Devotion Campaign Planning and Discussion Thread

[Vanya Mia]

"You're definitely missing something," came a comment, "Me, it's me." As it was about then that a distracted Shanni walked up. Briskly, and almost but perhaps not quite looking like she had been looking for them for a while. "Where are we going and what are we doing?" Her eyes also took in the ball. "And what's that?"

[Topato]

"We have narrowed down where we need to search. First we must check the tunnels that we did not explore that lead away from the crossroads, then we might need to make our way back into the territory of the Drow, and find out if they are indeed barring the way to the gate."

[Lazybones]

+1950xp for full-party IC posting this week.

[Vanya Mia]

((Server should be up))

[Lazybones]

So after leaving Torgan's Delve with a sack bulging with precious gemstones (to be distributed at the start of the next session), you return to the surface and decide where to head next.

Here is the journal you took off the dead Pale Master on your way up to the Delve:

This leather-bound book appears to be the personal journal of the pale master Parzat Urgor. The entries are out of order, with text that is nearly gibberish punctuated with drawings replete with disturbing imagery. As if your encounter with him wasn't enough, it's quite clear that the man was quite insane.

Toward the end of the book there is a passage that is almost lucid. It reads:

There is a dark power rising in the Western Heartlands. The ripples of necromantic energy have reached as far as the North, like waves stirred up by a tsunami. I have seen a face in my dreams that promises a coming surge of destruction. Once I have mastered the Arheos Stone I will head south, to join this crusade. Perhaps I can prove myself to its master with a great deed. I have heard that the high priest of Helm in Elturel is among the most potent clerics of the Heartlands. He could stand in the way of the new tide. His heart, fresh with the hot blood of his faith, would make a fine offering.

* * *

The last page of the book is a crude drawing of a horned skull that was apparently made from the necromancer's own blood.

Elturel... you don't know much about the city, but from all reports it's a strong force for Law and Good in the Western Heartlands, with a paladin ruling the city and a prominent church of Helm. If there is an evil force stirring in the Heartlands, then they would probably know about it.

[Mirgalen]

"To Elturel we must go, as a servant of Helm I cannot risk having one of our high priest sacrificed to further some Evil cause."

"You may join me but I will understand if you refuse or have other plans."

Pius did not know where Elturel was or how to go there but he was determined to try and go alone if necessary. He looked at Amathain now having two great swords attached to his back. He could have challenged him but to what end? Perhaps some day soon they may be able to join a tournament and face each other in an arena...

[Karvon]

Slade was glad to leave the Underdark behind. He wondered how much the gems he would soon have were worth. While he had no love of Helm or Helmites, a trip to a city might prove useful in purchasing some new equipment with the wealth he'd acquired underground. He stretched soaking in the warm sunshine.

[Gulfwulf]

Toric snorted at Pius' words. "As if we'd let this evil fester, lad." He glanced at Nih. "Well, most of us at least. Can't really say 'bout the others. Anyway, I doubt this cleric of yers is gonna be a sacrifice since we killed the previous owner of this diary. Still, it'd be worth looking into. He might have some insight as to what this growing evil is. And, if so, we should offer our arms to him ta stop it. Evil is greedy: it's never satisfied with what it's got and is always looking fer more. Be a matter of time 'fore it expanded out of the Heartlands and tried to invade other places. Luckily fer us, most evil cannot stay together long enough to be a significant threat. Still, this one needs to be quenched 'fore it gets out-of-hand."

[Lazybones]

Not to belabor the past, but I revisited the previous mod and found that our salad-loving outsider boss should have been vulnerable to Chaosbane, which should have been able to dice him into spicy planar croutons. Topato indicated a problem last time with bonuses registering correctly when equipping weapons, which may be the culprit for your difficulty.

Fortunately Return to Torgan's Delve was designed in 2004, and I later learned not to design mods so that one and only one widget is needed to gain victory. So if you guys run into a TPK in Shards of Malice it will be because of more traditional issues like charging into rooms or letting the party get separated. Pro-tip: items with bonuses against undead will be very useful.

We'll start the next session with the group stepping off a boat as it pulls up to the harbor in the Riverwalk District of Elturel in the Western Heartlands, approximately two tendays after you left the Delve and the North. You have a sack full of gemstones so one priority will be to identify the local merchants, after which you may want to pay your respects to the local ruler and/or the high priest of Helm mentioned in the necromancer's journal.

[Shadani]

"A city ruled by paladins strikes me as a positively terrible idea," Nihmri mused, some days into the voyage. She seemed happy to be above ground again, but it had not taken her very long to resort to her usual tempest of complaints. "To be honest, I'm pretty iffy on them even when they do what I tell them to do. But I suppose we shall have to make do, hm?"