The bleak and dim landscape slopes steeply up through scraggly blackened trees. Rook conjures a shrine to the Raven Queen and prays for guidance. But to his dismay, this time there is no response. He feels in his gut that something is very wrong. The Raven Queen would definitely give some sort of sign if she could. The group wanders upwards not entirely sure where they are going until Rook uses his magical eye of Falazure to see that there is a doorway that leads into the mountains themselves ahead of them.
The Timeless Defender
50,000 XP
As they make their way up towards the doorway, an elderly man, Rothosk Mimzada, donned in worn and weathered armor steps in front of them. He too is worn and weathered but he stands with conviction and a confidence that makes the group pause. They try to tell them of their mission and that time is of the essence. He will hear none of it. He has stood in defense of the mountain passage for time immemorial. He shall not waver in his duty now.
Spoiler Inside
NPC Backstory Inside
The group decides that they do not have time for this delay and they attack. Rothosk's aged appearance belies a speed that surprises the group. As they attack he is able to teleport around the group. As he does so he conjures a large shimmering dome which encompasses Katya. Katya's time slows to a crawl. Unfortunately for Rothosk, even with her time slowed she is incredibly fast and soon enough is able to escape the dome with altered time.As they battle against the aged human, several of the large trees surrounding the group begins to move and come to the defense of the old man. Roots shoot out along the ground and attack and grasp at them. Lirath tries to use his mind powers against the trees but it would seem there is not a lot of mind in them to affect.
Rothosk is able to teleport several times and is able to stab several of the group. Lirtah after being stabbed by one of Rothosk's daggers ages 100 years in the blink of an eye, fortunately for elves Lirath has many years to spare. But after being stabbed by the second dagger, Lirath finds himself petrified and unable to move.
Hope is grappled by one of the Quickwood and is able to escape using a dimension door. Rook then tells her to use her fire spells and soon enough Rook and Hope are laying waste to the tree creatures using fireball.
Smallfang faces off against the old man, Rothosk, and Rothosk conjures a huge hourglass which envelopes Smallfang, trapping him inside. Finally he is released after an accidental blow from one of the quickwoods.
Rook is finally able to get close to Rothosk and places his evil hand of Vecna upon Rothosk. Rothosk's body falls to the ground boneless. But as Rook stands over the remains of the old warrior, he watches as some of the bones begin to regrow, slowly but surely. Smallfang stabbs the already dead body several times with his sword Hazirawn stalling but certainly not stopping the slowly reforming body of the defender of the mountains.
Standing in the now burning foothill forests of the Latherna mountains, they group carries on up the slope to where Rook believes there is a door which can lead them through the mountains.
Entrance Into The Mountains
10,000 XP
Shortly they find themselves standing at a door embedded in the mountainside. Ancient stone columns stand on either side of an ancient but sturdy wooden door. In the center of the door is a triangular form with 4 hooks along its base. On those hooks are 3 keys, one gold, one silver, one ethereal and the last key hook is empty.
After trying several methods of knocking on the door and a few spells they find an inscription upon the triangular form holding the keys. It is in an ancient language that has passed into the obscurity of history. But Katya can read it:
The true key to my kingdom
Is the key that is greater than The Raven Queen.
After a bit of discussion it is decided that they will just have to try one. Smallfang volunteers and tells everyone to stand back as he prepares to try to use the ethereal key.
Lirath offers to use mage hand instead and save Smallfang some potential injury. Lirath then uses magic to grasp the key and put it into the keyhole in the center of the door. An arc of lightning shoots out of the key and into Lirath. As Lirath stands, smoke drifting up off his body and the smell of burnt hair filling the air, he tells them that was the wrong key.
Smallfang looks closer at the triangular form on the door. It is set out of the door. Behind it seems to be a round mechanism connected to the door. He grasps the triangular form and turns. The door opens smoothly and quietly. Beyond is a long dark corridor entering the mountain.
The answer to the riddle is that nothing is greater than the Raven Queen. Hence no key is the true key.
More Drakes Than Accounted For
47,700 XP
They progress into the mountain. The passageways soon become rough and probably natural corridors through the mountain. Rook uses his illusory self to move through the various passage ways scouting ahead. He encounters a trio of stone giants who are able to pass through the rock of the mountain. He returns to his physical body to tell the others what he has found.
Slowly they progress this way through much of the maze until they come across a couple of extremely large drakes. Their skin more like scales of obisidian rock. The group has the advantage that they have spotted the drakes while the drakes seem not to have noticed them. They formulate a plan.
An illusory Rook attracts the attention of the drakes and lures one of them into a narrow passage. The drake predictably follows, having to tuck its wings in order for them to make it through the narrow passageways. The other drake decides to go around to the other end of the passageway in hopes of trapping the unfortunate soul who was stupid enough to allow themselves to be seen by such powerful creatures. Lirath forms a wall behind them as Rook forms a wall on the other end of the passageway. Thus trapped inside, the remaining party can more effectively kill the drake while they are enclosed in such a narrow corridor. The other drake encountering the wall that Rook has made, scrapes the rocky ground with its huge claws and an arcane energy flows from its scratches, through the ground and into the narrow passageway where the other are trapped.The ground erupts into a small caldera and begins spewing out hot lava. It sprays everyone and then begins to ooze out along the floor. This does not seem to hamper the drake at all. The drake inside with the majority of the party begins to breath out a torrent of burning hot ash. The group has its hands full with dealing with the single drake.
Meanwhile, outside the narrow passageway, Lirath feels at ease as he has recently been sidelined recently during the battles. That is when he feels the fiery hot breath above him. As he looks up he sees another obsidian drake standing above him. The drake breaths hot lava over Lirath and Lirath becomes entombed within a case of hardening and cooling lava.
Finally, they are able to kill off the drakes and after a bit of further exploring find the ancient stone steps leading up and out of the mountain.
They find themselves on a rock shelf on a mountain which overlooks a valley. In the valley is a large castle made entirely off black ice. Above the castle swirls a storm of the souls of the realm who are unable to move on to their final resting place. They circle the sky above the castle creating lightning storms that make the valley echo with its thunder.A thin and ancient bridge connects the rock ridge to the castle. The group easily traverses the gorge and find themselves inside the castle of the Raven Queen.
Into The Raven Queen's Castle
20,000 XP
The castle is quiet and empty. Lirath uses his psionics to seek out Vecna. Once Lirath finds the mind of Vecna he pushes in and tries to take information from Vecna's mind. Lirath sees a huge battle as Sorrowsworn after Sorrowsworn attack and then are tossed aside as Vecna strides through the castle, in search of the Raven Queen. This vision does not last long as Lirath realizes that Vecna has instead pushed into Lirath's mind. As Lirath stands staring into nothingness for a few minutes the others begin to worry. When Lirath finally comes around and is asked what happened, he responds with a shrug of his shoulders. Nothing to worry about.
The castle is vast and no one has knowledge of it's layout. The group doesn't know where to go. After some investigation though the find frozen blood stains hidden on the black ice that the castle is made of. There was certainly enough blood spilled but there also seems to be indications of the victims rose up out of their blood pools and began to walk, all in the same direction. The party decides that's the way to go.
Facing Your Demons
30,000 XP
They move through the castles wide hallways. Floors of smooth black ice. Walls have numerous windows 20 feet tall looking out on the misty grey valley between the mountains of Latherna. At the end of one of the long hallways stands a mysterious figure.
Each of the group pauses as they see someone from their past.
Katya sees Kanavu, her clan-mate. She had last left her in the Abyss with a promise she would be back. Kanavu who had looked up to Katya so much that she had set out, away from the safety of her lands to search for Katya. Kanavu, her flesh mauled and torn, pleads to Katya...."why did you abandon me to die at the hands of the demons."
Katya flees down the hallway in the opposite direction.
Hope sees her sister, Faith. Faith who tells Hope that she was never loved by her parents and they were always disappointed that Hope wasn't as smart or talented as her older sister. That Hope shall never live up to the accomplishments of Faith.
Smallfang sees his god and patron, Bahumut. The god looks disapprovingly at Smallfang and turns his back on him and begins to walk away.
Rook sees the Raven Queen herself, beaten and bleeding. She looks at Rook and tells him that he has failed her. He alone had the power to save her and now she is dying. Death shall be taken over by Vecna and the universe will never be safe again.
Lirath sees a small crooked ghoul. Pleasure spreads across its face in a fang-toothed grin. Lirath sees the others staring at the creature each lost in their own thoughts.
Eventually each is able to break out of their trances and see the ghoul for what it is and the battle is swift and decisive. It ends with Lirath pushing into the ghouls mind and shattering it.
The Lost Soul
60,000 XP
They move further into the castle following the dried bloody trail. The trail has now grown into a massive sprawl of blood splatter as the amount of creatures moving along its path has grown tremendously.
The trail passes several large rooms but in one large dim room they see a huddled form cowering beneath a swarming conspiracy of ravens. The ravens are haggard and deteriorating. Tatters of flesh flap as they beat broken and mangled wings. They do not seem to harm the form huddled beneath but are content with harassing it so it may not move.
Smallfang confidently strides into the mass of black feathers and beaks and pulls the huddled form out of harms way as the others easily kill of the undead ravens.
The young girl introduces herself and Lia Bandarster. She died a long time ago and has lived in the Shadowfell since. She was about to move on to the next world beyond, as it was her time, but as she was walking with the other dead through the castle a great commotion began and most of the dead ran, taking to the skies. Where they still are. She gestures to the sky swirling with the dead and agitated spirits of the dead.
Smallfang puts the girl on his shoulder and tells her that he shall make sure she joins the others. They just have to check on the Raven Queen.
Eventually the group aids the spirit to join the others in the sky. She is scared but some of the group accompany her, flying with her, until she is rejoined with others she recognizes.
They continue on their path through the castle until they come to a pair of great doors. The doors stand near 25 feet tall in the vaulted hallway. As they peek through they see the gaunt figure of a man standing the hallway beyond the door, awaiting them. He smiles an evil smile with a glint in his one glowing red eye. The other socket is a black void.
Is it Vecna?
Katya asks her sword, the Sword Of Kas, if this is it. The sword says that something isn't right.
They burst through the door charging towards the evil creature.
An Avatar Of Vecna
50,000 XP
The creature tells them that he is Vecna and that they should not interfere in that which they do not understand. Mortals should not meddle in the affairs of the gods. If they persist they will be judged, and judged harshly.
The battle is bloody but in the end the group is victorious. They do not believe that this was Vecna.
If that wasn't Vecna, what was it? Where is the real Vecna? Where is the Raven Queen?
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