ATG Mission 8.2 The Trouble with Tellenor

The blood of the innocent

With the top hat man gone you all rush over to the dark black plume of smoke where the Void Omen once stood. You immediately hear the wailing of your Major Domo Burt Oberton. He digs bare handed into the charred wood and stone of the wreckage in a daze clearly in shock. His face is black with soot and blood and he screams as he clumsily tries to lift broken beams "Belba! Yorus! Can you hear me! I'll get you out!" Two Kerra Guards rush over, you recognize them.
Arfred Willowhorne is the captain of the guard. A level 6 fighter/champion he is a man in his 50's with a thick mutton chop mustache situation. his hair is salt and pepper and he has just the beginnings of a beer belly. His partner is a female halfling monk who studied with the fifth element. The sides of her head are shaved and her long brown topknot is held aloft by a leather cord. Though small she is an imposing figure due to her placid demeanor and checked emotions. Her name is Krin Birch. Whenever an explosion goes off or a dangerous monster wanders close to town they will investigate.
"By the gods what has happened!" Arfred looks to all of you. He waves for more guards to come over and start a rescue operation. What do you all do as you look upon the smoking wreckage? After several minutes of sifting through the charred beams which still glow a purplish red from the magical fire you uncover the still body of Belba Caraway, the half elven woman who was your maintenance chief for the last year and a half. She is bloody and still, several burn marks can be seen on the upper half of her body. She is not breathing.
After a few more minutes Trusilla Fane rushes over in distress. "No! what has happened?" She looks down at Belba with a tear in her eye, much different than the usual stoic face the tall half orc woman usually maintains. "Was this just a horrible accident or Do you have any idea who is responsible for this? Where is Yorus?" You all fill her in on recent events either keeping the top hat man a secret or not, up to you. Finally several of the guards drag forth another body from the wreckage, almost unrecognizable. Despite any attempts to heal or revive they are unsuccesful. Yorus is dead outside of a revivify spell in a temple. Two men in armor you do not recognize then arrive on the scene. They wear a symbol of a yellow winged creature on a crimson red background. "I am Captain Trolloc and this is Sergeant Plissken, we are in charge of town security. Inform us as to what happened here." He asks several questions of the group and Trusilla Fane. "Who are you travelers? Are you citizens of this town? Why was this structure destroyed? Who is the owner of this building?" Trusilla will say that she and PACT are the owners of the Void Omen. She says she is responsible for any nearby damage and injury to the rest of the town. A crowd gathers around the void omen as many townsfolk heard the explosion and felt the rumble from the shockwave. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us for questioning." The sergeant roughly grabs her shoulder and slaps manacles on her wrist. [DM Note: have Eula make a perception check DC 17. On a success she notices something strange about some of the soldiers gear. The fabric in their tabard has a strange sheen to it that you never see topside. It looks like a fabric you have seen used in the Underdark.]
[DM Note: The Aventadors have Sulaco Drakes in cages near the wall of Tellenor. They use these creatures to hunt down dissenters and deserters]
The Gear and Cog Magical Emporium - 
Rasturus the Alchemist, Gazza Dwindlehooke the Artificer and Morchu Hammeras are Cog's business partners at the Cog and Gear Magical Emporium. They rush up the small hill towards the Void Omen. Gazza approaches quickly and distressed "Cog what has happened, are all of you ok?" Depending on whether Belba has made it or not Gazza and Morchu wrap blankets around Burt and Belba and begin to walk them to the Cog and Gear. "Come, all of you we have some rooms in the Cog and Gear. We will get Burt and Belba someplace safe and give them some space to recover. You should all stay with us for the night." You all escort Burt and Belba down the small hill into the large two story building known as the Cog and Gear Magical Emporium. The main shop is still well stocked with monster parts, potions and materials from traders and adventurers.
Gazza Dwindlehooke sits at a large oaken table, he uncorks a bottle of Blizzard Hops whiskey and sets out some glasses for all of you "Business had been very good while you were gone up until the occupation. We had some pretty good growth there in the first couple of months. Even had Agrimor down here a couple times to use the testing range. Oh, here Cog, this was your profits while you were gone." He slides a leather bag across the table with 2000 gp worth of coins, many of them platinum to reduce weight. "Would have been more but these Aventadors are demanding tributes from all the local businesses to go towards the war effort. They are asking for a third of all goods and profits! Not like I was a big fan of the Kerrigan family but at least they stayed out of most folks way. I know what you are thinking, why didn't we resist or fight back. The truth is these guys are led by some powerful knights, one of which has been assigned here. Goes by the name of Spyder Hura'can, though he makes us call him Knight Regent. You may not have seen them yet but they have these creatures just outside of the walls. Huge drakes, specially trained to hunt and kill."   [DM Note: There are several drow soldiers amidst the Aventadors. Only Eula and Yoloken would notice a certain type of fabric or hem. Little clues like that will begin to bubble up as they interact with the soldiers. Need to make these particular drow a group of heartless mercenaries called the Morendath Ever'Rend. Maybe draw a link between Eula and them. Maybe they killed a member of her family 300 years ago.]
The Blizzard Hops Tavern and Distillery - 
Formerly known as the Wyvern's end, it is now proudly rebranded as Blizzard Hops Tavern and Brewery. Clorthos Crom - Bartender / Half Orc Man Parna Eve - Barmaid/ Wood Elf woman with Bard Experience. Harv Leder - co-Owner / Human man 55 years old Blizzard Hops - Owner
"By my Wife's Petticoat! Blizzard Hops has returned!" You hear the excited roar of Harv Leder as he sees you approach. As you walk through the Bright blue doors of your favorite tavern the smell of lantern oil, Ale and whiskey hit you all at once.  The warm air in the tavern feels good after the brisk outdoor winds of the month of Lothor. Several of the patrons in the tavern raise their glasses in a familiar toast "To blizzard Hops!" and a drunken follow up of "Cause he's got the biggest balls of them all!" Then uproarious laughter as the crowd mills about you. It feels good to be back, and a glass is immediately shoved in your hand as you taste the best batch of 1 year old whiskey.  Harv points out "That their is still our premium, the oak barrels were especially seasoned and the whiskey came out great.  Turns out Parna was far better than our first distiller.  She brought some tricks from the Forest Realms which she combined with some great local resources.  I've got your profits in my office and maybe we should talk about current events as well."  He leads you into a large office in the back with two large desks.  The larger has a nameplate on it that says Blizzard Hops.  He has taken the smaller one and all of his files, quills and ink are on the smaller side of the room.  He says "Your space is untouched and ready to go if you ever decide to retire and stay full time.  I know you are a famous adventure and all but hopefully you settle down right in here Tellenor someday."  He pours you another round of whiskey and kind of sighs a bit thinking about the current occupation. "You know you and your friends are sure mighty warriors, perhaps you could help us with this band of arseholes.  They are taking a third of all our profits and the new whiskey.  They say they use it as rations for the army but who knows, They could be selling it somewhere."

The Trial of Duke Karbald Kerrigan

Throughout the town of Tellenor you see small signs of the occupation. The fall harvest festival has been cancelled and the townsfolk are dour. As you approach the Castle at the top of the hill you see several soldiers of Aventador stationed out front. A small camp has been set up though many have taken up rooms in the castle. A large wooden platform has been constructed in the front courtyard. It is a gibbet, A large wooden beam runs across it with several corded ropes hanging down. To the left of that is a series of iron cages suspended in the air twelve feet. The cages are just large enough for a medium sized creature to stand up. About seven feet tall and 3 feet wide. Inside the first cage is Duke Karbald Kerrigan. He looks gaunt and despondent. A scruffy beard obscures the lower half of his face. The Knights have a deep seated hatred of the Five ruling families of Penthaheim. They will try the Duke for essentially being a part of this evil system that has existed for half a millenia.Lowered from his cage he is pushed forcefully onto the large platform that makes up the gibbet. Spyder Huracan takes his seat in the center and motions for the proceedings to begin. NExt up have Trusilla Fane get arrested and questioned and put on trial
The town of Tellenor is now controlled by the Knights of Aventador. Tellenor is one of their newer acquisitions as the army resumes its southward movements towards Penthos. By using blitzkried tactics and superior training the army of Lamborginus has moved swiftly south of the Tellenor Mountains. The majority of the army is now camped just outside of Ferartowne and Felos. The Army of Penthos has finally mobilized and has set up in the fields in front of them. Most people believe the battles will begin in the morning. No one is quite sure why Lamborginus and the Archos Divinus have chosen this moment but they have apparently been laying plans for years now. The Archos Divinus has named himself the rightful ruler of the continent and views Penthos as his only obstacle. The occupation forces while formidable are not outright violent or disruptive to everyday life. A Knight of Aventador is chosen as the new regent by the Archos Divinus and that Knight designates a command team of talented fighters to assist him. He acts as a regional dictator and makes sure that no rebellions rise up to disrupt the supply chains of the forward army. The Knight demands a third of all gold and goods from businesses and people in each area. The Knight assigned to Tellenor for the occupation is Spyder Hura'can. [DM Note: A distant cousin of Eulatris, This drow answered the call when the Archos Divinus traveled into the underdark to make an alliance with the ruling families there. Panthrus was looking for supplies and weapons to aid in his dreams of conquest. He promised the drow ruling rights in several areas of the surface world and an expansion of their territories in the underdark. He also called for several elite warriors to join him in cause. One of these was Spyder Hura'can. One of the most skilled and talented fighters in the entire region. He beat 72 other fighters in the gladiatorial arena to prove himself.] Now he has been assigned regent of the tellenor and the tellenor mountains until he is called upon again during the war for Penthos. His hand selected warriors staying with him in Tellenor are as follows:

• Captain Zark Trolloc, Half Orc
• Sergeant Cobra Plissken, Human
• Corporal Untavager Asp, Half elf
• Swordsman Rob Castavelli, Human

The Morendath Ever'Rend -
Druzz't Xilli'Pan of the Morendath Ever'Rend has sent an assassin to Penthos to kill the head of House Nuxhall there. The team must foil this plot before it happens! this and the evidence of collusion with the Drow would be enough to stop the invasion.
Capturing Agrimor - 
[DM Note: Dealing with the great wizard Agrimor. Have him come into town for a meeting and get anti magicked by Spyder Huracan then captured by the Assembly of the Weave. It's a set up. With the destruction of the Void Omen the Aventadors are very suspicious of the team. They do some digging and find all of the paperwork on PACT and the Void Omen in the Duke's files. Spyder contacts the Assembly of the Weave and has them meet him in Tellenor. From there they invite Agrimor down to question him about the void omens arcane destruction. Would he help them determine the cause? As he is standing in the helmets anti magic field the Assembly throws their manacles and places a collar on his neck cutting him off from the weave.]
The Icosahedron of Nexus Communication -
[DM Note: Vaconto's Icosahedron, the sending stone that contacted several drow and links them to the Archos Divinus and the Aventadors. With this information revealed the city of Lamborginus may rethink their allegiance to them. Plus it may allow for assistance from the Eigerlands to push in and create a second front collapsing the invasion of the Army of Lamborginus. The reveal that all of the Knights of Aventador are foreigners and have a dark alliance with the Drow may change things considerably. So where is the Icosahedron now and how do the players find it.]
The following morning you all get together and decide what to do next. Agrimor himself stands before you. A look of relief and concern flashes across his face. "It is good to see all of you I've been catching up on the latest news as best as I can. When we couldn't reach Trusilla I began to think this minor diplomatic issue was becoming a bit more than that."
As Agrimor makes his way up the hill towards the castle you see many of the townsfolk peer out from their windows or stop what they are doing in with hopeful faces. He walks forward with the confidence that only mastery over the mystic arts can provide. He strides up to the crowd of soldiers and guards in front of the large gibbet in front of the castle. Spyder Hura'can, the great armored helmeted knight stands still and imperious. His officers stand on either side of him and a small crowd of influential people in town are their to act as jury. [DM Note: Cog you and Karnac can make history checks as you quickly scan the crowd. DC 14. On a success you notice two familiar faces, though they don't see you. Kalindor Epiphyte the Witchfinder and his partner Polius Hemiphyte stand amongst the crowd.] Agrimor focuses on the large knight and stands 10 feet away and addresses him "I Believe you know who I am and you have requested my presence. Well I stand before you now my good sir. I ask that you release Ms. Trusilla Fane immediately she is a dear friend of mine and one of my best regional managers." The knight doesn't move but utters a response in a smooth refined voice with a hint of an accent you do not recognize. [DM Note: Eula you on the other hand tilt your head slightly as that accent has a hint of a ward from the underdark. A drow dialect from your childhood.] "You are known to us mage. We asked that you submit to questioning over five days ago and you ignored us. You run a strange independent organization and swear fealty to no ruling body. Or so you say. It is very possible that you are a tool of Penthos and avoid us to hide this fact. Will you submit to questioning now?" Agrimor doesn't blink just flatly says "Of course not, I do not answer to invading hordes of madmen as I would not give answers to a riled up hornets nest. Now piss off you --" He moves his fingers deftly and quickly in concentric circles and you all expect something to happen. When it doesn't even Agrimor looks a bit shaken. He tries again but a different pattern and nothing happens. Then everything begins to move at once. [DM Note roll initiative!] The two witch finders move in with lightning speed and spin manacles on to Agrimor as his face goes from frustrated to stunned to angry. Two of the larger soldiers throw a velvet bag over his head and start to drag him off.

[DM Note: Other objectives currently are finding Viendall's Dimensional control rod. It is broken into two pieces. One of which is in the hoard of Castle Khalevoor. The other is in Spinebreak castle on the southern tip of Ventenheim. To dig up information on these they will need to research at Agrimor's stronghold, the duke's castle here in Tellenor and then a library in Vellen Falls. Have them build a detecting device that requires an enormous amount of shard rock, most of which can be found the stronghold. Possibly send them to PEnthos finally? To find the library there? Maybe seek out another wizard who is distrustful of the Assembly of the Weave. FIrst wizard is in Penthos and he sets them up. He apologizes as the assembly witchfinders block the exit! This forces them to seek out Sparacus Saloris Saviori the wizard on the floating orb island! He can help them because he hates the assembly as much as they.]
  The Library in the castle has books on dragon locations in case Cog searches for a dragon scale for his bracers.
Drow in the castle staying with Druzt Xilli’pan Members of the Morendath Ever'Rend
Orgollolil Do'ghym, Male Drow Rogue Hatchhrae Aleafin, Male Drow Fighter Jhaamdath Filifar, Male Drow Sorceror Amalyth Zaphriwin, Female Drow Rogue Drisinil Coloara, Female Drow Monk Phaere Xiltyn, Female Drow Fighter

Karnac -
As the team moves to check on their businesses and deal with the loss of the Void Omen you feel a pulse of green coming from the town square.  Sun Paw Kong the Pandaren Druid stands underneath a tree having a long philosophical debate with two starlings. He says to the more frantic bird on the branch "Oh, I could not disagree more my little friend, cats are a part of our great ecosystem and perform a role just like any other. They are not the truest of monsters."  Both birds at this begin to chirp away angrily as they argue. "Ah the mighty druid Karnac has joined us! He will back up my argument!"  After the birds fly away in a huff Sun Paw Kong turns to you and looks you up and down.  "You have seen many seasons, I see new growth on you.  You are as vibrant as rainbow above a pond!  Let me see that staff of yours, it is coming along nicely.  Would you permit me to add another enchanment?  I can put it one more step on its journey to becoming a true woodland staff."  With that the Pandaren man sits down on the ground and begins to have a lengthy conversation with the staff as you watch. 
Baji Krausenfoot-
You walk amongst the strange townsfolk in this far eastern village soaking up the strange smells and feelings.  The crisp fall air has the smell of fire wood mixed, spiced pies, and dry leaves all mixed together.  The trees on the hillsides in the distance have all begun to turn into shades of yellow orange and red.  Though the rest of the town moves about in light clothing still you feel a chill in the air.  At first you chalk it up to having lived in a much warmer climate, but after a few moments a mist obscures the buildings and the sounds die down and you feel very alone.  A creature moves from between two buildings, the shadow in the mist seems large and heavy with a huge snake like body.  The head that appears though is that of a beautiful woman, on her head a tall silver crown.  Her pale white skin is offset by the grey and purple snake like body that trails behind her.  Her hair writhes and moves around her head as if it made of snakes.  This should disturb you but you feel a sense of calm and giddiness as she speaks "There you are my little hare.  Moving halfway around the world will not break us apart if that is what you had in mind.  I am so glad you took the little frog, it is good to have a friend on your journey.  Perhaps I will ask you to take more things, gifts for me to match the gift I have given you.  You and I have a long wonderful relationship to enjoy over the decades!"  [DM Note: Her name is Zephyris Quizla the Debaucherous. She is an arch fey trapped between worlds.]