Lady Ashelon a Night Hag? (Recap from 4-28-23)

Lady Ashelon a Night Hag? (Recap from 4-28-23) 

(Da’Leysen the 19th of Cuersaar) After arriving unexpectedly in the teleportation circle in the Cobalt Reserve in Rexxentrum, the party and Albert Sládek, a Cobalt soul Expositor, were greeted by High Curator Yudala Fon and Archivist Kathedoc. The party relayed the information about the Ashelons, their association with House Baenre, and the plot to get the empire and Kryn fighting so the underdark could rise up and defeat the weakened winner. Yudala Fon told the group to rest in the guest rooms of the Reserve and work with Expositor Albert Sládek to come up with a rebuttal to the claims of wrongdoing the Ashelons were going to raise. The group finally settled in for a long rest.

The next day, (Miresen the 20th of Cuersaar), they headed to the Tower of Writ which is the central temple to Erathis within the city, a place of Judgment and Law. The party listened to the accusation from the Ashelon family. The zone of truth was discreetly counterspelled by Lady Ashelon who then made some outrageous tales of things Svela had done(but was really all bogus tales). Abnar took the stand and accepted the truth spell, and proceeded to tell the High Arbiter Lydia Truscan, the whole story culminating with him handing her the memory crystal. As the Arbiter on touching the gem relived Svela’s memories as if it was happening to her, the truth was revealed. The trial concluded with Lady Ashelon being revealed as a Night Hag and her son revealed to be a hexblood warlock. To escape justice they jumped to the ethereal plane and disappeared.

The Arbiter wrote a note exonerating Svela and demanding her release, as well as sending a message to Vanya Volinskaya, The Vergesson Sanatorium’s High Priestess, to search for Svela and if she is found, make sure she is ok. Trent Ikithon himself was imprisoned in the sanatorium dungeon in a permanent anti-magic cell. Vanya agreed to conduct a search of the facility and try to protect Svela if she can be found. Lydia told the group to stay put in Rexxentrum while she talks to the King. The party was free to explore the city and noticed Yirna Emberwind and Eldeth Dummaroff were missing again. So the party went in search of them asking around as centaurs in Rexxentrum are pretty rare.

The party found the pair at the “Stone coffin” in the Mud Top district. An illegal fighting pit where Eldeth was in the process of fighting an orc in the pit both looked pretty beat up. The orc hit Eldeth on the top of the head driving her to her knees, as she went down she punched the Orc hard in the groin causing the Ork to double over violently bashing his head into Eldeths head knocking him out, as he fell Eldeth also started to fall as Yirna jumped into the pit and lifted Eldeth up by the arm Shouting “The Winner!!!!” then helping the now unconscious Eldeth out of the pit. The party took the two of them back to the Cobalt Reserve and tucked them into bed. After that the party went off to visit Svela’s brother Bruno Sedláková, at the green grocer, and informed them about Svela, the trouble with the Ashelons, and that they were going to rescue Svela soon. The adventurers then told the family that the rest of the Sedláková family was safe in Grimgolir. After the visit, the party went to the Invictus Distributor in Rexxentrum, then visited Abner's Sisters at the Invictis family estate.

Abner's sisters had an open invite to the palace, so wanted to show off high society to their brother. Arriving at the palace the party is shocked at the pure opulence and grandeur on a scale they have never seen before. Abner's sisters, delighted in showing off the palace and introducing their other noble friends and acquaintances to their brother. The party saw Lydia Truscan, a representative from the Cerberus Assembly, Vence Nuthaleus, as well as the High Archivist Yudala Fon in deep discussion with King Bertrand Dwendal. The party worked their way closer so they could hear what the conversation was about, at which point the King motioned Abnar to approach the throne. Abnar let the king hold the memory crystal in his hand which deeply affected the King, who dropped the crystal to the carpets visibly shaken. He commanded the Cerberus assembly to Release Svela at once and honor the Arbiters decision AT ONCE! Before walking off to his apartments, without making eye contact with anyone. 

(Grissen the 21th of Cuersaar)The party left for Vergesson Sanatorium via Odessloe and a boat up the river to Vergesson Valley. The trip would take six days from Rexxentrum to Vergesson Sanatorium. After two days without encounters the party gets to Odessloe, and boards a ship heading north up the cold river.

A  day into the river passage and the party witnessed two stags fording the river, and the journey continued. After another three days (Folsen the 24th of Cuersaar) the boat arrives at the dock at the Vergesson Valley where the group spends the night in the small inn. The next morning (Yulisen the 25th of Cuersaar) the group made the trek up to the Sanitorium to meet with Vanya Volinskaya. Who said they could not find Svela, but then lets the group know the Cerberus Assembly had a dungeon under the building and that she and her staff are forbidden from accessing it. Delving into the Cerberus assembly Dungeon, the group found and freed the Grimgolir guards, and demanded Svelas release. In the next room they find Svela chained to a bed unconscious with a shimmering field of red energy surrounding the bed. They are confronted by mages. 

Combat breaks out as an arch mage unwilling to release his prize attacks, one of the junior mages casts a cone of frost affecting most of his compatriots and his boss. The Dwarves pick up their waste buckets, and attack the Cerbersus guards. After a short battle the remaining mages and guards surrender and the Group frees Svela. They healed Svela to get her back to consciousness, and restoring her senses, she was very grateful for being rescued. Vanya offered the hospitality of the sanitarium for the night offering to heal hurts and trying to offer a peaceful rest, as the group looted the place finding:

Coinage: 1,600 pp, 11,000 gp, 1,000 gp. 

Gemstones: (×17; worth 1,000 gp each),[Blue sapphire (transparent blue-white to medium blue), ×2, Yellow sapphire (transparent fiery yellow or yellow-green), Diamonds (translucent pale blue), ×5, Star ruby (translucent ruby with white star-shaped center), ×2, Fire opal (translucent fiery red), Star sapphire (translucent blue sapphire with white star-shaped center), ×3, Emerald (transparent deep bright green), ×2, Black opal (translucent dark green with black mottling and golden flecks)].

Magic Items: Potion of Mind Reading, Periapt of Health, Potion of Heroism, Elixir of Health, Spell Scroll (4th Level), Ice Storm, Potion of Superior Healing, +2 Ring of Protection (belonging to Svela).

Books: Lots of books on necromancy, chronomacy, three books on Kryn magics, Manual of Flesh Golems, and Tome of Clear Thought. Arch Mage spell book, and 3 other spell books containing:

• Cantrips: fire bolt, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, shocking grasp, air message, encode thoughts, mind sliver,

• 1st level: detect magic, identify, mage armor, magic missile, cause fear, ray of sickness

• 2nd level: detect thoughts, mirror image, misty step, arcane lock, 

• 3rd level: counterspell, fly, lightning bolt, animate dead, flame arrows, glyph of warding, sending

• 4th level: banishment, fire shield, stoneskin, arcane eye, mordenkainen’s private sanctum

• 5th level: cone of cold, scrying, wall of force, cone of cold, arcane hand

• 6th level: globe of invulnerability, arcane gate, circle of death, magic jar

• 7th level: teleport, finger of death, magnificent mansion

• 8th level: mind blank, antimagic field, feeblemind

• 9th level: time stop, wish, imprisonment, 

Vanya ordered her staff to take control of this space and clean up the evil trappings. As the group decides not to stay another night and bamfs(teleports) back to the Cobalt Reserve in Rexxentrum.