Episode 8 "The Grey"

Session #14: 9/14/2019

14 Torul 2350 of the 5th Age

Recap

 * The session began with the party standing in the manor in the Fallen Grove. Korra had just captured The Grey long enough for Thokk to knock him unconscious.
 * With the Manor burning to the ground the party exited out through the stained glass window. Thokk walked The Grey and Hermes down, while the rest of the party climbed down using Kandra's rope.
 * Outside of the manor, The Grey regained consciousness. He begged the party to save his research from the fire and told them they could find treasure with his research if they saved it.
 * Thokk climbed back inside and threw the bookcase of scrolls out the window, grabbing a small chest as he went, before leaping out the window himself.
 * In the chest, the party found a set of Necromancer's Dice, a horrific magical item that either gives or takes life essence, depending on how you roll.
 * Kandra scooped up the dozens of scrolls and stuffed them in the pockets of her Smuggler's Coat.
 * The party taunted The Grey a little before putting a bag over his head and returning to the city. They headed took Nedan/The Grey to the Stone's Eye where they could report to Lotra Dov.
 * As they arrived, they found the militia in a state of panic, people were rushing to and fro and spreading out through the city as Lotra awaited them.
 * The party discovered that, while they were away, the livingwood wall that surrounded the city had shriveled and died, leaving it defenseless. And not only that but several scout patrols that Lotra sent out, were not returning. Something was heading for Alkori at an alarming rate.
 * The party threw The Grey in a cell and began interrogating him. They discovered that he seemed to be a sort of split personality with Nedan, claiming to have been with him since childhood. Whenever Nedan couldn't handle something, The Grey would step in and take control. Nedan is blissfully unaware of The Grey's presence. At one point, Vendrin threatened The Grey's life, and he allowed Nedan to surface, making it clear that if he were killed, so too will Nedan be.
 * While the party interrogated The Grey, Kandra took a moment to skulk about the Stone's Eye. She found a large vault but decided not to open it as she didn't want to cause trouble for the group.
 * The Grey begged to be allowed one of his scrolls to hold, in exchange for continuing their conversation, but Vendrin instead burned one of them. The Grey decided this was simply not worth his time and cast Dimension Door, disappearing through the floor.
 * Liosynth acted quickly, casting Locate Object on the ropes she had used to tie Nedan's hands, and what followed was a rapid chase through the twisting back alleys of Alkori. The party nearly caught up with The Grey as he leapt into a bolt hole in Nedan's Garden, but were intercepted by swarms of Kyuss worms and two of The Grey's Vine Hunger zombies.
 * The party defeated the creatures, but by the time they had, The Grey had collapsed his escape passage and disappeared from range of the Locate Spell.
 * As explosions began to ring out from the northwest of the city, the party returned to the Stone's Eye to find the soldiers of the Earthen Fist preparing for a siege. Guardsmen were bringing soldiers in to shelter them from the swarm of Kyuss Worms and Spawns of Kyuss that were infecting the city.
 * As one man rushed through the gates, he fell to the ground. Captain Korra recognized him as a local blacksmith she had done dealings with. And as she knelt down to aid him, she saw Kyuss worms spilling from his mouth.
 * Liosynth quickly out a crossbow bolt in the back of his head.
 * The party, with the aid of the Earthen Fist, Lotra, a local priest, and some cannons made ready to defend the civilians from the onslaught. And as they finished their preparations, a massive Kyuss Worm, nearly 60ft long burst through the ground, flanked by several smaller swarms and a group of worm zombies.
 * What followed was a brutal battle that nearly killed the entire party, several times over. More than once a member of the party was infected by the Kyuss worms that threatened to convert them into the same horrid creatures they were fighting. Thokk took on the Great Worm directly, drinking a Potion of Giant-Size and fighting it on its own terms.
 * Losing many of the soldiers, the party managed to successfully defend what civilians were finding their way to the Stone's Eye. But it was clear that the city was lost. Lotra ordered the city abandoned and the group fled with the civilians through an escape tunnel beneath the Stone's Eye.
 * From where the tunnel surfaced, about 2 miles outside of the city limits, the party could see the city of Alkori in flames. And together with only a few dozen of its citizens, they mourned the loss of the ancient city.
 * The party began to lead the citizens south on the long road to Thrynn. Lotra receded into herself, ashamed that Alkori had been lost on her watch. And so, leadership fell to Vendrin. Local leaders asked whether he though they could perhaps seal the mountain pass and stop the worms from reaching the southern cities, but Vendrin advised them that if Alkori could fall in a day, the island would not last long, and should be evacuated.
 * The small group of refugees slowly grew as smalled farming communities were evacuated, and by the end of the first day, their numbers has swollen to a few hundred. Kandra and Zevah, along with their animal companions helped the hunters gather food to feed the refugees who had little more than the clothes on their backs, Liosynth worked with a small cabal of clerics from various faiths to care for the sick and injured, while Vendrin consulted with leadership, and Thokk took up the rear guard.
 * At the beginning of the second day, the caravan reached the cliff face that divides Alkori from the Rus forests and began their descent. Thokk and a soldier were the last down the hill. The soldier heard the same tavern music that Thokk had heard at the cliff and was nearly taken, but Thokk forced him down the hill.
 * As the soldier grumbled his way down the hill, Thokk was confronted by a strange-looking half-elf with white eyes and a shock of blue hair. He told Thokk that the soldier was his and that he didn't much appreciate Thokk interfering.
 * After conversing briefly, the half-elf identified himself as Dolos the God of Trickery. He admitted that he was rather intrigued because Thokk wasn't afraid of him. So Dolos challenged him to a game of chance. If Dolos won, he would keep Thokk's soul, but if Thokk won, Dolos would help slow the worms down, though he couldn't stop them.
 * Thokk won this game of chance, even after doubling down, and won not only Dolos' aid, but also the promise of a future favor.
 * Thokk hurried to tell the group about what had happened, but not before Dolos gave him one final, gleeful piece of advice to hurry through the mountain pass.
 * As the day reached it's close, Kandra remembered that she still had most of The Grey's research in her pockets and wanted to see if it had any value. She found an old wizard who lived with one of the farming communities they had picked up. He loaned Kandra his glasses, which helped her to decipher the scrolls. She found their contents incredibly disturbing but thought that they might hold some academic value and so resolved to bring them to Lewin Macedo at the University in Thrynn.
 * Before she left the old wizard, he told her that he was an old friend of Harkel's and that Harkel wanted them to know that he wasn't long for this world. He said that they should go see him, he had something to give to them.
 * That night, as the refugees made camp, Vendrin walked to the outskirts of their tents, away from prying eyes. There, he pulled out the Deck of Many Things. The loss of millions of lives weighed heavily on him, and he was ready to risk everything for the chance to undo it. So he drew a card.
 * Kandra was running to tell him about Harkel's message and found him right as he drew a card. The Skull Card.
 * Suddenly, an Avatar of Death appeared before Vendrin and called out his name. Vendrin shouted to Kandra to stay back, that he had to kill it on his own. He was able to readily defeat it, as it was merely a reflection of himself.
 * The fireball he used to do so, however, alerted everyone to his activities. Korra sent some guardsmen to calm the refugees as the party discussed whether to pull another card from the deck.
 * Thokk weighed the options and drew three more cards from the deck. First, he drew The Fates.
 * Thokk realized he had the power to change everything, he could rewrite time and undo what had come to pass. He took a moment, and with his immense power, changed history so that VECNA NEVER DIED AND KYUSS NEVER ASCENDED TO GODHOOD.
 * Out from Thokk radiated this incredible wave of energy that rippled throughout the very fabric of existence. Suddenly, the Good Samaritans were standing alone on the road to Thrynn, with none of the refugees were with them, and all of them could tell that things had changed dramatically.
 * But Thokk still had two more cards to draw. He pulled his second, The Key. And suddenly, he was holding a flaming great axe.
 * Then Thokk drew his last card. The Donjon. And before the eyes of the party, Thokk vanished. Only a pile of his belongings remained.
 * Thokk felt himself being pulled deep into the earth. He was petrified and locked away deep below ground. He accepted his fate... but suddenly he heard a voice giggle and say "Well that was impressive."
 * Suddenly, Thokk was standing in a black void, face to face with Dolos. Dolos hadn't expected that favor to be called in so soon and remarked that Thokk was lucky the cards magic wouldn't affect him so quickly as it did the mortal world. He returned Thokk to the place he had left, saying that he would be keeping an eye on the barbarian.
 * Thokk suddenly reappeared before his friends, amazed to still be alive.
 * Kandra felt her rogueish instincts kick in and pulled one of the cards. The Sun. Suddenly, Kandra glowed with energy as she was made more skilled (She gained 50,000xp) and suddenly a small white metal box appeared in her hand.
 * And that is where the episode ended, as the party uncertainly looked at one another, unsure of how the world had changed, and nervously looking toward the future.