Campaign Update #17 (by Ironbeard)

Campaign Time: November 12, 1051 HR

Last session was truly a night of surprises. Not long after entering the Temple of Demogorgon via a secret entrance and discovering what appeared to be a den of true sexual perversion your party was beset by a pair of Bar-Lgura. From that point on the evening was a mixture of successes and, at least temporary defeats. While Ardyth, Tilo, and Aeschere pressed onward and managed to penetrate to the inner shrine of the facility, Whren and Quarian were beset by a Broodswarm, stitched up by its horrid black threads and taken prisoner.

When the rest of you finally confronted Afa the evil cleric in charge of the temple, she confronted yowith a grim and difficult decision: either surrender unconditionally or she would execute Whren and Quarian. Perhaps thinking she was bluffing, or perhaps believing you could still save your comrades,you elected to fight. This resulted in the tragic death of Quarian who, lying helplessly bound and stitched, had his throat ripped out by a Wight. At this point, you opted to acquiesce to Afa’s demands.

Once captured though, you were not sacrificed to Demogorgon the self styled Lord of demons, but rather were presented with an intriguing offer from Afa. Though you had done great damage to her temple and had slain several of her minions, she recognized your formidable martial prowess and devised a better use for you. She proposed that she would raise Quarian from the dead and grant you your ultimate release if you agreed to undertake a mission for her on Thanatos, the one hundred and thirteenth layer of the abyss, home of Orcus and domain of the undead. She wished you recover a certain object, a book entitled the Rubric of Akham that was owned by Bahragh the Pitiless, a sorcerer and worshiper of Orcus who lived over a millennium ago and who was granted undead status upon his death as a reward for his service to the evil demon lord. Afa reckons that Bahragh still has the Rubric of Akham in his possession where he resides as a vampire on Thanatos. Afa believes that if she can recover the rare tome and kill a minor servant of a rival demon lord she can increase her own powers and raise her status in the cult of Demogorgon. She believes that you will be the perfect instrument to help her accomplish this purpose.

Reluctanstly you agreed, but Afa, in order to insure your cooperation required that a hostage remain behind. Whren Briarwhisper, our plucky and beloved gnome rogue agreed to fulfill this role.

Thus the evening ended with you standing on the bleak, frostrimmed Plains of Hunger, one of the abyss’s vastest and most inhospitable wastelands. Above you burns an enormous full moon, filling the sky with an unnatural glow. Before you, in the distance and barely perceptible on the horizon lie the Final Hills, your destination. Somewhere in those hills awaits Bahragh, the vampiric sorcerer and key to your salvation.

XP Awarded:

0 for Quarian as he died and had to be resurrected

1,500 for Ardyth, Aeschere and Whren

1,925 for Tilo