Avlis Campaign 1, Part 4: Difference between revisions

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==Chapter 10==
==Chapter 10==


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In reply, the elders decreed that the heroes would be allowed to use the portal to the elemental plane of water if they completed a small task for the city. The party members did not like the sound of this but they agreed. The elders said that a dragon turtle had recently taken up residence nearby and was harrassing the town. A troop of nixie warriors was to be sent out to kill the thing the next day, and the adventurers were to accompany them.
In reply, the elders decreed that the heroes would be allowed to use the portal to the elemental plane of water if they completed a small task for the city. The party members did not like the sound of this but they agreed. The elders said that a dragon turtle had recently taken up residence nearby and was harrassing the town. A troop of nixie warriors was to be sent out to kill the thing the next day, and the adventurers were to accompany them.


That night the heroes rested, and early the next morning the nixies picked them up and they set out. After about 10 miles, they came to the mouth of an underwater cavern. Immediately inside was the dragon turtle, apparently sleeping, but no one could tell. The warriors and adventurers split into two groups, with 4 nixies posted outside the entrance to try and prevent escape. The battle was bloody. The dragon turtle was in fact not asleep, and immediately spotted the nixies' attempts at being stealthy. Half of the troop paid for that mistake with their lives when the dragon breathed a stream of hot steam over them. Ari was critically injured in this blast as well. Luckily, Jade fired off a quick healing spell, and Tupaia gave her another healing boost from her wand of healing. In no time she was wading back in. Meanwhile the dragon clawed away at some more nixies. Van got there next and started trading blows with the beast while Andrinor experimented with polymorph spells to little avail. Tupaia supported the mix by summoning large sharks to their aide, and Rynn did the same thing. Jade meanwhile kept up the much needed healing.
That night the heroes rested, and early the next morning the nixies picked them up and they set out. After about 10 miles, they came to the mouth of an underwater cavern. Immediately inside was the dragon turtle, apparently sleeping, but no one could tell. The warriors and adventurers split into two groups, with 4 nixies posted outside the entrance to try and prevent escape. The battle was bloody. The dragon turtle was in fact not asleep, and immediately spotted the nixies' attempts at being stealthy. Half of the troop paid for that mistake with their lives when the dragon breathed a stream of hot steam over them. Ari was critically injured in this blast as well. Luckily, Jade fired off a quick healing spell, and Tupaia gave her another healing boost from her wand of healing. In no time she was wading back in. Meanwhile the dragon clawed away at some more nixies. [[NPCs:Vanoviel Niltaurwen|Vanoviel]] got there next and started trading blows with the beast while Andrinor experimented with polymorph spells to little avail. Tupaia supported the mix by summoning large sharks to their aide, and Rynn did the same thing. Jade meanwhile kept up the much needed healing.


After a time, Van was caught in the dragon's breath weapon and then snapped up in its jaws. Luckily, by this time however, the damage inflicted earlier by Van and the others through various means had taken its toll. Just as the dragon was about to finish Van and turn on the others, she reached up from its jaws and hit it in the head with three well placed bludgeoning blows, thereby killing it.
After a time, Van was caught in the dragon's breath weapon and then snapped up in its jaws. Luckily, by this time however, the damage inflicted earlier by Van and the others through various means had taken its toll. Just as the dragon was about to finish Van and turn on the others, she reached up from its jaws and hit it in the head with three well placed bludgeoning blows, thereby killing it.
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They entered the portal immediately, for they heard other marids in pursuit. They came up out of a fountain in a small stone building, and breathed a sigh of relief because they were once again on dry land.... that would make things much easier for them.... or so they think.
They entered the portal immediately, for they heard other marids in pursuit. They came up out of a fountain in a small stone building, and breathed a sigh of relief because they were once again on dry land.... that would make things much easier for them.... or so they think.


==Chapter 11==
==Chapter 11==
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Jade was very disturbed at this news, and when the party reassembled, she informed them that their next stop would be her father's Realm on Avernus... the first layer of Baator.
Jade was very disturbed at this news, and when the party reassembled, she informed them that their next stop would be her father's Realm on Avernus... the first layer of Baator.
==Chapter 12==
Once the heroes collected and shared all of their information on Khalik's deal with Quilan to betray and murder the god Angadar in exchange for helping Valok, they returned to Leire and Andrin's house to rest. There Jade told them about some of the dangers they would be facing in Baator when they went there to petition Angadar for help in stopping Valok. Later that night they did a LITTLE BIT of shopping in order to divest themselves of their funds and acquire better equipment for their trip. Along with an endowment from Andrin, they brought most of the dragon hoard that they liberated back at the Nixie settlement of Qwanderal.
After the shopping was finished, they went back to Leire and Andrin's house for the night, and after they were stocked up on supplies by Leire, they left for the nearest portal to Baator. The portal itself was located back at the Inn where they had last spied on Khalik. Carrying an apple as a portal key, they walked through the door to the firepit room and emerged in a burnt out street in some small ruined city.
The sky above them was crimson red with darker red wispy clouds. The air smelt of brimstone, and the occasional fireball would fall from the sky periodically and wiz by overhead. Some came close enough to feel the heat. At some point all of the buildings in the city had been damaged by these random blasts.
While the heroes were marvelling at the horific landscape and the forlorn settlers of Darkspine, a small group of Hamatula guardsmen came upon them. "Halt! Are you allied with our master, Bel?" When the heroes hesitated to answer, the guards attacked. The fight turned ugly and the guards fell, only to be replaced by four more. When the adventureres saw that they were fighting a losing battle, they fled. Turning a corner, Van was grabbed by somebody and dragged through a secret door in the alley. The others followed.
The woman who grabbed her introduced herself as Irena Nightwalker. She was a leader in the resistance of Darkspine. She explained that Darkspine was once located on the outlands in the neighboring plane of neutrality, but the evil actions of its citizens caused it to fall into Baator. The resistance was determined to liberate the town by instilling non-Baatezu belief structures in the current settlers, and attracting non-adherents to law and evil. At this point Irena questioned the travelers on their origins. When she found out they were from Avlis, she said it was curious, but that someone else from Avlis had just arrived.
She led them down a corridor deeper into the bunker. They reached a main chamber with other members of the resistance going about their tasks. Walking up to a door, Irena opened it to reveal a large meeting room with a long table. At the head of the table sat the shade of Lord Dagroth. He was recognizable as his old self, but he was a little hagard looking and pale. The heroes were stunned and annoyed to see him, but not suprised. They quickly figured out that he had been killed back home and that he came here in the afterlife. He however was upset by this knowledge. Jade further upset him by informing him that soon the plane would take his essence and convert him into a lowly Lemur, the lowest form of mindless devils. She said that the only reason why he wasn't converted right away was because he was powerful in life. However, it would be a matter of days or weeks at most before he finally succumbed.
Dagroth was not happy to hear this information. He asked the heroes where they were headed and they told him that they were looking to talk to Angadar. Dagroth begged them to take him along so that he could become a loyal petitioner of that god and not lose his identity. The heroes were clearly unimpressed with his request, but Dagroth pressed the issue and swore that he could be usefull for them. He knew of a devil who could shorten their journey to Angadar's realm which lies on the opposite side of Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, or Baator. The party was skeptical, but agreed.
Irena led them out of the city through a secret underground tunnel so that Dagroth could call his devil friend. Once there, he summoned an Erinyes named Vrominestryx. She was a beautiful woman with feathery wings, and a sweet voice. She was more than happy to see Dagroth, and overjoyed when they asked her for transportation to the outskirts of Angadar's realm. She said she would do it for payment... anything of value. The heroes were immediately skeptical that she was about to request a soul. Andrinor in particular said that there would be no souls given, and she replied that she swore she would not take his soul. The party agreed to transportation, and once the deal was filled on her end she demanded payment. Payment was to be rendered in the form of Orianna's soul, for afterall, she swore she would not take *Andrinor's* soul. The party was not inclined to agree, and a fight broke out. After taking some hits, the devil lady casted an improved invisibility spell on herself and later enveloped Ari with a magical rope that tied itself to her and a rock. Tupaia eventually outlined her in a faere fire spell, and she took a couple more hits. At this point she was feeling very wounded and cancelled the deal and teleported away.... swearing revenge.
The party licked its wounds, recovered its new magical rope, and continued on towards the River Styx which lay right ahead. After a little contemplation, they allowed Rynn to put them in the bag of holding and fly them over the river with his newly acquired ring of flying which he got in the hidden magic shop in Sigil during the shopping spree.
Jade announced that Angadar's realm was not far off... just around the corner, and through "The Garden". When they rounded the corner however, they were greeted by a small patrol of about 30 lemurs and a hamatula which immediately attacked. The heroes made minced meat of them and breathed a sigh of relief, when all of a sudden, about 250 more lemurs and about 4 hamatulas came pouring over the hills after them. They immediately made for the garden ahead. When the reached the foliage the army turned away in fear. Jade explained that Baatezu were afraid of the garden.... no one knew why.
Not liking this, Andrinor decided to cut a swath through the army with a lightning bolt... and then another. Pretty soon, the bug spread to the rest of the party and they all attacked the retreating army of about 250 lemurs. After a long and gooey fight, every magic user in the party casted every offensive spell they had, and every fighter's weapon was covered in lemur slime. Van had waded right into the middle of the force and cleaved them on all sides of her. Tupaia had transformed into a Rhino and bowled them over. In the end, about 250 lemurs where dead and the hamatulas fled to fight another day.
The heroes took refuge and rest in the garden. Jade explained that no violence was possible there and that they would not be bothered. So they rested and slept. Feeling restored, they searched out the door to Angadar's realm. Eventually they found it under some vines. Jade opened the stones and lead them through a long corridor under the ground. The corridor opened into a cavern.
The cavern was immense. Part of it on the opposite end was open to the crimson sky. The rest of it was under a rocky roof and it contained a myriad of dark brownish-green skinned elves studying tomes of all kinds. Jade told the heroes that this was the first of three layers to Angadar's realm. It was where all his non-drangonari elven followers went when they died. There, they read tomes about all kinds of arcane knowledge. Whatever they read instantly went into Angadar's mind and knowledge base, thereby increasing his power.
At the end of the cavern which was open to the sky, there was a stone staircase. Jade led them up it and out into a forest. The trees in the forest were immense. The inhabitants here were much like the elves below except they also had scales and fangs. They were full drangonari elves. Jade explained that this was where the drangonari elven followers came when they died. Also some followers from the level below were sometimes promoted to this level if they did good work. They were converted to drangonari elves if this happened. On this level the petitioners were sometimes allowed to leave the realm for the purpose of recovering more tomes to be read below. Other petitioners here worked on their mental concentration and discipline. These were responsible for increasing the size of the realm and protecting it. Jade led them through this realm and up to a gigantic tree with a wooden sprial staircase wrapped around it. Two drangonari elves with leathery wings guarded it, but they immediately stepped aside upon recognizing Jade.
The adventurers went up the staircase and came to a large wooded platform city in the trees. This was the third layer of the realm. Jade said this was where those who knew Angadar personally dwelt. Many of them were responsible for the day to day operation of the realm. Others dealt with outside politics, and others were at the god's beck and call for whatever he wanted.
Jade led them through this portion of the realm to a small dwelling carved into one of the trees. She opened the door, put down her stuff and told the heroes to take seats. She then went into the pantry and started fixing tea. She said this was her home once, and it hadn't changed in over 50 years. She announced that soon there would be messengers of Angadar arriving.
As if it was timed, there was a knock at the door that instant. Jade answered it and there was a man standing there. He had short blond here and a catlike smile. He walked in with roguish grace and introduced himself as Stephanus, an attendant of Angadar. He asked the adventurers why they came to this realm, and what Jade was doing back there. They explained their story about what they heard Khalik say, and how Angadar was in trouble, along with the entire planet of Avlis. This troubled Stephanus greatly and he said he would bring the matter to Angadar's attention. Then he asked what Dagroth was doing there, and they told him he came to declare loyalty as a petitioner. At the moment, he split into two complete copies of himself. One copy beckoned Dagroth to come with him, and they went through the door. The other copy stayed and had tea with the heroes.
They asked him eventually about how he did that splitting trick and he told them it was an ability of all demigods. He demonstrated other abilities, such as his immunity to mortal magic, and mortal magic weapons.
After a while, the other copy of Stephanus knocked on the door and he had a huge muscular 9ft tall minotaur with him. The minotaur's name was Bobil. Stephanus then merged into one copy and said that Angadar wished to see them in his audience chamber. Along the way to the palace, the heroes witnessed Bobil do the same splitting trick that Stephanus did earlier.
They were then led to Angadar's palace. A metal construction of silver and gold, and other metals. It towered into the sky with six spires around it at regular intervals. When they came into the audience chamber they saw a blonde haired elf dressed completely in blue with a glass shortsword at his side and a staff tipped with a large red gem leaning on the wall next to him.
Angadar introduced himself and then asked the heroes to repeat their story. After digesting it and checking its validity, he said they were correct in that it was a grave matter. They had his attention. He said that he would think on a way to disrupt Valok's plans, but he would need some time. After toying with Andrinor's mind a little bit, he sent them on their way and told them he would be contacting them soon. He then split into four pieces and each one teleported away, except for the one on the throne.
The adventurers went back to Jade's dwelling. Later on, Angadar himself came to the door and summoned Vanoviel to walk with him. He confided to her that he was in dire trouble if Valok wanted to kill him. Valok was a greater god than he was and was more than able to finish the task. He confessed that the only way to disrupt Valok would be an all out assault. For this, he proposed that Vanoviel get help from her god O'ma. Angadar was holding a captured Planetar of O'ma, and he wished her to convince it to summon O'ma for his help with the attack. He then showed Van to a room with the Planetar and left her there. The planetar was startled to see a cleric of O'ma there, but he bore the development stoically. Van explained to the celestial agent what was occurring and he eventually agreed to go back to Elysium and inform O'ma of the troubles. At that point, Van left the room and was rejoined by Angadar who thanked her and freed the Planetar.
A little while after Angadar came to the door to get Van, he came to the door again thirty seconds later to get Andrinor. He pulled the tiefling aside and told him he wanted to make a deal with him. Andrinor's interest was peaked.
Angadar explained that long long ago when Avlis was young, there was a Tana'ri that came to the planet and discovered the mortal magic vortex. He wrote a book on that vortex that explained all its mysteries, but the book was only readable by one of Tana'ri blood who was of chaotic philosiphy, and who possessed great power. Angadar told Andrinor that he possessed none of those qualities except for great power, but that Andrinor was both chaotic in his thinking and of Tana'ri blood. Angadar told him that he possessed this book among his tomes, and that he would give Anrinor the great power he needed to read it in exchange for letting Angadar link to his mind and absorb the knowledge as he learned it. Andrinor asked some more detailed questions about the deal and asked for complete access to Angadar's libraries in addition. The god agreed and the deal was done. The two were wisked away with a wave of Angadar's hand down to the subterranean level of his realm. There, Angadar said he knew a spell that would instill great power and that he was casting it now. At the culimination of the spell, a great beam of energy shot out of Angadar's hands and instantly killed Andrinor, leaving his shade standing gap face in his place. Angadar smiled at the shade and told it to reconstitute itself a new body. Andrinor's shade was puzzled, but after a little concentration he managed to make a new body for himself... more powerful than ever, and with slightly darker skin, like a drangonari elf, but he still had the same look of a tiefling. Then Angadar handed Andrinor the tome and he began to read.
As he read, the pages turned faster and faster, and in a manner of ten minutes the tome was completely read. Andrinor found out everything about the vortex of magic and how to control it. He found out that in order to take control of the vortex, an infusion of good, evil, and nuetral energy was needed. One of these could come from the caster, but two of the energies must be from the true essences of gods. He also found a curious spell in the book.... it was a spell for breaking mental links... even if they were from a very powerful being.... hmmm....
Stunned, Andrinor went back to Jade's house and shared his knowledge with Van and the others, who did the same about O'ma.




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[http://www.avlis.org/viewtopic.php?t=3288 Chapter 11 notes]
[http://www.avlis.org/viewtopic.php?t=3288 Chapter 11 notes]


[http://www.avlis.org/viewtopic.php?t=3752 Chapter 12 notes]
[[Category:PnP Campaign Notes|1]]
 
[[Category:PnP Campaign Notes| 1]]

Latest revision as of 16:37, 22 September 2006

Campaign Title Part
Avlis Campaign 1 The "Jade" Campaign Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Avlis Campaign 2 The West End of Time Part 1, 2, 3, 4
Avlis Campaign 3 Vanoviel and The Godslayer Part 1
Avlis Campaign 4 Rune Quest Part 1, 2
Avlis Campaign 5 The Western Underdark Part 1, 2, 3, 4
Avlis Campaign 6 Daggerspace Part 1, 2, 3
Avlis Campaign 7 Into The Wastes Part 1, 2, 3

Chapter 10

Once entering the ocean, the heroes figured they had about one or two days of underwater travel before they reached the city of Qwandovia. They took some time to settle on whether they wished to swim or walk the ocean bottom to reach their destination. Once deciding that walking was better, they set out. The 33 mile journey to the nixie settlement went fairly smoothly. Tupaia used her sense of direction to keep them going in the proper direction, since underwater visibility was not extensive.

When they approached near to the city, a small group of nixie guards challenged them as to their business there. They noted that even though the heroes looked like nixies, they were behaving strangely for that kind. Tupaia used her command of the aquan language to try to relate to the guards they they were passing through the area to use their portal to the elemental plane of water in order to chase down the evil orc wizard Khalik. This however only served to make the guards very suspicious. They agreed that the heroes would be allowed into town if they gave up their weapons and went immediately to the town elders under escort. They reluctantly agreed to this and were shown the way.

The city of Qwandovia was not like a conventional land city. The huddled stone buildings and congested streets were absent here. Instead, small clusters of buildings ranged about an open area. Most of the structures were built out of combinations of shell and stone, along with bits of driftwood, although some of the buildings were extensions of natural caves, holes, and other depressions on the ocean floor. Each building had at least one story, and some had three or four with circular doors, some of which entered the buildings on a level above the ground floor. The buildings towards the center of the city were etched in mother-of-pearl and highly decorative. One of them was obviously a temple, and the others although they were pretty, had no obvious function. It was to one of these that the heroes were escorted. Once inside, they were placed into a waiting room for a while, and after a small time they were escorted to a small audience chamber where three nixies sat at a dais. One seemed to be a cleric of O'ma, another was a female warrior type, and the third was hard to determine. The three elders scrutinized the adventurers and repeated the series of questions asked by the guards. Eventually, the cleric in the group casted comprehend languages to aid in the discourse. This made things much easier and the elders were able to determine what the heroes intended to do.

In reply, the elders decreed that the heroes would be allowed to use the portal to the elemental plane of water if they completed a small task for the city. The party members did not like the sound of this but they agreed. The elders said that a dragon turtle had recently taken up residence nearby and was harrassing the town. A troop of nixie warriors was to be sent out to kill the thing the next day, and the adventurers were to accompany them.

That night the heroes rested, and early the next morning the nixies picked them up and they set out. After about 10 miles, they came to the mouth of an underwater cavern. Immediately inside was the dragon turtle, apparently sleeping, but no one could tell. The warriors and adventurers split into two groups, with 4 nixies posted outside the entrance to try and prevent escape. The battle was bloody. The dragon turtle was in fact not asleep, and immediately spotted the nixies' attempts at being stealthy. Half of the troop paid for that mistake with their lives when the dragon breathed a stream of hot steam over them. Ari was critically injured in this blast as well. Luckily, Jade fired off a quick healing spell, and Tupaia gave her another healing boost from her wand of healing. In no time she was wading back in. Meanwhile the dragon clawed away at some more nixies. Vanoviel got there next and started trading blows with the beast while Andrinor experimented with polymorph spells to little avail. Tupaia supported the mix by summoning large sharks to their aide, and Rynn did the same thing. Jade meanwhile kept up the much needed healing.

After a time, Van was caught in the dragon's breath weapon and then snapped up in its jaws. Luckily, by this time however, the damage inflicted earlier by Van and the others through various means had taken its toll. Just as the dragon was about to finish Van and turn on the others, she reached up from its jaws and hit it in the head with three well placed bludgeoning blows, thereby killing it.

Four nixies out of 15 survived the encounter, and they all returned to Qwandovia. For their efforts, the heroes were allowed to rest and use the portal the next day.

Stepping through the portal was an interesting experience. The plane of water is a featureless ocean with no surface and no bottom. It is water in all directions to infinity. The adventurers soon found out that "up" was determined by one's mind, and that "down" was simply the other way. After a few short falls, the group got the hang of it and with the help of their nixie guide, they set forth to the portal leading to the City of Doors. The journey was brief, lasting only one day. However, it proved perilous. A voracious group of water elemental sharks assaulted the party first, and they caused some moderate damage before they were dispatched. This encounter however weakened their resolve for the next encounter when they were attacked by four fearsome elementals. Everyone took severe damage before Jade was able to block them off with a ring of steam (fire) and a wall of force. From this safe shelter, the magic users in the group were able to pick them off at their leisure. After this incident, they all decided to rest. When they were just about to wake up, a huge countercurrent vortex opened up nearby and sucked them in. Most of the group swam to safety almost immediately, but Ari took severe damage from it.... she was unable to swim out for some time.

When they were almost at their destination, they came upon another curious sight: marids were battling efreet who were apparently trying to make a break to escape through a portal to the plane of fire. The water genies known as marids were losing to the efreeti, so the adventurers decided to lend a hand and hopefully make some friends. However, all the marids soon perished in the battle, and the efreeti were dispatched by the heroes soon after. No friends were made afterall.

From there, the party continued on and came to their destination: a huge rock, with many holes and tunnels. This evidently served as a marid community. Deep within lay the portal to the City of Doors. The adventurers dragged with them the bodies of the efreeti they killed and thus gained quick access to the establishment. They were not harshly challenged, but they were watched. Once reaching the center, they came to a large spherical cavern, where there was a portal guarded by some marids, and a marid leader of apparent power.

The Marid leader, Joon, told them they could pass through the portal for a toll. As an example of what could be used for a toll, he showed them a blue sapphire gem left by a previous visitor named Khalik. The orc, Khalik, told Joon that he had gotten the gem off of an elf maiden long ago when he was in T'Nanshi studying elf magic. Her name was Rinturn, or Ringwald, or something like that. Ari recognized that to be one of the gems which belonged to her Ringthon family heirloom and immediately demanded it back. "I want my gem!" The marid looked puzzled that they should be demanding things from him, and he refused them..... so a fight broke out. After a small pitched battle, the party prevailed and recovered the gem, along with a magical bow that could enchant its arrows by the type of gem locked into it.

They entered the portal immediately, for they heard other marids in pursuit. They came up out of a fountain in a small stone building, and breathed a sigh of relief because they were once again on dry land.... that would make things much easier for them.... or so they think.

Chapter 11

Upon exiting the portal, the adventurers found themselves in a strange place. They were standing in a small fountain within a stone building that was apparently empty but for the pool. The doorway of the structure opened out onto a street, which seemed wet from a newly fallen rain. As they strolled out of the building, they saw a fairly quiet street. There was nothing more than a few humanoids here and there walking around. One odd thing they noticed was that no matter which direction they looked down the streets, they all seemed to be going uphill. As the cloudy sky started to clear, they also noticed that high above them were the twinkling lights of the rest of the city! It appeared as if they were on the inside of a gigantic tire.

Decidedly confused by this, they set out to look for the evil orc mage, Khalik, and to find shelter on the way. They soon found their way to a tavern that gave them directions to a more comfortable sleeping Inn just a little ways down the road. While at the tavern, Andrinor decided to order drinks for himself and his companions.... water for the whole lot, and an abyssal ale for himself. When the bartender put the smoking concoction down on the table, Andrinor gulped it in one swaft.... and was promptly knocked on his rear in a drunken stupor. The party members carried him out on their way to the next Inn. Once they set up a couple rooms at the new place, they left Andrinor to sleep it off, and Tupaia to watch him. Rynn decided to play a few sets at the barroom to earn drinks for himself, and the others decided to head off to find a way to get to Khalik.

Back in the room where Tupaia was in tiger form resting, and Andrinor was comatose, they got a big suprise. A huge hulking spider-like scaly demon teleported into the room! Tupaia immediately attacked it and rended it with her claws, but it seemed to pay her no mind. It fixated solely on Andrinor, who was helpless in bed. Once it got him in its jaws, it disappeared, wounded badly as it may have been. Tupaia ran downstairs to Rynn frantically and told him what happened. They decided to wait for the others to come back.

Meanwhile, Van, Ari, Jade, and Orianna were patrolling the streets of Sigil. They got directions to the Hive district, where information was usually bought and sold. Once there, they struggled to get through the twisted streets of the chaotic quarter, and suddenly they bumped into a very pretty blonde haired elf woman. She was stunned to see them. Ari recognized her from somewhere, and it was revealed that she was Leirehanna Ringthon, the aunt that left the family when Aritelda was very young. They exchanged a bit of information, and when Leire heard about Khalik being in the city, she was alarmed, for they had known each other. She quickly invited them back to her place, and they agreed to go after they collected their companions back at the Inn.

Upon reaching the Inn, they received the distressing news from Tupaia and Rynn. When Leire heard that Andrinor was with them, she was equally alarmed and said she would explain back at her home.... where they had better retired to quickly.

Meanwhile, Andrinor came to in a room with a small array of demons present. He was beaten and bound in a chair. Next to him was a curious looking cambion. The cambion had some very strikingly similar features to his own, and he realized this quickly. The cambion looked at him curiously, and then sighed. A voice inside Andrinor's head greeted him and introduced itself as the cambion, Andrin... his father. Once Andrinor figured out he could communicate telepathically with this person, he asked a lot of questions about what was going on. The cambion summarized that he was the son of a mighty Balor lord named Lastryxx. The Balor lord was highly involved in the Blood War between the Tana'ri and the Baatezu, however, his son Andrin did not want any part of it, so he fled his father's realm. The father did not appreciate this, and he was constantly sending out agents to retrieve his son.. and eventually, when the cambion settled down and married an elf named Leirehanna, or Leire, the agents started to come after their son Andrinor. This distressed both of them greatly, so with the help of one of Andrin's psionicist friends, they erased part of Andrinor's memory and placed him on Avlis to be safe. They had no idea he would wind up back there in Sigil. Andrinor imparted the story to him.

At that point the demons in the room started to force march the pair down the street. They stopped at a sewer drain. Once there they pulled the grating off and threw a bone into the hole, at which point a portal opened up. The captives where thrust through the portal and the demons followed. They came out in a spiked pit in the middle of a forest. After taking some cuts from the spikes, they got out of the pit and continued their march towards another portal to the Abyss, which was perhaps a day or two away. Andrin and his son got caught up on things during that walk.

Back in Sigil, Leire and the adventurers related their stories to each other. The adventurers where stunned to find out that Leire was Ari's aunt, and she was ousted from the family about a century earlier for her lack of enthusiasm in learning magic. The Ringthon family was adept at magic, although their founder, Deritel Ringthon, was a warrior. He was the original wielder of the sword which Ari now held. Leire said the sword was crafted during the Great War on Avlis. It had four stones to enhance its power. When Leire left the family, she started to wander, and became interested in the sword's history. She traced the location of a couple of the stones, and actually was able to retrieve two of them. The saphire which she retrieved was held in the lair of a dragon out in the country of Ferrel. That is where she met a young orc mage outcast who helped her retrieve the stone, but then double crossed her by running off with it and the dragon loot. This was none other than Khalik. On another occasion she recovered a pink stone from the sword which gave it the power to function fully to its ability on any plane. This she imparted to Ari. After that, she told of a long series of adventures where she eventually met and fell in love with a cambion named Andrin.... and to them was born a son named Andrinor. This revelation stunned the party. Ari was suddenly aware that the greedy sorcerer was actually her cousin. At that point, while everyone was sharing, Tupaia divulged that her last name was Dagroth... which further stunned everyone to complete the evening.

Leire informed the adventurers that her husband Andrin was kidnapped shortly before Andrinor. She said that she would uncover information on Khalik's wereabouts, while the rest of them went out to save the father and son. She gave them directions to a portal in the city sewer which was triggered at noon by any dried bone. The next day they bought horses and set out. Orianna also picked up a stone for her gem bow.

Out on the outlands the party road hard to catch up with the kidnappers. When they finally overtook them, a bloody battle ensued. Ari nearly cleaved a Hezrou demon in half with her enchanted sword. The Tana'ri promptly used its supercharged deeper darkness spell to blot out the whole battle in blackness. This unerved everyone and ruined the targeting of spells. They fought on, and took much damage. There were three pincer demons, called Retrievers, who fought the adventurers ruthlessly by using their fire, ice, or lightning rays. Jade managed to dismiss one of them before the battle began. Almost everyone was badly hurt, especially Ari and Van, who suffered badly from the Hezrou's stench. But in the end, Andrin freed himself of his bonds and walked out of the darkness globe and unleashed the full power of his psionics on the demons. In his first blast he obliterated almost 5 of them. By this time, there was only one left, and he later obliterated that one with another of his powers.

The party then made introductions, and it was revealed to Andrinor that Leire was his mother and that Ari was his kin. They set off bag to Sigil which went quickly using Jade's teleport spell and the bag of holding. The next noon, they got back into the city and went back to Leire's house.

She informed them that Khalik was due to have a secret meeting in one of the local demon Inns. However, that was all she could find out. The adventurers then set up to stake out the place. Orianna kept guard while Rynn went in to ask questions. Later on, a second mission by Andrinor revealed not much more information. They needed a way to ambush Khalik and to get into his room. They eventually found out he was staying at the Inn, and with a trip to the roof and into the ventilation system, they zeroed in on his room. However, he was not alone. His minimum company was two golems, and at least two devils of some kind. They decided against attacking from the vents, and retreated.

The next day, Jade, Van, and Andrinor went in again to spy on the meeting from the vents. The others waited out back in case anything went wrong. Khalik was to meet with someone named Quilan. He took his seat in the room with his two devil assistants, and eventually Quilan showed up. From the long conversation they learned many things. Quilan was a former pupil of Angadar's who felt he was mistreated during the god's mortal days. He was determined to get revenge. Khalik proposed that they could help with that revenge if Quilan did some things for him. Quilan was the owner of some rituals he needed. One of the rituals was for changing the origin of the magic vortex which powered all magic on Avlis from the plane of Arborea to Baator. The second ritual was for enchanting a special portal to bring Valok fully onto the Prime Material Plane so he could rule Avlis. Quilan was to supply the mages, and the rituals. Khalik and Valok would supply all the god power needed, as well as taking care of distracting the god Mikon from Valok's entrance onto the Prime. In return, Valok would destroy Angadar for Quilan.

Quilan agreed, and the meeting ended. Khalik revealed that there were two pit fiends in the room with him that were getting ready to set up the deal.

Jade was very disturbed at this news, and when the party reassembled, she informed them that their next stop would be her father's Realm on Avernus... the first layer of Baator.


Sources

Chapter 10 notes

Chapter 11 notes