A lot of writing ahead of me tonight but that's okay.
*ahem*
So to briefly skip through, without losing too much detail from, where I last left off, up until where we currently now are in the timeline of Udossta Valshath.
The group, having finished helping the tavern, Kreth with its issues, were given some advice by local street boys that there were some odd comings and goings from a cave underneath town. Upon investigation they discovered a large den of thieves that appeared to be mining within it! A fight broke out and Ethiel was asked to cast the same spell he'd once used to defeat the thieves here before, and he brought about a tremendous sink hole in the area that ruined their mining operation. Brog defeated their leader, a fellow named Anton, and noticed a strange blade on his person. He took it, and it fused itself to his hand, unable to be let go of or dropped! This would, after some time, be eventually removed from the half-ogres hand via a remove curse spell.
Aryall, Gilga, Brog and Ethiel then moved on to a neighbouring halfling settlement to the east of Brumswinkle to settle the issue of a disturbing plague that had suddenly visited upon them. It was spreading fast and needed dealing with immediately. Upon entering the reclaimed, overgrown and decayed Drow fort-turned halfling villa, they were introduced to a cleric by the name of Korag, who also served Iomedaie and hailed from Terraxus. He was also there to help with the plague, and with his assistance the team ventured down through the sinkhole in town to some drow dungeons and a subterranean passage. The party was separated near the end of this venture, and Korags betrayal was revealed! Presumably sent to in fact murder Aryall as ordered by the head of the church, herself, Korag attempted to put her to rest - utilising a strange amulet around his neck which gave him tremendous power.
The team was able to subdue the madman without killing him. Aryall cut off his swordhand as punishment and allowed him to leave, taking his dessicated hand with him. Gilga retrieved the strange amulet and put it on. The solution to the plague was eventually discovered in a curious and strange talisman, found within the subterranean river below town that connected to their well - it appeared to be polluting it. The group quickly returned to brumswinkle, enquiring about the talismans make and purpose. No answers were to be had, but a remove curse spell was cast on it and then it was smashed - curing the surrounding areas of the seemingly magical plague. Gilga also started hearing voices.
The party briefly returned to Kurath to take some of the spider silk they found from the large, undisturbed ballista around the fort, as well as to search further the caverns below. They found what they presumed to be an escape the archaic had used to delve down to the underdark hundreds of years ago; wanting to explore this, Brog shoved Ethiel down into the abyss, knowing a strange artefact he had found might save him from his fall - which it did, although he remained forever lost. We have yet to ever see or hear from him again.
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Upon returning to Brumswinkle from having successfully wiped out the plague, the team were hailed as true saviours of the Four Corners, and their valor was brought to the attention of the two Brumswinkle brothers, Kerkas and Xannan. Xannan sought immediate council with the group, requesting that they aid him in furthering Brumswinkles progress with the introduction of industry and taxes. Kerkas on the other hand proposed that they help stop his brother from attempting to run the town into ruin. While Gilga and Brog enjoyed the idea of taking coin for enforcing a rule of sorts over town, Aryall brought about reason and managed to bring the town together in unison by introducing a monthly festival to Brumswinkle, The Tithe! Once a month all are brought together to celebrate the town and bring a small pittance each to the temple as tax, which is then distributed amongst those who would build and further the town.
As the first celebration of the monthly tithe came to a close, a strange ship sailed into town bearing strange cargo - 4 dark figures were spied disembarking by Gilga and made their way towards the golden field. The team made their way down to investigate and assaulted by a ragtag team of disturbing characters sent from North Port to assassinate the barbarian. The fight seemed evenly matched until one of the attackers was slain. Two fled back to the boat, leaving a fighter behind, and fled before they could be caught. The one left behind had a cursed sword attached to his hand, the same that Brog once bore.
It was not long after this that the four received word from Lord Aaron, a local hero in town who was now retired, that his family had been stolen from him... by a dragon during the night. A lowly, white dragon, a beast by the name of Devagastus. He left a message for him, advising that he only had a number of weeks to come and retrieve his loved ones, or else he would devour them and return to assault the town. The party eagerly joined forces with the powerful hero, and set off on a long journey.
To summarise the huge quest, the group travelled south, through a small halfling town named dagben where they were attacked by over 150 kobolds, which had ransacked the town. Gilga at this point also started bearing tremendous pains from the amulet he held, and almost turned on the party. Like a drug-stricken welp he was forced down by lord aaron and held while brog and aryall took the thing off him using their swords and buried it leagues away where he could not find it, wrapping it in 3 different cloths, chaining and locking it, blessing it, burning it, and burying the thing.
They went on further south past a fort named the Fortress Stairs, which appeared to have been frozen over. They were advised by a small team of resistance outside of the top gate that the dragon had flown over during the night and unleashed a furious blizzard that had scorched the fort with ice and sleet! A tremendous army of kobolds had then rushed through, slaughtering most of their men during the confusion. The group went through and removed the assailants, clearing the fort and making it safe once more for the men in the keep. They saw in the distance a large army making its way in their direction. At this point they were joined by a young rogue/wizard from the academy who had been tailing them for a few days. Sent by Markis to test his skills, he offered them happily.
The group set off in the night from the fort, south and around the foothills of Nazareem, tracking the oncoming raiding party of gnolls, giants and kobolds. Unleashing a fury of explosive potions and arrows while the stupid creatures slept, they aroused confusion and anxiety amongst them, causing the army to turn on themselves. After the defeat of the huge force, they pressed onwards, towards the camp that they had sprung from, and burning it to the ground. It was upon defeating the chieftain gnoll and his retinue of guards who had leapt from the burning wreckage, that the group picked up an interesting golden crown, a fantastic frozen glaive of stupendous power, and some frozen leather.
Gilga picked up the crown and put it on immediately as they studied the items they had accrued, and it sent a terrible shock through his mind, rearranging his ideals and mind into something sinister and evil. Lord Aaron noticed this and attempted to remove it, causing the barbarian to attack him. The scuffle was short lived as the barbarian grabbed the icey glaive and sprinted back north, towards the fortress stairs.
Realizing they were running out of time, the party was unable to deal with the loss of their comrade, and pressed on, towards an elven fort that looked remarkably like Kurath. It was here that they were given the assistance they needed to cross the mighty Tundra just south to get to the icey peaks of Agadeem where the dragon lay.
After a days rest and a days march, they made their way in, and using a strange artefact, navigated their way towards the peaks. The trek towards the dragon and the labyrinth inside the mountains proved long, arduous and extensive, but the party persevered. They finally reached his lair and within, the attack commenced, both sides sharing terrible blows and swings! The dragon was eventually felled, and Lord Aaron reunited with his children and wife! The group discovered lots of fascinating items within the dragons domain, including a strange orb within which a dark and mysterious figure lay watching them. Steen yelled 'YOURE NEXT' at the figure, before the connection was severed.
The return north was a long one, and the party, upon making their way back to The Fortress Stairs, found it in a dark... bloodied state. many severed hands lay outside the front entrance to the structure, strange symbols of skulls with rays of light emerging from them painted on the walls with blood, and what appeared to be a forest fire behind the fort on the northern side of the hill. Making their way in, they were greeted by anti-paladins and dark priests, a number of which were summoning a writhing sphere of flesh and teeth in the main dining hall, comprised mainly of the hands of those they'd slaughtered. Upon dealing with the disturbing incursion, the group made their way out the other end of the Fortress Stairs, to be greeted by Korag, who had returned... a dark obsidian blade sticking out of the cauterized stub where once was his hand.. which now dangled from his neck, by a chain. He appeared to be speaking to it..
The crazed cleric attacked the party and they were not able to kill or subdue him - steen took a crazy long shot however and destroyed the amulet around his neck which he appeared to have managed to retrieve back from Gilga, or had dug up from the ground himself!! When the amulet was destroyed, a portal appeared, showing a dazzling and tremendous city, which pulled at the cleric it materialised around, dragging him through. His hand fell off him and was left behind, picked up by the rogue as they continue on past the massacred dagben and back to town.
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I'll continue on tomorrow when i've had some sleep!!!
~~ * below, some art that corresponds to the events and characters mentioned above - -- -
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