by the Wyrm that Walks. He tells them he was the former arch wizard of the Delian Order, Magister Cornellian Iceguard, who was within the tower when the Balance buried it, is alive as a Worm That Walks. (The Worm that Walks will use the pronoun “we” when referencing itself.) He was also a member of the Arcane Order and mentor to Nasir Carnala, Kaiya’s mentor. When it was submerged, he and the survivors tried to make it down to the portal that had been opened to escape, but something had emerged from the portal and killed them. Over time, the evil seeping from the Abyss changed him due to his magical abilities. He has since been able to overcome the evil and anger seething within his body, and has heard word of the group and what they are doing. (He cannot get close to Opal or the crown, as it negates the magic of the individual worms.)
He eventually saves or finds the group and tells them that he had animated his brethren to act as an army to protect the world from creatures from the Abyss from getting out. The original creature that came out of the Abyss that killed him and his men had escaped the tower and was out in the world. He tells the group that the portal has grown, and is now beyond his ability to control. Demons have found the portal and are using it to come through. He tells them that they cannot close it here, but he can send them in the past to close it when it was smaller, during a time when he and his skeletal men were able to guard it.
The group decide to help him, but not at this time, as Kaiya wants to return the spheres to Lenna first. He adds an enchantment to her bracers to allow her to contact him when they are ready.
The group contact Radiance and ask for transport to Lenna’s lab. He meets them at the base of the mountain, and takes them there. Kaiya uses the bell as instructed previously, and the portal opens. The portal seems to be experiencing a problem, but the group enter in. They appear within a room filled with moving floors, and the portal leading out on the far side of the room.
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The group pass the first floating trap, the second maze trap, then reaches the main room. Lenna is within a spell shield casting a powerful slow spell at the center. On each corner of the room appears to be 4 lightning humanoids, slowly pushing through her spell to reach her. She yells at the group to help her, as the spell is beginning to unweave. They eventually defeat the humanoids, and Lenna drops her spell shield. A celestial female named Saryn, holding a silver spear, crashes into the room surprising the group. She threatens Lenna, and Lenna tells her to get out of her lab. A battle ensues, but she is eventually defeated. Xanatos tells them she is an archon of Justice, the silver spear signifying her station. (During her battle, she used the spear in a two-handed style turning it into a scythe that was able to cleave magic into the party.)
After the battle, Lenna seals her lab. She tells the party that the enemies must have been invisible in front of the group and entered first when the bells were used at her door. This caused them to appear straight here, while the party was shunted into her trap rooms. The party gives her the spheres she asked for. Kaiya asks her if she can send her home since their deal has been completed. She creates some beds and tells them that they all need rest. She will send them to Kaiya’s world if that is what they want in the morning. They all head to sleep.
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Session 12
After waking up, the group made plans on what to do. Lenna appears and checks on the group. She leaves and returns soon with breakfast from town. Kaiya is thinking about returning to Arcadia, but Lenna tells her it will take her some time to work on the teleportation circle. She also tells her she can modify her wristguards or ring to help with teleportation. Kaiya decides to stay the day with Lenna. The group plan to head to Baldur’s Gate and sell some items and check on previous people they met before. Chance puts on his elven mask.
On their way to town, they meet an old goblin named Skag Ogrebottom (his friends call him Craig). He asks the group for some food and water, and that he is looking for a goblin encampment that is near Baldur’s Gate. The group then head into the forest toward the camp. The party asks him questions, which arouses suspicions in the group. While talking and speaking, he casts a paralyze spell on them and proceeds to take back his bag of cursed needles, and Opal’s gold. He mentions getting his lab up and running again, and about getting revenge against the goblins and “his enemies”. He proceeds to cut the ankle tendons and stabs the back of each group member. He then heads into the forest, and teleports away.
Eventually, Chance is able to get Xanatos out. Opal merges with her raven, and flies to the goblin camp. She lands and tells them about the attack. Haley and Grackston help Opal, and Grackston gets some of his people together and heads out to rescue the other party members. They are returned to the village, and some healers get to helping them. Opal is obviously pissed.
They head to the gate, and tell the guards about the attack. He tells them to head to the main guard house and report it. Also here, Chance sees wanted posters for 6000 gold for himself. Opal proceeds to draw a moustache on them. She convinces the guards that the original artist was incorrect and they thank her for giving them better info. They then head to the guard house.
There, they meet the Sergeant at Arms, Kacey Taggert, who gets their statement. While there, Matron Dumar, asks Sergeant Taggert for a room to ask them some questions. She asks the group about Chance, who is still wearing his mask, and Opal tries to deceive her by saying he was eaten by a dragon but fails. She tells the group it is important she meet with him. The group ask her if she knows of the person who sold the cursed needles. She tells them that he is Greg Felton, and offers info on him if they will set up a meeting with Chance. They accept, and she tells them to meet her outside the city, not far from the gates, at sundown. Once Matron Dumar leaves, the group learns from Sergeant Taggert that Matron Dumar is a powerful member of the city council.
With some time to kill until sundown, they head to the Flowery Cauldron, to sell things to Landice Turner. They find out the hookup with Lady Stockton did not go well, as she got mad at him when he began to question her about the necklace she was planning to make. From here, they head to the antique shop to talk to Lady Stockton. She asks for Kaiya, and tells them how it went. Opal convinces her to go and talk to him, as she may just have been upset due to Kaiya not being there to help, as she had promised earlier. Finally, they see a new shop open being run by Fragrance of Spring. They stop in and say hi. She tells them she is still working in the morning at the inn, but she is here in the afternoons. She also tells Opal that she has a small place in town, and that she is saving money for when they can head home.
The group heads to the Purple Wyrm Inn to get a room, and see Elaro in the corner. He is sad, as he tells them his friends don’t quite believe him to be alive and that he has seen his grave. They eat up and rest until sundown.
That evening, they meet Skittersnip who gives the okay to Matron Dumar. She tells them Greg used to be a part of her organization until he starting going crazy, and was forced out of the group. She gives them a map of the location of his old lab, in exchange for them getting an item from someone located far below the city who will be journeying topside tomorrow. They agree to the contract. The group then heads back to the inn to rest for the night.
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Session 13
Kaiya, Opal, and Chance are taken to Pandora’s realm during their sleep. She appeared to be a little older (from 10 to 13).
Kaiya thought over her choices. Lenna repowered her teleportation ring.
Caravik sent Opal a message using Nick’s pearl. He told her that Almswood had been rebuffing attacks from undead since last evening. They appeared to be coming from the roads heading west to Baldur’s Gate. He told her to be careful.
The group will headed to Greg Felton’s lab to get their stuff back. The map Matron Dumar gave them led to a forested area with a well at its center. They traveled into it and confronted Greg. They killed him.
After coming back from Felton’s lab, the group returned to Baldur’s Gate. A green fire was seen in the city, and the city began to be filled with screams. The group ran to the fire. It was the temple of Bahamut (ba-HA-mut) that was on fire, bathed in green fire. Mages put the fires out, while guards helped those trapped in the tower. Eventually it fully burned and crashed straight down.
In the sky, the sun went black, and the stars making up the constellation of the dragon, Bahamut, flared and burst out. They disappeared. Slowly, the sun returned. Thin clouds surrounded the city, a light rain began upon the city, as if the sky itself mourned the loss.
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Session 14
-After coming back from Felton’s lab, the group returned to Baldur’s Gate. The got a quest from Matron Dumar to return a magical Lloth statue from an Underdark priest, Ubrien D’garne, who was above ground at the moment. (He believed he needed to spread the faith to the above ground as her reign would cease if something were to happen to the Underdark. He had been having visions of a massive underground apocalypse.)
She gave them a guide, a drow paladin, Donovar Lothien, who’s patron was Lloth. (He believed Ubrien is a thief, and needed to be “cleansed of his sins”.
They fought the priest, and he invoked his deity. Lloth’s spiritual presence manifested itself, and mentions how proud she was that the fighting spirit of her people still boiled within them. She told Ubrien and Donovar that they had always been loyal followers of her, and deemed them both worthy of determining their “falling out”. Eventually she fuill manifested into our realm, and multiple spears, silver dripping with black energy, entered her body and disrupted her magic. Her form screamed as she breathed her last. The drow paladin’s and cleric’s powers ceased. The statue cracked, and broke into pieces.
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