WH Arc 5: Duratri Blues

"Last we were together, you all defeated a cabin that had come to life. Eric, being the new ruler of the Sparrowick Empire was approached by his father's advisor, Dravak, who informed him of multiple issues that needed attention the next day. You all spent the night in Castle Sparrowick, where you conversed about what your goals were. It was discovered that not only was Jimmy an automaton, but he was also a spy for a new organization called the New Council, a collection of radical survivors of the Stormwatch bombing. It was revealed that this new organization was galvanized by Dr. Naïlo. After a decent night's sleep, Eric gave audience to few of his subjects. After an interaction with a blue dragonborn named Talia, Eric had placed a bug on her. After eavesdropping on her, the party made way to Veloria's general goods, where they discovered a secret basement. In this basement was a clone of Dr. Naïlo with a brand of temporary immortality, smugly sitting behind a magic barrier. After dispelling the barrier, you decapitated him, taking his head with you in a bag. At this point, Naïlo had attempted to organize a coup, using the lower class, led by Talia. You all quickly were able to quell this rebellion, capturing Talia. She informed you that Naïlo had taken her father, Rashus, and promised to return him if she went along with his plan. You all decided to make way for Duratri, aboard a new plane gifted by Dravak. As you prepare to take off, the wind howls on the tarmac, and the sky seems split between possible downpour and perfect weather.

"You spot what appears to be a gap in the treewall. Upon closer inspection, the ground below the gap seerms to be a beaten and weathered dirt path. Inside, the path winds around a bend, disappearing into darkness.

"You enter a clearing, the canopy above completely shutting out any outside light. Around the room are mutliple fallen statues overgrown with vines and such. There are a few pathways that branch off of this room. A dense fog covers the floor, and a lighter mist seems to hang in the air.   (Roll perception. DC 13: "Something catches your eye. You walk to a wall, and pull back the vines, revealing a message hastily scrawled in blood. It reads, 'Hathka's mercy is a lie. Be not fooled.")   You look closer at the statues, each detailed with a horrified expression. They wear various garb with the same symbol etched into their armor, the symbol of a grove with a star in the middle.

"In this clearing, you find a sleeping bag, along with a privy and a few chairs. Roll perception 12: "The air smells of burning hair and flesh. Something falls from the ceiling, and upon closer inspection you see that it seems to be a sort of slime, crimson in color. Where it landed, the ground had begun to melt. Attached to the ceiling above you is a bloodred blob of slime. It drops down, with a splunch.

"Last we were together, you all found that Nailo had been tracking you through the decapitated head of his clone. After you threw the head out of the cargo hold, and had touched down outside of Duratri, you made your way into the Eclipsed Forest, a perilous path that leads into the city. After various encounters, you came across a boar that turned out to be Elarich's father, Frederik. You learned about a religious event called the reclamation day, the alleged day of salvation where Hathka, the spirit of life would finally defeat Rathul, the spirit of death, and allow for the Duratrians to enter into the real world. You are currently in a grove beneath twisted together canopy that lets no light in."

"A small body of water sits in the middle of the room. Lilly pads float at the surface, and various plants surround the edge of the pool." Roll Perception DC 4: "The water seems to be quite deep, and you notice something else. Ripples have begun to race across the surface of the water, picking up, until the pool is a roiling tub. From the depths, a form approaches, shattering the surface of the water. Slimy tentacles writhe and flap around, a toothy maw protruding from the darkness. The creature rears back and shrieks."

"You jump into the pool, lukewarm water soaks your clothing. A small passageway leads down into a tunnel."

"In a small clearing, you find a few bushes, as well as a chest leaning against the back wall." Roll perception DC 12: "As you approach the bushes, you hear a

"You emerge in an underwater tunnel, which narrows ahead of you." Roll perception: DC 12: "A spear sails through the water before slowing down and sinking.

A small cavern.

"You swim into a small cavern. A few skum turn your way, each with a small key piece on their hips.

"You swim into a

"You emerge from the water in a rocky cave. A

"A small cavern that was clearly a campsite at one point or another. Two husks come out of the wall."

"Two doors, a few tables and a crystal."

"In this room is a roundtable, engraved with dusty golden runes."

"Chest, desk and box."

"Not really important."

"At the end of the room is a chest."

"You exit the dirt tunnels into a stone chamber. To the right of you are stairs that stop at a locked ornate wooden door. To your left is a locked door." Perception: 14 From above come the sounds of chittering and scampering. You turn your gaze upward, coming face to face with a multi legged, long necked creature. Several glowing orange eyes lock onto you, as the creature skitters off the ceiling onto the ground in front of you. It rears its head back and roars, teeth chittering.

The wooden double doors creak open, and a burst of light momentarily blinds you. As your vision adjusts, the breathtaking sight of Duratri unveils itself. You find yourself standing on the bank of a flowing river. The city sits across the water, framed by the towering wall of intertwined trees. Sandstone buildings, draped in vibrant greenery, dominate the landscape. Massive palm trunks rise skyward, vines snake off of them, hoisting entire districts into the sky. Several rope bridges sway gently in the breeze, linking these lofty neighborhoods. Down on the ground, the city buzzes with life: crowded markets hum with activity, and bursts of color from hanging banners and lush plants add to the vibrant scene.     From the riverbank, you see a few people, with their heads down, huddled and praying over a covered body in a boat. "We thank Hathka for the life you lived, and pray that Rathul will allow for your dignity to remain in death."   As they finish, they push the boat from the shore, and allow it to float down the river toward the massive tree wall. As the boat approaches, the treewall opens, and then closes back around the boat. The people disperse.

Elarich, as you walk through the market, someone bumps into you, falling to the ground. Papers scatter from a dropped case.

Last we were together, you all fought Deldrak, a tiefling mercenary hired to kidnap Thalar. Through perserverance, and a shit ton of luck, you managed to best him in combat. You then made your way out of the eclipsed forest, into the city of Duratri. To your shock, Duratri's population, a mixture of tieflings and other races, seemed to be getting along quite well. Elarich, you spoke to a Tiefling named Trevor, and were able to convince him that Nailo, the self proclaimed avatar of Hathka, wasn't all he seemed. You requested that he inform everyone he knew of an event occurring tonight at the south tree wall. You called Necco, and requested him to gather as many forces as possible at the south wall of the city, using funds acquired through the sale of Dragonspice, an illicit drug. Tony refused to take part of your plan, and as such, Elarich and Eric placed a bounty on him equaling 2 million gold. You started searching for Nemean labs, with a crystalline shard retrieved from the corpse of Deldrak. There are several hours until the rendezvouz.

You all find a room labeled Containment and Transfer.       Success: The sound of approaching footsteps comes from within the room. Fail: You open the door, and run into a blue skinned Tiefling woman. Her clipboard clatters to the ground. Elarich's mother Amelia: A no-nonsense woman whose pursuit of scientific progress clouds her judgement. She doesn't care that Elarich is here       You open the door. Several person-sized tanks full of green liquid sit around the room. At the back wall sits a the largest tank. Each tank has a nametag. In one of the smaller tanks is Meadowdream Sparrowick, chained, with a mask over her face. In another tank is a malnourished human man named Raulf. Other bodies sit in various other tanks, but noticably, two of these side tanks are empty. A tank with Deldrak, and a tank with Ecu written on them both remain empty. In the big tank in the middle floats the frail body of a Drow, with Father etched into the gold nameplate. Chains wrap around the drow's arms and legs.      This, you realize, is the true Nailo. 

The door creaks open, and the click of footsteps and rattling chains echo through the chamber. Nailo walks in, adorned with extravagant purple and gold clothing. He holds two chains in his hand, which connect to collars around the necks of two shambling corpses. On the collars are the words Mom and Dad. "It seems no matter how many glue traps I hang, the flies remain. Ecu, you so heavily resisted your purpose, why? What gave you the idea that you were allowed to just walk free? Your purpose is what I give you. There's no point in resisting. Soon, this world WILL know peace."  He turns his attention to the largest tank, and a disgusted look adorns his face. "After this, I will have no need for you. Your existence endangers the mission. He unhooks the chains holding the corpses.   Roll Initiative.

Nailo grunts in frustration, removing a whistle from his pocket. He sounds it, an eerily low pitched ring rattling your bones. Seconds later, a low rumbling can be heard, which grows louder and louder, and a roar opens a pit in every one of your stomachs. Nailo throws something from his pokcet at the ceiling, and at that spot, the ceiling collapses. Rock and stone careen to the ground, creating a pile of rubble. Crimson talons violently reach around inside the room, attempting to grab you all.    Everyone roll a DEX save. DC 18.   Success: The talons claw the ground, splitting rock with ease. You manage to dodge the talons entirely, feeling the wind move past you. Vulthrax roars, opening his mouth. A glowing orange light appears at the back of his throat. Nailo turns and lobs a spell at him. "NOT IN HERE."     Fail: The talons scoop you up, and the dragon takes flight, quickly leaving the ground behind. (Change battlemap depending on how many people are here. Nailo clones appear on the dragon and fight the party. After like, 3-4 rounds, if theyre winning, have the dragon take a nosedive, and land near the lab. Nailo will be about to do his thing, and you can fuck him.)   Eventually, if the party's in trouble, Eric's dragon, Korrad, will speak to Eric. "Master, I am here." A white blur blitzes Vulthrax, dark red blood flying everywhere, trailing in Vulthrax's flight path.   After the fight in the air: "Vulthrax roars, and begins to spiral toward the ground. The wind rushes past you, and Vulthrax's body slams into the ground, causing all of you to slam against his scaly hide. Everyone roll a DC 15 CON save.   Fail: