This is a homebrew, 5e based, Dungeons & Dragons campaign that has stretched on for nearly 10 years. Thought this would be a good place to archive it all. | All art by Kollapsar-Illustrations |
Sorry for the brief break! I will get more typed up and get posting regularly again soon. Things have been a little crazy here, but more dnd is on the way.
As they travel north into the hills again, the Group is hit with the last snowstorm of the season. Erynth knows how to navigate through snow, however, so the Group keeps moving on.
Outside the small town of Dor-Heimar, the Group finds a strange shack at a crossroads selling information for silver. They decide to ignore him and rent a room in the safety of the city, but are attacked by three Sumbayan monks that break into their room not long after they get settled in. After a prolonged scuffle, the three monks are left alive, but incapacitated.
Erynth goes to the innkeeper for answers, who reveals that the monks bribed him for the location of a group of Dwarven merchants, but he mixed up which room he was supposed to put them up in, and accidentally gave the Group the room meant for the Dwarves. Erynth returns to the room to find Nymandria and Deliath digging through a secret chest they uncovered under the rug in their room. Inside is a large pile of gems, an enchanted, Elven bow, and a small, glass case that held another card from their strange deck. They leave the gems, but take the items as payment for their trouble, then leave to find a safer room in town.
The next morning, the Group is invited to breakfast with the king. When they arrive, they learn that it is not just a simple meal, but a grand feast with a variety of counselors and nobility. Erynth wants to leave, but Deliath holds her there, telling her that it is too late to back out of a meal with the king. She gives Deliath a hastily written note, and asks her to give it to Nymandria as soon as possible, without reading it. The Elven woman is confused, but does as she is asked. When Nym gets the note, she also looks confused, but nods with understanding at Erynth.
Chancellor Hidasu arrives late and takes the seat next to Erynth, giving her a small, sinister smile as he does. Ernyth puts the poison into Nymâs goblet, making sure the chancellor sees her do so. Chancellor Hidatsu looks pleased and forces Erynth into smalltalk, keeping her from her talking to her friend. Nymandria stands up abruptly, and says she needs to leave, as she is feeling very sick. Chancellor Hidatsu looks pleased as she leaves, though King Alan is concerned with Nymâs health. She excuses herself and leaves for the kitchens.
During breakfast, Deliath announces that the king has given her a company of soldiers to take to Daria to fight the slavery problem. Most of the nobility are shocked that the king would give such a large force to some Elf that only arrived yesterday, but Erynth presumes that she likely told King Alan of her heritage. They eat and talk, and Erynth continues to look toward the kitchens, only mostly certain that Nym would be fine.
As they are wrapping up, Nymandira strides confidently back into the dining hall, causing Chancellor Hidatsu to spill his drink. She tells the remaining gathered people that she was ill, but a serving girl gave her herbs that caused her to get better. Chancellor Hidatsu is suspicious, but ultimately buys her story, sinking sullenly back into his chair. Nym tells Deliath the truth, whispering that Erynth told her to cast a spell making her immune to poisons. She didnât question it, and could taste the poison in the drink when she was served. Deliath tries not to laugh as she sees Chancellor Hidatsu sulking in his chair, and tells Nym that she is glad Erynth is so resourceful.Â
As they end the meal, the king invites them directly to his upper laboratory, where few people ever get to go. He tells them this is necessary for their arrangement, and that they should bring everything they need. They say goodbye to Deliath and wish her luck on her work. Deliath tells them she knows they will meet again, and that she is gratefully to have known them for this journey.
When the Duo arrive at King Alanâs lab, they notice it is set up in the middle of a study that has also been converted into a makeshift bedroom. A rather comfortable looking, unmade bed has been set up in the middle of the room, surrounded by shelves filled with books, trinkets, and various spell components. The king takes them to a back room, behind a false bookshelf that opens into a small room at the very top of the palace. On the opposite wall is a massive stained glass window depicting a rose against a night sky.
In the center of this back room is a circle written out in strange runes. Erynth recognizes this as quite similar to the setup in the bottom of the mansion, the same type of portal the devourer was guarding. The king has the two Elves step into the circle and sends them off through the network of planes and portals that network across the world. His final words as they fade out are âWell, goodie! It has never worked that well before.â
The Duo finds themselves appearing intact behind a fish market in what they assume is outside the walls of Pendar. They work their way through the crowds to the massive barred gate nearby, where they are told no one is allowed to enter due to the holiday week. Nymandria grumbles about how Karden holidays are stupid, but they leave, looking for an alternate way in or even just a place to stay. They meet Craig, a halfling who offers to sell them a âgenuineâ siget of the Merchantâs Guild, which will get them through the tradersâ gate in the east. They hand over 200 gold with the agreement that he is the one who will display it on their way in.
Craig gets the Group in with no issues, and lets them keep the signet. Erynth inspects it to find it is a fake, but Craig is already gone without any further words. They stay at the Fresh Fish inn, where another halfling who introduces himself as Vincent gives them a room in return for the coin. He shoots them a wink and tells them that he is quite proud of his nephew, and that they can stay for three nights, all for the price of one. In the inn that evening, Erynth bumps into a man in a massive, feathered hat and strange gold and baby-blue boots. He introduces himself as The Pirate King, and tells her to âwatch yourself, little fish.â Nymandria recognizes her from her initial trip to Karden as the âfriendâ that the captain was traveling withâthe one Fi tried to rob. She escorts Erynth to their room quickly, hoping that he does not recognize her, where they hide out the rest of the night.
With today being the day after a holiday, most of the guards of the Kingâs Palaceâthe eponymous âErrynâs Hallââare tired and unwilling to bother the Group as they enter the main hall beyond a simple âbe cautious.â The palace is beautiful, with a surprising amount of stained glass windows casting many colored lights that dance around the hallway. Ernyth tries to take a moment to study the various scenes and figures depicted, but Deliath rushes them on.
When they finally arrive at the audience hall, they are stopped by Chancellor Bren Hidatsu, who tells them that the king is not available to hear pleas today. Deliath tries to bribe him, but Nymandria interrupts, telling the chancellor that he is wasting their time by preventing their Group from bringing important issues to the king. She tries to intimidate the man into leaving, but Chancellor Hidatsu refuses to back down.Â
As Nym starts to cast charming magic, King Alan Godric himself opens the doors to the hall, looking for the page that he had sent to fetch his alembic. He is quite taken with the three elves who were bold enough to walk up to his door, and invites them in, inadvertently preventing the Group from attacking his chancellor, who leaves in a huff.Â
He asks them, quite earnestly, what could be so important that it brings them to petition the king on a day that his council is not even convened. Erynth goes first, explaining her newly discovered abilities to sense portals, and that she fears something is going to happen with them in Islandra, where she is hoping to go. King Alan is quite excited to hear about her powers, and asks her to give him more details. She does her best to explain how she can sense where portals are and how she is starting to learn what it takes to manipulate planar energy. The king takes very studious notes, and has her explain things in as great detail as she can.
After breaking for tea, King Alan explains the history of the portalsâsomething very few people actually know or understand. He tells them of Ragnor, who is sometimes called âThe Plane Shifterâ in stories, and his very real attempt to take over Karden. Ragnor brought forth hundreds of thousands of monsters, amassing them in the then-uninhabited wastes of Islandra. He possessed a powerful understanding of the planes, beyond anything that wizards or alchemists even know today, and he used this knowledge to tear open a few hundred portals throughout the continent. Most of these were temporary, just used to transport troops and supplies from one war front to another, but a few he did work to make permanent.Â
By the time Ragnor was defeated, these portals were mostly dormant, except for the one in his tower that led to a secret plane hidden between the heavens (Alan admits that this part could be fictitious, but no one knows for sure). The great heroes of the past tore down this tower and collapsed his great portal, creating a rift that tore open the land into the chasm known today as âRagnorâs Holeâ in western Islandra. Few people ever travel to this chasm, but those that do often report seeing large monsters roaming the bottom, miles below.Â
The group talks it over, then decides to take him up on the offer. If they can pull off this heist, then not only will they get their pass, then they will also garner favor with the king. Deliath tells them that she will not be going, however, as she still plans to talk to the king about Elven slavers in Daria. Nym and Erynth wish her well, then tell King Alan they accept his terms.
That night, Erynth returns to her room from the baths and finds Chancellor Hidatsu waiting for her. He tells her that she is to take a ring he gives her, and empty the contents secretly into Nymandriaâs drink, as he still bears her a grudge for attempting to assault him. He tells Erynth that if she does not, he will sabotage their trip and ensure neither of them can return to the hall. He warns her that if she tells her companions, he will have them arrested. He leaves, placing the ring in Ernythâs hand on his way out.
Deliath tells her companions about the celebration of âDeathâs Coming,â a holiday celebrated on this date that is all about helping the less fortunate, and passing on your excess material wealth to those that need it. Nymandria is warmed by the idea that people in Karden actually care for the poor, as her people all gave wealth to her mother as the cult mistress.
When they arrive at the gate, the Group follows what Deliath calls a âtraditionâ of bribing the guards to allow them to pass with weapons, and step into the main streetâone filled with beggars, prostitutes, and orphaned children. The regular travelers seem to pay the destitute no heed, but Nymandria, feeking the spirit of the holiday, stops to give a couple gold coins to one particularly downtrodden looking mother. The other beggars notice and begin pushing forward, trying to get at Nym, the âwoman giving out free gold.âÂ
The group of beggars grows, as regular townsfolk begin to join in at their chance for free money, and what began as an act of charity turns into a riot. The local guards, bearing the sigil of the White Hand of House Godric get involved, trying to keep the peace and break up the troublemakers. This just causes the initial beggars to fight, fleeing an arrest they know is coming. The crowd begins a frenzy, pressing in against the Group on all sides.
In the rush of soldiers separating the crowd, Deliath gets separated from the other two, moving out of sight from the square. Nymandria, Erynth, and a dozen others all get arrested as wizards arrive and begin to magically restrain the rioters and extinguish the growing fires. The beggars and the destitute are gone, and the street is left eerily empty.
In prison, Nymandria is angry that such a thing would happen, and on a holiday too. Erynth is equally surprised, but a fellow prisoner tells them that it is nothing new. He explains that any time a bleeding-heart nobleman or foreign missionary starts giving to the poor, riots break out and the soldiers get rough. He spits on the ground and says âhate to be whoever started this whole thing. Kingâs men usually take them away for breaking âsumptuary,â whatever that means. Especially if they arenât Human.â
Deliath arrives before evening meal and pays bail for her companions. She gets them away from the jail under the barracks and explains that she bribed one of the wizards to let her get away from the street. Nym is disgusted that so many bribes have had to trade hands, and that the city is run with such injustice. Deliath simply tells her that is the way Humans run things. Erynth disagrees, but remains quiet. They find a commonroom in an inn for Elves, and spend the night sleeping off the dayâs events.
As we go forward, certain dates are going to have VERY lengthy entries. I will try to condense them under a "keep reading" link, but I apologize if anything slips through.
I hope these longer-form posts are still as enjoyable to read. I know the condensed format has been easy to follow so far, and if anyone wants me to split days into multiple parts, I can take that into consideration. I am a novelist at heart and can get quite wordy...
I hope you are still enjoying these posts, if you are still following along to this point. I am enjoying typing it all out!
The travel along the Silver Way is smooth, but long. Deliath admits she is worried that Erras is still tracking her, as no one knows her as well as he does, and that he will catch her when she returns to the east. She mentions that the two of them have somewhat of a flirty history, but when Erras lost his family, he became withdrawn and more devoted to serving her mother, the queen, than spending time with her. By the time she left the safety of the woods, she had not seen him in nearly 5 years, save for in an official capacity as royal guard. Both Nymandria and Erynth promise not to let her be taken back against her will, no matter who comes for them.
Erynth feels the pull of another portal, this time stronger than ever before. She tells the group, estimating that it must be somewhere near Errynâs Hall, and that it is larger than the others they have encountered. This feeling, and Erynthâs headaches, get worse as the capital city, sitting on the mountain above a lake, appears on the horizon.
The Group takes the time to learn Enchanting, though Erynth is the only one to really get good at it. By the end of the week, Terry gives them a letter to take to King Godric himself. He tells them that he knows the King would be happy to see them, and that this letter and seal will get them an audience with the inner council, at least. He also gives them a letter that allows them to transport necromantic materials, in case anyone ever finds the staff.Â
The Group buys horses and supplies to prepare for the long journey to the capital, as there will likely be no other stops along the way.
After a long night of discussion, the Group decides to give the Wizardâs College one last visit before they leave, just to tell Grandmaster Terry of their displeasure about being sent to deal with the racist Farus.
Terry apologizes profusely that his recommendation led to such a hostile encounter and he tells them that if they are willing to spend the week, he could teach them what he knows about enchanting, though it will not be nearly as proficient as anyone at the university. They agree and move their items into a local guest room in the college.
The Group goes to the university eager to learn how to enchant weapons they find in their travels. When they arrive, they are passed from person to person, until they finally find Headmaster Farusâ office on their own.Â
Farus refuses to teach them anything, even though they mention that Terry sent them to do so. The headmaster begins to call his guards, stating that the Group is lucky that such dirty Elves were even allowed to step foot on the grounds of his university. Nym leaps to attack him, but is restrained by her companions. They leave, refusing to give him any more of their time or attention. Nym is ready to just leave the city, but the others convince her to wait one more day, so they can get fully resupplied.
The walls of Lal-Badal are just as impressive to see as when the Group first arrived, and they quickly pass through them to return quickly to the Wizardâs College. Grandmaster Terry is ecstatic to see them and asks them about what they found. After they describe the mansion, Terry begins to organize a group of wizards and soldiers to return there, hoping to completely purge it of any remnant evil and return some of the books to his library. He explains to Nymandria that many books were lost during the purges of the Age of Dark Learning, and that he hopes to find any sort of historical documents hidden among the old tomes. Though she presses for more information about this Age, neither he nor Deliath want to talk more about it.Â
Erynth takes Nym aside to briefly explain that it was a time of religious fervor and persecution of anyone with magical powers that refused to serve the Gods of âthe Way of Walking.â It is what led to the return of Elven and Dwarven slavery and is also why most Humans worship Asa and his children over any of the other local Gods of Karden. Nymandria is shocked, but Erynth quells some of her worry by telling her that this happened many centuries back, and that nearly all people today condemn what happened during that time. Even the most religious zealots do not follow the tenants of the Red Sword Cult that brought about the Age of Dark Learning. Nym wants to know more, but Erynth explains that only a historian, or an old Elf or Dwarf, could really explain the nuances of the Age. They return to the courtyard to see how Deliath and Terry are getting on.
As a reward for their efforts, Terry identifies the various rings and trinkets that the Group has, including a Wand of Summoning that Deliath keeps. He also tells them that if they mention his name at the university, the Headmaster there, an older man by the name of Farus, would teach them the basics of how to enchant items with magical potential. He also warns Erynth that the Sayars, who are the Lords of Tamaratha, would not look kindly to anyone messing with Necromancy, and suggests she hides the staff.
The Group travels back to Lal-Badal as the storm lets up. Erynth studies a strange staff that she found in the basement, and discovers it has Dunkanâs name carved in it, along with a few other names. She takes time to attune to its magics and discovers it possesses strong, necromantic spells. She decides not to use it for now.
In the mid-afternoon, Ernyth stumbles across a cave. With the snowstorm worsening, the Group takes shelter here and discovers the frozen body of a remorhaz at the back. A second worm appears out of nowhere, crawling out of fissures in the ground and causing small quakes to begin shaking the cave into collapse. They flee out of the cave, stumbling with surprise into a strange, two story house. They flee inside, escaping the worm and the quakes it was causing, where they take a moment to collect their bearings.
In the foyer, they are greeted by a tall man with an old, if somewhat fancy suit, who offers them food and drink and protection from the dangers of the outside weather. He claims to have no worry about the approaching worm, and introduces himself as Dunkan, the current owner and caretaker for the mansion. He sits them down at a grand table, set for at least a dozen people, and leaves, offering to return in a moment with soup.Â
The Group is apprehensive, but waits patiently for Dunkanâs return. When he does not come back for nearly half an hour, they decide to look around, starting with the door that their host left through. Deliath picks the lock and they go through, discovering a hallway filled with strange, old books with mysterious authors no one had ever heard of, like âPsi the Aeromancerâ or âBendis of the Red Swordâ. Still, they find no sign of Dunkan. They do come across a set of stairs that leads up to the second floor, along with a second set leading into a basement. After a bit of discussion, Erynth leads the way down.
At the bottom of the stairs, they spot multiple bodies, some of which are quite fresh. When Erynth steps forward to investigate, she is grabbed by the bloated, zombified body of a devourer. She is dashed against the wall and knocked unconscious, while her two companions scramble to rescue her. Both Nymandria and Deliath unleash a barrage of spells, which staggers the devourer and allows them to drag their friendâs body back up the stairs to safety. The devourer, which they notice is chained to the wall in the basement, is not able to follow.
It takes Nymandria a few moments to revive Erynth, but she does so with the help of some herbs that Deliath was keeping. Together, the three of them search for their host again, determined to find out what exactly is going on. They head upstairs and break into every room they see. In one, they discover the ghost of a girl who used to live there, who does not want to leave the room she died in. The ghost knows very little, but warns them not to go into the basement, as a terrible creature lives there now. The others nod, knowingly.Â
As they leave, the girl directs them to look in the end table, where her mother used to keep a holy symbol that was supposed to protect her from harm. Nymandria finds a rune and thanks the ghost girl, who begins to dissolve. Her form dissipates with a smile, leaving the trio alone in the room.
They return to the main floor where they catch Dunkan trying to slip out of a secret passage behind a bookshelf. Nymandria ties him up with a spell, and, under brief questioning, he breaks down, admitting that he has been the cause of many peopleâs deaths by luring them in with conjured images of dragons or other beasts. He promises to show them what is the true cause of his evil, and leads them into the basement.
At the bottom, Dunkan breaks free of Nymâs restraints, and throws himself into the maw of the devourer, which tears him to shreds. Nymandria activates the ring, which creates a globe of shielding that keeps the monster out while Deliath and Erynth ready their weapons. They fight for a long while, until the devour finally falls, but the evil presence remains. Erynth senses with her new powers and finds an active portal here, in the basement. She worries that if she tries to close it with her makeshift steps, she will only make things worse, especially if she does something wrong.
They comb through the books upstairs and uncover a ritual written by âWhistling Kal,â which supposedly will close a portal, given the user has the proper powers. It is a four step process and leads to a conduit that should be giving the portal its shape. Ernyth follows the process and uncovers a set of cards used as the portalâs conduitâcards that clearly belong in the strange deck that they found. As the portal closes, Nym snatches up the cards and slides them into her deck box. Finally, the feeling of evil that was penetrating the mansion is gone.
They pick through the bodies and find three pendants signifying high ranks within the Wizardâs College. They take the pendants, along with a few other trinkets, and leave, traveling late into the snowy night, not making camp until the manor is long out of sight.
After arriving in Lal-Badal, the Group decides to hit the market, as Erynth explains with glee that it is one of the best in western Karden. She and Deliath agree that they should be well supplied for their trip to Errynâs Hall, as there will be few stops along the way until they hit the border of Centrium.Â
At the market, Erynth is given a deal on a strangely engraved quiver, with unreadable runes covering the well worked leather. Neither she nor the seller know what it does, but Nymandria buys it for her anyway as a thank you gift for all that she has done. They go to the local chapter of the Wizardâs College, where they meet Grandmaster Terry, the head of that branch. He agrees to look over their items, and even offers them a few of his own, in return for helping him find a lost expedition of mages. They were investigating a source of magical energy just a couple days north of here. As a token of goodwill, he identifies Erynthâs new quiver as one of unending arrows.
Nymandria argues that they arenât in a huge rush to get to the King, as she secretly doesnât want to choose between going with Deliath or continuing with Erynth, and that having powerful magical items will aid them when they take on the slavers or the cult. Erynth is on board, but Deliath agrees reluctantly. They spend the night in town, ready to set out early the next morning.
Lal-Badal is only a dayâs ride from Dor-Heimar, and the Group arrives just after the closing of the gates for nightwatch. They camp outside the walls, away from the makeshift market that fills the streets leading up to the gate.
 As they get closer to the capital and even closer to the next town, they begin to meet more people on the road. One group of people tries to rob them, but Nymandria shifts into a bear, frightening them away. Everyone else is friendly enough, though the Group avoids contact as much as possible.
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