Session 6 - The Swamp

Summary

CW: Genocide, Mass Death, Mentions of Child Harm/Death, Buried Alive, Blood, Kidnapping, Undead, Murder   The party takes a break from the high intrigue of King Amias Lavandin's court to track down a murderer and save the world. But no good deed goes unpunished.  

Synopsis

Immediately after being transported into Graybone’s manor by Lathander’s divine intervention, the party attempts to collect themselves and finally gets answers to the questions that have been plaguing them. Not knowing at the time that the Aletheia at the palace was not the real Aletheia, Tasha accidentally summons the true Owligarch to Acropolis from Little City.   Cassia informs the group that the countess became the dean of both the Evocation and Necromancy schools at The Acropolis Consortium of Magi under mysterious circumstances and that while apprenticing under her, Cassia began to worry about exactly what kind of necromantic knowledge the countess possessed. Eventually she discovered the countess had murdered multiple candidates for the necromancy deanship including Cassia’s own father, Janus Cosades. She left her apprenticeship and shortly after that is when the queen fell ill and Cassia joined with The Swamp Rats. Cassia says she had first seen Jox in passing from time to time when she was in the countess’ service, and found him sneaking through the swamp and followed him to the Ratway.   Her mission was always to use Graybone’s resources to infiltrate the palace and investigate the countess. What she found confirmed her suspicions: Countess Olympia Mallinger had Vecna’s Book of Vile Darkness. Aisling found Cassia after Graybone radioed that she had abandoned her post and tried to incapacitate her. The two lieutenants fought and then emerged into the ball.   Aletheia, listening in, offers insight into Quid’s possible motivation. She informs the group that Quid is the leader of a group of Feywild insurgents called the Revelers who’s mission is to incite war with the material plane and conquer or destroy it. They take the presence of Vecna’s prison being so close to the swamp portal as a slight and have sometimes tossed around the notion of awakening the arch lich to incite the destruction of Kauvet.   After a tense interaction between the party and Graybone is interrupted by a pair of city guardsmen, the group departs using the underground tunnels - Cassia, Biem, Aletheia, and the party. During the journey, Otto and Aletheia quietly discuss the possibility that the other satyr pursuing Quid is Otto’s ex-wife, Orenoi. Meanwhile, Tasha, Cassia, and Vincent try to gently convince Biem that just because she has revealed herself to be a necromancer, that doesn't mean Cassia is his mother.   Cassia and Biem lead the party out of the city and then make for the safety of the Ratway while the party heads toward the danger of the eastern swamplands.   Following Aletheia to the site of the secret portal to the Feywild, the party eventually arrives to see Quid and her rebels facing off against Orenoi while buried throughout the swamp are the unconscious, missing changelings. In the center of the swamp, nearest the twisted and scorched tree that holds Vecna, is Jox.   The party goes to battle. Changelings perish as they are either killed outright by the Revelers or sent hurtling toward the tree, which obliterates their body and soul on impact. Quid keeps the field unlevel by reanimating her allies as undead soldiers after they’ve been defeated by the party. The swamp itself, often rumored to be alive in its own right, does all it can to keep friend and foe away from the tree, at one point saving the life of Jox and allowing Vincent and Otto to rescue him.   During the battle, Otto is mysteriously granted a boon to his spell-casting. It’s clear this has a connection to the environment they are in, but more than that remains a mystery.   Eventually, Quid is defeated by Grace Strongbones, but Orenoi takes the moment to snatch the pouch containing Vecna’s book from her unconscious body. Certain the day is lost, Orenoi attempts to escape with the book through the portal but is cornered by Tasha and another Reveler named Sunny Thane. Tasha takes the pouch as Orenoi surrenders.   Combat resolved, a meeting is held between representatives of the three present factions: Sunny, Aletheia, and Tasha. Orenoi is arrested and taken back to the Feywild while Quid, still unconscious, is taken into custody on the material plane. Tasha hands the pouch off to Aletheia who bids goodbye to her husband and the group before flying off to return the book to safety.   Meanwhile, Jox is healed and brought back to consciousness to have his long-awaited reunion with Vincent. The party sets off for Acropolis to reunite Jox with Biem.   When the party arrives at the familiar entrance to the Ratway, they are met with a tragic site. Bodies litter the floors of the Ratway. The party is unable to find Biem or Graybone, but they find the lifeless corpses of Eylorin Maon, Clarise, and Cassia Cosades. The aftermath of this massacre is a brutal site, the tunnels practically paved with dead civilians, agents, royal guards, and knights of the Ruby Rose.   Vincent casts a sending to Biem and is elated to receive a reply knowing the child is alive, but the relief is short lived as Biem tells them he is unaware where he is and is being taken. Taken by Knight-Captain Brandash Alkite.