#103 - Blessings, Warnings, and Fireballs

Excerpt from the Cypher's Codex: The Scrawlings of a Warforged Scholar — Zarantyr 23rd, 999 YK

After a period of cessation, where those among us who required sleep did so, Talor spoke with us about the object that he guarded—and whether we should be allowed to see or know what it was at all. While I argued that we should all benefit from more knowledge, he had concerns that were difficult to dispute. The "disunity" of our group, as he called it, was one. Another was the symbol that Magnus and I bear of the Shadow in our hands. For Simel and Wynn, neither had quests necessarily aligned with ours.

Ultimately, Talor revealed this information only with Clarion and Aleae by escorting them down the stairway into the lower chamber. When they returned, Clarion spoke, saying he agreed with Talor's concerns that knowing what the object is was risky.

But it was important, and he said it gave him greater resolve to contest our existing enemies.

Then Talor offered each of us a divine blessing before we continued on our journey. He warned us that we would be required to submit to his deep insight once again in front of the entire party, but added that he understood if we declined. Making choices of one's own volition were important to him.

Magnus jumped at the opportunity before anyone else. Talor led him to one of the chamber's alcoves where we saw the reflective wall fall away to reveal another scene of our companion's past. In it, we perceived an adolescent Magnus, adorned with only a few of his tattoos at this stage of his creation. There was another young Bringer of Fire with him on a beach, along with the disabled—if not dead—bodies of many other Serens. It became clear that these were the remnants of a great battle between the Stormwalkers and the Bringers of Fire. Magnus's companions went to deliver a permanently disabling blow upon one of the unconscious Stormwalkers and we saw Magnus physically prevent the action from taking place. Evidently  At that point the vision faded away...

Then Talor spoke to him about personal experiences. "Men such as this dragonspeaker, Solashan, whom you did not kill, is but a puppet. Dangerous, perhaps, but he would have been replaced by another even if you had ended him. Your soul, however, remains untarnished for the event. Renounce the guilt. Instead, remember that much more is at stake than your tribe. You cannot grasp the true severity of the rise of even one of the great rakshasa rajahs." Indicating Magnus's bone mace, he said, "It is no accident that this ancient weapon came into the hands of the Seren who went abroad to find solutions. Wield the Defiler’s Bane not for the Bringers of Fire, not for Seren, not even for Lucerix—that old red can hold his own—but for the outlanders, for the innocents of Khorvaire and lands beyond. This impacts them all. I do not know if you are to resurrect the Winter Coalition, or to become it, but you must take part in it. They were an elite force, and more importantly, the only active agency opposing Katashka’s influence for ages."

Talor was familiar with the rajah, Katashka, of whom we'd heard before on several occasions. Then he bestowed a divine infusion upon Magnus's weapon by touching his glowing sword to it. Both weapons flared brightly.

Having seen the great magic infused in Magnus's mace, Simel stepped up next. We saw another similar scene to that which we encountered when he stepped through the misty room earlier. In it, Simel was on a forest ridge in human guise and with blood on his hands and in a Karnnathi military uniform. His commanding officer was a priest of the Blood of Vol, judging by his uniform and vestments. Simel shouted out that enemies were approaching and we saw utter confusion amongst the ranks as Simel began to loose arrows rapidly across a ravine. The other soldiers followed his lead blindly. Then we observed Simel, quietly but indisputably, shot several of his arrows carefully into the neck of the priest as well, killing him. It might have been easily mistaken for friendly fire in the tumult. Then the vision faded.

Before bestowing Simel's rapier with energy, Talor spoke to him directly. “I know that your purpose is unclear. But know that Katashka, the demon against which your companions must contest, is the author of undeath in this world. He is the reason the founders of the Cult of Vol experimented with necromancy in the first place."

Looking askance at Wynn as well, he went on. "Understand that I find the practice of your kinsmen in Karrnath abhorrent; I saw it myself during your petty war. Raising the honorable dead into the mockery of unlife is a sin; each time, the act gives tribute to Katashka. It is ignorant, at best, for there are many without evil in their hearts who study such blasphemies. But at times, the reasons for doing so are just, if not well-advised. I would counsel you to redirect your vengeance. What became of those dear to you is horrible. But it will also become commonplace if Khorvaire is ruled by Katashka. Do not let him rise.”

One of the fabled feyspires
of Thelanis, the Faerie Court.

Aleae's vision was very clearly of a royal court of her people; at the Carnival of Shadows, the Lady Amarillis made mention to Aleae of the Rose Queen. I assume that is her liege. There were throngs of somber, formally dressed eladrin standing before a small but ornate throne, and the eladrin queen was speaking. Though we could not hear her words, she seemed to be entreating them. Then we saw Aleae push through the crowd and lay down her Nightsong Blade before her Queen and give a deep bow. The gesture gave the impression that she was volunteering for something. The queen smiled and the vision faded.

To Aleae, Talor gave this counsel. “Your people are a bright and artistic race, but many of them are in peril now, bound to this world of mortals. I understand what it is to remain trapped in so dismal a place. Wonder lies within you in particular, eladrin—and danger, and fear. You are very quick to anger. Yet you are no child, not as these others are; find wisdom in tolerance and patience. I would also counsel you to be honest with your companions. If you trust them with your life, as you do Clarion Tritone, then trust them with your heart. The anger that lies between you and Cypher will flourish the longer you contend with demons, I promise you. As for your homeland, tell your queen that the power of the Mourning is rooted in five planes; if she knows that one of the feyspires binds the rest in its grasp, perhaps it, and those responsible, can be located.”

Yes, the five planes. Before we had rested, Talor had spoken some words about the Mourning, for that is why Aleae had come to find him. I understood that her concern for the Mourning was less about the damage it has wrought upon the Five Nations and more about her people's exile.

Talor had said that even in his homeland, not all was known. But it was believed by his people that the Mourning was orchestrated by several prakhutu—the greatest servants of the demon Overlords. But it could not have been achieved by them alone. Mortals of Eberron must have been complicit. Talor did not know who they were or if they are even living or dead now.

Yet he insisted that the agencies behind the Mourning had "rooted" its creation in fve of the outer planes. If the bonds to these five planes were to be severed, the Mourning could lose its strength. Talor said it could not be reversed, but its grip on Eberron could be broken. Perhaps, then, nature would reclaim the land and heal the wounds.

The five planes are:

• Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead
• Shavarath, the Battleground
• Kythri, the Churning Chaos
• Thelanis, the Faerie Court
• Dal Quor, the Region of Dream

It was much to think about. When Talor was finished with Aleae, I inquired with Wynn as to her trepidations with accepting Talor's blessing. She had indicated that she alone among us would not accept his magic and I wanted to understand why she would turn down an opportunity for such a powerful weapon enhancement. I explained to her that even I had nothing in my arsenal of arcane powers that could infuse such a blessing upon her partisan for a full day. She seemed anxious about the magic permanently affecting her weapon, for which I saw no reason to be concerned.  But also she feared taking the Angel's blessing could somehow compromise her existing loyalties. Moreover, she did not believe Talor was necessarily what he claimed to be: an angel.

Clarion stepped forward next, perhaps to allay some of Wynn's fears or perhaps he had become impatient with her indecision—even I have difficulty determining his meaning when he does not speak.

A bone knight of Karrnath.

His vision began immediately with the clamor of combat. Aundairian soldiers were in a losing battle against Karnnathi forces and we saw a Karrnathi bone night viciously engaging three young Aundarians. We notice the polearm the bone knight was wieding was, in fact, the very partisan that Wynn carries! Clarion consistently puts his own body between the bone knight and the young soldiers, clearly trying to protect them. But all four of them were clearly outclassed by the bone knight's martial skill. The situation looked desperate. Finally in a maneuver to protect the others, Clarion interposed and placed his body squarely in the path of the partisan, impaling himself fully. We saw the light in his gemstone eyes fade away. So devastating was the wound that I would have judged it permanent disablement. The vision faded.

Wynn and Clarion stared at each other in silence for a while before Talor addressed Clarion. "Clarion Tritone. You are not the wandering soul that you once were but you cannot sever your past actions or thoughts. You may never be free of the thoughts of bloodshed and violence, but you can counter them. Demonstrate mercy for every dark thought, carry out an act of peace for every act of violence. I cannot speak to the truths of Dol Arrah, but the light of her faith is strong even in my homeland. You alone must represent the power of the Host in your allies’ quests against Katashka. Without it they will grow weak and fail in the end. It took innumerable dragons to bind the great rajahs, for the Overlords are the stronger. But the gods are stronger still.”

Perhaps having seen the blinding truth of Talor's visions first hand, Wynn at last stepped forward. Talor asked her pointedly, as he had Magnus, what she believed he was. She answered that she "didn't know anymore." He was satisfied with this. But she demanded reassurances from Talor that this blessing would not interfere with her oath to king and country. He assured her that no commitments or courses of actions were to be placed upon her, only counsel.

In her vision, we saw her climbing through a battlement in the wake of a great battle while a storm raged above her. She was looking among fallen soldiers and broken stones, uncaring of the fury of the roiling storm. Wynn at least found and pulled a dead female soldier, another Karrn, from a tangle of rock and corpses, and she looked saddened. Then the vision faded to a future time. The battlements had been repaired entirely using skeletal remains—whose it was unclear. We saw Wynn on sentry duty, and she stopped at a particular skull in the wall and stared at it. The vision faded.

Before bestowing her partisan with his magic, Talor addressed her directly. “Your family is…complicated. But there is honor there, and it will be tested. Foremost in you. The spear you carry is very old. It is fashioned with white ironwood, a tree native to Risia, the Plane of Ice, but has been known to grow as well in the Frostfell beyond the Bitter Sea. The only ones skilled in such craft are the eladrin of the Winter Citadel. That you have carried it here, and that you have met these others who travel with weighty quests, tells me that you were meant to. It is my  belief that your weapon is a sister in purpose to the one carried by Magnus and bears a legacy of prophecy. Even in the hands of the ignorant, it has serves that legacy in unexpected ways."

Talor looked at Clarion as he said this last part. Then he went on. "The spear should not be used to kill men and women who merely defend their homelands. It should be used to slay fiends. My counsel to you is join the Winter Coalition, or else to relinquish the spear to them. Become worthy of this weapon.”

Although I am most intrigued by Talor's divine magic, and I would never pass up an opportunity to gain some insight into my past or my possessions, I was a little reluctant to accept his blessing myself. I have been relying so heavily on my armbow lately that I didn't think blessing the Tongue of Hrasta would be of much use. I couldn't pass up the knowledge, however, and I stepped forward.

Immediately I knew the vision he conjured for me. Many years ago during the Last War I was, of course, fighting for Breland in the Engineers Brigade. My duty was to set traps and explosives and, perhaps more importantly, locate and disarm those placed before my countrymen. At the Battle of Brey Crossing I was tasked with clearing the bridge of traps in order to allow our main forces to push forward, enabling them to reunite with King Boranel and Three who were trapped on the other side of the river. With no time to properly handle the explosives and King Boranel's life at dire risk, I made a carefully calculated dash onto the bridge, setting off all of the traps at once, but disabling myself in the process. I would not be found and repaired for two full days after the battle concluded.

Talor said, “Though all lands are threatened by Katashka, Lord of Undeath, your nation in particular may be the most immediately imperiled. Whatever it is that Avashad plans to do with his device, it is on Breland soil that it will be unleashed. I do not feel I can appeal to your sense of justice, but I will appeal to your national loyalty. Your king desired peace even when his father did not.”

He also reminded me about something I had forgotten and thought little of. "Not long ago, you traded an object of...value...to a night hag in exchange for information. This you should not have done—in Droamm you were all naive about your allies. Know this: The hag now uses the object as a focus to haunt the dreams of the child who treasured it. Already a homeless refugee living in the slums of Sharn, now she is plagued by these nightmares and has withdrawn into herself and will not speak to her father. She is growing ill for lack of nutrition. It would be the right thing to do to correct the situation." I do not understand how Talor knows these things, but Elidac said he came from Syrania, the Azure Sky, the plane of air that allows Sharn's lofty towers to exist through the use of a manifest zone. Perhaps some of his insight comes from this connection.

He also warned me about my armbow, which took on new properties when I drew the Ruin card from the Deck of Many Things. He said that it was infused with a spirit from Mabar, the plane of darkness and negative energy and that it could, with usage, corrupt me with its influence.

The DM's Third Person Accounting and Narration

Before the party had rested in Clarion's abode, Clarion experimented with a new spell his faith in Dol Arrah had given him: Find Steed. Summoning a celestial spirit from Irian, the plane of Eternal Day, he found that it took the form of a female destrier of vivid blue and green color. The mare was large and strong, strong enough to bear his weight when the time was right. Clarion knew immediately that her name was Amatrix, after the gemstone, and she approached him and telekinetically expressed her delight at meeting him. Their bond was extent.

Look, an amatrix! It's perty!

Aleae, while instinctively pleased at the beauty of Clarion's new friend, may have muttered under her breath something about not having a unicorn of her own.

After resting and taking both counsels and blessings with Talor, the angel took the opportunity to remind the party of the nature of their enemies:

Katashka is one of the great rakshasa rajahs, demon Overlords bound in powerful slumber far beneath the surface of the world. Although their numbers are unknown, it has been speculated that twenty or thirty such rajahs exist, but every one of them was bound in dragonshards in the depths of Khyber by the collective effort of dragons and couatls long ago, marking the end of the Age of Demons. The rajahs are godlike in their power, and the awakening of even one of these mighty beings would be disastrous to all civilizations. As the first children of Khyber herself (according to the myths), each of the rajahs personified a great force of evil in the world. It is said that even the mere stirrings of one of these dread fiends in slumber carries consequences on the world above it. Some lore-keepers have speculated, for example, that it was the slight rousing of Rak Tulkhesh, the rajah of rage, war, and hatred, that inspired the aggression in Galifar that led to the start of the Last War.

For Katashka, it is nothing less than undeath itself, the perversion and repurposing of a mortals' passage from life to death, that threatens all. That is why so many undead creatures have numbered among the minions of Avashad, a shapechanging rakshasa and the prakhutu of this rajah.

Talor said this: “Understand this: The longer you endure against the servants of Katashka and Avashad the more valuable you will become to him. Do not always expect violence to be made against you, and do not think you can achieve victory against him with violence alone. He is a demon of the First Order and has a patience that you with your brief lives cannot appreciate.

"If you have proven an obstacle, then Avashad will at some point will no longer attempt to slay you...but use you. Be wary if you are too successful, for that may well play into his hands. When you meet little resistance from him, be wary.”

“Releasing a demon rajah is not like sundering a lock or forcing open a door. It is delicate work, like solving a puzzle box of antiquated design. Think of your enemy not as a warrior, but a sage...who employs thieves, assassins, spies, and mercenaries. Avashad will not lead armies against this land or try to win with force of arms; any show of force is likely to be a distraction. His true aim is to tease apart the strands of prophecy, to find the precise sequence needed to—as you say it—crack the code and free Katashka, the Prince of Undeath, upon the world. If that happens, not a host of my kind will suffice to contain the ruin. That is what you are up against, and it is likely you have borne witness to some of this unraveling. I assure you, it began centuries ago."

Nagas are said to have the bodies
of snakes but humanlike heads.

Talor provided a stylistic map to show the party where to go to seek Avashad's servants directly in the dungeons of Glyphstone (above where they were now). Trazzen, a hobgoblin vampire who was once the governor of the city of Paluur Draal in the Dhakaani Empire, had been "installed" in Glyphstone to carry out a project on his master's behalf. Talor said that if the PCs could remove him and destroy his project, it would ease the threat against Talor himself and the secret object he guarded. It might even allow him to return to his home plane and find other means of protecting. But for now, he dared not walk away from his vigil.

Alternatively, Talor's map indicated another passage they could take that would lead them to where a potential ally could be found, along with the sceptre of Glyphstone itself. Nagas, a race of intelligent, immortal serpents had laired in Glyphstone after it fell in the Age of Monsters. Benevolent guardian nagas and malevolent spirit nages fought over the chambers and treasures of Glyphstone. Earlier, the PCs had encountered a pair of dark nagas who might have been aligned with these.

But the coming of Avashad a few years ago had resulted in the capture of two of the more powerful guardian nagas, Arafin and Loravin. Loravin, the male, was slain and taken by Avashad's minions to be transformed into something undead. Arafin, the female, was given over to the spirit nagas as a permanent captive. Talor believes Arafin would be a valuable ally, if she were freed.

So the party said farewell to Talor and set out, seeking the nagas. When they followed the correct passage up to a nexus cavern, they found a skeletal minotaur and a group of gnolls idling there. A fireball blast from Aleae immolated the gnolls; the only one that had survived was quickly put down by one of Simel's arrows.

When the minotaur was destroyed, the rest of the party entered the cavern to investigate further.

And then an ominous chuckle in the darkness above preceded a fireball loosed into their midst.