SourceMaterial-Avlis Campaign 5, Part 2
This is Avlis Source Material
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Chapter 4The adventurers made their way to the City of Batumawberk /bay-too-MAW-berk/, the capital city of Demon Lord Ternus and his seat of power at Ternus Keep, from which he ruled his territory. Yar warned the group to keep a low profile and explicitly follow any instructions given to them by Lord Solwark Verint. Their new benefactor, Lord Solwark Verint, was a vassal to the kharakuro Lord Gerinald Stonesmelter who in turn reported to Demon Lord Ternus himself. Solwark's compound was located on the western side of the city, far from Ternus Keep, where the group of friends would enjoy some measure of safety as long as they kept a low profile. Receiving them eagerly, if not with some amusement, Solwark sent the group on its first errand: to protect Dharbak the blacksmith and his shop in the town market. Apparently, the local Thieves' Guild called The Forsaken Waifs was demanding protection money from Dharbak, perhaps without realizing that Dharbak had already purchased protection from Lord Solwark Verint prior. Bookers and his friends had an easy task: wait for the thugs to show up at Dharbak's shop and eliminate them. After several small incidents along the way to the shop involving pick pockets and gnomes diving into small buckets of treacle from the rooftops, the group made it to Dharbak's shop and assured him of his safety. Following a brief stakeout operation, the thugs showed up and were summarily eliminated, earning Dharbak's gratitude and achieving their mission for Solwark. Chapter 5Returning from their successful operation for Lord Verint, the group was ushered back to the Demon Lord's throne room for a grave announcement. Lord Ternus has declared that worship of any other deity but himself within his territory is now illegal, and he was instructing his vassal lords to wipe out all temples other than his own, or force the clerics to convert. Given that the highest authority in the land issued that order, it fell to Lord Verint to help enforce it, and he had a mission for the group to begin immediately: eliminate the occupants of the local temple to the Dead Dreamer. The temple, according to Lord Verint's operatives, was located in the north part of Batumawberk on a small island within one of the tiny underground lakes found throughout the cavern. Normal access is granted via ferry. Bookers, Lana, Jobil, and Maher would need to make their way past the guards and onto the ferry where they could infiltrate the temple and begin the cleansing. With minimal fanfare and distraction, the party managed to take control of the ferry and make its way to the temple, where it found the inhabitants in disarray. Many of the clerics had already escaped but left behind various summoned monsters and prisoners to fight off invaders. The party encountered these and dealt with them accordingly with Mahar's growing druidic powers, Lana's powerful runes, and Booker's barbaric might. At one point, a helpless group of clerics surrendered, and the party agreed to allow them out of the temple without being killed. No one spoke of this again afterward, for it violated Lord Verint's orders. However, by the end, the temple was clear and their mission was accomplished. Chapter 6Clearing out the Dead Dreamer's temple increased the group's status in the ranks of Lord Solwark Verint's household, and he decided to give them a more pressing and discreet next mission as a result. It turned out that Lord Verint was not in total agreement with the orders of Ternus, and neither was Verint's direct vassal lord, Lord Gerinald Stonesmelter. Outside the city, in the small village of Gor'Retgag was a shrine to the deity Qinoxitl, which was famous for its prophecies and fortune tellers. These services had in the past been useful to both Lord Verint and Lord Stonesmelter. Additionally, Lord Stonesmelter's daughter was one of the clerics serving at the shrine and he was not thrilled with the prospect of her elimination. Lord Verint ordered the party to head to Gor'Retgag and save the shrine's clerics from death, while rescuing Lord Stonesmelter's daughter. They were to secure any remaining clerics and bring them to safety at the local inn, The Serpent Maw. Once reaching the inn, they were to enter through the back door and ask for "Uncle Stonesmelter". The owner of the inn would know whom to contact for them after that, and they would be allowed to leave the clerics in the care of "Uncle Stonesmelter" where they would be led out of the territory. After some dust-ups with competing adventuring groups out to eliminate the clerics, and some men from other competing Lords from Batumawberk, the group managed to secure six clerics from the shrine, including the daughter of Lord Stonesmelter. Upon delivering her and her compatriots to The Serpent Maw, "Uncle Stonesmelter", who turned out to be a kharakuro and the brother of Lord Stonesmelter, greeted his niece and took the clerics to a hiding place within the building. He bid the party goodbye and send good word along with them back to Lord Verint. Chapter 7Lord Verint thanked the group for their success in rescuing his liege lord's daughter and the clerics of Qinoxitl while keeping their operation secret from anyone loyal to Lord Ternus. He immediately had another similar matter for them to help solve, since they had proven their loyalty to him and his agenda. |
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