Session 26: Solas, Tanyth 3rd

 Before leaving the Hopeful Dawn to head over to Ivtar, Lenny made a donation to the Hopeful Dawn: she donated 2 fancy gowns and a doublet. Slarty was left in Halaema’s care.

Party leaves Hopeful Dawn cave. Upon leaving, they notice a raven which intently watches them, and as soon as it is spotted, it takes off to the east. Armando shot it with his crossbow, and it went off in a “poof” of smoke.

They proceed to Ivtar. On the way there, it got strangely colder as they approached. At some point they come across a group of goblins. These goblins were carrying a variety of goods, such as pottery, cutlery, old tools, and household items. They were running and had a very scared look on their faces, particularly scared of Kalim.

Kalim, recognized some of the items as belonging to the Ivtar monastery. They revealed that they only took these items because the monastery was a big mess, and there were no monks standing. They mentioned a big scary and stinky creature that caused them to run away.

The group proceeded to Ivtar, Kalim heading in first (sneakily). He saw Ivtar completely destroyed. Every building, tent, or structure was flat. Dozens of bodies of his brothers and sisters were strewn across the area. The area was also covered in ice and snow, and some of the bodies had clear frost damage, some of them with limbs shattered after being encased in ice.

Shuffling throw the rubble and corpses is a Tyrannosaurus. But this beast was not like the one Kalim faced before. This one had parts missing, flesh falling from its body, and exposed bones in several parts. The creature reeked of death and decay. Its ribcage was visible, and from within it several undead hands were reaching out and grasping, in a horrific and revolting scene.

Kalim doubled back towards the group to let them know what he saw. The group approached the monastery grounds sneakily and managed a surprise attack on the Tyrannosaurus zombie. Two snow golems were also revealed as the group started fighting the creature.

Once the battle was over, Kalim found the hatch that used to lead to the pantry underneath the kitchen tent. Inside were Elder Qinyarus, along with 8 other survivors (Fir, Willow, Ash, Acacia, Oak, Aspen, Birch, Cedar).

Elder Qinyarus told the party that the vampire/drow coalition grew more desperate overnight. He felt that the corruption has lost strength, and that must have gotten them more desperate. He overheard some of the drow interrogating some of the monks about where Olena is. But it doesn’t make sense, because nobody at the monastery has seen or heard from Olena in 15 years. The vampires and drow were ruthless, interrogating and executing dozens of the monks in a surprise attack. Once they realized they weren’t getting any information about “Olena and her people”, they moved on and brought in a dragon to finish off the remaining monks.

This dragon (Ugoa, the White) has been known for many generations to inhabit the mountains to the south (Dragon Eyrie). Legends say that she took over a fortress built by dwarves and made it into her hoard. Elder Qinyarus is concerned that with the monastery gone, the vampires and drow have free range within Khaorvandor forest, and easy access to the west. He suggested the group joins forces so that they can take the dwarven fortress and set up a stronghold there to protect the forest and these lands.

Kalim told Elder Q. about Olena and the Hopeful Dawn, while the remaining monks and the group gathered all the bodies of the deceased and started a funeral pyre. Lenny said prayers and blessed the bodies. Sylvie found footprints leading mainly northwest but also some going south.

Elder Q. recognized the importance of what Kalim had started with Olena, and the wisdom in his actions. He also recognized that life is change and evolution, and that hiding behind a mask no longer suits the monks of Ivtar, because that way of isolating themselves from the world nearly brought their extinction. He surrendered his mask respectfully into the fire, an action which was followed by all monks. He also said that it would be an honor if Kalim could lead the monks of Ivtar when the time comes.

The monastery of Ivtar is destroyed, but it can be rebuilt in time. There is no time right now, so they need a safe, defensible place. This may sound crazy, but perhaps defeating the white dragon and taking over the fortress would be a sensible move, especially if we had more allies. The only foe ever capable of taking over that fortress was the white dragon, and only because the dwarves residing in it were fighting amongst themselves for decades and internal betrayal led to their ruin. The dragon would not expect confrontation, or an attack, as she is very arrogant, and underestimates her enemies.

The group is considering this option, and decided to proceed to the Hopeful Dawn to gather more forces and devise a plan. Lenny contacted Gralkas to ask for Kepios’ help, but Gralkas revealed that they are 2 days away from Kepios. Lenny then contacted Elder Clyphek (the Bahamut high priest at Kepios), who responded with the assurance that Kepios will aid in the battle, and that Garturax (the golden dragon) will also be asked to join.

Lenny also contacted Othorion in the Seldarine. He responded by saying that the Seldarine should not be trusted.

The group continued south towards the Hopeful Dawn cave, along with the 9 monks of Ivtar.