Adventure Log #9

Adventure Log #9 (Hell)

Characters:
Aki-Professional killer
Estryellia-Young mage, Morgan’s daughter
Faramiere-Dead paladin
Henry-Paladin
Kebridane-Mage
Marcus-Paladin of Chaldisaya
Morgan-High Priestess
Paladin Henry-How long have I been gone?
Serrif-Fighter with an “evil” twin
Scalla-Mage

This run connected to the regular flow but was actually a vehicle to allow a former player Tom Russell to play his character Faramiere back on Avalyn.
Faramiere was on Avalyn from 0087 to 0099 ADF (After Deseratas Founding) in the regular campaign. Needless to say he’s somewhat of a legend, it was very cool to have him around for the run.

Back-story on Faramiere, He was the prime paladin for the Chaldite religion and led the forces of Jkennis Deborah I in the battles of the Dark War (1st Deseratan Civil War in 0095 ADF). Legend has it that he was slain in the last battle by a traitor in the year 0099 ADF

Other note: This adventure concludes one of the major plot points of the campaign. It won’t make much sense if you haven’t at least read the character descriptions (Above)

The party continues their trip through the underground grottoes, the boat of the Lady Chaldisaya seems to move of its own accord choosing which paths it wishes to follow. After a couple of hours the boat comes to a piece of shoreline. The party debarks and begins to follow a tunnel. When the tunnel opens up they find a cavern full of the noise of battle. In the center of which is a group of mummified soldiers. After going through the copses belongings they find a medallion of Chaldisaya with the name Dru Dagor on it. Someone n the party remembered that the legendary Paladin Faramiere had the name Dru Dagor, as they are debating it he appears and asks for the medal back.

The party is very impressed meeting Faramiere, he says he’s been in Chaldite Heaven enjoying his reward for a life of faith. Some of the group begins a quest is now done since they had found Faramier, the lost paladin (See the preceding adventure) now they could head home. Faramiere speaks up that obviously the quest isn’t done since he wasn’t lost; he was at his reward in Chaldite Heaven, so obviously he wasn’t lost to Chaldisaya. He tells the group that the medal wasn’t his; rather it belonged to his son Avarsis Jasual Dru Dagor who was also a paladin of Chaldisaya. None of the party has heard of him (the lesser Dru Dagor). Faramiere says that he has been missing from the sight of even the Chaldite Angeles since 0102 ADF so they decide to adventure on to find him

While moving along the group tells Paladin Faramiere about the fall of the kingdom of Deserata into evil at the hands of the Jkennis Distaria I. He answers some of their question about the past and he learns part of the fate of his Jkennis Deborah (they tell him she’s dead…sort of…but they don’t tell him the entire story). Paladin Marcus and Paladin Faramiere have some Paladin bonding time together, they do some good-natured griping about Arc’s (High Priestesses), which a stern look from Arc Morgan quashes.

Eventually they come to what looks like a rift in space with several pathways twisting and turning off into it. Serif and Scalla point out that they’ve seen this kind of thing before. It was where Kenna Modoris (The Vampire Lord) was keeping the thing that kept the village of Gol under his sway. The party begins to head along the pathways seeing that it splits, one end going to a ship seeming fused to the path, the other a mansion. Stopping at the mansion they encounter a demon that answers the door then slams it into their faces. Most of the party recognize the demon as a Balor one of the things they chased off when they originally freed Lament Castle, after a bit of arguing the party decides to leave the demon alone and decides to try the boat.

The vessel was covered in spirits, which seemed pretty benign, however the cabin of the boat was filled with a creature of chaos that had at one time been the captain. The party quickly shut the door when the thing stuck at them with a Death Beam but they realized that the path continued out of the bottom of the ship and the creature was barring the way. After a short combat the group overcome the chaos beast and continued following the path out of the bottom of the boat.

They came across another mansion, which contained a large statue of Jkennis Distaria I (The Evil Evil Queen, as she’s know). Destroying it they found what looked like a woman’s bedroom. Most of the things in the room were of a mundane nature. The group then accidentally trips a gas trap, which does little to weaken the party.

On the other end of the trapped hall is a huge cavern. Across from a void that separates them stands a woman dressed as a priestess (Complete with demon skull helmet and little else) about to sacrifice Faramiers son, off to the side sit a couple of demons ready to attack. A loud booming voice is heard proclaiming that finally the Paladins of Chaldisaya will be humbled and Jkennis Distaria will prevail. The group springs into action taking some damage from some traps on their side of the crevasse. Morgan decides to Windwalk across the cavern and finds an invisible wall hanging in mid air (Designed to stop just an intrusion). Scalla Dimension doors some of the group across to act as back-up.

In the battle Marcus takes the priestess down (and for good measure delivers a killing blow, cutting her head off). The rest of the party attacks the demons (Morgan finds the edge of the invisible wall) After a fiercely fought contest all the demons are gone and the Paladin Dru Dagor is freed. Suddenly the voice returns mocking the characters claiming a partial victory over them. The head of the priestess rolls out of the demon skull helmet and turns out to be that of Tannis Longious (Paladin Marcus’s missing wife and Morgan’s daughter) a bitter victory is claimed by the heroes. Paladin Faramiere returns to Chaldite Heaven and the rest of the group, along with the unconscious Paladin Avarsis and the dead Tannis are returned to the city of Sylvia’s Rest

Next time: The plot line closes but not they way you think it would.