Session 83 - "Smoke and Ice"
06/04/2021 - As the temperatures plummeted and duergar guards closed in, the Finger Gang raced to figure out which icons needed to be inserted to open the door ahead. Aca's keen recall of dwarven religious iconography made quick work of the puzzle, but as the door opened the ice crystals that glowed with a navy blue light shattered.
As they did so, each released a memory that had been frozen in time that may have been able to reveal more about the nature of this place, but without these memories, the group decided to push forward. Through the door lay a much warmer space: a security checkpoint that led up to the entrance of the fabled Coldforge itself! With incredible skill, Morwen tore through the locks of the various doors within but found that the final door had no lock. As the Gang searched for a way to open the door, the duergar finally caught up to them.
On the other side of iron-barred walls entered Coothar, one the leaders of the duergar (known as the Thuldor, or "Those Who Endure") and two duergar despots slowly approached the group.
Coothar used her powers to switch places with Aca, separating him from the rest of the group. Aca mesmerized the pair with a hypnotic pattern, and with lightening-fast thinking, lifted one of the charmed despots and dumped them into the churning put of elemental fire below.
The battle was fierce. A Prismatic Ray petrified Morwen, turning the tabaxi swashbuckler into a shrieking statue of stone. Heinrich and Aca were both knocked unconscious as the powerful leader of the Thuldor - Archonum - arrived, and brought Foewrecker (his mighty hammer) down in a two-handed blow that caused an earthquake wreathed in elemental fire and ice.
Only Shae remained, and in a hasted state, she rushed into the Coldforge itself, across a series of marble platformed lowered into place by articulated, mechanical arms. As Archonum perused, he fired a burst of elemental ice and fire that missed Shae, instead striking the Coldforge itself! A violent explosion propelled Shae into the cave wall, knocked the dragonborn captive unconscious, and caused even Archonum to call out: "What have you done?" before fleeing.
The Coldforge now crumbles around our heroes, trapped between a city of duergar now missing two of their leaders, and a mountain falling around them... how will they escape?
Next Session: 06/04/2021
Our Heroes
Morwen, Tabaxi Swashbuckler
A panther-black tabaxi who washed up on the western shores of Dominion, Morwen quickly found a family in the crew of The Raging Harmony, a pirate ship. In an accident, she was separated from her friends, and has wandered the coasts ever since, the lone tabaxi on the continent of Dominion.
With an addiction to pulling levers and a fondness for all things shiny, Morwen causes frequent problems but seems to overwhelm others with charm, which seems to more than compensate.
Aca, Elf Artificer/Fighter
Aca joined the group two days after they had lost Guntir, their 287-year-old conman-turned-cleric. Their initial meeting was rocky, with The Gang murdering everyone Aca had spent several weeks tracking down.
He has joined the group on a provisional basis, as part of a larger effort to track down The Staff of Twisted Fates. He has continually called this choice into question, as his habits and behavior fall more and more in line with the rest of the Gang.
Heinrich, Tiefling Celestial Warlock
Heinrich began the campaign as a member of the mysterious Portent, an organization serving Azrah, the Goddess of Rot, after accepting a deal he did not understand the depth of. Adrift in a way, feeling helpless to guide his own path, the party found Heinrich in Port Quinn. As he has grown to like the other members of his group, he renounced his fealty to Azrah, and was alone, without powers, in the dangerous world of Alberon.
Recently, his selfless actions have found powerful eyes resting upon him once more, and he has found a new path in that of the celestial. He wages a war, alongside his new friends, against the very forces he once fought for.
Shae, Human Xinyi Monk
Shae came to the party searching for The Staff of Twisted Fates, an artifact of three parts, said to be able to turn aside "a blue star falling from the skies." She has accompanied the rest of the group out of a sense of convenience thus far, her monastic training and quick temper making her slow to trust.
After bringing the group with her to the Xinyi Monastery, and with the guidance of the woman she considers a mother, Shae is beginning to see that there may be larger things at work, and has begun to work with the others more willingly. The fates have not been kind, and in recent months, Shae has lost many loved ones, as well as her adopted home.