The Reaper – #25 Eberron 2020

The group continued up the dark tunnel, following the trail of blood left by the skeletal creatures. Eventually it split, with a side-tunnel leading up to the surface and another continuing down the tunnel. From the surface-tunnel they could hear shouting, and so Reginald argued that, since there was no definite payment agreed, there was no need to put themselves in harm’s way. And  so they continued down the wider tunnel, until the thinning trail of blood petered out entirely and the tunnel split again. Another side-tunnel went up to the surface and a slim ladder continued upwards to a street above. A quick investigation by FAF determined that the blood trail terminated at the ladder and that a little had pooled at the ladder’s base. So the party went up the ladder to find a vacant street. The houses still seemed populated, but there was not a soul to be seen on the street. With the sun setting on the western horizon, they all climbed out of the underground and back to the surface. 

The street was much like any housing area, with an old bell-tower that towered over the houses around it. FAF quickly determined that someone or something had stabbed something sharp into the tower’s door and wall with enough force to dislodge bricks and mortar. Whatever had done it had done so to climb, and the party looked up into the darkened bell-tower. From their view there was nothing outstanding about it aside from that the bell must have been taken out when the tower fell into disuse. Even the light from the Cathedral of the Silver Flame did not illuminate the dark space at the peak of the tower. 

Cheaters Never Prosper – #24 Eberron 2020

I apologise for the long delay between posts on this topic; I moved into an apartment in the meantime and I had some difficulty hosting the server for the program we use (FoundryVTT), but eventually we found a solution.

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Reginald stays out in front of Thomas’ room for a few minutes, lounging about the street in his changed shape, until the bounty hunter emerges, dressed in his armour and carrying weapons. Thomas walks a few hundred meters down the length of rooms until he reaches number 42, where a middle-aged gnome lets him in. Reginald strains to hear what the gnome said as he opened the door, but they were speaking a goblinoid language. He then sneaks up and looks between a gap in their curtains, seeing Thomas conversing with a pair of gnomes inside. Steeling himself with patience, the changeling backs off and changes his disguise, hanging around the street until Thomas emerges an hour later, packing two pieces of paper into his coat. Reginald approaches in the guise of a beggar and asks for some change. When Thomas hands him a handful of copper coins, Reginald swipes the two pieces of paper with masterful skill. Thanking Thomas for the money, he hurries off to find the others. 

The Half-Orc in White #23 Eberron 2020

The group heads down into the tunnel one by one, lighting it with spells. They quickly find that the stone of the tunnel walls carry some luminence of their own, almost like bioluminescence. They follow it in silence until they reach another tunnel, this one wider and built like a sewer, though a sewer where the sewage has been blocked off by brickwork. The water still runs, but anyone using the tunnel is in no risk of stumbling into the sludge. The wider tunnel continues both left and right of the tunnel they followed originally. On the wall to their left they find symbols and assume them to indicate a direction to follow. 

They hear voices further up the tunnel and approach them as silently as they can, with mixed results. After a few hundred metres they arrive at a broader chamber, with walkways spanning the space above them. A number of men and women of various races stand on the upper walkways or sit on chairs, playing card-games and drinking out of glass bottles. They carry weapons, but none are drawn. While the group discusses if they should attack, one of the men lowers his bottle and stands up, shouting for them to show themselves. Reginald and Golkir step forward and talk to the man, who asks if they’re passing through. When they confirm, he asks to see their guest passes. They claim that they ‘paid Jonathan’ but that he must have forgotten to give them their passes. Reginald manages to sell the lie and the man grunts. He cannot allow them to pass without, but he will offer them a discount of 5 silver rather than the initial 2 gold per head. The group all pay and they continue down the tunnel, each with a guest pass in hand.

Welcome to Flamekeep – #22 Eberron 2020

With the sun setting, the Cathedral of the Silver Flame in the centre of the city of Flamekeep took on its own glow, bathing the city’s inner district in pale silver light. 

The group, fresh off the train, debated where to go first. Some wanted to head to the Cannith office straight away, but they could not be sure if it was open after sundown. FAF headed for the nearest tourist office and grabbed a number of pamphlets about the city and its locations of interest. One of these pamphlets was from a harborside inn by the name of Silverscale that would be holding a music event in two day’s time. 

Zildar proposed they visit the inn in question, and the group agreed. They found it easily, a U-shaped building with an abundance of people outside drinking. Going inside, they found the innkeep; Kalmaru Nion, a jolly-looking man in a blue coat, distributing the dirt in a glass with a rag. They order living quarters and some beer then chat with Kalmaru about the city. FAF inquires whether there are any workshops in the city whose facilities he could borrow, to which Kalmaru replies that most are across the river to the east, but they are all employed by the army, so he would be unlikely to find any space there. Golkir asks if the city is tense, since the army is still in a state of readiness. Kalmaru then launches into a minute-long speech about the tensions within Thrane’s army following the induction of the Templars of the Silver Flame into the regular army, during which the innkeep is non-receptive to the group’s questions or interjections. When he comes out of it, he apologises and offers them a discount for listening to his ramblings. 

Thuun looked around to find entertainment but found the establishment to be calm. No fighting or carousing to be seen, so he joined two dwarves in a game of darts, FAF observing while attempting, and failing, to drink some beer. 

Fire in the Disco – #21 Eberron 2020

FAF and Zildar emerge from their cabins, fresh from their respective rests, to join in the investigation. Reginald-Londann and Heilemmen are informed that one of the ambushing thugs has awakened, and that an escort from the prohibited carriage will be joining the investigation. As Vilfred leaves, Heilemmen sits up with a groan and fixes Reginald-Londann with a stare and admits he has not been totally honest. He does not like divulging the secrets of his regulars, but the situation has gotten rather more hairy then it initially seemed. 

Vocklar Londann was not a scholar of the Siberys ring, that was simply his hobby. His profession was that of a spy, specifically in the employ of Breland’s Dark Lanterns. Severa stabbing them was regrettable, but a simple domestic case. The poisoning and the bombing, however, might be the work of hostile spies, and with tensions from the Last War still ongoing, Heilemmen does not like the idea. 

Murder on the Thrane Express – #20 Eberron 2020

Reginald noted that the first carriage, the one closest to the station, was restricted access for common passengers, but made no special mention or action about it. The train departed soon after the group boarded and headed east out of Sharn, passing through Breland’s capital of Wroat and continuing east-northeast. The train today is not carrying many passengers, and the crew learn about the other passengers during the journey. Vocklar Londann is a scholar researching the Siberys ring, and is travelling with his wife, Severa. A travelling sales-halfling named Lopp Fizzlestand trades in porcelain. Ulala Gatra is a middle-aged elf who gives out spirit-readings and personal prophecies at the asking. A young half-orc named Mudeye is travelling to meet family in Thaliost, but mostly keeps to himself. An older human man named Benjamin is likewise travelling to Thaliost. A tabaxi man called Kharzire works for a war orphan-charity in his spare time. Finally, of the passengers, there is a dwarven woman whose name they do not know. 

Of the train’s staff, they meet the senior conductor, and concierge, Heilemmen. Additionally the conductors Vilfred, Zanogum the warforged and Srirocco. The crew hear the staff talk about the restricted carriage from time to time, but never any specifics. 

Five Tickets to Thrane, Please – #19 Eberron 2020

The party stands by the burning ruins of the small church and discuss if they should search the town. Reginald makes the point that they are unlikely to find any objects of particular worth in such a small town, whereas FAF says that, since the residents had to leave in a hurry, they might have left something interesting behind. Thuun proposes a compromise; they search for an hour then leave for the elevator out of Fallen.

Zildar finds a working cart in an abandoned house and Thuun finds a brooch on the ground near where they defeated the shade. Golkir volunteers to dive into the burning church and finds a bow decorated with silver patterns. FAF finds little of interest behind some moldy planks of wood. 

Their investigation finished, the party heads past Driftwood to the elevator and out of Fallen. The dilapited district fades out of view below them, perhaps for the last time, as they head back up to Sharn. Francine Beldriana thanks them for their work and says she will consider them again in the future should she need such services again.

F.A.F Unit 1337 – #18 Eberron 2020

The skeleton’s gory arrival brought with it a supernatural fear that washed over the party, affecting all but Golkir and Zildar. The towering monster teleports around the space, disrupting the party with spells and assailing them with claws and supernatural visions of death. Reginald’s dog is struck and killed, much to Reginald’s dismay. Golkir charges at the monster alongside Thuun, but the paladin is paralyzed by a spell. Their contracter, Francina, cannot seem to overcome the fear’s hold and huddles by Reginald’s side. 

Meanwhile, Fian who waited outside is nowhere to be seen. A warforged, covered head-to-toe in a red robe, walks through the double-doors of the defiled temple, calmly walking up to tap various members of the party on the shoulder mid-battle, asking where he can find ‘Reginald’. The warforged does talk to Reginald, but the sorcerer is too distraught by fear and loss to respond. Eventually the warforged, called FAF, talks to Francine, who asks why they would attempt conversation in the middle of a battle. FAF asks if she would ask for his assistance, which she confirms. FAF turns towards the skeletal monster and one hand hinges downward, revealing the barrel of a magical cannon. 

The Beard and The Beast – #17 Eberron 2020

Two weeks have passed, downtime that the party has spent recuperating and pursuing smaller tasks. 

Golkir spends her time helping out at the many shrines and temples to the Sovereign Host scattered throughout Sharn. After weeks spent in danger and dubious company, it is nice to be back among believers. A fellow acolyte from her younger days passes through town and they talk for a while. While it is mostly small-talk and catching-up, Golkir learns that the temple has been continuing the investigation into the attack that set Golkir herself on the path of the paladin rather than the scholar. Among other things, they have learned that the group calls itself Montag.

Reginald scouts Sharn’s markets and workshops for a place to spend his hard-earned coin on a useful item or two, while also working on his new connections with House Cannith and doing smaller jobs for the dragonmarked house. Towards the end of the two weeks he is led to a workshop that, among other places, supplies House Cannith. There he buys a necklace with four Sending Stones. The following morning, he receives a letter asking him to join the search for a warforged named ‘Algo’ that is supposed to be hiding in Sharn. He is not the only agent working on the search, nor do they expect him to finish it up, just to assist where he can.

Fian drinks her way around Sharn, visiting a new taphouse or bar every night. One evening, the information broker Ellyra passes by, asking Fian if she has seen their fellow acquaintance Thomas Rutmar, to which Fian can only say that she hasn’t. Ellyra walks away without a word, leaving Fian to her drinking.

Zildar works in the city’s temple to the Undying Court every day and gambles every night, where he loses quite a lot of money with an incredibly unfortunate streak.

Thuun goes to Omex Arena in Middle Sharn where he spends time jumping between learning his way around a kitchen in their mess hall and fighting his way through ranking matches in the arena. Towards the end of the second week, he is inducted into a series of fights; an elf, an orc and a mysterious fighter only known as ‘The Beard’. Thuun beats the elf and the orc handily and invites the rest of the party to watch his third fight. The bugbear is introduced and strides into the empty ring. Next, the announcers call for The Beard, to which the crowd is markedly more excited than they were for Thuun. Out of the gate on the far side steps a grey-skinned humanoid clad in a simple loincloth and armed with a red-bladed glaive. What catches the eye, however, is that the creature’s iconic beard is alive, a mass of twitching light-green tentacles on its chin. It shouts in some tongue that Thuun does not recognise, and the fight is on. 

The fighting is unconventional, as Thuun’s wild magic takes the form of teleportation, which he uses to teleport above the Beard and land on it from above. A swift series of polearm-strikes follow and, while Thuun takes some blows, he quickly emerges the victor. In the changing rooms afterwards he attempts to talk to the Beard, but the creature only promises him deaht via a message sent directly to his brain.

The next day, an elven woman approaches Reginald with a job offer. She wishes to cleanse the temple in Fallen of the corruption that has overtaken it since the district fell, and she was hoping for their help since they had been to the district before. After introducing the job, she introduces herself as Francine Beldriana. After a bit of haggling, Reginald says they will consider her proposal. She replies that she is staying at the same inn and to simply call for her when they have made their decision. 

Thuun, Zildar and Golkir spend some coin on someone to facilitate purchasing some magic gear, after which Thuun buys some ingredients and spices for his new cooking kit. 

The following day, the group travels to Fallen alongside Francine Beldriana. For the trip, the woman has put splint mail armour over her blue tunic and carries a greatsword. The sight of Fallen as they descend on the elevator is a familiar one, though the air is less oppressive than when they were last through. As they pass by the settlement, the people of Driftwood seem better off and the streets are less caked in grime and muck.

The district’s Temple of the Sovereign Host is as gloomy as the rest of the district and massive chunks of debris have fallen down and smashed through the walls and the ceiling. Before they enter, Reginald inquires about Francine’s combat ability. She replies that she is not as skilled as they are but that she can hold her own in a fight. Nevertheless, she intends to stay in the back line.

The space inside the Temple is massive. The damage and the gloom takes away some of the majesty, but it could never take it all. Long marble-covered avenues go along the centre of the space, flanked by small gardens visible through smoked-glass windows. The party ventures up the centre aisle until they find a recent corpse that is instantly familiar; it is Olfgrim, the dwarf that was with them at the very start of their adventures. Clearly dead for several weeks, his stomach has been sliced open by massive claws, and his axe lies on the ground nearby. Golkir attempts to assess whether he died fighting or was taken unawares, but the decay is simply too much. Zildar casts a spell to animate the corpse and it rises on unsteady legs with a vacant look in its eyes. Both Golkir and Francine appear troubled by the callous display, but make no mention of it.

As the group approaches the centre of the temple, they hear a bloodcurdling roar and the sound of stomping feet. They all draw their weapons and prepare for battle as an enormous wolf-like creature round a corner to the east. It’s deformed body is covered in patchy fur and one arm is horribly oversized. Deer antlers crown its head and it rears back and howls again before charging.

The fighting is swift and bloody. Even though the creature is massive, it cannot easily push past Golkir and Olfgrim’s animated corpse. The rest of the party attack from afar as it tries to slice through the frontline. It is quickly put down and collapses next to Thuun. The party begins to celebrate and approach before stopping in horror. The creature’s massive body twitches and spasms before its flesh tears open in gouts of blood and explodes, showering everyone nearby with steaming gore. From the devastated corpse rises a new opponent, a skeleton of black bone and green-glowing eyes.

The Creation Forge – #16 Eberron 2020

With the lift’s core destroyed, it is now inoperable, but thanks to the clamps it has not fallen either. The group uses the service ladders built into the side of the shaft to climb to the top, where they find a set of closed metal doors. Thuun pries them open with some help from Zildar’s crowbar, and they arrive on the second floor.

The hallway is much like the first floor; the floor is covered in metal plates and the walls are worked stone, with iron rods set into sconces on the wall. Three doors lead off from the corridor, and all are clearly unusual doors. On their right is a metal door with no obvious handle and a round lens built into it at a human’s eye-height. On their left is another metal door with no handle, but this has no lens. Some closer inspection from Fian also reveals two hatches built into the wall on either side of the lens-door. They resemble the hatches they also saw in the elevator shaft.

Golkir looks into the lens but only sees an iris-like metal hatch on the inside. The paladin then knocks on the door and a blue light plays over her, before informing her that she is not the supervisor and that the security room is locked until the supervisor unlocks it. As Thuun tries to push at the lens-less door and finds it securely locked, Zildar slams a bolt of magic into the lens-door, succeeding only in scratching it. 

The hatches open and two small constructs step out, similar to the ones from the elevator. The party fights them, and it is over briefly, the two constructs being no match for the combined party. Seeing as the door to the ‘security room’ is locked, they explore the second floor further. At the end of the corridor they find a wooden double-door that is also locked. Golkir tries to push the door open but is simply met with a voice that announces that the Creation Forge is locked and must be unlocked from the security room. Thuun and Golkir attempt to force it, but it does not budge an inch and they conclude it must either be mechanically or magically reinforced. 

The party finds itself stuck, needing to find the ‘supervisor’ to enter the locked security room to open the other locked doors. Then Thuun, Fian and Zildar remember a detail from the first floor; the personnel room had nameplates and one of those nameplates mentioned a ‘Monique Sartre’ and mentioned her title as ‘Supervisor’. The group hurries back to the first floor and Fians runs to the personnel rooms, where she finds a painting of a woman she assumes to be the mentioned supervisor. They present the painting to the door-lens and the door unlocks, giving them access to the security room.