Session 54

PCs (lvl 15): Alexander, Broch, Levarion, Tarlyn, Yincan

The party faces marauding grimlocks and a mostrous neothelid, an alien creature of tremendous power. Even though Tarlyn is swallowed by the monster, the PCs manage to destroy all opposition without any losses.

The party travels through the city of R'lyeh, enduring the maddening geometries and evil influences of the place. Guided by Alexander and his connection to Strahd, they arrive at an illithid sanctum.

There they find Strahd kept prisoner in a mind-flayer brain-pool. But it is not the illithid that hold the party's advance, as the aberrant creature lie dead and scattered all about. A band of star spawns has invaded the place, believing to be the true chosen of the Great Old One.

Battle is joined, and during the confrontation Alexander manages to free Strahd. The vampire lord owns the platinum coin of Shadowthrone, which he uses to summon a portal to "Death", whatever that may mean. The star spawns are annihilated by this magic. 

Strahd gives the coin to the party, and tells them that the portal will indeed bring them to a plane of death, but that it is also the next step in their journey. One by one the PCs enter the portal. Alexander says his farewell to his former master. Strahd will return to Barovia, but hints at the fact that he also has some open scores to settle with Shadowthrone. Havng earned one more ally in their fight against the God of Death, Alexander enters the portal.

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Session 53

R'lyeh

PCs (lvl 15): Alexander, Broch, Levarion, Tarlyn, Yincan

The PCs have a long discussion with Van Richten on the nature of evil. The old monster hunter is interested in their point of view, though he fails to see what more can be done now that Strahd is gone.

He leaves them in the prisons with Ezmerelda. The persuade her to allow them to open the cells, and destroy all the monsters Van Richten has captured. They do so, and when confronted with Van Richten again he realizes the error of his ways. Yet, unwilling to accept defeat, he sends the PCs away, after delivering to Alexander a magical ring once belonging to Strahd's right hand Rahadin.

Through the ring, Alexander feels a "call" to return to Castle Ravenloft, where they find Madame Eva waiting for them. She guides them to the catacombs of the the castle, to a specific tomb that has been desecrated. The tomb now opens to a passage leading deep down.

The PCs begin their descent, and they soon find themselves in a world beyond the world, a place of absurd geometries and living madness. Darkness takes them, then they find themselves floating in a sea of mucus, and finally stranded on a beach. 

Not far from them, a mountain-sized construction of horrific design looms above them. To Tarlyn it is clear they've reached a place where the influence of the Great Old One is strong. The PCs take some time to explore the beach, when they're met by a band of savage grimlocks.

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Session 52

Rudolph Van Richten

PCs (lvl 15): Alexander, Levarion, Tarlyn, Yincan

The party returns to the elven city of Traevantahl to rest and discuss their future plans. After a heated discussion, Alexander proposes to travel to his "home" in the demiplane of Ravenloft, to ask for the help of the Darklord Strahd. Unaware of the true nature of that demiplane, the party agrees.

Yincan uses her newfound ability to travel through dreams to bring the party to Barovia, where Castle Ravenloft still stands. Alas, the castle seems to have been looted and abandoned. Beyond its broken gates they find Madame Eva the fortune-teller. 

She tells them of how "travellers" from a different world have defeated Strahd, and let his castle for the looters. When she describes one of the travellers, a dark elf by the name of Anomander, the PCs recognize a well-known patron of the Yawning Portal.

With Strahd absent, the party seeks his nemesis, the hunter Dr. Rudolph Van Richten. They find his in his tower a few days away from Castle Ravenloft. Van Richten is still an obsessed man, somehow as strongly connected to the demiplane as Strahd once was.

As he shows the PCs his little menagerie of imprisoned monsters, the party begins to realize that Van Richten may be the key to bring forth the return of Strahd.

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Session 51

Orcus and the Raven Queen

PCs (lvl 14): Aleksander, Tarlyn, Yincan

The party is escorted to the Elven Sanctuary, where they can rest and recover their strengths. There they also meet Liathana, a servant of Sehanine Moonbow, elven goddess of Dreams. 

She immediately perceives Yincan's strong connection with the dreamworld. when she hears of the party's quest, she suggests that they "explore" the dreams of the Winter Queen, the goddess Shadowthrone stole the portfolio of Death from.

The party agrees, and Liathana brings them to the Dreamgate. There they perform a ritual to open the gate, and they're transported to the last memory of the Raven Queen.

They witness when Heroes from another world fought against the demon prince Orcus in order to save the Raven Queen. But during the fight, one of them, a dark-clad drow revenant, takes advantage of the surrounding chaos to steal the Shard of Pure Evil from Orcus, and use it against the Raven Queen to steal part of her power. They soon realize they have just witnessed the ascension of Shadowthrone.

When they awaken from the dream, they find themselves once again in front of the Dreamgate, but they're not alone. Nightmare creatures from the dimension of dreams have followed them to Arvandor. With the assistance of Liathana the party defeats these aberrations.

The blessing of Sehanine is upon them, as the faerie lights of the grove coalesce on the shoulders of Yincan, creating a magical Robe of Stars.

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Session 50

Eilistraee

PCs (lvl 14): Aleksander, Levarion, Tarlyn, Yincan

The PCs return to the Yawning Portal to lick their wounds. Realising Shadowthrone is after those that have defied him, Aleksander is persuaded to relinquish his coin to Tarlyn.

The day after, on their way to Zadara the party visits the Temple of the Seldarine. There they meet Adorellan, a priest whom Levarion had already spoken to in the past.

Aware of Levarion's will to seek a helpful god in their quest against Shadowthrone, Adorellan direct the party to a portal to Arvandor, the realm of the Seldarine. More specifically, the portal will lead them to a sacred grove blessed by Eilistraee, protector of those drow that have turned their back on Lolth.

When the PCs arrive in Arvandor, they find the sacred grove under attack from demons sent by the Spider Queen. The party defeats the demons, and receive the blessing of the Dark Maiden. Levarion swears allegiance to Eilistraee, and he's named her Champion. The goddess makes him a mighty gift, an armor to protect him in the battles to come.

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