Recap #21 – An Enemy Returns

Another long one folks…

12 Nymm, 999 YK

• After defeating Jarmaag, his concubine Galaria held true to her word and assisted the PCs in retrieving the Khyber dragonshard from the secret compartment.
• The PCs questioned the succubus in the hopes of learning something more about the theft. She indicated that it was Rathos who originally obtained the job. He relegated the work to Jarmaag and his crew. However when Jarmaag realized the value of the item he had taken he decided it was time to claim leadership of the Bloodghosts in Xandrar. Galaria never heard the name of the person who ordered the job but did here the employer referred to as “she” on several occasions during the planning stages.
• The watch turned up at the bar about 20 minutes after the battle and the PCs turned Jarmaag over to them. Galaria was set free by the PCs. She promised she would be leaving Xandrar at the earliest opportunity.
• After buying a few potions, selling a few items and visiting the ship captain they freed from Rathos, the group located their horses and started the journey back to Lakeview. The dragonshard was safely stowed in the Bog of Holding.

18 Nymm, 999 YK

• The group made camp at a fork in the road about 1 day’s journey from Lakeview.
• At about the 6th hour of the watch they were awoken by a rough voice who taunted them. “Well, well, well. It seems I have finally found you.”
• Upon waking they PCs realized they were surrounded by a large number of hobgoblins led by none other than their old adversary Sinruth! After a very brief dialogue he gave a signal to attack.
• Things went from bad to worse when the ground suddenly shook and a great beast tore from the ground killing several hobgoblins and knocking a number of other combatants prone. Realizing what was transpiring Sinruth ordered his men to assist the PCs in killing the Bulette that had decided it had found a plentiful feeding ground.
• Things were going well against the bulette until it became bloodied and buried itself. Unable to attack their common foe, the PCs quickly turned back to attacking the hobgoblins. Several of them were killed.
• A couple of rounds later the bulette once more burst from the ground and set upon the remaining people. Unable to decide whether to trust Sinruth a second time, the group split their attacks between killing their old foe and their new one. It took everything they had (and I mean everything) to accomplish the task. In the end the bulette was forced to retreat severely wounded and Sinruth gave himself up as prisoner. The group recovered 200 gp and an Elven Cloak +2 from the defeated hobgoblins.

19 Nymm, 999 YK

• The PCs entered Lakeview with their prisoner in tow. However they immediately noted that the inhabitants of the town were on edge (to say the least). Paranoid would be more appropriately descriptive.
• The group escorted Delian to Alara’s residence so he could deliver the dragonshard. Alara was pleased. Offered Delian a drink and listened to his report. She also warned him of leaving his friends alone in town in light of recent events. She didn’t allude to what they were at that time.
• Sterling took care of stabling the horses and then assisted Braddoc and Nenia with escorting Sinruth to the town jail. It took a little convincing but they were able to get him incarcerated.
• Ethan went to find out what was going on in town. One woman talked briefly about mysteriously appearing ogres killing people. Then she got so freaked out she ran away. From there he worked his way around town until he end up at the Tailchaser Inn. No one was in the pub so he hit up the bartender for information.
• He learned that 7 days prior an ogre had materialized out of thin air in the middle of the town square and set upon anyone with reach. It killed over 30 people before an organized resistance was able to take it down. 3 days later another appeared at the town pond and killed 4 swimming children before being killed. No one knows where they are coming from but many people are leaving the area until the mess is cleared up.
• After everyone returned to Alara’s residence she proceed to fulfill her end of the bargain. She divulged the following information: (I’ve had to switch things a bit from what I said last night. It seems I had my planar information quite wrong. Oops. You’’ just have to go about things another way!)

The last known location of the Phoenix Cloak was in the Fernia – the Sea of Fire. Getting there was not impossible by any means but it would be difficult. Getting there is MUCH easier when Fernia is coterminal with Eberron. However that is not going to happen again for another 683 days. (Just over 2 years) To that end she had sent Telios and Andred
(the minotaur and dragonborn) to Arcanix in search of other means of getting there.

They were also researching another the group would need. It seems that the cloak is in a chamber that is impossible to open without the proper seal. There research seemed to indicate that the seal was being guarded within the Demonwastes. This was currently being confirmed with research in Arcanix.

In the meantime the town had been under attack from the ogres. She noted that Kythri was currently coterminous with Eberron. She felt that the Churning Choas plane was somehow tied to the ogres. With that clue she
was able to find a small ancient snippet in one of Andred’s history books referencing a powerful clan of ogres that used to live just north where Lakeviewnow rests. It was even possible that Lakeview was built upon buried ruins. It seems that a powerful enemy was about to defeat the ogres so the clan chief, Koptila, mad a bargain with some gods in exchange for the rescue of his clan. The gods agreed and all the ogres disappeared without a trace. There is no record of where they went.

• As Alara was talking the ground suddenly began to shake like an earthquake. Upon investigating the group learned from some people that a huge sinkhole had opening in the earth north of the town. One brave soul had crept up and seen a passageway of stairs leading into the earth.
• Alara thinks this is no coincidence. As the PCs have a week or so to wait for the return of Andred and Telios she asks the group to investigate.
• The group makes their way to the passageway. They find a door that has been cracked up. Using a sunrod the group moves in to find an ancient chamber covered in runes. From a small crevasse in the floor the party hears the whispers of hundreds of voices.
• As the group moved toward a door in the West wall 3 ogres and 3 orcs suddenly materialized throughout the room. The group was able to get a round of attacks in while the seemingly surprised beasts slowly became substantial.
• Even though the foes caused quite a bit of damage (yay for great axe crits!) they were quickly subdued by the PCs. Upon the corpses the group found 3 silver bracelets worth 100 gp each.
• The PCs once again turned their attention to the door to the west. It is adorned with a large sun icon. Listening to the door, the group can hear loud guttural chanting. They are unable to discern what it means.