Episode 8 (part 2): Drawing Connections

The party finds a rather good old map of the whole land of Greyhawk, hanging on one of the walls of a pub, going around, each chiming in their knowledge from they started, they retell their story of where they have been and how they have come to be in Alhaster, seeking out information on the Ebon Triad.  The arc of their story has suggested to both them and the sages Manzorian and Agath how the recent proliferation of worm-infested undead may be linked to heretics of Vecna, Erythnul and Hextor who have formed the Ebon Triad.  They are now in Alhaster to follow-up on leads from the wizard Balakarde who 10 years ago disappeared after discovering the Ebon Triad was active in Alhaster and that a local elf noble had crushed a cabal of Hextorites who had left their church.

Stepping outside after filling Talis, the party’s new bard, with numerous tales which she is left to incorporate into a new repertoire path, Vasco catches a sheaf of paper which has blown up out of an alley.  The Sinchaser Report is immediately visible as not one of Prince Zeech’s sacntioned rags, but an underground publication cobbled together bear witness to the excess and hypocrocy of the nobles and bear witness to the pain and suffering of labouring under ‘his greatness.  Nearly as fast as he caught it, Vasco is accosted by a patrol of hobgoblin Watchers, who challenge the strangers found with the rag but who are quickly left to understand ‘how disgusting’ the party feels about it and its contents as well.

With a week to go before the Great Banquet, the party decides to get to know something more of Alhaster.  Zeek strikes out on his own for the Gallows and finds hangmen working towards an upcoming spectacle.  Zeek impresses them with some architectural drawings for a an improved and more dramatic gallows system, and the minor officials leave with a sense that this guy has the real potential to contribute something good to the Princes’ fine city.  Zeek is encouraged to return for the big show.

Vasco and Nadroc have more stealthy plans.  They sit casually outside the Blessed Angels’ Aerie to scope it out.  Seeing a few of these curious outsiders (as Nadroc was able to identify) coming and going, Vasco augments his hearing to see if he can work out what they are up to.  It is all the infernal business of enforcing the law, clearly and efficient, observant. organized and coordinated omnipresence in Zeech’s Alhaster.

Yldar and Talis spend time at the market learning that higher level and more pricey wares may be had after hours from certain shops for a 10% discount from the prices they were paying in Magepoint.  They also get a sense of the definately loyalty and apparent business advantage of working in the law-abiding city of Alhaster.  Certainty makes business predictable, and predictability makes profitability, though the there is everywhere a slight recognition of the irony this brings to the overall quality of life.

They witness a large crowd gather for the excecutions.  The first are two workers who had hoped to leave the construction of the Great Project before dusk so they could have advantageous hunting for their families.  Not only were they insubordinate, but the prospect of fishing no doubt included the immanent theft of fishing gear, and the possibility of trespass to get to a bank where it would do them some good.  Work is for workers, not thieving and lazing about, and everyone should remember it.  While the crowd enjoyed the spectacle, the real energy charged up with the next group of three who, it was announced, were hanged for their affiliation with the Ebon Triad.  The crowd spits and rages against the mere mention of this vile heretical belief, and are whipped up at the summary death of these traitors.  Zeech’s undeclaired war against the Ebon Triad has obvious support in the streets.

The next day Talis makes for Miomay’s Playhouse to arrange for an appointment to have the wardrobe and makeup department set her up for Zeech’s feast – a service they are more than happy to commit to.  Zeek, having heard about another service provided there, avails himself, finding that the mistress is much less inquisitive than her worker, who was happy to chat, and in fact seemed to want to know whatever she could learn about the dealings of an obvious man of wealth and power like Zeek.

After, they carry on to check out the Great Project, a huge construction that is well underway, and which strikes many of them in the architectural themes that are reminiscent of the ziggurat of Kuluth-mar.  While the patrol forbid them to enter the premises, the group suspects that they could rather easily get inside, with proper stealth and preparation – but they would have to do it while keeping the Blessed Angels in mind, who no doubt would interject on such a trespass.

Finally, they make it down to the harbour where they charter a boat on Eel River Transport to the island of the Traitors’ Graves.  They had heard that this is where the executed are taken.  It was named this by Zeech, who left the old knights of Alhaster to slowly die here after he rescued the city from their rule 20 years ago.  The transport is arranged for drop off at high tide, but will not return until the next high tide as the Eel becomes too shallow for much of the lunar cycle.

The Traitors Graves is a muddy, reedy, mosquito infested place.  On initial inspection, there is little to see other than the crows and marshy pools.  However, the party does not go unobserved.  Four black dragons – young but still large enough, close in from all sides, but not to attack but to make a proposition.  They claim to have been watching the party and want to enlist them to help rid their mother’s old layer of a scourge who had moved inside.  The party initially agrees, and once the giant boulder to their layer is pushed aside by the dragons, Yldar takes Zeek’s bait and lets out that it was he who had helped kill their mother.  Enraged by this betrayal, the dragons attack.  Two are slain by the party and two take flight, smart enough to know when they have been outmatched.

Nadroc disintegrates the boulder that the dragons had managed to push back into place during the battle and the party descends into Ilthane’s layer.  Completely buffed and ready for battle the intruder is faced head-on, but it is more terrible than they had anticipated.  An incorporeal acidwraith blasts them with a cone of acid breath before smashing through their armours to the core of their beings with its acidic, etherial force. Ignoring the lightning bolt replies and much of the hoped damage of traditional combat, the party manages to overcome the beast through sheer force and persistence.  The dragon’s layer they had been hoping for, however, lay in ruins.  Most of the treasure had been completely corroded or ruined by the intensity of the acid.  Some 4,000gp in coin and minor baubles were recovered, along with three completed elixirs that had survived the ransacking of what appears to be a very sophisticated alchemical laboratory.

Episode 8 (part 1): Entering Alhaster

Having returned to Magepoint, the archmage Manzorian reveals what he, Celeste, Agath, and Eligos had been researching about the Ebon Triad.  Several scrolls and books about the Ebon Triad in Manzorian’s library had notes written by Balakarde in their margins.  The main theme of this marginalia was his suspicion that the Ebon Triad just a front for a cult of Kyuss.  Many of the Ebon Triad leaders were from the port town of Alhaster in the Bandit Kingdom of Redhand.  One old book, an outdated text called The History of Alhaster by a cleric of St. Cuthbert named Rhorsk just before the kingdom was taken over by Prince Zeech.  The history recounts how heretics from Hextor tried to establish an underground cult in the city, and used something call “the Writhing Dead”.  The cult was defeated by an elven noble spellcaster named Lashonna, but  the leaders of the cult escaped.  Balakarde left a note of questions pinned to this text.



The party hires a ship and travels over the Lake of Unknown Depths largely uneventfully to Alhaster.  Upon arrival it is clear that a festival is being prepared for.  The temple of Hextor is supporting the upcoming gala for Zeech, celebrating 20 years of the joy of his leadership.

After a brief encounter with the city guard – some tough looking hobgoblins that are poart of what keep the peace in the place, the party learns of the Blessed Angels who seem to have their eyes and ears everywhere, and are very much Zeech’s powerful enforcers in this place.

Asking around about the upcoming gala, the party learns that there will be a Grand Banquet in about a week, where all of the most esteemed circle of the city and a few nobles from beyond will be attending – including rumour has it — Zeech’s most trusted advisor Lashonna.

The party ends up in the Church of Kord, which is a run down of the past.  Lanthis Chax, the aging warrior high priest, realizes the group’s non-alliance with Zeech and allows them to bunk down secretly on the premises.

The party cases out Lashonna’s manor, but sensibly decides not to break in.  Later that night, Armhin Loratio, the owner of one of the Deluxury (the upscale tavern the group decided to drink in) had heard that there was a hero from the Champion Games in town.  Maeron, does an amazing bardic performance and manages to score invitations for the whole group to the Grand Banquet.  Armhin takes Maeron aside and tells her that he think really only she has the class to fit in with the nobles.  He is giving the tickets to her, and if the behaviour of the others doesn’t fit, she will be on the one to pay the price.  Talking around the tavern that night (and several others overheard the impressive performance and there is a bit of a buzz about the group), the party learns that fine dress is expected and that weapons are generally not allowed.  They also learn that Zeech often expects gifts.