(G514 04/03/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) WA110

 

 (G514 04/03/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) WA110

[Fenrir and Reinward have been tasked with staging a coup in the city of Westgate to stop the evil vampire lord the Night King from doing the same. Just recently Fenrir had kidnapped the ruler of Westgate and Reinward was killed by a Pit Fiend.]

DAY 533 (18th Eleasis) (August) cont ...

In the morning Fenrir, in the guise of Gerry Fudd took the corpse of Reinward to Painbliss Hall and handed over another bag of gold (26,530 gold again!) to the High Whipmistress Spyrytara Xalass.

After that they lay low for the rest of the day.

Tonight Reinward slept in Veddic's room as his smelled of sulphur.


DAY 534 (19th Eleasis) (August)

Today Fenrir's thoughts turned to his old girl-friend Giselle Nesher. He had Veddic use a Sending Spell to contact her.

''
Hello Giselle! Veddic here. Fenrir has asked me to see how you are and ask if you would be up for a visit?
''

The reply came:

''
OSM good. Come in ten days for the Cake and Jam day party if you like.
''

I should also note that Werren of House Malavhan had invited him to a House event five days from now, but she was little on his mind at this time.

Baeron came to Fenrir today and told him that he had got rid of Kargerth Cormariel using a simple honey-trap to lure him out of the city. He was now in the company of some hussy, under a Domination spell and so well out of the way that not even his family could find him.
You can say what you like about Baeron Thunderstaff, but he got things done.

Fenrir asked his uncle about the Pit Fiend attack to which Baeron replied.
'Pit Fiends are devils, not demons. It had nothing to do with me or any of our be-horned friends.'

Baeron was going to go back to Waterdeep now.
'Could you contact Maaril the Dragonmage?' asked Fenrir.
'Why?'
'Ummm, because of the devil stuff?'
'Do try and keep up boy,' said Baeron. 'Maaril is demons, not devils. Don't worry, I'll sort things out when I get there.'

In addition, today Henri Hoggins reported that after 10 days of training Raz had learned the basics of how to behave at the dinner table in Westgate. Hoggins then handed over the remainder of his fee and left never to be seen again as he had just heard about the Pit Fiend attack.

Fenrir then found a dance instructor for Raz and paid 100 gold for an intensive course on how to dance all the fancy Westgate dances.

Later Fenrir went to work and it looked like no one thought he had been fired so perhaps Trant had never told anyone of his plans before Fenrir had bagged him.

Meanwhile Reinward went to the temple of Ilmater. He saw that Sir Loric, Jane, Pastry and the cleric's had now made the cellars inhabitable and were living down there.
He told them that he had recently fought off a Pit Fiend single-handedly.
'I'm amazed!' said Loric. 'You know, you will always be safe here at the temple.
No fiend would dare come onto such holy ground.'

Reinward swaned about for the rest of the afternoon, basking in his fame. He also researched a little on the Crown and read some religious texts.

Specifically he wanted to know if he could use the Crown to resurrect himself in the event of his dying.
Sir Loric thought it was unlikely that it would work, but he admitted it was an interesting idea.

Other things that happened today;

Fenrir ordered two rings of Eagle's Splendour, 48,000 gold the pair.

45,000 gold would be delivered by Random in seven days.


DAY 535 (20th Eleasis) (August)

Today Fenrir went to work and Reinward went to the Temple.

Then Reinward, out of boredom I'm not sure, decided to go and do some pick pocketing. He disguised himself as a 'rich Mongo Lightcandy' wearing the Crown but with it hidden.

He wanted to take Veddic along as backup and 'incase I see some Pit Fiends'.
Veddic said ok, but he wanted a cut. He came disguised as a fighter.

Together they walked into the Merchant Quarter and Reinward looked around for a victim. His first was a female gnome cleric from whom he managed to steal a potion of Cure Serious Wounds.

Another rich looking female gnome offered a tempting target and dipping into her pocket he managed to pull out a magnifying glass without her noticing.

Next he saw a half-orc female with a poorly secured coin purse. He took that and was better off by 623 gold.

He started to feel a bit bad about robbing people who had done no harm though and wanted to target someone who looked like they deserved it. Towards that end he spent a couple of hours looking for a good target and found a nasty looking wizard. He wore a Robe of Bones and looked like a real puppy-kicker.

Reinward managed to dip into his pocket, but only found a small steel mirror and a splinter of wood.

Disappointed he returned home.

Jasper the housekeeper was most distraught. Apparently the demons, as in Azazello, Behemoth et al, had turned up with five coffins that all contained vampires with stakes in their hearts.
'That giant cat and the snaggletoothed man came and sort of dazzled the guards and left all this in the hall!' Jasper reported.

Reinward and Veddic argued about opening the coffins, but decided to wait until Fenrir got back from work.

Finally Gelly informed them that:

'Mongo Lightcandy is fingered for the Reaver Lord Dynarth Bloodcowl hit.'
.. and that the Night Masks think that it was Lightcandy working with Barry Shitknees that killed Dauntinghorn.

She asked for 10,000 gold to keep an eye on things, but Fenrir didn't pay.
He was probably right, the damage was most likely already done.


DAY 536 (21st Eleasis) (August)

Fenrir went to work today and Reinward went to the Temple and donated the stolen gold (1067 gold coins) and healing potion.

Fenrir heard that goblins in the east, as close as fifteen miles away from Westgate, were raiding farms. He didn't want to go look for himself so he instructed the Country Sheriff to contact any marshals in the area to see what was going on.

On their return Gelly informed them that their were a lot more bats in the sky around the house at night.
'And not regular bats,' she said as she consulted her bumper book of bats, 'non-local bats, big nasty looking ones!'

They waited until nightfall and destroyed the vampires the demons had brought them the other day in the gutter behind the house.


DAY 537 (22nd Eleasis) (August)

Fenrir went to work again today and Reinward went to the temple for his third day of study.

Today there was a council meeting. It had been called by Urlyvl Athagdal, the de-facto Attorney General, who told them all;
'Dreydal Trant is missing. We've skryed him. He's alive, but unconscious and somewhere dark. I am in charge until he can be found. We will keep it from the people as long as possible. There is currently and active search going on to find him.'

It was also noted that Kargerth Cormariel had gone missing although he had been seen leaving the city. Fenrir did his best to seed doubt about Kargerth - perhaps he had something to do with Trant's disappearance?

Fenrir met Thistle Thavalar at the meeting, and discussed lineages and bloodlines. He introduced the Crownbearer (Reinward) and Raz. I wonder if his plans were as transparent to Thistle as they appear to me as I commit them to paper?

Fenrir then introduced Raz to the rest of the council. Ibana Trant and Urlyvl Athagdal seemed to like the young man well enough, although they may have wondered what he was doing there.

When he got home he sent a card to Lady Gwendeth Thavalar.

DAY 538 (23rd Eleasis) (August)

Fenrir went to work again today and Reinward went to the temple for his forth day of study.

Fenrir learned that Shaymer had been seen talking to bards and buying things at Gondeth's.

There was also news from Teziir. A warlock called Barry Shitknees was hold up in a tavern and was besieged by vampires. He was in the 'Poor Alibi' tavern on 'Rumbled Street'.

Alarmed, Fenrir returned home straight away. Before they went off to Teziir though he had Veddic contact Random. He replied that he was fine and in Westgate.
Annoyed, Fenrir told him to go back to Teziir and do the job that had been assigned to him!
'Okey dokey matey! Running all the way!' replied the cheeky tiefling.

Something was happening though. He asked around and 'Poor Alibi' tavern on 'Rumbled Street' did exist. He checked the Doomsday Clock. It was at midnight and the glass had cracked!

It was starting to look like the game was up!

Fenrir contacted Random - scratch the last order - get as many mirrors and garlic as you can! Veddic contacted his Eternal Flame (his boss) Jamella Dotrok telling her what was going on.

Reinward, as alarmed as anyone else, ran off to the Tempe of Ilmater.
'This time it's for real!' he cried breathlessly at the cellar door.
Sir Loric did not seem peturbed. 'I've heard nothing of any immediate threat,' he said.
'Come pray with me son.'

Meanwhile Fenrir had gone to the DAW to get them on a war footing, then went to Urlyvl Athagdal's mansion-house and told him everything about the Night King, the Night Masks and Eldreth Veluuthra. 'Summon the council! Call out the army!'


DAY 539 (24th Eleasis) (August)

By now the whole city knew two things:
1. Dreydal Trant, their divisive leader, was missing
2. Vampires were about to attack!

People were in the street. It was chaos. Fenrir was at work managing the crowd control.
Ever stirring the pot he told Portia:
'I heard a rumour it was vampires that killed Trant. Or they took him prisoner.'

By the end of the day though, no attack had come. Fenrir was starting to feel rather like the boy that had cried wolf.


DAY 540 (25th Eleasis) (August)

Today Merlock Tomes arrived at the house and gave her report.
I have obtained a transcript:

''
I have written a report for you. Here is a copy in Common and here is one in Infernal if you would rather burn the one in Common as it could be read by anyone.

The Night King is a clone of Manshoon and also a vampire. He styles himself as Orlak II.

He is currently attempting to woo Thistle Thavalar so that he may marry her and become king of Westgate. He courts her as Trystran Dauntinghorn.

Trystran Dauntinghorn is a real living human man. He is really a ship's captain. He is a good man, but totally under the power of the Night King, believing that he is working his way to joining the Order of the Basilisk. Dauntinghorn goes about by day, generally and the Night King poses as him by night. They look very alike and the Night King also helps this along with magic - although I must say, having seen both of them they look as alike as twins.

The Night King has several dwellings in the catacombs and a dwelling in Blackrune Citadel, commonly known as the Vampire Keep. That is where he currently is.

He is concerned about the attacks by one Barry Shitknees, the Vampire Hunter, but not overly. Adventurers like that come and go and he does not see them as particularly threatening, just an occupational hazard.

He is very concerned to get his hands on the Crown of Baleforte, but he is in no hurry. As an immortal undead he is quite happy to bide his time and wait for an opportunity to snatch it. He is likely to give the task of getting the crown to one of his captains.

Just recently though (I learned this yesterday) someone killed the real Dauntinghorn and he has taken this very personally. All his efforts are now being directed towards finding the culprit. Dauntinghorn was killed by an incredibly rare poison called
'Ilmater's Bane' which can only be found in the Martyrdomain.

I am aware that you are working for a power patron of some kind. I do not wish to know who they are. I can say at this stage though he does not know he is a target of this powerful patron. Despite all his spies and magic, your powerful patron has managed to keep his attention diverted elsewhere.

That is only true of up until today though. At some point it may be that he finally realised someone is trying to thwart his plans. To be honest I expect him to realise this any day now. He is very clever and will put the pieces of the puzzle together soon.

In summary:

1. The Night King is currently in the Blackrune Citadel.
2. The Night King thinks that marrying Thistle Thavalar as Dauntinghorn is all going to plan.
        The real Dauntinghorn is doing most of the work.
3. The Commander of the Watch, Raziel Lightningrod, is a powerful warlock, but not an immediate threat.
4. He want's the Crown of Baleforte. He was after it from the beginning and will send powerful forces to get it.
5. He sees Barry Shitknees as a Vamp Hunter, thanks to all the bluffing going on.
        But - there is a trail here that is easy to follow. Lord Bloodwurst has met and been defeated by several warlocks just recently. At Cedarspoke, and in the Underdark on three separate occasions. The masked warlock in the Underdark was seen with Reinward, who is now living in the same house as the Commander of the Watch. Eventually they are going to realise that Raziel Lightningrod, Eandhehrt Dige, Barry Shitkees, and the Underdark Warlock are one and the same person.
6. A powerful group of adventurers have been causing trouble at the Blackrune Citadel.

''

The Great Balance (1490 words)[FINAL]

 

The Great Balance (1490 words)

 

It was a bright December morning in the year 2085 when Mrs Hatch arrived at the opulent home of Vincent Trusk, the richest man on the planet. She had with her the stumbling figure of Mr Undungo, who was in turn, the poorest man on the planet.

They avoided the press by using a rear entrance and made their way through a series of servant areas before being finally received by Mr Trusk himself, a slender bald-headed man dressed in cream-coloured linen. He stood beside a long, curved white sofa in a minimalist styled room that served as his office. The southern wall of the room was ceiling to floor glass and looked out over a sweltering, partially flooded, city.

‘Minister Hatch,’ said Trusk as he motioned them to the sofa. ‘Some tea perhaps?’

While tea was served, Mrs Hatch, evidently nervous, began laying out some papers. With nowhere else to put them she resorted to the sofa beside her. With nowhere to put a cup of tea either, she motioned it away from the TruskCorp robot that held it. The robot then went to serve Mr Undungo, who regarded it rather as a dog would regard a lawn mower.

 

Mr Undungo had recently been bathed, but was still leaving stains on the immaculate upholstery, a situation that everyone in the room chose to ignore. Mrs Hatch, a middle-aged lady in a traditional A-line skirt and frock jacket, with her thoughts finally in order, began the discussion of the purpose of their visit.

‘Ah’, she said, looking up. ‘Yes sorry, still bits of paper. Well anyway, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how much press interest there have been in this, which is why we are here in person. After we have concluded, I’ll be giving a short… ah… press conference I suppose, which you will be welcome to join…’

She trailed off as Trusk scowled and walked over to the window. ‘This whole thing is ridiculous!’ he exclaimed, then turned and pointed at Undungo. ‘Who even is this man?’

‘This is Mr Undungo,’ replied Hatch as calmly as she could. ‘He is the poorest man from the poorest city in the poorest nation on Earth. He is the person you are to be balanced with. He is the man who will receive exactly half your wealth.’

‘I rent my legs!’ Undungo suddenly yelped.

‘Yes,’ agreed Hatch, patting him on one of his prosthetic thighs. ‘You certainly do. The richest to the poorest, as Madame President says. The greater the disparity, the greater the balance.’

‘Absurd,’ snarled Trusk. ‘And tell me Minister Hatch, are you to be balanced?’

'Everyone is. Even me.'

'How much do you lose then? You happy with that?'

'I am not rich. It’s a matter of public record. I am matched with a dog breeder in Hounslow, I gain 35,412 pounds exactly.'

'Lucky you,’ snorted Trusk, ‘But people will stop working, you know. They will just sit and wait for the Balance.'

'At this stage, Mr Trusk, it seems we have no other choice but to try. Chronic tax avoidance on the part of oligarchs and billionaires such as yourself has led us to this point.'

'It’s not fair. Who gave President Thunberg the authority, certainly not me!'

‘It is precisely fair,’ corrected Hatch. ‘It’s not money that rules any longer, Mr Trusk, its fairness. Don’t you agree Mr Undungo?’

'I can have my own legs?'

‘And more beside Mr Undungo! You'll be a billionaire!’

‘Spare legs for church days, then?’ mused Undungo, rubbing his chin.

‘Well, I’m sure you’ll get the idea Mr U…’

‘You see!’ cried Trusk. ‘He won’t know what to do with the money, what a waste!’

‘I suggest you read the legislation again Mr Trusk. Even if he does waste it, it is still seen to be a better option than letting people like you continue to sit on great piles of wealth or worse, shooting it off into space.’

‘This won’t stand!’ declared Trusk, ‘You shall be hearing from my lawyers!’

He had the robot usher them out. The interview was over.

 

***

That very next day Mr Trusk spoke to his accountant, Mr Cleavepenny, an expert in tax evasion, who had come up with an idea on how to bilk the Balance. They spoke over an encrypted online video call.

‘It’s a simple shell game at the end of the day,’ smiled Cleavepenny hungrily. ‘If you have someone in mind, give them a call. If not, I can suggest a few names.’

‘No, I get the idea, I have the perfect person for this scam. Start drawing up the paperwork.’

 

Mr Trusk killed the call and then dialled up an old acquaintance, a failed movie produce called Edna Bag.

‘What do you want, Vincent?’ she groaned as she stubbed out a cigarette into an empty wine glass. ‘You already have everything. A pound of flesh perhaps?’

‘Nothing like that,’ he replied soothingly. ‘I just want to make a proposition. You never did get that film The Sands of Semeru off the ground, did you?’

‘As you well know, you bastard. You pulled the plug when you bought the studio.’

‘Yes, yes,’ he said with a dismissive hand gesture. ‘All water under the bridge, now just hear me out…’

After he had made his offer, Bag rolled her eyes and lit a cigarette with a pistol-shaped lighter. ‘So, let’s get this right then. To avoid giving this guy Undungo half a trillion dollars, you put it all into my film. This will force Hatch to rebalance you now that your cupboard is bare. When the music stops, I cancel Sands, give you the money back, but I get 50 billion off my debts to the studio.’

‘In a nutshell,’ agreed Trusk.

‘They will Balance me too you know; how will that work?’

‘Mr Cleavepenny will send over the details, but essentially the money will be in the film and not your bank account. We hide it there until the Balance is over and I save almost all of it.’

‘What stops me from keeping it all?’

‘I believe Mr Cleavepenny will also send over some papers for you to sign to make sure that you don’t.’

‘Fine, fine,’ she said reaching for the button to disconnect the call. ‘Not like I have any choice in the matter.’

***

Some months later, having lost everything in the end, Mr Trusk turned up at the semi-drowned city hall offices of Mrs Hatch, now a senior advisor to President Thunberg.

After some unpleasant pleasantries he pleaded his case.

‘Cleavepenny and Bag took it all, don’t you understand? They did the whole thing behind my back. I’m saddled with five hundred billion in debt that I can’t pay because my money is still tied up in that wretched film!’

‘I’m so very sorry to hear that Mr Trusk,’ said Hatch with apparently genuine concern. ‘If it’s any consolation, you’ll be pleased to know that Mr Undungo did fine. He was matched with the second richest person in the world after your...’

‘Any consolation? Why would you think I would care about him?’ cried Trusk, prior to burying his head in his hands.

‘Well,’ sighed Hatch. ‘Take comfort from this then, if you are as deeply in debt as you say, then you should do pretty well out of next year’s Balance.’

He looked up in amazement. ‘There is going to be another one?’

'Oh, I’m breaking new here, but yes, the senate has decreed it. Every year from now on, there will be a Balance.'

***

A year later Vincent Trusk was in jail. He could not hold out until the next Balance and his debts buried him. With the vultures circling, going to jail was the best option out of several other terrible ones.

Tall, gaunt, and dressed in orange he was escorted to a VIP visitor’s room where his shackles were removed, and he was sat at a cheap plastic table. Minister Hatch entered and sat at the other side of the table.

‘I see your friend Mr Undungo is doing well,’ he admitted with a sigh. ‘I follow his progress on the news.’

‘Ah yes, yes,’ agreed the Minister. ‘Some shrewd investments. He seemed to get the hang of being a billionaire pretty quickly.’

‘Huh OK, so, are you just here to gloat?’

‘Not at all. You see, with your massive spiralling debts, you are now at the far side of the map for this year’s Balance. I felt that, given the circumstances, I should deliver the news to you personally.’

‘What?’

‘You are to be Balanced with Mr Undungo again, and now half of his fortune will come back to you.’

‘I’ll be rich again?’ stuttered Trusk.

‘Yes, but only half as rich as when we first met. Well done Mr Trusk,’ smiled Minister Hatch. ‘You took the long way around, but you got there in the end!'

(G513 25/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) WA109

 
(G513 25/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) WA109

[Fenrir and Reinward have returned to Westgate. They are now attempting to get to grips with the political situation and the tasks that Random had set them. Just recently they resurrected Baeron Thunderstaff II and then later got drunk and murdered Trystran Dauntinghorn.]

DAY 529 (14th Eleasis) (August)

Today Fenrir had a hearty breakfast, and with a spring in his step headed to work. Whatever happened next, the Night King had been dealt a severe blow last night surely?

Meanwhile, Reinward was getting ready for tonight's party. As 'Jim Bob the Noble' he went and did some clothes shopping.

The party tonight was the 'coming out' of Lesa Ujum's young cousin. Fenrir went as Raziel Lightningrod and Reinward as himself, but with his crown disguised.

Reinward met Pablo Ujum, Lesa's father, who was a pleasant enough man in his early fifties. He was impressed that someone from the 'Guild Class' should have done so well, so early on in life.
Reinward played it down and then Pablo asked if Reinward ever planned to get married?
'Love is a fickle thing,' mused Reinward, ever the romantic.
'Love is for poets!' laughed Pablo. 'Who speaks of love when marrying into the upper classes? Well anyway, I'll only say this, Lesa will be coming into a rather large fortune soon.'

Reinward mused on this, then danced with Lesa for a while. He was decent enough, picking up the complicated patterns quickly. Not impressive, but competent.

They talked while they danced and he deduced that Lesa was not clever and had led a very sheltered life. She was aware of this though, and sweet in her own way. She was of sturdy stock and surprisingly strong.

With gentle questioning he learned that she would be inheriting her fortune soon, in three months, and that it had all been set up by her grandfather. When she turned 21 she would inherit:

- a personal sum of 100,000gp
- three trading ships, 50,000gp each
- businesses with an annual income of 20,000gp per annum
- a race horse worth 500gp
- other sundries 50,000gp

Plus she would also get everything of her father's when he passed on as she was an only child.

At the party Fenrir did everything he could to maintain and boost his standing.

DAY 530 (15th Eleasis) (August)

Fenrir went to work today.

Reinward amused himself by 'casing' the house. In what I would rather think was a waste of time he deduced that Fenrir's town house contained about 10,000 gold's worth of object d'art.

Meanwhile at work, Fenrir, as Commander of the Watch, was summoned to by the Croamarch (Dreydal Trant) to his seaside villa on the outskirts of the city.

He met him out on the patio overlooking the lovely azure sea. After pleasantries the truth was revealed:

''
I'm afraid I have no choice but to relieve you of your duties. Thank you for your service but it is time for my son Lord Dreydal Trant Junior to take over.
''

Fenrir was perplexed. Trant told him that he could go back to the Day Air Watch if he wanted. Fenrir then went on to spin stories about conspiracies against Trant that he was uncovering and that sacking him put Trant in danger.

Trant was having none of it, so eventually Fenrir left. He returned an hour later, invisible and flying. Trant was eating grapes on the patio. Disguised as a half-orc he cast Painful Slumber on Trant and went to stuff him in a bag.

Four statues on the terrace came to life and attacked him, and twelve gargoyles on the roof flew down. He was too well versed in this technique though and easily avoided them and flew out to sea then went invisible to throw off his pursuers.

Back at the house Trant was transferred into a barrel. Later it was taken to join the others in the Plane of Shadows.

Reinward decided to skrye on Dauntinghorn (using the Crown) and saw that he was already back in the land of the living and was in bed being nursed by Thistle Thavalar. He didn't know where though.

DAY 531 (16th Eleasis) (August)

The Doomsday Clock was now showing 4 minutes to midnight.

Fenrir went to work. Reinward skryed Dauntinghorn again and saw the same scene. He then joined Fenrir at work.

Fenrir had people watching one of his enemies, Shaymer. The Town Sheriff told him:

''
Shaymer has got people coming in and out, even some folks from the Watch too.
''

Later at home they learned that House Urdo had been plotting against Fenrir, but Baeron, who was great at this sort of thing, had found out about it and put a stop to it.

Fenrir was so impressed that he asked if his uncle could nobble Kargerth Cormariel as well. The old man said yes, but that he would go back to Waterdeep after that.


DAY 532 (17th Eleasis) (August)

Today Sir Loric asked Reinward to come to the ruins of the Temple of Ilmater. The temple was being rebuilt, but it would take a long time if it was only to be Sir Loric and the surviving clerics. Sir Loric said;

''
Unlocking the first ritual of the Crown is good stuff, son, but you should be doing more to help here. This city is full of pain and suffering.
''

Reinward bluffed that it was all in hand and Sir Loric took his platitudes at face value.

He then used the crown's Cure Critical ability to help an injured man and then picked the pockets of some random passers by and put the 8 gold he pilfered into the collection plate.

He then said, 'Oh, my Ilmater Sense is tingling, I am needed elsewhere!'
This was a lie, but again Sir Loric took him at his word.
'Raz for king!' yelled Reinward at the top of his voice before he left.
'But who is Raz?' asked a cleric.
'IT IS WRITTEN!' shouted Reinward and left.

That evening, Gelly came to them and reported that the Night Masks were watching the house even more than usual and that they were looking for Colin Hunt and Mongo Lightcandy.

They gave her 500 gold to find out more.


DAY 533 (18th Eleasis) (August)

The Wizard's Cut Townhouse was well defended with magic, traps and guards, but even so, in the small hours of the morning it came under attack.

It started when Reinward was woken up by a crow flying down the chimney and entering his room.
He drew a dagger and threw it at the crow, which then suddenly turned into a large red devil - a Pit Fiend - that snarled 'give me the crown, mortal!'

Reinward pulled on his blindfold and cast Deeper Darkness, then Dispel Evil. In return the fiend cast a Fireball spell that Reinward managed to jump out of the way of. Part of his bedroom was badly singed.

Reinward tried Holy Smite with his Crown and it struck back at him. By now Fenrir had arrived and was pushing it back with his Eldritch Blasts. Reinward was nearly out of the room by now, but decided (bravely, but foolishly!) to tumble back in again and place himself behind the fiend in the hope of doing
a back stab or two. He'd forgotten the devil was there for him alone though and it turned, ignoring Fenrir, and used all its fiendish attacks on the hapless rogue.

And so, not for the first time, Reinward died.

With Veddic and Raz now on hand, the fiend was slain, banished back to its own realm.

The bits of Reinward's corpse were gathered together, wrapped up and left on his bed. They'd look to resurrect him in the morning.

(G512 18/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) WA108

(G512 18/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP) WA108

[Fenrir and Reinward have returned to Westgate. They are now attempting to get to grips with the political situation and the tasks that Random had set them.]


DAY 523 (8th Eleasis) (August) cont ...

Fenrir decided that it would be a good time, today of all days, to resurrect his uncle. Baeron Thunderstaff II had asked him to do this 'when he got a chance' when he sacrificed himself for the family and was burned at the stake almost a year to the day (DAY 145).

Fenrir had just had Reinward resurrected by High Whipmistress Spyrytara Xalass so he perhaps had had his memory jogged.

In any event he went back, handed over the 26,530 gold pieces and it was not long before Baeron was back in the land of the living.

Once he was up to speed with current events Baeron was keen to get back to Waterdeep but he agreed to help out a bit before he left.

Today Reinward bought a pair of Boots of Agile Leaping from Gondeth's.


DAY 524 (9th Eleasis) (August)

Today Reinward and Fenrir's armour was ready. It was delivered by one of Random's children. Reinward asked about Vanya and was told that she was 'doing fine'.

Reinward gave a note to the kid to give to her. It read:

''Other night was good fun. Glad I'm still alive, hope to do it again''

Today a gentleman called Henrey Heygens was hired to tutor Raz in how to behave in Westgate high society.

At work today Fenrir talked to Portia about who was next in line after the Croamarkh, Dreydal Trant and who would put their hat in the ring to replace him.

Portia mused:
''
Ibana Trant (his daughter and Minister of the Treasury) would go for it, but she would get small support. Kargerth Cormariel who represents
House Cormariel would go for it. Palla the Light of the Mercenaries' Guild could get it, but would not go for it. Urlyvl Athagdal of House Athagdal is in charge while the Croamarkh is missing, but he doesn't want to be Croamarkh. He is on record as saying he would rather be torn apart by badgers. Raziel Lightningrod (i.e. Fenrir!) is not local, not aligned with a Westgate House and would not get support.
''

Back at home that evening Fenrir said to Baeron:
'If you can knobble Kargerth Cormariel for me that would be a helpful thing to do before you head back to Westgate.'

Baeron said he would see what he could do.

DAY 525 (10th Eleasis) (August)

Today at work Portia told Fenrir that Lorek Shaymer was back in town.
You may remember he was a watchman that Fenrir managed to get out of his way in the chain of command by rescuing his slave-trade business partner (Brundesh) from Shaymer's dungeon and exposing him.

Later Fenrir got Gelly to find out more and that evening she told him.
'It's true, Shaymer is back at his house. The one were he had been holding Brundesh.'


DAY 526 (11th Eleasis) (August)

At work this morning Fenrir check what had legally been done regarding Shaymer. It appeared that Just Captain Torndith Hammersong (Fenrir's predecessor) had not charged Shaymer and had put Brundesh away somewhere in the care of a temple that looked after crazy people.

Fenrir went with Reinward to confront Shaymer at his house. He also took the City Sheriff with him.

'Its the Watch!' shouted Fenrir at the door.
'You! You're back, you ruined my life!' cried Shaymer when he answered it.
'We're watching you!' threatened Fenrir. 'Just put one foot wrong...'
'You've put lots of feet wrong!' cackled Shaymer in response. 'Just you wait!'

Fenrir sighed and left.
'Why is he blaming you for his downfall?' asked the City Sheriff with mild curiosity.
'Nevermind,' said Fenrir. 'Just have him watched.'
'Well, if you say so boss,' said the Sheriff. 'But it sounds to me that if you've got something you can charge him with, then you should take it to court.'

Fenrir raised an eyebrow. This Sheriff didn't seem at all bothered about openly questioning his superiors.


DAY 527 (12th Eleasis) (August)

In the morning Fenrir received a coded letter. He also noticed that the doomsday clock had gone another minute closer to midnight.

Today Reinward decided to go on a pilgrimage to Arabel in Cormyr. It was very quick, as pilgrimages go as he had Veddic Windwalk him most of the way there in about two hours. Fenrir went with them.

They travelled another hour on foot and arrived at Arabel. I say on foot, Veddic and Fenrir followed along on a magic carpet.

Once inside the city they got directions to the  Temple of Ilmater. Reinward gave some coppers to the poor and walked in.

He then put 100 gold into the collection plate.
'That's very kind of you,' said the adept.
'I want to speak to someone more senior,' said Reinward.

It was arranged that Rotrick the Holy, a cleric of Ilmater of sufficient rank would cast Commune on Reinward's behalf. He was very happy to see the Crown of Baleforte back again.

'I must learn the spell for tomorrow,' said Rotrick. 'It would be a great honour for us if you were to join us in prayer tonight.'

'Well ok then,' sighed Reinward.

While he prayed, Fenrir and Veddic had a night out on the town in Arabel.


DAY 528 (13th Eleasis) (August)

Commune was eventually cast at six in the morning.

Reinward managed to tear himself away by lunchtime and after meeting the others they headed back to Westgate.

They arrived at three o'clock.

When they got back home Gelly told them:
'Trystran Dauntinghorn has been seen getting drunk in town. He's going from tavern to tavern, very drunk. He was last seen at the Purple Lady.'

This greatly interested them so they left the house again. While Fenrir was disguised as Jerry Fudd, Reinward went as 'Reinward sans Crown'.
He was immediately spotted by some devoted followers of Ilmater who called out - 'There he is! The chosen one!'

Reinward went back in, then came out round the back as Mongo Lightcandy.

They found Dauntinghorn at the Purple Lady, as drunk as a lord and in the company of friends. Fenrir cast Detect Magic and sat down nearby. Strangely no magic showed up.

Reinward tried using the Crown of Baleforte to cast Magic Circle Against Evil. It worked but had no effect. Was Dauntinghorn not evil?

Dauntinghorn continued to talk to his friends at the bar. He was drunk and mentioned 'the Men of the Basilisk' several times. Reinward lurked nearby, listening in. He secretly held up a small mirror and could see Dauntinghorn in. He appeared to be neither evil or a vampire.

By now Dauntinghorn was quite drunk, and his friends sent for his carriage.
He didn't go home though, instead it went north to the Cockatrice Inn.

Here he met some other acquaintances and resumed his drinking. Fenrir entered disguised as "Colin Hunt". Reinward as Mongo Lightcandy.

They bought drinks for and talked directly to Dauntinghorn. He was confused and didn't really have any time for them, but Reinward did manage to dip into his pocket and take out a bit of paper.
Later he saw it was a shipping manifest for a vessel going from Cormyr to Teziir known as 'The Sweet Betty'.

More of Dauntinghorn's friends arrived and "Colin" was pushed to the side. Colin ordered garlic bread for everyone at the bar. Dauntinghorn and his friends each had a portion. Twice now they had proved he was no vampire!

Fenrir and Reinward went to their own table and over a few drinks started to hatch a plot. I think they had both had quite a lot to drink by now themselves!

I don't know why, considering they had now proved that he was neither evil or a vampire, they still wanted to kill him. It never seemed to occur to them that this Dauntinghorn they had found was not the
Night King at all, but an imposter or look-a-like.

Reinward remembered that he still had a red suicide pill that had been given to him by "Jane" ages ago in the catacombs when he had been captured and held there by the Night King.

He snuck over to the bar and slipped it into Dauntinghorn's drink.
He came back to the table and whispered loudly in Fenrir's ear:
'Ready the Watch!'
Fenrir did nothing, instead staying with Reinward and watching as  Dauntinghorn drank all of his drink, then fell flat on his face at the bar, stone dead.

For a moment his friends laughed, thinking he was just drunk, but after a minute or so a cleric was summoned (a dwarf cleric of Talos) who told them;
'He's as dead as a doornail. Now let me get back to my dinner!'

The Innkeeper was much alarmed and went to fetch help, but Dauntinghorn's friends simply settled the bill and took the corpse away in the coach.

You can imagine the urgent whispered conversation between Fenrir and Reinward at this stage - as once again they had acted in haste without fully considering the consequences of their actions!

I wonder if it ever occurred to Fenrir that he, the Commander of the Watch, had just witnessed the Crownbearer of Ilmater commit a cold blooded murder?
 

Roztov's Everquest Lore Library Update 16-04-2023

Go here for all the Everquest Lore you could ever possibly desire!

http://roztov.epizy.com/lore/index.htm

 

New pages:

Vaniki and Yelinak Launching Next Week!
Torment of Velious Now Free and Call of the Forsaken Items Now Available!
Scorched Sky Celebration
Terror of Luclin Now on Sale!
Don’t Panic, Nights of the Dead Returns!
Feast of Giving is Back
Night of Shadows is Almost Here
Oh Deer, Frostfell is Coming Back!
Night of Shadows Now Live!
Another New Year is Almost Here!
Night of Shadows Raids Unlocked!
Erollisi Day Returns!
Night of Shadows Tier 2 Raids Unlocking!
Night of Shadows Tier 3 Raids Unlocked!

(G511 18/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), HF, OL, WF, SH, AL, FF, DL) K2

 
(G511 18/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), HF, OL, WF, SH, AL, FF, DL) K2

[This is the second part of the story I heard from my brother Corum about an unlikely band of adventurers known as the 'The Habibi Club'. We last saw them all fighting amongst themselves in the Singing Sword Tavern in Waterdeep.]

DAY 1 continued ...

Buttskii, the gnomish bard, decided now was a good time to have a nap so he started getting his bedroll out.

Meanwhile, there was a proper battle going on just a few yards from him as Tate, the halfling rogue, managed to badly stab Kayne, the human sorcerer.

Kayne countered with an Acid Splash spell that burned at Tate's exposed skin. Goobus, the other bard slapped Kayne, perhaps trying to knock some sense into him. It was like a festhall slapstick show at their table.

Over at the bar, Gilbert the monk found that the potion he had just drunk was making him feel very light. He tried a jump and banged his head on the ceiling. He wasn't the only one jumping about, far from it. Walter the druid tried to jump onto a table, aiming to try and get everyone's attention but he slipped on some beer and fell flat on his face.

As any of this was not chaos enough there was another person in the Tavern that decided to get involved. It was a young lady known only as Wendy the Wizard and she decided to stop who she thought was the main troublemaker - namely Tate the Rogue. She did this with a Ray of Frost spell.

Walter managed to make it up onto a table and shouted;
'Stop this! This is nonsense!'
Wendy applauded him, but otherwise he was ignored.

Tate, having had enough of being target practise for sorcerers and wizards headed to the bar and decided that he would join Gilbert in the potion testing.
He selected a dangerous looking black one and drank it all down.
Tate suddenly found his intelligence greatly reduced! Dizzy and confused he lay down on the bar top.

Gilbert and Walter decided to leave, and as they exited the Singing Sword they were spotted by a squad of town guards coming towards them.

Walter tried to push Gilbert towards the guards, which was rather unsporting, but he failed anyway. Gilbert, still very bouncy, attempted to jump onto a nearby roof. He nearly made it too, but landed chest-first onto the gutter and then just hung there.

'Please help!' said Walter, trying to bluff the guards. 'I am the bartender and they have all gone crazy in there!'

'Yeah, yeah,' said the head guard, who was none other than my brother Corum, who was a Civilar in the Dock Ward watch but who lived on the Market Square so often attended to problems there too. 'Let's all go inside and sort it out.'

Gilbert quietly dropped to the ground and followed them all in.

Corum got it all sorted out and talked to Ewiz about what was going on. When he heard they were meant to be going to Kryptgarden he decided to not arrest them all and in fact he helped them. Kayne was healed and the Singing Sword was paid for the property damage and their stolen potions. Corum paid this out of his own pocket.

'Just make sure to get this circus out of town as quickly as possible,' he warned Ewiz. 'Or I'll have to knock some sense into them.'

Ewiz thanked the watchman and did his best to bring his team together in friendship.

That evening there was a 'Hot Wing' eating competition. Walter, Tate and Wendy entered it. They all did well, but in the end Walter won - and got 10 gold pieces and a trophy.


DAY 2

In the morning a coach was provided for the members of the The Habibi Club which now also included Wendy the Wizard.

They were tightly packed on the coach, but it was only them and some of them were quite small.

They arrived that evening at The Huntsman Inn, the halfway point on the road to the Kryptgarden Forest if you are making good time.

As they ate their dinner together, they noticed that over in the corner was a sinister looking half-orc who seemed to be watching everything that they did.

Walter and Tate boldly went to talk to him. It turned out he was interested in getting a lift from them.
'You going to Kryptgarden?' he asked gruffly.
When they answered yes, they then agreed that he could come with them.
His name was Harag Tusker.

Meanwhile, the light-fingered rogue Tate was going around the Inn's common room looking for pockets to pinch.

As he dipped into the purse of a rich looking merchant though, he was spotted by the eagle-eyed barman. Tate made a run for it, and five minutes later he was back, sneaking around the room.

The barman spotted him again and this time he had a crossbow in his hands.
'Hands up!' he snarled at Tate.

Tate did not comply and the barman shot at him. The bolt missed and thudded into the far wall.

Tate ran again, and for a third time he returned, trying to remain unseen.
He wasn't having much luck though and he ran right into the burly barman who whacked him in the head with the butt of the crossbow.
Lights out, Tate hit the floor.

Walter, ever the reasonable druid, tried to intervene, but all the barman would say is, 'you are both barred! Get out!'

Walter was most upset by this unfair treatment and started to get animated.
One of the other patrons in the common room stood up and whacked him over the head with a club and the poor fellow was stretched out on the floor alongside Tate.

Goobus dragged Tate out by the ankles an slung the little rascal into the 
back of the coach. He then returned and did the same with Walter.

The common room of the Huntsman was a lot quieter and well behaved after that!

(G510 11/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) YI1

 (G510 11/02/2023 via Roll20 - JF(GM), KT, AP, AD) YI1

[Dearest Reader! So now you know how I came to learn the story of Griffolk Ethyn the Dragon Shaman, Corhim Sparkledingle the Gnome Wizard and Fangorino the Barbarian. They have arrived on Yag Island and soon became friends with my family and other friends that were there setting up defences by the Barrow.
They arrived on the Island during my time up north stealing my second pirate ship with Dak so I was not to meet them until later.
This also means I will close out the journal entries marked LR**. These end with LR57. 

And I will also close out all the journal entries marked HOM**. These ended with HOM16.
And a new combined line of journal entries now begin with YI1!]

Some time before DAY 578 (1st Marpenoth) (October)

And yet! The start of this journal begins not with Griff, Fang and Sparkledingle but with Fenrir and Reinward. Now, remember, dear reader, if you have been following my journal entries in sequence you will know that currently these two fellows are in Westgate. This is correct, but so far you have only read up until the summer. So how did they come to Yag Island?
Did they - in fact! - come to Yag Island at all? Well, please read on and perhaps I can help us all figure out the complicated turns and twists that their tale has taken.

To continue then, Fenrir and Reinward suddenly felt themselves awakening in what could have been mistaken for the Plane of Shadows. And perhaps it was?

Nearby was an area of light and they discovered it was a doorway shaped portal that showed a cave lit by candles on the other side. They could not pass through the portal, but looking at it, it appeared to glimmer and reflect a bit like a mirror.

Eventually, Xama Niriwin appeared in the cave, the dark elf cleric who wore a golden mask to hide the burns on her face. She was accompanied by the Vicar of Ghaunadaur, who looked like (and probably was) an intelligent black pudding in human shape.

She said;
''
Hello, I expect you are wondering what happened. Your quest failed I am afraid - and the Queen killed you. The Vicar of Ghaunadaur has resurrected you. You feel weak now, but we can help you. Drink this sustenance and you will feel better.
''

It appears there was at least one way access through the portal as she then tossed several vials of green liquid at them. Reinward was the first to taste it. It was bitter and sugary. 'Pretty good!' he declared.
 
Time passed. Days or even weeks, they could only tell by the growing of their beards. All of their equipment seems to have lost any magical abilities they once had. Fenrir and Reinward did not wish to explore and stayed near the mirror and drank the green liquid that was brought to them at regular intervals.

One day Xama Niriwin took her hammer, stepped up to the 'mirror' and smashed it. They stepped out of the frame and she told them:

''
Understand that you belong to Ghaunadaur. I know that you are unpredictable beings but you have a task. One of our spies has told us that an incredible powerful magical portal has opened up. It is on an island somewhere in the Shining Sea. The Vicar will teleport you there. You must open the portal to the Dismal Caverns and then seek an audience with Ghaunadaur. He will then send his minions here to Syrax-bah and claim the city in the name of Ghaunadaur.
''

DAY 578 (1st Marpenoth) (October)

Fenrir and Reinward were teleported to Yag Island by the Vicar, who left them on the coast path between the town and the Barrow.

'Listen!' cried Reinward. 'I have a terrible feeling that I've just figured out who - or what we are! My last memories before we died were in Lady Petal-ash's castle. Do you remember we fought those mirror images of ourselves? What if we are not the real... Well you know... uhhhhh....'

At that point Reinward exploded in a shower of green goo.

Fenrir stepped back and brushed the goo off his clothes. It was at this point that Sparkledingle and Fang spotted him. They were on their way to town on an errand.

'He just exploded!' squeaked Sparkledingle.
'He's all over my shoes,' sighed Fenrir. 'Oh but wait. He has his rings of Ilmater, he should be back in a minute. He usually just pops back again, he has all the other times he's died.'
They waited a minute, then another five. 

Nope, oh well, I guess that's him then.'

Fenrir fell in with the gnome and barbarian and followed them down the Gyles's Inn. The young warlock shared Reinward's suspicious about who (or what!) he was. He felt weaker than before, he only had 2,000 gold to his name and all his gear had lost its magic. Was he a copy of the real Fenrir? A copy that had been made by taking an errant magical mirror image and packing it with vile magical ooze?
If he started thinking about it his innards started moving around and he got a distinct 'I may be about to explode' sensation.

Still, it was a nice day and there was the prospect of some nice cooling beer at the end of the walk so he contented himself with that for now.

Sparkledingle was concerned and asked many questions. All Fenrir could really
say was:
'I'm Raziel Lightningrod! I've no idea how I got here or what happened to my mate.'
'We've only just got here ourselves,' admitted Sparkledingle.

At the Inn Sparkledingle was not allowed entry.
'I'll handle this,' said Fenrir.
And although Gyles was indeed charmed by the warlock he still maintained;
'I'm sure you've met and known some fine and upstanding gnomes and halflings young sir, but that's not the quality we get around here. Around here, they are not  worth the hassle. Halflings are always dipping their fingers into people's  pockets and gnomes are always playing tricks on people.
I could live with that if they ever spent any money, but they are so small they don't eat or drink much. One pint of ale for them is like a gallon for us  and then a halfling is trying to steal the gold teeth out of a pirate's mouth and a  gnome is dancing on the tables with his tiny wiener on full display.
I just don't need it!'
Fenrir nodded, 'Well, fair enough!'

In the end Sparkledingle turned himself into a human wizard in order to get served. Gyles had taken a shine to Fang and gave him his first drink for free.

It had already been established that there wasn't much in the way of accommodation up at the barrow, so Fenrir and Fang arranged rooms for themselves.

Later that night, Fenrir wandered into the jungle and found a quiet spot.
'Hello dear, you're home early!'
This was the phrase that usually summoned Bnurgstickslackskin.

Nothing happened.


DAY 579 (2nd Marpenoth) (October)

In the morning the three of them headed up to the Barrow. Fang and Sparkledingle had meant to pick up bread rolls from the village, but if Lavinia was going to tell them off for going to the pub instead she forgot when she saw Fenrir.

She hugged him and asked, 'What are you doing here?'
He admitted that he had no idea.

He asked her what the date was and from this he deduced he had three months of the year unaccounted for. Had he been in limbo all that time?

The more questions he asked himself the more upset his stomach became and the more he worried that what had happened to 'Reinward' would happen to him.

'Do you want to get back to Westgate and see what's been going on?' asked Lavinia.

'Maybe I should wait and get my strength back first. Lay low for a while.'

Griffolk had decided that he wanted to stay on the island for a while. He was interested in what was going on at the barrow and was happy to take guard duty and watch the dwarven masons at work.

Fang and Sparkledingle were looking for work though and asked Lavinia if she wanted anything done.

She said:
''
I'll pay well to anyone who goes to Sasserine and beats the stuffing out of someone who has stolen goods from one of my store houses. The Nixie is doing some refitting, but when she's ready to go, take her to Sasserine, then ask at the Vanderboren Manor.
''

Fenrir decided to tag along when they were ready to go.

DAY 580 (3rd Marpenoth) (October)

Today, much to his surprise, one of Corhim's cousins turned up on the island! It was not clear how she had tracked him down, but she teleported onto the island and with a cheerful wave she approached him at the barrow.

He had already been into town that morning looking for a magic shop. There was nothing like that though, just a couple of general stores and three chandlers.

Felia Sparkledingle was younger than Corhim but taller.
This is what she told him:

''
Hey Corhim! I just inherited my father's shop! Oh deary me, it was tied up in family stuff for months. So sad, poor old dad. But he gave me his shop. The family told me you had gone off on adventures, so I thought I would follow you! Cousin Mickle-mackle gave me a free teleport so here I am! I don't want to go on adventures or anything, I just love brewing potions! So could I be your shop-keeper? I'll give you a good rate! Oh but I've got no stock, just the shop. Can you help me restock?'
''

At first he was confused, but it turned out her shop was a bit like a
'Folding boat' in that it was a magical item that could be place anywhere.

After arranging a good spot for it to be located in the barrow area she activated it and a huge mushroom grew up there. It had a door and six windows. Inside, all to gnomish scale, was a small store front, a backroom and upstairs was a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom.

Felia loved and idolised Corhim. She was delighted to be part of the team, but she was a little reticent about all his questions about the shop and how it worked. In the backroom was a portal that led to an alternate material plane of some kind where the venerable 'Gold Nugget Guild' had once stored their goods. (I'll call this place the GAMP for short!)

There were always 10 members of the Guild, no more, no less, but the other nine were old and retired and had long since stopped trading. Corhim wanted to go through the portal and take a look at the place (i.e. rob it) but Felia cautioned against it.
'It's defended against non-Guild members, and I've not worked out how to de-activate it yet.'

After that, they discussed their family. I'm sure these names were made up to trick the humans listening it, but they included:

Felima Sparkledingle
Auntie Sokkama Sparkledingle
Caressama Sparkledingle
Grandma Fingerma Sparkledingle
Tuggama Sparkledingle
Ticklema Sparkledingle

While Felia was getting introduced to everyone and getting set up, Fang was back at the pub. Gyles seemed to have taken a shine to the handsome young man and had given him a free meal and drink when he came over to talk to him.

'Where are you from?' asked Gyles.
Fang told an obvious lie.
'What are you doing in town?'
'I swam all the way across the great ocean...' replied Fan sarcastically.
'Oh well then,' said Gyles. 'Do you like beef? If you want to come over for dinner.'
Fang was getting a bit worried about where this was going and said nothing. Gyles went back to the bar.

Later a very pretty young lady came and talked to Gyles at the bar for some time.
As she left she turned and said, 'what's for dinner tonight dad?'
'It's beef!'
As she left, Gyles winked at Fang.

Fang was having none of it though. He was sure it was some kind of trap, probably involving vampires, and he had had enough of being inside barrels.

He sat and drank the rest of the night, then went to bed.


DAY 581 (4th Marpenoth) (October)

Felia already seemed to be making a good trade selling tea and cakes  to the dwarf masons.

Sparkledingle was informed that the Blue Nixie was now ready to depart for Sasserine.