Chapter 5: The Voice of Darkness
Another long session, although possibly less to write. At this point in the adventure, I planned to go into a bit of Garo and Beinlein's backstory, and play around with some different ideas.
Council Meeting
Spoiler
Show
Following the destruction of an entire city block, the party is escorted to Blink Bay's civic center housed in the re-purposed elemental temple. There, they are introduced to a young elf gentleman named Orlai, who brings them before the city's ruling council. The members of the council are the elven Lord Elrath, the dwarven Lord Kraghammer, and the human Lady Hera, who thank the party for their assistance in saving people from the disaster, but are rather taken aback by the request to take the Sea King's Gem to purify the corrupted water in Illium. Following some convincing and the presence of Voyager Arlessa, Kraghammer and Hera seem amiable, but are rebutted by Elrath who is the primary member of the council. During the dispute, Orlai quickly explains that the city is governed by a council of merchant lords, chosen from a sub council of around thirty members who all represent the most prominent business owners in Blink Bay. Elrath does eventually concede if the party manages to fix a large number of the city's problems: pirates are attacking certain businesses, there is a plague in the lower wards, and of course, the water elementals attacking the city need to be stopped if you-have-the-time-thank-you-very-much-goodbye. The party ultimately agrees, but asks Orlai if he knows where the gem is being kept. He leads them into a central atrium where the gem is being kept behind glass and above a tall decorative fountain some thirty feet up. A cursory scan from Beinlein shows some security detecting the gem, the the actual carved blue stone isn't radiating any magical energy, leading the party to suspect the actual gem is held elsewhere.
During this time, the party is linked telepathically through Lago's network and holds much of their conversation over the link, resulting in very long awkward pauses where the NPC's just sort of look at the party confusedly. The network isn't powerful enough yet to include Arlessa as well, who as a result, decided to go along with this bizarre tendency of the party by nodding and giving occasional affirmative comments, to pretend she knows what's going on
Family Reunion
Spoiler
Show
The first thing the party decides to investigate is the pirate attacks, who they learned from Kraghammer are being focused largely on a Magmaeye Trade Company, with the branch in Blink Bay being operated by Garo's twin sister Kern. Garo gets directions to Kern's new office from Orlai, and their meeting with Kern is especially joyous, with Kern leaping over her desk to give Garo a powerful bear hug. Inviting the party to stay the night, she tells them of her troubles, with pirates attacking her ships once they leave the safety of the bay. The party reasons that they should focus their efforts on whoever is hiring the pirates, since they are only attacking ships with businesses under Lord Kraghammer's jurisdiction. Further, Lord Elrath may be the culprit behind both the attacks and the plague, since the diseases are largely affecting the workers of businesses affiliated with Lady Hera. Unfortunately, they cannot hop on a ship to fight the pirates directly, since delivering the Sea King's Gem is a matter of highest priority. Garo also requests any rare items his sister may have encountered, and she begrudgingly parts with a Belt of Giant's Strength under the condition that that will cover Garo's birthday presents for the next decade.
The following morning, the party walks to the lower wards out over the water, which were most heavily affected by this plague. With a tip from Kern, the party plans to meet with Beinlein's cousin Korble Bubblepot, who is using much of his potion shop's resources to help the afflicted. They are able to enter the section of the city, although they are warned against it by two guards on standby, and get directions to Bubblepot's Potion Emporium. There, they are greeted from a angry female voice coming from an above window, "Beinlein is that you! Why don't you ever write or visit!" Korble's wife Triza shouts at them. A warmer reception is offered by Korble, who is tending to several of the sick aside Arlessa (who had split up from the party) and another Voyager paladin, an older gnome named Fundin. Korble tells them about the disease while his two young daughters Milli and Triza run outside to play on Groot's branches. Apparently the plague is actually several diseases, all of them known if not necessarily common. They flare up for about a month, only to die out shortly afterward and be replaced by another affliction. Korble only has the talent to give patients the strength to fight off the disease on their own, but Fundin is a powerful enough healer to completely cure one or two patients a day. They are also being assisted by another alchemist named Kuga who has a clinic set up by the docks. The party gets directions and proceeds to meet Kuga.
Smells like a Rat
Spoiler
Show
Kuga's clinic is formed from a modest pavilion close to the docks of the city, a single guard stands outside and rather rudely questions the party of their business before allowing them to enter. Within, around two dozen cots are set up, almost all full with those afflicted by the plague. In a separate section of the tent near the back, a small humanoid around three feet tall stands over a cauldron of glowing liquid. The humanoid wears a plague doctor's mask, hat, and cloak, not acknowledging the party's presence until they walk right up to him. Beinlein detects magic again on the cauldron, which appears to be of the Conjuration (Healing) school, while everyone questions the strange man, introduced as Kuga. Vosen takes an immediate dislike to Kuga, who stares at Nualia throughout the conversation. With a gut feeling that Kuga has been lying to them about his story of coming here to cure the various plagues with Korble, Vosen picks up Kuga by the collar and tries to takes off the mask. The guard outside hears Kuga's shouts, and dashes in, only to be sent out (albeit still suspicious) by the party. After a second bout of interrogation, Vosen takes Kuga's mask off, who panics again saying he will get sick, and stabs Vosen in the chest with the lance of a syringe. Unveiled, Kuga is a ratfolk instead of a halfling or gnome. The guard comes back in, saying he's had enough and draws his sword. Vosen senses that the two are working together, and Nualia pierces the guard in the chest with her claws killing him instantly. The party intimidates Kuga to come clean. The ratfolk concedes, but still retains a defiant attitude, "I worship plague. Misery." Kuga says, "The god of disease, Pithos. I have been infecting this town with different diseases only to cure them later. It is a grand sacrifice for my god." The ratfolk smiles with an evil bliss.
Suspicious that foul play is afoot on the half of the town guards, the party quickly takes Kuga back to the town center, and brings him before Lady Hera, seeing as her workers were most affected by the plague, likely the result of Lord Elrath. Shocked at this revelation, as well as a guard working with the ratfolk, Lady Hera accompanies the party down to an interrogation chamber deep within the building, accompanied with a trusted guard, while another fetches the captain. Kuga is manacled to a chair, stripped of his possessions and is interrogated by the guard and the party. Surprisingly, Kuga cooperates, up until a knock is heard at the door. In comes the captain of the guard, along with half a dozen other soldiers! "Unfortunately, it seems I am not as powerless as I might appear," Kuga smugly says with an evil grin. Combat breaks out with the guards, one of which rushes over to unshackle Kuga and give him a bag of possessions. Vosen immediately moves over to the guard and Kuga while the others deal with the guards and protect Lady Hera, who is also being attacked. The fight is short, and Kuga is taken down without much difficulty, after which the captain of the guard bolts back out the door and the remaining guards surrender with no further casualties. Reacting quickly to the fleeing captain, Ravelston incapacitates the deserter with a blast of ectoplasm.
Interrogating one of the captured guards lets out a surprising revelation: Lady Hera was sabotaging her own efforts alongside Lord Kraghammer, to frame Lord Elrath and depose him from his seat on the council. Eager to cut down on time, we quickly resolve the traitorous actions of the council members, as the council is dissolved and the sub council will take over while things settle down. The new leaders of Blink Bay allow the Sea King's Gem to be lent on to Illium (fresh water will be quickly stockpiled), taken by Arlessa and Fundin alongside an escort. They depart right away while the party remains in the city to discover the cause of the water elemental's attacks.
Blood on the Water
Spoiler
Show
The party heads to the destroyed block of buildings and decides to lower themselves down below the city level by way of Groot's long arms. Below the pillars that support this section of the city, they see several unattended boats and decide to use them to follow the water elementals, after Vosen and Garo spot a trail of corrupted water leading closer in-land. Three boats are taken for Nualia, Garo, Ravelston, Lago, and Vosen, while Beinlein rides atop a submerged Groot. Suddenly, several waves of water surge towards the boats from all sides! Several water elementals and three mephits emerge from the tide and attack the party! Brim frantically tries to speak with his brother elementals, but to no avail. The water elementals attempt to knock the party out of their boats and succeed with Ravelston, beginning to sucking him down to the depths! The mephits focus on breathing acid at the party, but again, they are all quickly dispatched.
The party paddles on, following the trail of corrupted water until they find a partially submerged stairway leading up to a stone door nearly identical to the one found in the elemental shrine. Garo and Vosen use their dungeoneering skills to tell that they have reached the lower sections of the old shrine. Garo asks Brim if he can sense any more elementals nearby, and Brim responds feeling something powerful behind the door. After checking for traps, the party pushes through the stone doors.
The Smiling Shadow
Spoiler
Show
The door enters into a short hallway before opening into a large chamber. A half flight of stairs leads down to the floor covered in ankle deep water. But more pressing is a familiar symbol carved into the floor, larger than any of the others! Two quietly churning elementals, one water, the other storm, stand at the far side of the room, and a half dozen voidlings are scattered on the floor. None of them seem to notice the party's presence, except for a shadow standing above a cloaked skeleton within the symbol. The shadow (not the monster, an actual 2-D shadow standing up in the circle) is feminine in shape and staring at the party, but otherwise makes no response. Unnerved, the party quickly casts some buffing spells on themselves, with no reaction from the monsters. Lago enlarges himself, Nualia, Garo, and Groot, while Ravelston levitates up forty feet, and Beinlein casts mage armor on Groot. The second they step into the water, all of the monsters immediately notice them and attack!
Remembering that the symbols slow movement, Garo positions himself as far as he can towards the elementals, followed by Nualia, Groot, and Vosen. They take out several voidlings, however the rest all scatter towards the shadow, and are seemingly absorbed by it. The shadow begins to smile, an upturned crescent-shaped hole appearing where the mouth should be and walks menacingly towards the party. Garo reacts, calling up Brim to slam his hammer into the shadow...with no response. Brim appears to be gone! Furious, Garo swings as hard as he can, his attack meeting no resistance and arching right through the shadow. Nualia claws at the shadow as well, also having no apparent effect. Now, the elementals have converged upon Groot and slam at the eidolon dealing massive damage, while being peppered with attacks from Beinlein and Ravelston. After almost defeating Groot, Vosen launches up onto the water elemental, lodging his rapier into its back and flinging himself upwards to cleave the creature in half with his dagger as he and a massive surge of water hit the floor. The storm elemental takes flight and races towards Lago!
The shadow at this point has still taken on offensive actions towards the party and, still smiling, steps towards the edge of the circle and disappears entirely. Nualia attacks the storm elemental, which is ultimately destroyed by a psionic blast from Ravelston! The symbol suddenly cracks the stone it is engraved upon as magic seems to leave the area.
An Ominous Proclamation
Spoiler
Show
Mourning the disappearance of Brim, the group explore the room. A mural covers the walls, telling a story through images of an ocean, a figure rising from the water, creating the land, then emerging back into the sea. An inspection of the body yields a protective amulet, and looking upwards, the ceiling seems to ascend into nothingness. Curious, Ravelston levitates up with Vosen, leaving a trail of rope down for the rest of the party. The roof doesn't ascend as high as it appeared, and they find themselves in a tower with several chests of treasure, documents, and what appears to be the resting place of the true Sea King's Gem, now removed. Opting not to steal money from the city, they proceed down to the chamber, out over the water, and back outside.
The party meets with the new council and is rewarded for ridding the city of the elemental threat, and everyone prepares to leave. The sun is setting outside as they notice something strange; their shadow have disappeared and have been replaced with the smiling shadow! Darkness covers the sky for a brief moment as they all hear a booming female voice within their skulls, "I will make myself known to the world; the Dark One rises!"
And we're done! I really should stay away from anything even remotely political; I'm really bad at it. But the fights went well, even though I had expected for Kuga to stay alive long enough to actually do something interesting. Oh well, that's what villains are for. And the Dark One has made herself/himself/itself known to the party formally! What dangers await for our heroes? 
Re: The Land of the Endless Sky [Pathfinder Campaign Journal]
Reply With Quote