The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's potatoes

[Sly Boots]

Should be ok for me. Could you post up a summary of the Waterdeep stuff beforehand so we can catch up to speed?

[Wrathbone]

Mantis, are you happy for me to post all the PMs or do you want to summarise in character? In terms of timescale, I'll say the conversation happened soon after you went up to your room in the inn (everyone else would have just seen you space out as you took control of Raven).

[Mantis]

Post the PMs if you like. Though they were pretty text heavy!

Should be good for tonight too.

[Wrathbone]

Here's what went down (it went on longer and in more directions than I expected! I'll try and do a TL;DR when I've got a sec):

In that case...

As sunset falls, Raven arrives at the northern outskirts of Waterdeep, the City of Splendours.



Griffin riders soar towards a palace under the towering Castle Waterdeep. What would you like Raven to do?

I will fly around and try to find the most obvious building to be the Wizards residence. Failing that I'll just fly to the most grand looking building in the city that looks like it might be where the leading members dwell.

You circle around the city, taking in the landmarks. Not far from the castle and the palace stands a tall, spiralling tower of black stone, with no apparent windows or doors. A monolith this ominous and ostentatious seems a likely candidate for a wizard’s tower, and so you swoop around it looking for possible means of entry. None present themselves, and after several minutes you are about to give up when a gravelly voice enters your mind.

“Who are you and what do you want? I don’t take apprentices any more so don’t even think of asking, unless you want your raven to become a snail for the next decade.”

"My name is Solthoros L'Saith and I bring you only good will but ill tidings, I'm afraid. I would have come in person but the situation is so grave and time is of the essence that I thought it better to send my familiar in my stead. You see, I bring news from your colleagues in the Cloak Tower and from the council of Neverwinter itself and I believe the threat that they currently face will have serious consequences for everyone living on this plane of existence. Would you be gracious and hear me out?"

You hear patronising laughter, and once it subsides there is a flash of green light and you find yourself perched on the back of a leather armchair in a library. Across from you sits a human man in grey robes, cross-legged and studying you with piercing grey eyes. He appears middle-aged at a glance, but something about his demeanour makes you wonder if he is not far older.

“I did not expect manners from one of Neverember’s agents, though the melodrama you bring is certainly his style. Oh, I’m quite sure it’s as serious as you say - our world is always one step away from a final peril, even if most don’t know it, and why else would Nevermeber be as desperate as to swallow his pride and ask for help from me of all people?”

He smiles and reaches for a pipe which he lights with a wave of his hand and begins to puff.

“I assume you know who I am. I will hear you out, for my own amusement if nothing else. But first, I’m curious: How much did Nevermeber tell you of what happened when he was deposed as Waterdeep’s Open Lord?”


[DM note - you would know that Waterdeep is ruled by a group of secret individuals known as the Masked Lords, none of whom know who the others are, but their leader is the Open Lord and is known publicly. The current Open Lord who took over when Neverember left is the elf queen Laeral Silverhand.]

"I believe so, the Black Staff, correct? Lord Neverember was not entirely forthcoming about the reasons for his leaving Waterdeep. I know he was deposed by Laeral Silverhand and little else of the matter. It has been of little consequence to me thus far, I am not sworn to the allegiance of Lord Neverember and am only his agent until me and mine decide to move elsewhere. Though, anything you feel like sharing would be appreciated so that I know better who exactly I'm dealing with over there, I suspect Lord Neverember's tale of events would be a little biased."

"I have no interest in choosing sides in whatever rivalry has developed between Neverember and the leaders of this city. I merely seek your cooperation on both Neverwinter's and my behalf against an imminent threat from a demon lord of the Abyss who is intent of bringing about death to everyone in this world."

“So... the Xunanith has been taken.” He pauses in contemplation then notes your curious silence. “It’s an Abyssal name; it means ‘Bringer of Terrors’. It belongs to a runestone, secured in the Cloak Tower since the last time it was used, fifty or so years ago. Though I sense you already know much of this.”

He stands and paces over to the fireplace, above which is mounted a large obsidian staff - certainly his eponymous Blackstaff.

“I was one of the group who ended that threat. I’d already earned my renown by then, of course. One does not become the Blackstaff trivially. But what we did - what I did - was both terrible and necessary. Laeral and I thought ourselves unstoppable, and Lord Nasher of Neverwinter put his trust in us to destroy the beast. It was Yeenoghu, the lord of gnolls, of savagery and butchery, and he marched across the land and killed everything he saw. When we saw the destruction in his wake we feared he could not be killed, so we resolved to contain him. Yeenoghu breached the walls of Neverwinter and marched straight for Castle Never.”

The Blackstaff turns away from the fireplace to face you. He seems paler and haunted.

“Have you ever wondered why Neverember and the Council inhabit the Hall of Justice rather than Castle Never? Why it is guarded night and day and nobody is allowed in there? The beast resides in there to this day. We dared not attempt to destroy him so we magically sealed him in the castle forever. Doing so required great natural power to bind him to this reality and prevent his escape back to the Abyss. The only power we could use that was great enough was Mount Hotenow. It was not the demon which caused the eruption, but us.”

He breathes deeply and returns to his seat. “Neverember was still a child back then. Laeral and I thought ourselves like an aunt and uncle to him when we took him back to Waterdeep, but he saw us as heroes. As he grew older he placed his trust in adventure and heroics rather than the mundanity of politics, and the people loved him for it. As Open Lord he was popular and he made the city rich... but he refused to see that many of those who supported him were corrupt or outright criminal. Nor did he care that he’d been corrupted himself. If rumours are to be believed, he still has a vault of unimaginable wealth hidden somewhere in Waterdeep - all of it embezzled. He thought that Laeral would love him if he was rich and heroic and a success, but she is no fool. I played no part in her move to supplant him, when she threatened to uncover his illegal activities and associations, but I approved nonetheless, and he blamed me nonetheless. Laeral and I have always been... close, and Neverember does not like competition.”

He chuckles. “Forgive an old man for rambling on. I want you to understand that as likeable and capable as Neverember can seem, he is not to be trusted. Nor am I, for all the things I’ve done. Don’t trust people and you’ll be much safer. To the matter at hand, though: the Xunanith has become a threat again. Do you know who has it, do you know where they are and do you know if they’ve used it? And what do you expect me to do about it?”

"You speak wise words, Black Staff. Indeed it is trust that got us into this mess, for the culprit was none other than an arch mage of the Cloak Tower who sat on the Neverwinter council; or potentially someone or something impersonating the arch mage. He had us all fooled and all the Cloak Tower was under his spell. Brior Felhim is his name, and now he has disappeared with the Grand Magister who we also suspect is under his thrall. They took the Shard of Night to the Abyss and are raising an army as we speak before they return to wage war on this plane. Would he have to return to Castle Never to free the demon? Perhaps he has already used the stone, but the city was quiet when we left and there was nothing to suggest the demon was free. If Lord Neverember knew the demon was trapped in the castle then I am not sure why he wouldn't have told us this."

"Regardless, Neverwinter already faces attacks on its trade from the pirates of the north and we have uncovered information suggesting that the Drow are likely preparing an invasion of the surface. The city cannot deal with these threats and hold off an invasion from the Abyss at the same time, and if the city falls then I don't doubt that Waterdeep will be one of the next targets. Perhaps you will defeat them yourselves if you fortify Waterdeep and wait for them, and you may care little for happens to Lord Neverember; but there are a lot of innocent people in Neverwinter who do not deserve to die. I would ask you to convince the other Masked Lords to send whatever aid they can to combat this threat, and anything else you can tell us on how to either stop the use of the runestone or defeat the demon lord if he is freed would have of great use."

“It is strange... I am aware of most of the prominent wizards in Faerûn, and while I have admittedly been a recluse for some time now, I do not know of this Brior Felhim. He must have risen to the position of archmage not so long ago, though where he came from maybe the more pertinent question. Regardless, if he has the stone and is raising an army in the Abyss as you say, it is likely he has already used it.”

Blackstaff leans forward in his chair. “What you must understand is that Yeenoghu is sealed permanently in Castle Never, and if there is any way of releasing him then it has eluded me during my many decades of intense arcane research and experience. No, I do not believe Yeenoghu is the demon lord Brior Felhim intends to summon, or already has summoned. There are eight demon lords, and Yeenoghu may well be the least terrible of them. What we did... I did... last time, will likely not work this time.

“For my part, I will do what I can to persuade Laeral and the Masked Lords to send help to Neverwinter, though I haven’t been on speaking terms with her for several years now. We had a falling out. Even if I were to grovel, she may simply hunker down here and await the storm, and she may be right to do so. I will attempt to speak to her anyway.

“As for Brior, I could attempt to locate him, though it would take time. I can only assume the Cloak Tower attempted as much and failed, hence why you are here. Well, I may not be what I once was but I still have a few tricks up my sleeves. Frankly I believe seeking him out may be too late, and your best hope is to find a way to destroy the demon lord. I’ve had fifty years to dwell on my mistakes and I haven’t been sitting on my laurels.”

He nods towards the staff resting above the fireplace. “It doesn’t respond to me anymore. The Blackstaff is an artefact of phenomenal power, arguably with a will of its own. When I could no longer muster its powers, I assumed it was because I was no longer worthy, but now I wonder if it was sending me a message. I believe it may be dying, and it wants to go out with a bang.”

He stands and swipes the staff off the wall, examining it in his hands.

“Breaking the staff in two would unleash an unimaginable destructive force, possibly enough to destroy even a demon lord. Understand that this is a notion bordering on the ridiculous, however. Breaking an artefact such as this would require strength beyond any of the common races, and magic would be no use. And if it were to break, anybody within maybe a half-mile radius would not have a pleasant time. Still, necessity is necessity, terrible or not.”

He places the staff back on the wall. “If you were to pursue this course of action, you would need strength equal to the task. I happen to know the location of one of the few remaining belts of the storm giants, which would likely make you strong enough. It was stolen by the frost giants far to the north. I doubt they would allow you to take it willingly under any circumstances - in fact they would most likely kill you on sight - but somehow I don’t think that would deter you. Should you wish to attempt to recover the belt, I can teleport you there.”

Blackstaff stands and walks over to you, then reaches out and firmly pokes you between the eyes with a bony forefinger.

“There. You are now able to contact me directly, wherever you may be. Bother me with inane drivel or in the middle of the night without urgent need and I will remove this privilege.” He glares at you sternly.

"Any help you can provide will be most greatly received, in the event that Neverwinter is attacked by demons a lot of innocents will die without some support from the forces of Waterdeep. I am currently en route with my comrades to warn the Dwarves at Gauntlgrym and see what help I can secure from them, it might be that we discover the truth of this possible invasion of Drow and whether it is linked in any way. I take it that you would need us present with you in order for you to teleport us to the frost giants? I must discuss things with my party and will contact you again soon via our link. I discovered Brior's location within the Abyss and that he is raising an army but it is hard to say how long we have before he returns. So time is of the essence."

"You say that the staff 'may' release enough power to destroy a demon lord. Is there no other way which we could gather enough power to use a similar ritual to that which you used to contain the previous demon?"

“The power required to contain an evil as great as Yeenoghu had to be intrinsically linked to this world so that he remained bound to it, else he would find a way to return to the Abyss and regather his strength. The demons are always trying to find ways to the material plane to consume it with their chaos, and the runestone effectively provides a demon lord with the ability to travel here at will. That is why banishing them would be futile, and containment seemed the safest option. Relatively speaking. There are certainly other places of power in the world which could be used to similar effect, but utilising that power comes at a cost. It is an affront to nature itself. In the interests of exploring all options, however, I will consult with members of the Emerald Enclave whom I trust.

“I believe that concludes our current business. And here I was anticipating another delightfully dull evening. As you say, if you choose to recover the belt then I would need to meet you in person to transport you there. Contact me and I will find you as swiftly as my affairs allow.

“One final thing. If by some turn of Tymora’s luck we survive the coming days, I would be curious to speak to you of the being behind your powers. I have before seen those who make pacts with powerful eldritch entities, and it is never a safe practise of the arcane. The power I sense behind you scares even me, and I would suggest that if you do not already fear its presence or its will, you should.”

"Very well, thank you for this. I hope we all survive the coming days. I will make contact with you when we are ready."

[Sly Boots]

Great, thanks for that.

Just one small point to clarify before the next session, is Blackstaff saying he'd be able to come to us in order to teleport us to the giants, or would we need to make our way to Waterdeep for that to happen?

[Wrathbone]

Once contacted, he would teleport himself to you and then teleport all of you to the giants.

[Sly Boots]

Awesome, cheers.

[Wrathbone]

Keep in mind that as one of the most powerful and accomplished wizards in the world, he may not appreciate being used as a magic taxi service outside of critical necessity.

[Sly Boots]

Keep in mind that as one of the most powerful and accomplished wizards in the world, he may not appreciate being used as a magic taxi service outside of critical necessity.

That's fine, I was mainly asking as that trip north is sounding like a higher priority in terms of meeting the growing menace (that we *ahem* triggered) than our trip to the dwarves, so I was wondering if we should turn around and hot-foot it down to Waterdeep.

But if he can come to us then hopefully we can do both.

[Raid]

I should be ok for tonight, but there's a good chance I'll trail off a bit towards the end again.

[Sly Boots]

Waiting for 8pm like

[Wrathbone]

Prepping for 8pm like

[Sly Boots]

They'll never be enough track to cope with our choices, never!

[Wrathbone]

I've attempted to anticipate about five possible branches the game could take tonight, and it's probably going to be none of them.

[Wrathbone]

Just to confirm the Polymorph rules:

- You can polymorph someone else into a creature of their challenge rating (CR) or below, so just ask me what their CR is.

- You can polymorph yourself into a creature of type beast with a CR of your level or below. So when you next level up, you can polymorph yourself into a t-rex.