Session 96: Sorry Breland, We Love Droaam

• The session began in the Inkpot Commons, where the Crew was receiving updates from their companions. Nicholas, Viribus' artificer friend who had recently completed his armor required to journey into the Mournland, gave the following update: "I am alive, so I am successful. Navigation is impossible. Not yet at the colossus. Might be close, might be doomed. Keep up hope."
• Linette is the friend of Ashpin, but also made friends with Duncan during their time rescuing the Crew from the white room. When she had parted ways with the Crew, she sought out the Mror Holds, intending to follow the information from Duncan - she was part of the Dusk Watchers, a coalition of paladins dedicated to fighting against extraplanar threats. She gave the following updates:
  • "The Iron Council has sealed off the ruins beneath the Ironroot Mountains. The entrances are guarded by volunteers from each of the twelve major clans."
  • "The threat is certainly extraplanar, but limited information can be extracted from the ruin-diving victims. A cure has been impossible."
  • "Dallas Anvilbender is dead. Too bold in his quest to delve into the ruins. Offer Bagan and Duncan my condolences."
  • "The discovered dwarven empire ruins are undoubtedly ancient. There is no evidence that the threat is spreading, but its malevolence cannot be denied either."
• You then went to the Nullarium to formally accept the quest from High Archivist Vindle. Alongside a stack of paperwork, he gave you the following additional information about the quest:
  • The missing researcher is named Toali d'Kundarak — a clever, paranoid gnome with a knack for arcane locks. He wears black and gold robes, and one of his hands has been replaced with a shifting clockwork key.
  • His last point of contact was outside of Graywall itself. He had been tracking a lead that the Tyrant Codex was being transported along an abandoned trade route that led into Droaam, but the Codex has traveled farther since.
  • He had been traveling on his pride and joy, a steam-powered motorbike named Aetherdash. He claimed it could outpace the fastest Lyrandan speeddrifter, was equipped with caltrops and acid jets, boasted owner tracking capabilities, and contained extra-dimensional storage in its trunk — and Toali was not a man of braggartly habit.
• The High Archivist admitted that the quest likely contains its fair share of danger, so to motivate the Crew's courage, he gave a tour of the Void Repository - the Library's most secure and secretive department, located beneath the Nullarium itself. Entry was complicated, involving ten minutes of silence, a Nullarium Token, and specific steps from the Archivist himself. He stated the rules of the Void Repository - no speaking, no bleeding, no writing, and no spells. Those that broke the rules would "have their memory erased by the Archivist Unnamed".
• The Repository itself was a spherical room with no clear up or down. Navigation was propelled mentally, and Ashpin was able to move faster than the rest of the Crew. Small labeled alcoves contained the Repository's lore, and a few titles caught the Crew's interest in particular:
  • Musings of Siberys
  • Xoriat Breach Points
  • Known Lore of the Eternity Rocks
  • Demonomicon of the Fractured Prophecy
  • Legendary Weapons of Heroes Renowned
  • Cognitus Divinitus
• The Crew then moved on to locating the Ebon Ledger. They tracked down Professor Kellivarn in a small basement corner of Morridan College. Kellivarn was the person Doctor Axiom said would most likely know where it is. Kellivarn told them that according to the Library's logs, the Ledger had been checked out over a year ago, and had since gone missing. He thought it might have been confiscated by the Trust, or even banned by the "pesky Board" - two groups that did not understand or appreciate pushing the boundaries of knowledge. The Crew suspected he was hiding something, and after pressing him, learned Kellivarn had been removed from The Tabernacle for his controversial work with yugoloths. He eventually said the Crew did not seem to be rigid bureacrats that are typically found in the Library, and decided to trust them - he did in fact have the Ebon Ledger, and would let them read it. But only if they followed him one at a time, and did not reveal that he was continuing his research. The Crew agreed, and he led each of them to the forgotten Footnote Overflow Inventory, in which the Ebon Ledger and a summoning circle was located.
• When Dooturr had first obtained Restricted access from the Epistemological Board, he sought to establish a relationship with the acquisitions department of the Library. They referred him to Shushick in the Grand Athenaeum. He now sought her out, but after waiting in line and speaking with her, she referred him to Moira d'Sivis of the Epistemological Board. After the laborious process of booking an appointment, he presented himself before Moira of the Board - and she referred him to Shushick. Dooturr politely said he had already been referred to her. After clarifying he recently obtained his Restricted access from this very Board, Moira referred him to Archivist Wynnik Daelthorn of the Codicarium. This meticulous and highly respected division of the Library is responsible for cataloguing all new acquisitions.
• Dooturr quickly found the Codicarium, a multi-tiered, circular chamber overflowing with new intakes, as well as the catologuing Chronoglyph. Dooturr had a very fruitful conversation with the pedantic, but friendly and curious Archivist Wynnik. He was interested in the skeleton's new nation. He mentioned that items from the Mournland were of particular interest to the Library, due to the fatality rate of the source. They discussed the possibility of entering a Mourisi into the Library's collection, as there is a mutual interest in studying their nature. At the end of their conversation, Archivist Wynnik granted Dooturr a very rare and valuable prize - his House Sivis extension number.
• Before parting ways, Philip told the Crew that since the war on Breland was declared, a large portion of House Tharashk’s business with Droaam has increased. The Dragonmarked Houses, for profit or for pettiness, are funding a sort of proxy war against the nation that outlawed their existence.
• And with that, the Crew dipped into their party funds, and teleported away to Graywall, Droaam.

Graywall and Colonel Dane

• Immediately, something was wrong. The air was acrid, and sounds of artillery could be heard in the distance. They had teleported directly onto the frontlines of the war.
• Warforged sentries alerted Colonel Dane and his men to the Crew's arrival. Colonel Dane aimed a wand at the group of them, demanding they drop their focus items and identify themselves immediately. Quickly, Ashpin complied, and named themselves as the Crypt Crew themselves, and that they were there to help. There was visible joy and relief from the soldiers, but Colonel Dane did not budge or drop his scowl.
• The Brelish had been planning an assault on the main hall of the city, called Judgment Arena. The arrival of the Crew seemed to give this campaign more hope. But N'nchyk spoke up, asking if the Colonel kept up with the happenings of Sharn. The Colonel retorted that his job was Graywall, not Sharn. N'nchyk said the Crew had recently given a speech there denouncing the war with Droaam. This only angered the Colonel - they had teleported to the front lines of war from an unknown location, offered their help, then said they would not fight? Why, then, were they even there? Dooturr said that there was a lot more going on than just the war - a LOT. After a tense moment between the Colonel and Viribus, Dane implored the Crew to enlighten him.
• So, the Crew was frank - they described Brucos' manipulation, and how the upper echelons of the government were likely compromised. Brucos had trapped them in the Demon Wastes, and they needed information from the Library to help them save the world. There was a lengthy debate on how much to tell him, specifically regarding the Dreaming Dark and the Inspired. Frisian weighed in, saying it could absolutely be valuable to at least make the Colonel aware of the nature of the threat. Eventually they said that a force of mind control may compromise his superiors and have them acting unusually.
• With this information, the Colonel needed a larkleaf cigar, and passed it to his noticably subdued soldiers. Firstly, the fact that they teleported from the Library upset him - they had notified them of the occupation days ago; clearly the report had not made it through the bureucratic sludge. He still did not understand why they were here, or how what they said related to the war - he was here because Droaam had murdered thousands of the Brelish. Not only in Sharn, but in smaller border skirmishes with farming settlements and caravans.
• Dooturr clarified further - the war was declared on a false basis, fueled by the conspiracy he discussed. They eventually clarified the exact nature of their quest from the Library, and the Colonel was relieved to hear something that made sense.
• Since the Crew had been frank with Colonel Dane, he was frank with them - Breland was getting their ass whooped in the war. Nearly every skirmish was a devastating loss. In fact, the success of the Graywall campaign has come as a bit of a shock. Not only that, but for the first time in his career, he had begun to wonder about the orders he was receiving, and the tactics they were employing. Warforged kamikazes, POW executions, diversionary sacrifices...Ashpin asked if he felt like lives were being rendered invaluable, like they were being used as pawns. There was a shift in the Colonel's eyes - that's exactly how he felt.
• He named his direct superioir as Jovren Celes.
• On a more level note, they began to discuss how to move forward, if what the Crew said was true - Colonel Dane was not yet ready to accept it wholesale, and the Crew themselves were still vague on the details. But if it was true, there was not much he could do - turning and leaving was not an option for soldiers that needed to feed their families. Directly defying orders, especially if they were coming from a malevolent place, risks his and his loved ones' lives. Ashpin made a suggestion - not to radically shift his actions or his orders, but instead begin to trust his judgment, keeping in mind that the orders he receive may not be coming from the Breland he has served in the past. The Colonel was amenable to this idea.
• Off of a whim, N'nchyk asked if the Colonel knew anything abouta gnome named Toali or his steampunk bike. He had in fact come to the edge of the city at a Brelish checkpoint recently, searching for information on something. He had not seemed in his right mind. Noticing the existence of the Brelish occupation, he had wandered off towards the Great Crag, muttering something about ancient weapons and "evils slain by the Great Sword". He had left Aetherdash behind, along with a couple strange arcane locks.
• When they Brelish troops went to lead the Crew to these items, they were attacked by a force of the Droaamic. One of the soldiers, the one holding the rest of the larkleaf cigar, fell choking at the Crew's feet, fear frozen forever on his deceased face. A battalion of Brelish soldiers were pinned down - the streets contained medusas, gnoll snipers, and a dire troll. Colonel Dane lowered an arcane reflective visor, and charged one of the medusas.