Session 73

BELGAR (Evocation & STRENGTH)

Confidence. Do you believe in yourself? In your skills? Do YOU think you can fulfill this mission?

• STATUE OF A SPHINX - plaque on it reads, which will come to life and be legible when BELGAR comes close *(and only him)
• Sphinx will COME TO LIFE as a stone monster if attacked
• SPHINX Sphinx of Judgement. CR 11
• SEKMET the SPHINX

You'll find of battles, there are all kinds,
Some of swords, some of the mind.
Here you'll test your wits and cunning,
As against my riddles, sharp and stunning.
For each wrong guess you will bemoan,
as your allies turn to stone.
Hints are freely offered for those who are dim,
All it will cost is a petrified limb.
Correctly answer riddles three,
and then your friends will all be free.

• Eyes glow and it says the first riddle
• Each wrong guess turns an ally into stone, also, if an ALLY calls out an answer they will turn to stone

SPHINX Belgar, you do not. need their help to start.
You've always had truth within your heart.
You're an of elf of wisdom strength and virtue,
So why waste time waiting for answers from those around you?

• After everyone else is STONE, then parts of BELGAR start to turn to STONE (feet, legs, stomach, chest, arms, hands, neck, head)

What has cities, but no houses;
forests, but no trees;
and water, but no fish?
(A map)   What does man love more than life
Fear more than death or mortal strife
What the poor have, the rich lack, and what contented men desire,
What the miser spends and the spendthrift saves
And all men carry to their graves?
(Nothing)   I twist and I turn, with words that confuse,
I hide myself in various clues.
If you wish to fight me then a sore head you’ll have,
or you can follow me down a long winding path.
I am the middle of middle and also the end.
A pencil would be better for yourself to defend.
What am I?
(Riddle)   I don’t have eyes,
But once I did see.
I once had thoughts,
Now white and empty.
(Skull)   My life can be measured in hours,
I only serve to be devoured.
Slim, I am quick.
Fat, I am slow.
Wind is my foe.
(Candle)   If you drop me, I’m sure to crack.
Give me a smile, and I’ll always smile back.
(Mirror)

• After he guesses 3 correctly, everyone will be freed, and all of BELGAR's MEMORIES will FINALLY be RESTORED
• Group ALL TURNED TO STONE, but Belgar completes the trial correctly, final RIDDLE is MAP riddle

TRUE Confidence in the abilities and talents of yourself and those around you. That's where your strength will come from. Without that, you are doomed to fail.

DA'ATH (Necromancy & DEXTERITY)

Humility. Do you understand how infinitesimally small you are in infinite multiverse? How little your skills, your prowess, your EGO, truly mean in the grand scheme of things? How even amongst your allies, you would be nothing if not for the aid they've given you?

• EVERYONE IS A CHILD, no more than 12 or 13 human years old - (maintains all abilities, except (-2) to strength for duration)
• HALL OF MIRRORS, each vision coming to Da'ath from within
• His mother's spirit, Si’riian Flametongue:

He doesn't know how to take orders, he is no gish. Tsk'va! If no kith'rak will have him, send the g''lathk alone on scouting missions then! He is no is'tark, he will find glory!

• His father's spirit, Nirosian Stormcall, (linking to backstory with LIMBO)

I fear for my son. He is a fine warrior, and will one day be mighier than most Githyanki. But the Githyanki have already lost their war, they just don't know it yet. And I fear Da'ath may never be more than a vin'isk of Vlaakith, he has too much of his mother in him. Then set him on another path, and let him decide his own destiny! A brainless killer and follower of orders, or something more?

• Nymmarth

I do worry about Da'ath. Since I freed him from his imprisonment he's spent all his time fighting in arenas and praying to Tiamat like some brainless Githyanki pawn. His father and I thought he was different, we saw a spark of potential, a greater destiny. Perhaps we were wrong. If all he craves is blood and glory, we may all be doomed.

• Various Group Members

VRAE Are you making an altar to Tiamat? BORD We can't beat them, we need to get out of here! Please Da'ath! MAK'TI And he will succeed, because I have foreseen it! MARK BASTARDSON It an honour and a pleasure to fight with you fuckers

• The GLAIVE from KHOR TURUM presented to him by Narinn and Gorazzar, the light shining on the words:

For our #1 Fighter

• VARIOUS ENEMIES - Da'ath must step back and let his teammates handle. If he chooses to go into battle, they will lose against each one. EACH TIME HE DEALS DAMAGE TO ENEMIES, ALLIES TAKE DAMAGE.
• Attack by Gwenma Ashhold (Duegar DespotSTATS) - Champion of the Queen
• Attack by Mind Flayer Mind Flayer CR 7
• Attack by RED ABISHAI Red Abishai Stats
• ENCOUNTER - Da'ath Trial - LIMBO
• IN BLACK CHAMBER
• Da'ath CHOOSES PATH OF PEACE, not to fight, and instead meditate - group eventually follows suit and the battle ends.

All of your individual strengths and cunning will amount to nothing in the days ahead. Victory will only come if each of you is trusted to do your part.

END OF TRAILS

You have the knowledge you need to succeed. (Vision of Black Fortress appearing in FIELD next to LAKE URDA, a bastian against the darkness). We will send AID when called for by the Black Tear. Go now as our allies, knowing you are ready.

Also, we have gathered tools that you may find useful in the coming battle.

• a table appears in the black chamber:

ITEMS

For Gorrazar who has now found his purpose, the Rushfire Hakama, so you might stride forward into whatever heated situations may lie ahead.

• [GORRAZAR] Rushfire-hakamaVERY RARE 27,000 GP

For Mak'Ti'Il, who is whole once more in his identity, a bottle of Aqua Delerium to further your spellcasting needs.

• (Potion to regain expended spell slots) [MAK'TI] Aqua Delerium RARE

For Vrae, the paladin battling morality both within and without, we present a shield for both yourself or the innocents around you, the Sapphire Buckler - made from a scale given to us from the Sapphire Dragon Nymmarth

• (Shield Made from Nymmarth Scale) [VRAE] Sapphire Buckler VERY RARE

For Bord, who has proven himself worthy of taking on the responsibility of saving Terus, we present the Spear of Arakokra Law

• [BORD] Spear-of-Arakokra-LawHOMEBREW

For Belgar, an elf confident in his ability to fight the darkness ahead with brains or brawn, we present two Scrolls of Protection from Aberrations (x2) - may they grant you a brief reprieve to figure out your next course of action in time of need.

• [BELGAR] Protection Scroll RARE

And for Da'ath, who already carries so many wondrous gifts, the greatest of which being the friends he made along the way. What more could we possibly give you? ... But because we can see you still have a destructive streak here's 6 Beads of Force (6x).

• [Da'ath] Bead of Force RARE

VISION FOR MAK'TI

We have one last thing to give, though we will not call it a gift, for we know the pain it will cause. Know that we have tried many times to see alternative paths, but fate keeps weaving its way back to this inevitability.   Mak'Ti feels a searing pain on his chest, and his eyes rolls back.   He sees the deck of a small boat, rain and wind whipping through it as it soars over a black lake. The rain and wind are dying down, as the clouds begin to part, allowing starlight through. Things seem to be calming down, the lake looks less ominous. Tension leaves the air for a moment, but in the silence, you hear the sound of sniffling. Someone is crying. You see Vrae and Da'ath standing, their heads bowed in sorrow, both holding bloody weapons, a Glaive and Halbert respectively. Looking closely, you can see freshly spilled blood poolsingon the deck of the small ship, its crimson spreading thin due to the rainwater that had been falling. Nearby, you see a body slumped on the ground, headless, and below it, the source of the blood, the severed head of an Arakokra, BORD the Bird Bard.   "It was the only way to stop it," a voice calls out.   Mak'Ti returns to the present in Limbo.

LIMBO

• Characters are presented with a portal OUT of Limbo, placing them back in Cullile Village.

• TIMESHIFT - roll a d20, a 1 or a 20 will cause time to SHIFT weirdly - (20 it goes fast, 1 is goes slow) - then roll a d8 (if it was a 1 to determine how many hours have passed) or a d6 (if it was a 20 to see how many days have passed) - OTHERWISE ROLL a d4 to see how many days have passed!
• DA'ATH BARGAIN AFFECTED BY ABOVE!!!
• ONLY 1 day passed!!

• Belgar decides to leave and return to Lithserin to prepare his people for Cthulhu
• Belgar leaves behind the GAUNTLETS OF OGRE POWER, the SCROLL OF PROTECTION, and all his money to the WIZARD FUND
• Mark Bastardson returns! Illrigger from hell sent to stop Cthulhu (Devoted to devil named Malak?
• Reunion with all! (Mark takes Belgar's money)
• Wants Serpent Cum back! They steal it back from the Halflings (Mak'Ti finds with spell), they leave MOONTOUCHED Greatsword behind