Vecna: Eye of Ruin Campaign with Sly Flourish Group

Vecna Background

• Vecna is the primary BBEG of this campaign
• Vecna won’t directly start playing a role in the story till 10th level, but his presence can be felt indirectly at first
• Details are still forming around what his plan will be, but I do know that:
  • Vecna seeks to remake the entire multi-verse, ALL realities, in his image and to rule the entirety of existence
  • Certain powerful figures in D&D Lore seek to stop him, The Wizards Three: Mordenkainen, the Interplanar Archmage; Tasha, the Demonologist; and Alustriel Silverhand, the High Lady
  • The Wizards Three craft a specially designed Wish spell to try to undo the actions of Vecna in the past, but…
  • The Wish spell results in the identification of a low level adventuring party who will ultimately be capable of thwarting Vecna
• The Vecna arc will not begin in earnest until 10th level
• We are starting a precursor campaign to lead into this, that spans from 5th to 10th level

Introductory Campaign

• We begin in the world of Toril on the continent of Faerun (The Forgotten Realms setting of D&D)
• The heroes will start their journey in the town of Secomber, where they encounter a criminal enterprise that turns out to be a cult called the Oculus Cryptic
• The Oculus Cryptic is working with the Red Wizards of Thay, who are themselves planning an invasion of the cities of the Sword Coast
  • While Thay is led by the Arch Lich Szass Tam, the Oculus Cryptic’s true allegiance is to a more powerful lich: Vecna
  • In the meantime, though, it serves Vecna’s interests to support Szass Tam, so he and his Red Wizards are the primary antagonists (at least until 10th level)
• Szass Tam has concocted a scheme, working with the mysterious Advisor– an ooze-like entity that communes with him– whereby he can defeat the fledgling democracies of the Sword Coast and right what he sees as a historical wrong: the fall of magocratic rule on Faerun when the Netherese Empire fell
• The Red Wizards have contracted the Oculus Cryptic to install arcane “anchors” along great arcs that span Faerun between Anauroch and the Sword Coast, each centered on the ruins of Netheril, the greatest of the Netherese flying cities
  • Netheril’s home location was based at the last Great Convergence of Ley Lines on Toril
  • Since the great calamity caused by Karsus’ Folly, the Great Convergence has dispersed
  • With knowledge granted from the mysterious Advisor, Szass Tam has determined that the Great Convergence is reforming under Candlekeep
  • Controlling that location is key to his plan to take over the Sword Coast
• In addition to working with the Oculus Cryptic to plant the anchors, Tam has also dispatched a special forces team of powerful mages to infiltrate Candlekeep and start the attack from within, in addition to setting up forward operating locations to support logistics for the full invasion
• The Oculus Cryptic, meanwhile, is biding their time– helping Szass Tam while it suits Vecna’s purposes, but ultimately setting the stage for enough chaos to be sown so that Vecna can start his conquest of the multiverse with Toril as a stepping stone

PCs

Halarik

• Class: Ranger/Gloomstalker
• Race: Human
• Background:
  • Orphaned by an Orc raid that killed his family; raised by wood-elves
  • Is currently under a plane-shifting curse that has deposited him on Toril (originally from Greyhawk)
  • Prefers non-human company

Chester Heavyhammer

• Class: Artificer
• Race: Duergar
• Background:
  • Lived in the Underdark working as his clan’s smith
  • Decided to leave and explore the world

Kazrog

• Class: Barbarian / Fighter multiclass
• Race: Half-Orc
• Background:
  • Fun-loving, devil-may-care attitude, fearless, boisterous, loyal, likable
  • Grew up in a tribe of orcs but left to become a mercenary
  • Will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of his friends
  • Will take on any challenge that comes his way and to prove his worth to those around him
  • Secretly hopes to one day return home and be accepted by his orc tribe

Casey Cassinax

• Class: Sorcerer / Aberrant Mind
• Race: Yuan-Ti
• Background:
  • Friendly and skittish somewhat
  • A reject from a “failed” ascension, now trying to be a “hero” to prove his worthiness

Sid Barbarous

• Class: Barbarian
• Race: Dragonborn
• Background:
  • Noble family, happy childhood
  • Legendary tales of his companion’s deeds must be told with verse and power chords

Sullen Lightheart (She/Any)

• Class: Fighter
• Race: Mountain Dwarf
• Background:
  • Gives all to her work, depressed when not working
  • Strong, proud dwarf that had the love her life murdered simply because she stepped away from traditions and dared marry a human
  • Traditionalists are the bane of society
  • Find reasons to keep living
  • Gets mistaken for a man everywhere she goes because of her amazing beard

Torlos Tarrian (he/they)

• Class: Rogue / Monk multiclass
• Race: Firbolg
• Background:
  • Grew up homeless but eager to learn
  • Believes that everyone has good in them, we just have to find and kindle that flame
  • Carries books and his personal journal with him at all times

Tex

• Class: Druid / Wildfire Circle
• Race: Tortle
• Background:
  • From an isolated oasis in a desert called Sunspring
  • Unquenchable adventurous spirit and connection to the natural world
  • Fascination with fire due to its relation with life and cycle of destruction / rebirth
  • Wants to be an agent of good
  • Inquisitive, likes to investigate, has some qualities of the TV detective Columbo

Petikant Riftfoot

• Class: Warlock
• Race: Rabbitfolk
• Patron: Hippolitta, the Celestial Hippo
• Familiar: Pepper, an imp re-skinned to look like his patron
• Background:
  • Former grifter turned warlock after a life-changing pact with Hippolitta to redress his past wrongs
  • Believes in the potential for good in all but enforces harsh justice on the irredeemable as demanded by Hippolitta
  • Eccentric and outspoken, often seen talking to his invisible familiar, Pepper. Quick to befriend but relentless against injustice
  • Mission to protect the innocent and either redeem or destroy the wicked, leveraging his con artist insight to enforce stringent justice on criminals

Game Notes

Play By Post 1

• Introduction at the Singing Sprite Tavern and Inn
• Team is introduced as a seasoned adventuring party just recently coming off of a big score
• Harlan Coinbuckle introduces himself as the owner and proprietor of the Singing Sprite tavern
• Trun, a young clumsy server, introduces himself by spilling a drink on the guests
• PC: Petikant (a Lapine, i.e. Rabbitfolk) performs a spoken word performance that earns the party free room and board on the condition of more performances
• Later in the evening, the party witnesses a purple-haired halfling woman come in and appear to shake Harlan down
• Petikant sends his familiar Pepper to follow her invisibly
• Pepper follows her out into the woods. The mysterious halfling woman notices Pepper, though, and kills Pepper with one hit at range (Pepper is able to be re-summoned)

Play By Post 2

• The party investigates the site where Pepper was killed. They find that it’s a teleportation circle
• The party questions Capt. Jaques, the commander of Secomber’s city watch. He’s in the middle of leading an effort to fortify one of the town gates
• Jaques is aware of the halfling woman and introduces her as Maeve (though everyone calls her Angel, since she is an “angel investor”)
• Jaques describes her relationship with Harlan as that of an investor and lender– he believes the relationship is on the up and up and that Harlan is just bad with money
• PC: Halarik appears especially interested in ascertaining whether this relationship is on the up and up
• The party finds out that she has a manor in town (the largest manor)
• Jaques lets the party know that there have been some issues that the town may need help with:
  • Merchants traveling to the East have not been heard from since leaving. It may be nothing, but it is cause for slight concern
  • The town to the north, Rainbow Mill, a source of highly effective healing potions, has not been heard from in a month– that is cause for concern and may need investigating

Session One

• Later in the evening, the party sets out to investigate Rainbow Mill. They stop at the site of Pepper’s killing, though, and stake out the teleportation circle
• They witness someone appear, dressed in a deep blue robe with eye iconography. This person sets out to the north. He is followed surreptitiously, and it is observed that he is joined by others on horseback, and they travel off to the north
• All of these people are wearing glowing blue pendants
• The party continues northward to Rainbow Mill
• The party encounters some hostiles on the road. They are told to turn back and not enter Rainbow Mill. They refuse and a fight breaks out
• The hostiles are magic users. One of them is a very powerful magic user who attacks the party invisibly
• When they defeat the hostiles, the party finds that the powerful magic user is missing his eyes and that the other hostiles have poison capsules hidden in their mouths
• The party also finds glowing blue pendants on the corpses. They determine that these pendants aid in communication but make it easy to be tracked
• The party decides to bury the pendants
• PC: Halarik finds a corvid friend on the road who claims that his former human friend was killed by other humanoids
• The party arrives at Rainbow Mill– it is eerily quiet

Play By Post 3

• Meanwhile, Tex goes through the Portal
  • (Note that these events happen in parallel with the events of the rest of the party. They happen far to the West, so Tex is a few hours ahead of the party in terms of daylight.)
• Tex finds himself in a dark room with mysterious crates containing inscrutable contents. He wildshapes into a tarantula to be sneaky
• Tex is almost discovered when he is noticed by some wizards watching a recorded play via major image (a play by Willa Quakestaff, whom the party have heard of)
• These people are wearing red cloaks. A female, Trellabrix, asks her friend, Drelix, to capture the Tex because he looks cool and she would like a pet tarantula
• Drelix tries and fails– Tex skitters away
• Tex encounters a mysterious woman who appears to be going through a filing cabinet of sorts. This person notices Tex and introduces herself as Bright Owl
• Bright Owl appears to be an operative from the Sword Coast (probably the Harpers) who is investigating The Red Wizards
• Tex discovers he’s in Thay– about 1500 mi from where he teleported!
• Tex introduces himself with a codename: Fire Bug. Bright Owl is not convinced, but apparently trusts Tex
• Tex and Bright Owl are interrupted by Trellabrix: apparently Bright Owl is romantically involved with her and Drelix– all part of the covert missions
• Tex continues to explore the area
• Finds a library where it looks like people are studying the history of the Sword Coast region of Faerun… the Western part of the continent
• Finds a magical necklace– has not ID’d it yet, but is carrying it
• Finds a fissure in the marble wall that leads to a secret passageway. This takes him to the ante chamber of Szass Tam, the Lich ruler of Thay–
• Tex finds that there is an ooze like entity in a pool there… The Advisor… and learns some cryptic clues
• Clues imply that Thay is planning some kind of attack or invasion against the Sword Coast
• The Advisor gathers Tex’s codename but not his actual name… and discovers that he is a Tortle druid
• Tex rejoins with Bright Owl, who is still undercover
• A big announcement is due…
• Information about Thay that Tex uncovers
  • This is a magical academy with a somewhat military flavor. That wasn’t apparent because I didn’t explicitly describe these young folk as cadets… that was implied, but my description of them relaxing in the common room may have overshadowed that. These acolytes / cadets know how to have fun… but they are also very serious and committed to their mission. Whatever that is!
  • Bright Owl is an operative from the Sword Coast somewhere. If u know the lore, I have heavily implied that she is part of The Harpers faction. She is on a mission to gather intel from within this academy. I have implied that she has insinuated herself into romantic relationships with some of the cadets here in order to do so… but her feelings, and those of her “marks” may be complicated. These are people caught up in a Cold War between nations on the verge of turning hot
  • Drug use is fine in the game… but these folks are not hippies. They’re more akin to highly competent military cadets who love their downtime and have healthy libidos. Think Starship Troopers movie, but replace jingoistic fascistic western military vibe with a magocratic meritocracy with an undead vibe and a MISSION. Szass Tam is indeed the ruler of Thay… but the people here appear to be happy and committed (and probably don’t realize that their happiness is an illusion and that, actually, they are indeed part of a tyrannical system
  • There IS a cult aspect tho… but that is more along the lines of what Angel is doing and the the role her organization is playing
  • Szass Tam is not above cultivating or using a cult… the Red Wizards of Thay though have aspirations of becoming a world power. Maybe THE world power. Cults are a means to an ends for these folks
  • Two enemy factions encountered so far: The Red Wizards of Thay… and Angel’s organization. Red Wizards are essentially a nation state… Angels group is a cult that seems to be centered around eye iconography and also involved in organized crime and probably worse
  • Angels cult has an unknown relationship with Thay, given the presence and use of the TP circle

Session Two

• The party approaches Rainbow Mill, and it appears to be abandoned
• Found an abandoned camp on the outskirts. It contains a map that leads to a mountainside cave lair
• Discovered that several of the houses have a “cloyingly sweet but alien” smell emanating. PCs feel an intrusion into their minds but shrug it off
• Discovered two teenagers playing cards in a boarded town hall by scoping them through a crack in the boarded-up window
• Tried to engage, party was immediately attacked
• Teens are siblings (Lila and Adrian Vandermill), children of the Burgomaster (who is currently missing)
• Lila has an extra arm growing on her back… probably from coming into contact with the monsters in the other buildings causing the smell
• Party discovered 15 bodies lined up neatly in the main hall (Lila had done this out of respect)
• Saw some worm-like creatures coming in from a crack in the wall, presumably to consume the bodies in some way
• Party decided to leave the town and, on Lila’s consent, burn the town to the ground (thus killing whatever monsters lurked within)
• Lila and her brother led party to Maribelle’s hut in a nearby swamp
• Tense standoff, but Maribelle cares for the children, and trust is gained
• Maribelle makes potions that have maximum effect
• Claims she was attacked but easily dispatched her attackers
• Party surmises that she was targeted because of her potion making
• Maribelle agrees to look after the children
• Maribelle gives some information on the cave marked on the map (she hasn’t been there in “decades”)

Play By Post 4 (Tex)

• Tex continues spying on Trellabrix and Drelix with Bright Owl’s help
• Facility in Thay is put on alert to Tex’s presence (a shapeshifting Tortle in a spider form, possibly a druid)
• Meanwhile, everyone in the facility is ordered to muster in the great hall to hear an announcement from Szass Tam
• Szass Tam gives a jingoistic speech about potentially invading the Sword Coast
• He calls up the star pupil– Trellabrix– promotes her– and dispatches her on a secret mission
• Trellabrix identifies 6 other people to accompany her (including Bright Owl and Drelix)
• She teleports with the group immediately to what is later determined to be Cloakwood forest, outside of Candlekeep
• Trellabrix sets up a magical lair in the woods (basically an “instant underground silo”)

Session Three

• The party infiltrates the cultist lair, built into a cave adjacent to the Unicorn River at the edge of the High Forest
  • ENCOUNTER: NPC Cloak, out on patrol outside of cave
  • Party kills sidekicks; Cloak teleports out through use of magic ring
  • Party enters into a side entrance, bypassing main
  • Discover creepy brain-like creatures swimming in the water, many dozens
  • ENCOUNTER: Necromancer, acolytes, zombies, mysterious statue (face carved into a pillar)
  • Killed all
  • PC: Kazrog bit off necromancer’s teleportation ring Ozzy Osborn style
  • Voice from statue encounter
  • Impressed with skill, offers boons to party members
  • Boons are rejected and weird voice told to take a hike
  • DISCOVERY: High ranking cultists have access to a special location, accessible through their ring OR a portal nearby
  • ENCOUNTER: Remaining cultist lieutenants in secret room
  • They had just summoned a demon!!
  • Killed all, took their jaws (potentially for speak with dead)
  • One cultist, Qar, tried to pledge fealty to PC: Kazrog, but was summarily executed (had it coming TBH)

Play By Post 5 (Main Story)

• ENCOUNTER: Remaining low ranking cultists
  • Killed all
• ENCOUNTER: Large mimic back at front entrance
  • Large mimic is more intelligent than expected
  • Escapes. Party learns that it is the matron of a large mimic colony in the caves
• ENCOUNTER: Found Burgomaster Henrik Vandermill and his wife Elara being held prisoner
  • Promises to reunite them with their children
• DISCOVERIES:
  • There was a group of kobolds who lived in the cave previously
  • They were a peaceful warren, and they worshipped a copper dragon named Braahmanxa
  • The kobolds were mostly killed, but some may have survived, before this group moved in about 2 years ago
  • Braahmanxa has been a long-time resident of the Star Mounts in the middle of the High Forest
  • He is known to be a good dragon, a protector of The High Forest
  • He has not been seen for 2 years
  • There are hints that point to Maeve, aka “Angel,” as the cult leader, but only circumstantial (not enough to “convict”)
  • Descriptions of a charismatic leader who “gets shit done.”
  • Descriptions of business ventures stretching into all the major cities, and several outer towns and villages (including Secomber)
  • Clues regarding the “Order of the Oculus Cryptic.”
  • They seem to be in some sort of an arrangement with The Red Wizards of Thay, a nation of wizards who practice dark arts
  • The ruler of Thay is the Lich, Szass Tam
  • Thay is very secretive, and they guard their territory fiercely
  • The symbol of the eye is not related to Thay
  • This group has agreed to transport certain items called “anchors” from Thay to the Sword Coast region and plant them at specific locations
  • The locations are spread across the entire Sword Coast, as shown on a map
  • They appear to be on arcs centered on a region between the Sword Coast and Thay, called Anauroch
  • It’s not clear why Oculus Cryptic is working with Thay, but it is clear that they do not hold Szass Tam (the ruler of Thay) in particularly high regard
• Back at the creepy statue, party finds it has two large sapphires as eyes (they were previously covered in muck)
• Back at Maribelle’s Hut
  • Vandermills are reunited
  • Maribelle agrees to cast Speak with Dead on several jaw bones of the slain cultists
  • DISCOVERIES:
    • Qar had a bit of a crush on Angel, but Angel didn’t reciprocate
    • Necromancer really wanted to usurp Angel, but never tried because Angel was too ruthless
    • Demon summoner says that Angel is “playing that Lich like a fiddle.”
      • (Above table, this is referring to her arrangement with Szass Tam of Thay… whom she actually looks down on)
    • Capt. Jaques is good and loyal, but he has been brought under control through a high level Geas spell by Angel
    • Angel is at least a 7th level caster, confirmed due to the length of time Jaques must have been under Geas
    • Cloak (the mysterious cultist lieutenant who got away earlier) was “always keeping secrets.”
    • The “anchors” that Oculus Cryptic is installing for Thay have something to do with something called a “Convergence of Ley Lines.”
    • They are being installed on points along arcs centered on the ancient site of Netheril between Anauroch and the cities of the Sword Coast
    • The sapphire “eyes” from the pillar statue were the eyes of the Copper Dragon Braahmanxa
    • They were transmuted into sapphires once they were removed from the dragon
    • This was part of a profane ritual to convert the dragon into something… else
    • The aberrant slugs were being experimented on by the Oculus Cryptic
    • They are seeking secrets of old and unknowable magic that reaches into the realms of chaos
    • They feel emboldened to do so because “the object of their adoration” will protect them

DOWNTIME:

• Party returns back to Secomber
• Party seeks a cleric that can restore Capt. Jaques from the effects of Geas
• Discover that a cleric of Selune, the Moonweaver, runs the local temple
  • Temple is mainly to Selune, but has shrines to most Good and Neutral deities of the Forgotten Realms
• Findlay the cleric
  • She/her, gnome, fun loving, anime cat ear style pink hair
• PC: Casey hits it off with Findlay, and Findlay agrees to help the party with Jaques
  • She absolutely hates the spell Geas

SHOPPING: Hammered and Inked Tattoo Parlor and Blacksmith

• Tronks (Just Tronks), the owner and proprietor of Hammered and Ink, offers 6000 gp AND an uncommon magic tattoo in exchange for the armor of resistance
• Party is still bartering

Play By Post 5 (Tex)

• Tex follows the Thayan Spec Ops team (led by Trellabrix, with Bright Owl undercover as Vaeraxia) into the magical silo that was just built
• The silo has a built-in communications and monitoring system that detects telepathic communication– he cannot speak with Bright Owl without being detected)
• While the team is asleep, Tex sneaks out to adjacent rooms and finds several boxes of what look like supplies and materiel for war
• This appears to be a forward operating location to support an invasion force– perhaps one of many
• Tex hacks into the security / comms system and spoofs an announcement from the Advisor: “There is a traitor in your midst!”
• Dread Captain Trellabrix makes poor command decisions, and the undercover Harpers operative Bright Owl / Vaeraxia makes good decisions
• Trellabrix declines to phone home to Mission Actual for instructions or to validate this message supposedly from the Advisor
• A quick call back to Thay would have confirmed that this was enemy spoofing and probably would have led to Tex’s discovery (and maybe Bright Owl)
• Bright Owl manipulates the resulting argument to frame Jorvax, the arcanotech hacking specialist
• She plays on Trellabrix’s suspicion of his Lantan heritage and her disdain for him
• Through sleight of hand, she plants her Lantan made comms piece in Jorvax’s bunk
• Trellabrix summarily executes Jorvax for treason (She casts Disintegrate and vaporizes him)
• Chaos with the team ensues
• Tex morphs from spider form to Tortle, sets the supplies and materiel on fire in the other room through Burning Hands
• On his way out, Tex creates yet MORE confusion, and spoofs another announcement from the Advisor with specific names of potential traitors
• More poor decisions from Trellabrix, a friendly fire melee ensues
  • Solenthra, the medic, is killed
• Trellabrix gets her act together, finally, and stops the fighting
• Tex sees the remaining Spec Ops team crawling out of the silo and vanishing together into the night
• Tex contacts Bright Owl’s handler via the comms piece she gave him
• He is scried upon, and shortly thereafter, an older (but strikingly beautiful) Tiefling woman appears
  • The Wizard Sylvira Savikas, Chief Advisor to the Keeper of Tomes in Candlekeep
  • Clandestinely, also the High Harper, the leader of all Harpers on Toril
• She offers Tex a position in the Harpers
  • After a back and forth involving Zone of Truth and gaining trust, Tex accepts
• She gives Tex a magical badge that identifies him as a member of the Avowed in Candlekeep
  • The Avowed are the standing military in Candlekeep, but ALSO many Harpers are in this organization as well
• The badge will serve as his credentials under an undercover legend as an Avowed LT (he chooses the name Rex)
• The badge will also teleport him to Avowed HQ in Candlekeep once per Tenday
• She tells Tex to go in and establish himself under his cover identity
• She will contact him later
• She erases Tex’s memory of her identity and face– but does so in a way that is respectful of Tex’s agency, and she is very careful

Session Four

• The party hatches a plan to restore Capt. Jaques from the Geas and to fool Angel into misdirecting some of her forces
  • With the help of Findlay, the Geas spell is lifted from Capt. Jaques
  • Jaques is suffering extreme PTSD afterwards, though, and his second in command, LT Jim Basil, takes command
  • Basil makes smart command decisions, and is able to remove most of the guards on duty protecting Angel’s estate
  • The guards had been ordered there by Jaques while under Angel’s control
• The party makes a big show of planning to go straight to Waterdeep and the Lord’s Alliance to alert them of the cult activity
  • This misdirects Angel’s people into following them on the road to Waterdeep
• The party double back sneakily and return to Angel’s estate, which is now only lightly staffed / guarded
  • ENCOUNTER: Large gibbering mouther-like creature, does a lot of damage to Hal
  • ENCOUNTER: Enchanted armor, easily defeated
  • ENCOUNTER: Terrifying cultist leader, can potentially do tons of damage, but is cleverly defeated through use of Spike Growth
  • ENCOUNTER: Fight with Angel
    • She is pulling together ooze, eyes, and mouths into a giant, monstrous murmuring worm… (an UBER gibbering mouther worm-like creature)
    • She does a lot of damage to Sid
    • She is defeated through a clutch use of dispel magic that removes her Shield spell and lowers her AC enough
    • Sid tears into her
• DISCOVERIES:
  • The Red Wizards are planning a spectacular surprise attack on a city on the Sword Coast, but you don’t know which one for sure
  • The Timeline is sometime within the next 30 days
  • Oculus Cryptic doesn’t care which one, though, because they are planning to attack Thay once Thay is committed to the attack on the Sword Coast city…
  • The anchors that Thay is installing are meant to concentrate the remaining power from the former Convergence of Netheril towards one of the cities
  • Once the majority of Thay’s military is committed to the attack on the western city (whichever one it is), Oculus Cryptic is planning to attack with the assets they have been building up for several years… one of which includes an Ancient Copper dragon that has been transformed into… something else. Something aberrant
  • Oculus Cryptic has multiple cells scattered throughout Faerun… though Angel was a significant leader
• Hal remembers stories of a powerful wizard from Greyhawk who achieved lichdom… and later godhood… and who took the name Vecna. Hal also knows the symbols of the eye and hand are associated with this entity but not sure how. Putting two and two together, though, it seems that Oculus Cryptic may venerate Vecna…
• The Murmuring Worm that Angel was building was intended to attack Secomber from within… growing on the people within the town to become even more powerful (and perhaps join the other aberrant creatures meant to attack Thay)

Play by Post 6 (Tex)

10 days of downtime (15 total days into the campaign)

• Teleports into the Avowed HQ under cover as Lt. Rex of the Avowed
• Spends some time getting to know the area
• Meets Col. Kale Linton, also undercover in the Avowed
  • Col. Kale is a Harper agent, codename SENDER
• Tex (aka FIREBUG, aka Lt. Rex) is debriefed by SENDER and catches him up on everything that’s happened (e.g. the Thayan spec ops team en route to Candlekeep and BRIGHT OWL’s peril)
• SENDER is able to Scry on BRIGHT OWL and determine that she is in danger
  • Relays precise coordinates to JELLYBEAN, a Harper’s operative sent in to perform an extraction
• Cut to: BRIGHT OWL and JELLYBEAN in Cloakwood forest, near the coast (this was all relayed to Tex after the fact)
  • JELLYBEAN is a Lapine (i.e. rabbitfolk) with rogue and wizard capabilities
  • He sneaks up on the camp under Greater Invisibility and signals BRIGHT OWL
  • BRIGHT OWL times her move, and then leaps back towards JELLYBEAN, casting Silence on Trellabrix and giving JELLYBEAN enough time to pull her into a teleportation portal
  • They arrive at the Avowed HQ teleportation circle, unscathed
  • JELLYBEAN assumes his cover as a sergeant
  • BRIGHT OWL is revealed to be a Doppelganger (green skin, lanky, unformed features)
    • BRIGHT OWL assumes the form of a male Tiefling Lieutenant, short and stocky with purple skin
• BRIGHT OWL and Tex have a cool moment with each other before parting ways

Play by Post 6 (Main)

10 days of downtime (15 total days into the campaign)

• Halarik: engaged in study of Maribelle’s notebook on herbalism and potion making, in addition to strategic planning with the party
  • Potion Recipes: Mab’s Blessing and Titania’s Kiss Poultice (see below in Homebrew)
• Sid: writes a letter to Bastion von Bixley, Adjutant to the Hidden Lords of Waterdeep and Trun’s friend, outlining the things that have gone awry in Secomber and what they have learned

Dear Bastion von Bixley,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits, though the news I bring is far from reassuring. It pains me greatly to inform you of the dire circumstances that have befallen our dear friend Trun and the town of Secomber.

A sinister cult, entrenched in the darkest depths of depravity, has unleashed unspeakable horrors upon Secomber, threatening the very fabric of life itself. Trun, with whom I know you are found of and see him as if he was one of your own, narrowly escaped a fate that would have been worse than any death you could possibly imagine at the hands of these vile cultists. Through sheer determination and unwavering bravery, we managed to thwart their nefarious plans, but not without great peril and sacrifice of the fine citizens of the neighboring town of Rainbow Mill.

In the aftermath of our harrowing ordeal, we uncovered a chilling manuscript detailing the cult’s sinister machinations, revealing a network of corruption that stretches across the Sword Coast like a cancerous web. It is with a heavy heart and a sense of urgency that I implore you to heed our warning: the tendrils of this cult run deep, intertwined with the very fabric of society, and pose a grave threat to all that we hold dear.

Furthermore, our investigations have unearthed troubling ties between this cult and the Thay, suggesting a malevolent alliance bent on sowing chaos and destruction throughout our lands. Their sights are set on Candlekeep, and if left unchecked, they will stop at nothing to achieve their vile objectives.

Given the gravity of the situation, it is imperative that we act swiftly and decisively. However, certain details of our findings are too sensitive to entrust to a mere courier. Therefore, I humbly beseech you to arrange an audience with a representative of the esteemed Hidden Lords Alliance. Only through coordinated efforts and unwavering resolve can we hope to stem the tide of darkness that threatens to engulf us all.

Yours faithfully,

Sid Barbarous, First Son of the House of Barbarous

• Sid: leads trip over to Maribelle’s hut to cast Speak With Dead on Maeve’s corpse, during which things
  • Maribelle casts Speak with Dead, but unknown to the group, Vecna (or a projection of him) was in the room
  • Vecna used Time Stop and some other magic to incapacitate Maribelle, and he used necromantic magic to control Maeve’s corpse and make it look like she was answering the Speak with Dead questions
  • The party eventually clued into the fact that something was awry, but not until they had agreed to share secrets about themselves with “Maeve” in exchange for information (which is not normally part of Speak with Dead)
  • Once Vecna left, Maribelle completed the spell like nothing had happened– and the actual Speak with Dead spell was cast
  • The party heard the following from the encounter with Vecna / Maeve:
    • Vecna: the remaining followers holed up in Secomber are “little consequence”
      • Sid shares a secret involving a cherished memory about bacon and his grandmother
    • Vecna: dragons have been transformed into “something better” and “you can be transformed as well”
      • Casey shares that he believes no Yuan-Ti can be redeemed and that, while he failed at Yuan-Ti ascension, he does not consider himself to be a failure
    • Vecna: the dragon Braahmanxa is on his way to Thay, on a line starting from the Star Mountains
      • Hal shares that the flute that he plays was pulled from the corpse of his father after he was was murdered by orcs
    • Vecna: followers are “everywhere, where this is power, where there are secrets”
      • Sid shares that he counts on his fingers still
    • Maeve’s Corpse: the Oculus Cryptic has members in the Harpers, the Zhentarim, the Emerald Enclave, and at least one in every large governing body on Faerun (e.g. the Sword Coast cities and, presumably, Thay)
    • Maeve’s Corpse: Names mentioned as undercover cultists:
      • Lord Everember, Lord’s Alliance, Neverwinter (Trun’s dad)
      • Nine-Fingers Keene, Candlekeep
      • One of the Hidden Lords, Waterdeep
    • Maeve’s Corpse: Doesn’t know how the dragons can be restored or if they can
    • Maeve’s Corpse: Braahmanxa was transformed into a Dracolich
• Sid has a conversation with Trun and learns the following:
  • Trun’s real name is Trundyl Everember, and his father is Lord Everember, an aristocrat in Neverwinter who is apparently very close to Lord Regent Neverember
  • Trun didn’t have a happy childhood and left home as soon as he could
  • He loves surfing on an island off the coast of Candlekeep called Toroidal Shoal
  • Trun has seen the creeps that followed the party and are affiliated with Maeve frequenting an abandoned warehouse on the edge of town
• Chester discovers that the strange liquid found in wine casques in Maeve / Angel’s house was actually an aberrant solvent that was used to remove Braahmanxa’s bones
  • This implies that Braahmanxa may not have been completely transformed– rather his bones were extracted to build a Dracolich contruct
  • Braahmanxa can be resurrected potentially

Session Five

• Entered the Thayan portal to raid the Crimson Academy, hoping to find the rest of the anchors
• Fought some clockwork sentries who were set up to guard the area
  • Sentries hit hard, knocked Casey out
  • Mages were attempting to enter the room, but clever planning resulted in chained and barricaded doors
  • Findlay waiting on other side of portal to dispel
  • 8 of 8 boxes were exfiltrated
  • Portal was destroyed by Findlay, one of the Sentries was also exfiltrated
  • Memory unit revealed precise location of one of the anchors (on the way to the Star Mount dragon lair)
  • Found 2000 GP in platinum coins, 61 healing potions, and 7 rare potions (which I will roll for later)
• 61 healing potions donated to Findlay’s temple
  • She is very grateful and bestows a Divine Intervention for the party’s use (equivalent to any 8th level or lower spell)
• Maj. Elowen Thalavar, a lunar elf Waterdavian Guard soldier, arrives to arrest Capt. Jaques to haul him in for court martial
  • Casey convinces her to be sympathetic, Halarik convinces her to wait a day and phone home to see if he really needs to be arested
• Talking with Trun, the party discover that his dad is a serial cheater on his wife and overall tool
• Long rest
• The party sets out for the lair, by way of the Star Mount anchors
• Long rest
• Anchor Encounter
  • The party find one of the nine anchors hidden in an illusory rock
  • Portal gun manuever the Hither Thither staff destroys the anchor
• Encounter with Chimera
  • Defeats Chimera, retrieves some scales and some fangs that may be used to craft up to a +2 weapon, depending on artisan and quality (needs to be pristine, will give ita 40% chance)
• Arriving at the lair of Braahmanxa, the party find that it’s been taken over by orcs since his murder and transformation by the Oculus Cryptic
  • Clairvoyance to spy on the inside of the cave
  • Kobolds have been captured and are tied up
  • Orc leadership is trying to find a way into the hoard below the throne room
  • Complicated portal gun manuever gets the party in a good position
  • Fight ensues, orc leader is killed, orc caster is kept alive / knocked out
  • Kobolds saved, protectecd by Halarik
  • Kazrog claims leadership over this band of orcs by violently killing the leader
• Aftermath
  • Find a huge hoard and 5 wyrmlings, 1 copper, 1 Amethyst, 1 Sapphire, 1 Moonstone, 1 Topaz
  • Find the body of Braahmanxa, rotting in the middle of his hoard and boneless
  • Party expends their Divine Intervention by casting resurrection on the boneless body of Braahmanxa
  • In spectacular fashion, the Moonweaver casts down a beam of pure platinum light through the cave (literally searing a small tunnel down from the surface) which resurrects Braahmanxa

NPCs

Unknown

• Vecna

Secomber

• Harlan Coinbuckle: Owner and proprietor of the Singing Sprite, humble, not too bright, hard worker
• Trundyl Everember, aka Trun: a young server at the Singing Sprite, somewhat awkward, surfer bro accent, prodigal son of Lord Everember, a high noble in Neverwinter
• Pim Willowrush: a cantankerous halfling bartender at the Singing Sprite
• Maeve, AKA “Angel”: Mysterious halfling woman with purple hair who owns a stake in the Sprite
• Capt. Jaques: Commander of the town guard of Secomber, affiliated with Waterdeep
• Findlay, High Priestess of Selune the Moonweaver: fun-loving gnome female with pink hair, anime cat ear style
• Tronks (Just Tronks): Owner and proprietor of the Hammered and Inked Tattoo Parlor and Blacksmith
• Jynx, a Quickling courier who couriers messages and packages for 250 gp

Thay

• Thayan Spec Ops Team on a mission to Candlekeep:
  • Trellabrix, Dread Captain, Corsair of the Red Wizards: (late 20s, she/her, human)
  • Drelix, Acolyte Cadet Lieutenant, 2nd in command to Trellabrix: (late 20s, he/him, human)
  • Vaeraxia, Acolyte Cadet Lieutenant, Logistics officer: (late 20s, she/her???, human???)
    • This was a cover for BRIGHT OWL that has now been burned
  • Undercover Harpers agent, codenamed BRIGHT OWL
  • SECRET: Doppelganger presenting as human
  • Ildrex, Acolyte Cadet MSgt: (he/him), Demolitions specialist
  • Hexara, Acolyte Cadet LT: (she/her), Intel / counter-intel specialist
  • Jorvax, Acolyte Cadet MSgt: (he/him), Arcanotech specialist
    • Killed by Trellabrix because of a ruse by Tex
  • Solenthra, Acolyte Cadet MSgt: (they/them), Medical specialist
    • Killed in a friendly fire melee caused by Tex
• Szass Tam, High Ruler of Thay: Lich, strategic thinker
• The Advisor: ooze-like entity that lives in a pool outside of Szass Tam’s quarters, mysterious

Rainbow Mill

• Burgomaster Family:
  • Burgomaster Henrik Vandermill: stout and serious man with deep sense of duty to Rainbow Mill
  • Elara Vandermill: Loving wife and partner, compassionate and warm
  • Adrian Vandermill: oldest son (16), adventurous, naive
  • Lila Vandermill: oldest daughter (18), precocious / punk, stepping into her dad’s shoes as Burgomaster
    • When Rainbow Mill was attacked, she and her brother served and took charge
    • She grew an extra arm on her back due to an encounter with an aberration
• Maribelle Quickwater:
  • Powerful hag who lives on the outskirts of Rainbow Mill
  • Makes healing potions that do max healing

Candlekeep

• Elaina Darrow, Keeper of Tomes (i.e. Governor) of Candlekeep
• Archmage Sylvira Savikas, Chief Advisor to the Keeper of Tomes of Candlekeep, Harpers agent, codename SENDER
• Colonel Kale Linton of the Avowed, Harpers agent, codename SENDER
• BRIGHT OWL, Doppelganger secret agent for the Harpers, now undercover as a LT in the Avowed after having been burned undercover with Trellabrix’s Thayan Spec Ops team
• JELLYBEAN, Lapine secret agent for the Harpers, now undercover as a SGT in the Avowed
• Nine-Fingers Keene (unknown, reference only)

Neverwinter

• Lord Regent Neverember, ruler of Neverwinter
• Lord Everember, the Lord Regent’s first cousin, member of the Lord’s Alliance
• Ramlyn Cimberever, Trun’s cousin, also a noble, but lower ranked, good friend

Waterdeep

• Bastion von Bixley, High Adjutant to the Hidden Lords of Waterdeep, surrogate parent to Trun

Loot

Encounter: On the road to Rainbow Mill

• [Art] Creepy cultist mask, 250 gp
• [Item] Crude blue sapphire pendants, enchanted with message spell but imparts dis against wis saves, 5x
• [Consumable] Poison capsules (DC 15 con save or take 50 poison dmg, half on success), 5x
• [Item] Pristine low rank uniforms (Order of the Oculus Cryptic), 3x
• [Item] Damaged low rank uniforms (Order of the Oculus Cryptic), 2x

Encounter: Rainbow Mill

• [Item] Hand drawn map to stronghold near Unicorn Run

Encounter: Maribelle Quickwater

• [Consumable] Supreme Healing Potion, Max Healing (10d4+20 == 60)

Encounter: Cave Complex, Unicorn Run

• 4,590 gp
• [Item] Crude blue sapphire pendants, enchanted with message spell but imparts dis against wis saves, 8x
• [Item] Exquisite blue sapphire pendants, enchanted with message spell but imparts dis against wis saves, 3x
  • Two of these have been dispelled and are now mundane, 2x 500gp
• [Consumable] Dust of Disappearance, 2x
• [Item], Armor of Resistance (choose resist, choose style up to chain mail)
• [Art] Aberrant portrait of Tiamat, 250 gp
• [Art] Artistic treasure map of somewhere in the Underdark, aberrant iconography, 250 gp
• [Art] Bust of an Erinyes, 250 gp
• [Art] Clockwork artwork from Lantan, 250 gp
• [Component] Diamond Dust, 500 gp
• [Scroll] Revivify
• [Item] Wand of Magic Missile
• [Scrap] Sundered / burnt out splint mail armor, 100 gp
• [Scroll] Secure Telepathic Link

Magical Purchases

• [Consumable] Potion of Healing, 13x (purchased for 50 gp apiece)

Encounter: Maeve, AKA Angel

• 4313 gp
• 3177 gp
• [Item] 6 gems, aquamarine, 100gp each
• [Scroll] Spell Scroll of Heal
• [Item] Ring of Protection (cursed)
• [Consumable] Potion of Clairvoyance
• [Consumable] 1 Potion of Supreme Healing (regular)
• [Item] Bag of Beans
• [Gem] Diamond, 500gp
• [Gem] Sapphire, 2500 gp
• [Item] Hither Thither Staff
• [Evidence] Angel’s ledger
• [Item] +1 Weapon, group’s choice

Homebrew

Potions

Mab’s Blessing

Functions as a healing potion. Heals 1d4+1 HP. Removes one level of exhaustion. 50/100 gp value (vendor / retail)

Recipe

• [Foraging] Silverleaf leaf, 6x
  • Chance to find in forest area, one attempt per short rest
  • “Foraging / Herbalism” check (d20 + WIS + Proficiency)
    • DC 18: 3d6 leaves
    • DC 10: 2d6 leaves
    • DC 5: 1d6 leaves
• Herbalism kit (not consumed)
• 1 day’s worth of effort
• “Foraging / Herbalism” check (d20 + WIS + Proficiency)
  • DC 22: 1d4 potion yield
  • DC 5: 1 potion yield

Titania’s Kiss Poultice

Can be applied topically. Removes any poisonous or natural status effect from a CR 5 source or below. If applied to a recently deceased creature within one minute of death, imparts the effects of gentle repose. 75/150 gp value (vendor / retail)

Recipe

• [Foraging] Silverleaf leaf, 2x
  • Chance to find in forest area, one attempt per short rest
  • “Foraging / Herbalism” check (d20 + WIS + Proficiency)
    • DC 18: 3d6 leaves
    • DC 10: 2d6 leaves
    • DC 5: 1d6 leaves
• [Hunting] Ooze residue, 3x units
  • “Medicine” check
  • DC 18: 3d4 units
  • DC 10: 2d4 units
  • DC 5: 1d4 units
• Herbalism kit (not consumed)
• 1 day’s worth of effort
• “Foraging / Herbalism” check (d20 + WIS + Proficiency)
  • DC 22: 1d4 potion yield
  • DC 5: 1 potion yield