Fighting the Setting Sun
| "Fighting the Setting Sun" | |||
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| Campaign 1 session | |||
| Session no. | Session 5 | ||
| Session date | February 6, 2021 | ||
| Timeline | |||
| Start date | April 12, 353 WSK | ||
| End date | April 14, 353 WSK | ||
| Starring | |||
| Bean – Pine DMarty – Lurtak GuardianAngel – Gael Nixup – Versa and Bunnies as the Dungeon Master | |||
| Narrative chronology | |||
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| Session order | |||
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| List of Campaign 1 sessions | |||
"Fighting the Setting Sun" (1x05) is the 5th session of the first campaign of Itora.
After completing several quests, the party travel to an abandoned Wizard Tower. Accompanied by a journeyman wizard, they aimed to investigate the disappearance of the previous auditors and rid the tower of magical dangers.
Synopsis
The party arrives back in Daith around noontime, bringing the cart of villagers to the guard’s post. Both the villagers and the party are debriefed separately about the ordeal. The party discusses the events with Captain Morris.
Understandably cagey about being directly tied to the events, the party decide not to give their real names when they divulge all information about the encounter. Specifically, the mention of an "Assurant" troubles the Captain. She thanks the party for their information and pays them 1300gp.
Captain Morris asks to speak with Versa alone, following up on Versa's request when the Captain was away before. The Captain leads her to a room which, once they enter, she explains is protected against divination magic. Versa inquires about the Captain's connection to Sela; Cpt. Morris reveals that the two are familiar with each other and that they share a common goal, but she hasn't heard from her in a while. She confides in Versa that if she understands the gravity of the situation and wishes to aid, she will be in touch. Before departing, Versa gives false information about Captain Vice, describes green dragonborn; the Captain thanks her and gives 75gp as reward.
Attempted Exodus
After the party visits the guild hall with all the quest notices, Gael looks back to notice Versa has vanished. Backtracking, the Gael and Lurtak notice a struggle in a side back alley and between two figures; a hooded figure has a human woman in distress in manacles. The hooded man hurriedly explains that he's after Captain Vice and assumed this woman knew something about them since she tore down all of the wanted posters. As the party attempts to de-escalate the confusing situation, the figures slow their struggle. The woman drops her Disguise Self, revealing Versa; the man drops his hood, revealing a golden dragonborn man.
He introduces himself as Pine, a bounty hunter who claims to have an uncanny sense of knowing if someone is wanted or not. He usually uses his charismatic nature to get them to admit to crimes and then turn them in, or use that information to target other bounties and let them go. He claims he has his reasons for pursuing Captain Vice but assures Versa that they don't include cashing in on the bounty. As he feels like staying with this group is his best shot at getting close to Captain Vice, he asks to come along. The rest of the party look to Versa to decide, as she's the one who was just assaulted by this man. She decides that it would be useful to have an ally in trying to confront Captain Vice, on the sole condition that he did not try to kill her. Pine agrees and the party gains a new member.
The Paryns
The party travels to the residence of the Paryns, a relatively upper class, cozy abode. Latho and Nooris are transparent about their overwhelming appreciation for finding Nooris and returning him safely. Their dog, a corgi named Barktholomew, is equally excited but for reasons likely unrelated.
As a reward, Latho provides 50gp, as well as a pearl commonly used as a spell component. In addition, he reveals he is a professor at the Whale Coast Academy, which allows him to provide certain privileges. Namely, he offers the party letters of recommendation to provide special access in the Daith Archive of the Mytharium, an arcane library and research center. He reinforces that this access comes tied to his name, so the party would do well to be on their best behavior. He recommends checking it out because knowledge is, in fact, power, and they may have some work available.
Einhard
Versa writes letter to Einhard to leave on the doorstep of the Elmira Estate.
| — Versa in a letter to Einhard
|
After she drops off the note, she notices a decorated rock near the door. Curious, she picks it up and hears Einhard's voice come from it, repeating "Tinkering is AWESOME".
The Mytharium
The next day, the party sorts out some errands and sets course to the Mytharium. They receive a tour from an orc wizard, Surbog Karrow, who explains the features and services of the institution. Pine signs up for a summer reading program.
During the tour, they are flagged down by an elf, Zolio Ethris, who propositions them with a mission for some honest pay. He explains that most wizard's towers have been abandoned since The Shock. They are magically unstable, making deconstruction is an arduous task, so they opt for routine inspections and maintenance every few years to quell errant magical energies and dispatch animated objects. Recently, the teleportation circle for a tower in Lothbridge Swamp, previously owned pre-Shock by exiled High Arcanist Margo, has been unreachable. This raised concern, so the Mytharium sent an Apprentice along with one armed guard to investigate, but that was a week ago and they have not returned or sent word.
Zolio wants to hire the party to escort him and ensure his safety, as well as clear out any hazards in and around the tower. For a payout of 300gp and the right to keep anything they find inside (pending Archive approval), the group agree and set off into the swamp.
Swamp Travel
Their travel through the swamp, while tiring, is uneventful. Versa leads the group to an abandoned house[1] to rest for the night. Continuing towards the tower, they pass the teleportation circle. Zolio inspects the sigil, nothing that it's been corrupted and slightly altered, but with an hour of work, he can fix it so the group can teleport back when they're done. He instructs the party to investigate the tower ahead, and gives them a sending stone to reach out to him in case of emergency.
The party advance on the tower, noting the closer they get, the further into the sky the tower seems to reach. At the front entrance, they investigate a body in a pool of blood, identifying them by their armor's insignia as a member of the Daith City Guard. The body is facing away from the door, as though they had just run out of the building before falling. Further investigation finds scratch marks on the door and the ground leading into the door.
The Tower
With the front door unlocked, the group push into the first floor, noting a decent coating of dust on the surfaces of the mostly empty level. More scratches mark every surface. Descending a level, the party find themselves in a decently stocked study with another corpse - this one of a Mytharium mage, likely the missing apprentice. As the group fan out to investigate all corners of the study, Gael and Lurtak find their positions swapped, to no otherwise ill effect. Moments later, several books rise from the floor and shelves to attack the party. The party dispatch the animated objects, but not without a few annoying cuts.
The group advance through a pair of metal doors past an open metal cage and into a chamber with several decayed storage kegs. A creature peers at them from back in the study, through the grates, and speaks into Pine's mind "Not taking anything of mine, are we?". The party tries to negotiate but the creature appears to be long gone. Investigating the kegs, the group almost don't notice the coalescing ooze in the far corner begin to approach them. Keeping their distance, the party manage to dispatch the ooze without issue, as it loses form and melts into the grated floor. With the danger passed, the party loot a trove of spell scrolls, a pole of collapsing, and a pipe of smoke monsters.
Traveling up to the second floor, they encounter a magically locked door that stumps them completely. They decide to try it again later with the help of Zolio. Ascending floor after floor, the party find very little of interest other than continual scratch marks. The swapping continues several more times, but only between Lurtak and Versa.
Ambush
After half a dozen floors, the party reach the end of the stairs. Versa notices a pile of gold and gems on a raised platform and goes to pick some of it up. Her hands swipe right through it as the illusion fizzles out, hearing in her head "I told you not to take." The creature appears again and engages the party in combat. Summoning several swarms of animated books to their side, the creature sows chaos in the chamber. Books continue to spawn, people swap places frequently, and the central cauldron splashes everyone nearby whenever any of the books lose their animation. The creature throws frogs out of their hat with orders to attack the party; the frogs ignore them.
Throughout the fight, the creature focuses their singular eye at someone, attempting to peer into their minds. They peer into Versa's mind, indicating it may know something about Magpie. Versa asks "Why did she do it?", to which the creature replies with a grin:
| — The Nothic to Versa
|
The party get the upper hand and attempt to subdue the creature without killing them. Binding them in manacles, they contact Zolio and they complete their audit of the structure. He manages to open the magical door rather easily, deducing quickly that it required fire based magic to trigger the lock. Inside, the group get an Amulet of the Drunkard, Tankard of Sobriety, Pot of Awakening, and some healing potions. He identifies the creature as a nothic, a curious type of aberration, and requests the creature be brought back to the Mytharium for study. The party agree and head to the restored teleportation circle to quickly travel back to the city.
At the Mytharium, the nothic is taken away to a magical prison, where Zolio assures the party the creature will not be treated cruelly. The group head meet with Zolio's advisor, who hands out their reward and asks for the disclosure of any magic items obtained in the tower; most of the party use fake names or does not disclose all of their magic items. The group then sign a preliminary document necessary for further potential work with the Mytharium.
Featured characters
Player characters
New
- Latho Paryn
- Barktholomew
- Surbog Karrow
- Zolio Ethris
- The Nothic
Returning
Mentioned
Quotations
References
- ↑ See "Friends and Fiends" (1x01).
Art:
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