The Rotting Streets

In 1712, the Twilight War came to end. This great war ravaged the lands of Vrellez, but more importantly, it's end was marked by the beginning of the Era of Madness. A great, unholy evil blanketed The Material Plane, twisting creatures that walk it. This great evil is known as "The Madness", and it brought the horrors Vrellez faced throughout the years of The Twilight War to sizzling to the surface, now spilling into other lands. The sun was blocked by grey skies, people horrifically morphed and cracked into new forms and many's minds were irreversibly addled and shattered. Those shifted and turned were referred as through various titles, the "Children of Blood", the "Night Creatures", though by far the most common: "Vilebloods".

It was the day of The Twilight skies, on the 15th of Lathat, that a girl, running from her home in the elven plane of Alq'alon, found herself bearing witness to the end of The Material Plane's Age of Dawn. This girl's name was Tanyanii Peralder, and she was about to begin our story of those who survived the The Twilight Skies, vagabonds, adventurers and inventors, that fought back against the growing dark.

It would soon be apparent that great evils lurked in the decrepit citadel as the bodies of the dead wandered the city, attracted to some far off structure as Vileblood fed on all remains of civilization. Panicked during an encounter, Tanyanii defended herself against the undead, setting a shambling hoard ablaze. Chased by the blazing corpses, she hid in a junkyard deep in the slums, only to be found by a member of a struggling community of peseants and survivors, the peoples of which had set up an encampment in said junkyard. Although wary, they took in Tanyanii, and it was there that she met a purple haired man who couldn't recall his name nor past. She nicknamed him Amethyst after his telltale locks. It was then that our focus shifted to a Gnomish inventor, adept to the city's ways.

Seebo Garrick, an inventor of the Mar'Londo tinkerer's guild, and self-proclaimed genius, he carried the alias of "Doublelock" and found himself in need of new materials for one groundbreaking invention of his. Now, Seebo often omitted the specifics of his research of his work due to his habit to experiment with magic. For the same reason, he was often locked in his own abode, now with more reason as the streets of Bytopia were far more dangerous than before. On that much needed excursion, he couldn't find the needed materials from his go-to provider, and as such went to dig about the Junkyard. Though he was a careful man, Seebo was followed by a silvery shadow which he noticed not.

A cloaked, sandy haired figure in worn and nicked silvered armor walked the streets of Bytopia with an obsidian black greatsword at his back. He wandered the city on an enigmatic hunt, alone. A Paladin of Aegis as he was, he searched for creatures known as "Bloodeaters", lords of Gnoll bands and types of Vilebloods, his search led him to arrive outside the abode of some great evil, knowing not to engage whatever lay within however, as it held no baring to his quest, he scoured the space, and found a small elvish frame, fighting alongside a purple haired Aasimar outside a Junkyard. He aided the two in their battle against the attacking Lycan creatures, introducing himself as Barachiel Alastair, the Paladin offered to serve the Junkyard as a guard, in exchange for a place to rest for some time. It wasn't long until his services were needed though, as Seebo ran through, into the junkyard followed by creatures of the night. The four then turned to face the threat, as a fifth figure, silver haired, pointed half-elven ears and wielding a longbow aided them in their combat. Reigning victorious, she introduced herself as Briar Starym, and the five figures joined as a band of survivors of the brutal city.

A gunshot awoke the group from their slumber alongside the others of the encampment, as a man with a white stripe across his aged hair wearing a suit, gun in hand, was joined by a pale haired young man in a Bytopian's guard attire, as well as handful of other armed guards. The suited man introduced himself as Manfred Von Musel, a servant to the Praetorium, there to enact the will of the Preator, Ludwig Zarbosa. Worried for the safety of the encampment, Tanyanii reluctantly followed their aggressors, as the rest of the party closely followed behind. Along the way, they were joined by a curious pair, two Silva known as Trevelyan and Filigree. The seven then arrived at the Bytopian Preatorium, with Tanyanii being escorted to the Preator before the others had entered. She was presented before him, finding him to be twisted and deranged, interested in some essence of her arcane power. Ludwig was an old, withering man. After some great struggles, Tanyanii escaped alongside the group, becoming wanted criminals as they escaped into the rotten streets of the great city.

Finding shelter in the abode of Seebo Garrick, they hid for the night. Come morning however, a sneaky rogue had snuck in, that is, only to find a band of criminals within. Before she could run, she was captured by the group, introducing herself as Piper. Piper Satomi was on orphan, part halfling and part goblin in nature, she crawled about the streets of Bytopia for as long as she could remember, and now found herself stuck to this band of criminals, as they felt as though they couldn't very well let her run free. Though before much could be done, a knock was heard on the door, behind which was a small boy known as Henry. He was frightened of a monster in the clocktower at the center of the city, which the group decided to check out. Leaving the abode alone for a time, they arrived at the plaza, meeting Seebo's preferred supplier, a shady hunched figure called Kilton. Within the clocktower, they found a young Kenku who introduced themselves as Clink. The group were fast friends with the young Kenku, and decided to keep him as an ally and companion. Clink was worried about the frightened young boy, Henry, and so the group decided to return to speak with him. The time away from Seebo's home was met with horror however, as in search of the wanted party, Manfred Von Musel had set the place ablaze knowning of Seebo's connections the Mar'Londo guild. The group clashing against him in the process, he escaped, slinking away into the shadows. Seebo's home and research lost and destroyed, he swore to take revenge on Manfred. A few others went to visit Henry's house, only to find that within was little more than a horrid specter. The group dispatched of the ghostly Vileblood woman and spirit of the turned child, though it was not one of them that dealt the final blow, as a brown haired man aided in their escape after a series of Vilebloods had been alerted nearby. They returned to the clocktower to hide away with their new avian friend before they had the chance to ask the brown haired stranger any further questions.

Prior to this excursion, Amethyst had fallen into a deep slumber. Vague, distant memories began to plant themselves in his mind. It was within this sleep, that he dreamt of a calamity that was to befall the city, led by The Vrellezi Council, or so it seemed. It was within this series of visions that he saw someone who would soon cross his path.

Another traveler entered the rotting streets of Bytopia, a Druid of fey blood, in search of his twin sister, Kell Aviles, Age wandered into the horrid citadel. He searched for aid, finding it within The Praetorium, though his sister had been missing for some time by then, she'd been last seen in the outskirts of the city, near Hamlet St. The others of the party happened to have been nearby when creatures began to erupt into pillars of flame as they approached the front porch of a large house at the far end of the street. This saved Age of the clear dangers, though the group quickly arrived, interrogating Age due to their suspicious predicament. Before things could get too heated however, the brown haired figure made a return, handing them a letter with an enchanted compass made of ink, pointing at some specific location. He offered answers at the location as long as they wished to pursue, then disappeared, leaving them to ponder as they returned to the Clocktower, with Age tagging along. It was upon arrival that Amethyst awoke. Black skeletal wings and pools of black eyes, he moved about in a frenzy, revealing his Fallen Aasimar nature. Though the shroud passed, something strange was at the core of Amethyst's being.

After some deliberation, the group decided to investigate the mysterious man's clue. The two Sylva, Trevelyan and Filigree, were however not willing to risk their lives, and left, leaving the group to their own machinations. As they continued on their path, the compass lead out of the city, which became an issue as the group's actions had caused security to tighten at the wall's gates. Spotted by guards, the group narrowly escaped with the aid of a pale, redheaded Tiefling. They arrived at a house via a teleportation circle, granting them a moment of peace after the constant hardships. The Tiefling introduced himself as Leucis, and within this home was the brown haired man, who introduced himself as Tiz Dreamgael. He extended an invite to the group so they might join The Harpers organization, one dedicated to helping The Material Plane claw itself out of the blackened hole it found itself in. Their greatest weapon was secrecy, followed by knowledge. Interested, the group endured an initiation in which they relived some of the lowest points of their lives together, as a group. Surpassing this challenge inducted them into The Harpers organization as official members, granting them bed and board, as they served to fight against The Madness.

The day of their first mission arrived. That morning however, Leucis let slip a certain name, Gern, he called Amethyst, when responding with confusion, Tiz decided to come clean, and tell the group that Amethyst was once counted among their number, that is until his unfortunate death. Whatever the reason for his return, they couldn't let him roam about without someone to keep an eye on him, especially given the threat of The Madness. That being said, the others agreed to not speak of it due to it being clear that Amethyst was not the same as he once was. With that mystery revealed, and Amethyst's missing memories, the group prepared to investigave the abode at the end of Hamlet st. Something Tiz was tasked to do, but thought would be a perfect introductary task. Once there, they met a blond, shapley elven woman who went by the name of Joanesel. The cold, dark victorian exterior of her mansion paled in comparison to the surreal, magically expanded space within. Joanesel was kind and accomidating, if not increadibly subversive, her clear ultirior motives hidden beneath an adept persona. She used her sultry mannerisms to attempt and goad the party into making deals with her, but before that could be resolved, the group recived an emergancy objective, as Manfred Von Musel called for their presence nearby. Upon arriving to the Junkyard where he awaited, they saw what this horrid man was capable of. Manfred has tied the residents of the Junkyard's community up, and held them hostage, covered in flammable, toxic oil, and keeping them ready to slaughter at a moments notice. Manfred demanded Tanyanii be handed over, ordering his soldiers to burn the hostages when The Harpers refused his demands. A wrench in his plan however, was the previously seen, pale, albino-looking soldier, who betrayed his commander's orders by attempting to free them from captivity. Quickly, Manfred turned against him as well, and a deadly spat broke out between the two sides, The Harpers, and the city army. As danger closed in on the hostages, The Harpers focused on their safety, giving Manfred the time needed to slink away once again. And so The Harpers succeded with little to no casualties, and an Ex-Soldier of the city, one Owain Von Musel.

As they returned to the Dreamgael abode, yet another strange event occurred, a winged, elven individual crash landed nearby, chased by Vilebloods. The Harpers chose to pursue, fending off the creatures and granting the red haired, tattooed elf a place to rest in. Though peace did not become The Harpers that night, as Tiz prepared to cleave off the head of Owain Von Musel, son of Manfred Von Musel, and the man that ruined Tiz's life, tripping him of his old profession and placing a hefty bounty on his head. Barachiel, not willing to stand idly by as Tiz killed the man before him, advocated to keeping him around as a valuble asset to The Harpers. Reluctantly, Tiz agreed, placing Owain under Barachiel's care. This decision infurated Seebo, and the two proceeded to butt heads as time went on. Following the tension, the group was introduced to Dravinias, an elf who spent much of his life in Midlothyn, under the opressions of the Mad Queen, Elizabeth Yharnam. It wasn't long until Dravinias began serving The Harpers as a lore master of sorts due to his love for arcane knowledge.

A long coming conversation with Tiz was due however, the group fed up with his tendancy to hide information needed straight answers from him, the first of which being the truth of the man in the Praetorium, Ludwig Zarbosa.

Our eyes turned to the withering man, he stood before a reflecting mirror, as something clearly burned within him. Whatever it may have been, flickers of regret, and conflicting minds shone. As he searched for a cure to heal his lingering wounds.

Just having had an exchange about honesty amongst themselves, Tiz informed the group of an alliance between The Harpers and Kilton's Bits and Baubles. This gave them access to forbidden magical items and dubious equipment of an unknown source, though with enough coin, The Harpers would get easily outfitted for their missions. In addition, Tiz was to meet a friend, after some prying, the group found out he was to meet with Victoria Hemwick. Tagging along, they met the young Hemwick, known to be the Baroness of the Vrellezi Council. Whatever their relation, it seemed she'd strolled into town, excited to meet with Tiz and introducing herself to the others with her bubbly attitude. Though secretly, aftertheir meeting, she followed them back to their home base, which proved dramatically alarming.

Ludwig strolled through the rotting streets of his great city, once reflecting off the sun's light brightly, and now a blighted ruin of it's past greatness. In the main plaza, he looked on towards the once proud tree, that now lay withered and hollowed. We saw as Ludwig spoke with Kilton as if two great long friends, with Kilton lending an ear to the withering man's woes. Thinking he'd been going mad, he sought out aid in a moment of clarity, and spoke to his close ally of a plan, to which Kilton seemed rather surprised.

Tiz, strangely unbothered by Victoria Hemwick's intrusion, revealed that she's secretly The Harper's main producer and supplier, though he did seem rather annoyed at her carelessness toward the situation. And so a crisis was averted, but with the arrival of new supplies came the distribution and plausible completion of new objectives, and so the group went off to investigate the rise of a cult of the nine trickster gods.

A letter arrived to Tiz, issued from Ludwig, requesting they meet. And we catch a glimpse of a beating black heart hidden in the depths of the Bytopian Praetorium.

In the process of searching for the entrence into the cult's hold, they ran into another, that of a cult worshipping the dragon goddess, Tiamat. This cult expressed their heratical practice by creating drakes, draconic creatures to serve them in defending themselves. Instigating the cult into an attack, Amethyst was hurt in the process of fending them off, forcing a lingering wound upon him, and so the group decided to rest, while Age and Barachiel searched the land about. Uncovering their given landmark for the cult of the trickster gods' hold, they also found a home covered in crows and rats, with some creature laying within. Deciding to return with the rest, the figure proved to be a young fey girl. In their meeting she adopted the name Briar, to which the others would decidedly address her as Little Briar. The child followed them along at the group's behest, and so she moved in with The Harpers, a new face to brighten the abode's space. But soon after their arrival, news of a meeting with Ludwig Zarbosa came to light.

With the day of the meeting somewhat distant, the group found themselves with plenty of time on their hands, and so they split, addressing some personal interests.

Beginning with Age, the temptation of power grew within him, it wasn't long until he paid a visit to Joanesel, in search of he strength needed to protect those important to him, at the cost of his unwavering obedience to her specific requests. in addition, he was to place totems through which her influence could expand, allowing her to listen in on the world's happenings as she was trapped in her own home.

Age wasn't the only one with a similar idea though, as Owain, recently having split from the city's militia was in search of power, the power to aid his new companions and prove his usefulness. He snuck away, paying a visit to the strange witch, Joanesel. He asked for power and with a naughty smirk, Joanesel offered him a powerful blade, Tyrant's Edge. This gnarled Greatsword was enchanted as runes coated the flat of the blade, powerful it was, but a new issue arose as trapped within the blade was the soul of The Lady of Blood, the Mad Tyrant Queen, Elizabeth Hollie Yharnam.

In the interim, Piper would sneak out, disappearing for long hours as she visited those with close ties to her past. Owain and Dravinias' were officially inducted into The Harpers, Seebo made great progess along recreating some of his old work in progress creations, and Tanyanii grew close to Clink and Little Briar. And as the days dwindled, Barachiel approached Briar who seemed to carry a burden over her head. It was then he learned that she'd lost her baby and husband in the fall of Brighton, when a swarm of Vilebloods clawed their way through the village. That was about a year thence, and the anniversary of her child's death was near. This marked the growth between the two, as time would soon grow dire.

Ludwig yelled through the echoing halls of the Praetorium, questioning Laurence Kingsmill, Magistrate of the Vrellezi Council. Ludwig had left Laurence in charge of managerial decisions while he rested, his health quickly and unnaturally deteriorating. However, it seemed as though he'd uncovered a plot, one by Laurence to cleanse the city, killing it's addled peoples in a crusade to end all Vilebloods. This goal did not align with Ludwig's, but as Laurence was prepared to lock Ludwig away as to keep him from interfering, Ludwig turned his back on Laurence, leaving the Praetorium, and turning to meet with The Harpers.

It wasn't long before The Harpers readied to meet Ludwig. Using a Teleportation Circle set to the interior of the central Clocktower where they'd previously found Clink, they ran into Victoria Hemwick, who implied that the Praetorium was in disarray.

Warily, the group met Ludwig in the main plaza. He apologized for his previous behavior, admitting his mind has been greatly addled as another lives within him. He spoke of the Heart of L'oemurian, the only remenant of an old eldritch creature slain during The Twilight war, one of the few victories they sustained before the fall of the city. The heart is strange and powerful, granting those who use it a variety of legendary power as a dormant remnant of the once great creature, and it's kept in the tallest reaches of The Praetorium behind only the highest ranking and most trusted guards and figureheads. In addition, Ludwig revealed Laurence's betrayal and plot, which greatly alarmed The Harpers. Luckily, Laurence wasn't planning on using the Heart for his advantage as he was a man of pride and honor, but another, a man that Ludwig made the mistake of trusting, had his eyes on that particular prize for some time prior, Manfred Von Musel.

The Harpers were skeptical of Ludwig and so they used the enchantment in Tiz Dreamgael's office to probe deeper into the Praetor's mind. Within they learned much, they learned of his interactions with the witch Joanesel, who he knew was far more dangerous than she seemed. There they saw as Ludwig burned away his mother and little brother in his youth through an uncontrolled burst of magic which caused his great fear of it's many dangers. But most importantly, the group saw a memory that plagued Ludwig with guilt. The memory of allowing Laurence to use Brighton as bait, a distraction for the Vilebloods which slaughtered all villagers within, including Barachiel's family. After the village was rebuilt, the dead villagers rose up after the war was lost, killing so many who'd taken the place of the once dead town.

Slowly growing to trust Ludwig, while understanding the mental deterioration he suffered from, The Harpers struck an accord to put an end to Laurence's Crusade. While they planned however, Age was given an order. Joanesel simply could not resist the temptation of the Godling Age took in as his own child, and so she ordered him to bring Little Briar to her. Having recieved his first order and understanding what he'd enrolled into, he decided to go confront Joanesel, but not before telling Tiz. Tiz, knowing Age was liable to get himself killed, sent Galvyn Godfrey, one of the older members of The Harpers in order to interfere if things turned sour as he was sure they would. Age protested against Joanesel who reminded him that he was under contract, and she was being generous by not forcing him to take Little Briar to her manually. Age called for the contract to be ended, which Joanesel decided to kill him for, carving a wound into Age. The wound began to fester, but with the aid of Galvyn, Age was able to escape, setting the house Joanesel was bound to ablaze in the process.

Meanwhile, Tanyanii, hungry for vengeance paid Ludwig a visit in the clocktower he was staying in with the intention of killing the old man after the suffering he inflicted on her a few days passed. She was ready, but upon seeing Victoria, she wavered. Instead she spoke to Ludwig, the two reaching an unexpected understanding.

Upon meeting on the following morning, the group took notice of Age's festering wound. When questioned he revealed to the rest that he'd entered a pact with Joanesel and had been planting totems around the house allowing her to spy on them for exchange of power. Not taking the information well, discord formed among them. During the argument, Barachiel used his Divine Sense to inspect if any changes had afflicted Age, but instead learned of something far more distressing. He sensed the evil within Owain's blade. It was then and there, that Owain revealed himself to be a Changeling, further casting a shadow of doubt over himself and sparking a conversation over what to do about him.

Owain was left under stricter supervision, but the blade, Tyrant's Edge was buried in the blighted earth. After a few days to regroup, a missive was received from Ludwig, that Maria Adelaide, fourth member of the Vrellezi Council wished to have an audience with them. Upon meeting, Maria was quite serious and to the point, she explained that she too disagreed with Laurence's plan of action and would aid them if so she was needed, in addition she revealed that a bounty hunter had been hired on the heads of each of The Harpers at the behest of Manfred Von Musel, who convinced Laurence that they'd be trouble. It was during this meeting that Ludwig revealed that he'd found a risky solution for his deteriorating condition. A concoction made of a Sorcerous individual's magic infused blood and bone. Grim as it may sound, it's what he'd intended to take Tanyanii for originally. The group, with so much hanging over their heads, promised to aid Ludwig given they survived stopping Laurence. Upon returning that night, they found a letter on their table, Piper had left, leaving the missive as a goodbye.

Joanesel claws out of the rubble beneath, where her home once was, swearing vengeance against Age Aviles. We see as The Tyrant's Edge, buried beneath the soil begins to glow and pulse, a deep black and purple mist pouring out through the land nearby.

The party focused themselves on a plan to stop Laurence's cleansing crusade. With their first priority being the innocents of the city, as some still live in the decrepit citadel. Splitting up, the group extended shelter toward as many as they could, housing them with some distant friends of Tiz's, Lady Cordelia Azelhart and Doctor Klaus Frankenwicz. Yet as hopes seemed to rise, Maria Adelaide came bearing news. News of a strange dark magic flowing through the air outside the city. The group decided to investigate, only to find that it originated from where Tyrant's Edge was buried. Magic was flowing inward, as the blade had been absorbing magical energy of some kind. THey uncovered the blade, only to find it now taking the shape of an egg made of a magical metallic alloy. Looking over the runic enchantments and information from the group, Maria concluded that The Mad Queen could return in some manner. Distressed, the group attempted to destroy the egg, but it began to absorb spells and effects thrown at it, and soon, the egg did hatch, revealing a metallic Elizabeth Hollie Yharnam, who swore to take vengeance on they who help a coup against her in the past, the Zarbosa family.

Attempting to nip the issue of the reborn queen at the bud, The Harpers spoke to Ludwig, who had a hunch that Elizabeth would be after what remained of his father, Henryk Zarbosa. For this reason, they visited an onld containment facility, where The Cleric Beast, once Henryk Zarbosa, was found. This quickly became a far greater issue then anticipated, as a clawing horde of undead poured into the facility and The Cleric Beast was released. With the aid of Kraven and Ludwig, the party was able to kill the beast, but not without sustaining significant injuries of their own. They hoped their blunder served them well, and returned to prepare for the up and coming day of reckoning.

The group decided upon making their highest objective the retrieving of the Heart of L'oemurian before it falls into the hands of Manfred. Their second being to cut the head off the snake, killing Laurence Kingsmill and watching the chain of command crumble. While the main group did as much, Tiz and many others would cut a path through which civilians, soldiers and members of their number could all escape the chaos as Vilebloods pour into the city, hungry for flesh and blood.

Joined by a found ally, Lilith Al'tair, The Harpers entered the Preatorium, fought their way past guards, confronted Manfred Von Musel who slipped through their grasp like the snake he is, though Tanyanii and Age followed behind. Age saw an opportunity to get the drop on Laurence and Manfred, but was slain in the process. Tanyanii rejoined the group and they confronted their enemy, Laurence Kingsmill. Fighting tooth and nail, Barachiel cleaved the head of his family's murderer clean off his shoulders, but Manfred was no where to be seen. The group found the body of Age, burning the corpse to keep it from returning, they retrieved his belongings as to mourn his death in the time to come. Pushing onward, led by Ludwig, the group saw something terrible. The Heart of L'oemurian was gone, and Manfred nowhere to be seen.

Their plan successful, and the city in covered in ashes and gore, The Harpers reconvened. But found that their own leader, Tiz Dreamgale was overwhelmed and killed during the night's events. Thorough as was however, he left letter behind in case of his death. Leaving the organization in the hands of Briar Starym, who would see them forward from that moment on.