Session 38 - The Right Thing

16/06/5-10

With another hit, Milivoj felled the Knight as Sapphira shot at the monster's eye. As they bloodied the monster it said "The Violet Flame will consume you, I promise you that!". Eventually Cassini dragged it underwater with Eleteria's Staff and Shiek killed it. The party took in their surroundings and decided to rouse the knight with a healing potion and question him before opening the box. He did Valeyo asked him what Katchy was and he said it was their guard dog, he didn't know exactly what it was. From the question it became clear that he was being compelled to serve the Emisar, and he didn't know what they were guarding. When asked what he was he said he was a failed experiment. He said that if he was to be killed, the Emisar would know, but he wished to die, to be rid of this cursed existence. Milivoj asked him what the Violet Flame was and the man said it was inside of him, it's what held him there and connected him to the Emisar. While Shiek was tying him, Milivoj asked him about his part, but the man remembered nothing beyond 4 years ago. When he awoke, there were dozens of them, but only 1 more here. Valeyo thanked him and the man was knocked out.

Valeyo and Shiek headed upstairs to collect some of the papers, in case they needed to escape quickly. The others remained downstairs and searched the cavern. Through the foliage, the found the tunnel that Aliki had mentioned, leading out of this cavern, but only big enough to fit a small creature. The waterfall itself, was being created by a magic circle hovering in the air. On the armoured knight, Milivoj found a set of keys to the complex and noticed that the man bore a large number of battle scars, indicating he may have been an experienced warrior, before this. Around the corner, Otto found the corpse of an old man in the vestments of Pelor, in his hand a blue gemstone. Investigating the box itself, Cassini saw that the box was created magically, with the lights being part of it. It had a mundane lock, but the mechanism would require the extendable bridge to be connected before it would open. As Otto picked up the gem, it glowed up an orange-yellow light, as if the sun itself.

Upstairs the pair found a lot of notes. A lot of records on experiments, laboratory and otherwise. The originals were written in the same hand writing and singed Tilda Lundstrom. Newer annotations, were present on some of the notes. It all focused in transformation creatures, such as lycanthropes, doppelgängers and vampire anatomy. It mentioned one Rishida Xinja, a vampire who could walk in the sun and her creation - an armour suit that could protect a vampire from the sun. The goal of the research seemed to be to enhance a vampire to be able to walk in the sun or create a subservient creature with the powers of a vampire that could do so. It appeared that the Emisar was trying to replicate the process. In one of the compartments, was a note about a possible target - Rune Olsen from Klipperkant a vampire that has lived there for a while, the tip comes from a man called The Baron of the Deep. While looking at this Shiek mentioned the violet flash in the man's eyes being similar to Milivoj. Valeyo told Shiek of Milivoj's promise to explain and that they could question him later.

Once downstairs, they all shared what they had discovered and prepared to open the cage. In the meantime, Shiek harvested some materials from the beholder, including 3 eye stalks (devour magic, paralyze, sleep). He then pushed it into the water and watched it float down… before reappearing again at the top of the waterfall, revealing that the rune circles were portals, creating a loop of water. Otto unlocked the metal door and slid it to the side. In the 15x15ft room were 2 torches and a chair in the middle. A dwarven man stood hunched over in the corner, matching the likeness of Rune Olsen, that was in the documents. Shiek called out "Rune Olsen, we are here to save you." that caused the man to look up and ask if they knew what he was. Otto confirmed that they did. The man stood up and put his back against the wall, despite his undead constitution he had an exhausted and malnourished appearance. Valeyo asked Shiek what he was doing and Shiek told him to give the order if he wanted, but Valeyo remained quiet. Rune asked who sent them and was surprised to learn that they had decided to involve themselves with the Emisar's affairs willingly. He wanted to know how they knew he was there and how to find him. Shiek told him to explain first, before they would answer. He said his name was Rune Alsom of the Stormstrike clan, from Klipperkant. He was a priest of the Stormlord(Kord) and where he could he protected people from storms. Otto had head of the Stormstrike, a religious sect from Klipperkant, that were well respected. They were not a clan you were born into, but other one you joined, taking in people who show aptitude for magic surrounding the Stormlord. They were a military force that protected Klipperkant and the surrounding area. Shiek asked him how he got the blood he needed to survive and Rune claimed that the clan members donated blood. His true nature is well known by the upper members of clan and he knows that thanks to his brother their ilk is not looked at positively. Suddenly it made sense to Valeyo recognized the man as potentially the missing vampire lord. He told the others that he must be killed. Stories about Metua's terrors and the centuries long reign of the vampires were just some of the reason he shared and the party was soon convinced. When they next opened the door, Valeyo asked him about his past in Velinde. He simply sighed and said they had him confused with someone else.

He continued, explaining that Patrice Olsen had been his brother. The man said they were turned years before Metua and turned in the mountains near Klipperkant, a group of adventurers years ago killed their vampire master and so, the two of them became trueborn, before pledging loyalty to the adventurers and serving with them for a decade. He ended up in Klipperkant and found the Stormstrike clan, his brother went wandering and was found by Lokaci Wuce. As far as he knew, his brother died in the war. The Emisar took his blood, his fangs and cut pieces of his body. He was ambushed by 7 of these Violet Flame people and captured, before being brought here. Shiek told him that according to the notes, he was captured on the way to meet the Baron of the Deep, as he had a job for him. As far as Rune knew, he was a spy for one of the counts. He is a sort of a human, like a spawn, but modified. Doesn't have all of the characteristics a spawn should have, doesn't thirst and not driven by hunger. He is not sure if he burns, but he lives in the second lair of Skalenvru. He told the party they were wise not to trust him, as he is a beast not fed in a while and his brother was a monster. The party told him that they had been tasked by an Angel, and it was his life or Sapphira's, which to them was no choice at all.

The time came to end him and he said he wished not to die. Valeyo used his magic to get him under his trawl to bring him to the angels for judgement on Shiek's suggestion. Before leaving, Milivoj asked him how many he had killed, but Rune had lost count, 100s or 1000s as a thrall. The last man he killed was 3.5 years ago, killing a raider. The party decided to give him a chance and bring him upstairs and Cassini send a familiar up to scout, before the others arrived. On the way out, they noticed the mural on the wall, past the torture chamber. Rune's eyes locked on it and he nodded to it, with reverence. The mural itself depicted a champion of Pelor, a warrior woman, who is implied to be the daughter of and angel called Sanvi. She was holding a majestic shield and riding upon a great bronze dragon, defending the town of Stendolin from Giants. A raving called her Raya Svetlana daughter of Sanvi the angel and wielder of Dawnbringer, the Solar shield who did battle with the Giants upon the dragon Agogos, the Storms Crescendo. Valeyo asked if Rune knew her and he said she was one of the adventurers he had travelled with.

They climbed up the stairs and appeared before the angel statues, but nothing seemed to happen. Valeyo tried opening the doors and pushing the statues, but to no avail. From the statues, Otto could detect a transmutation aura and from the dias a faint aura, as if something is missing. At the top was a concave space where a gemstone might fit. Otto pulled out the blue gem and put it in. As he did a grinding of stone could be heard coming from downstairs. The light from the gemstone increased and two beams of light leapt from it to the angels and reflected from them was the visage of an angel, made of orange sunlight. It looked towards Otto and nodded. It seemed more like a projection and it matched the depiction of Savi. As Valeyo asked if she was Savi, she said she is what remained of her. Valeyo explained why they were there, but she responded that she didn't serve the Sun anymore, he demanded cleansing and failure to meet it might incur his wrath. She looked at Sapphira and said the Sun held no sway over her, she was not undead. The party went into conversation on what to do next, but the long discussion was ended by Sapphira pointing her sword at Rune and making him swear to Kord, to never make a single thrall or harm the innocent. Rune said he had been swearing that for decades and will continue to do so. With that the allowed him to leave and in their head they heard the angel "I have seen little of the Emisar, but he bears the feel of something out of this world, let me help and I will open what was already opening.", she then disappeared and the gem went dull. They headed downstairs, to find the centerpiece of the mural having opened. Looking behind it, was a tomb of Raya Svetlana. Four statues of identical female angels were in each corner and the sarcophagus in the centre. A more masculine angel statues was behind the sarcophagus. On and armour stand was a breastplate with the a stained glass visage of the sun rising. A small pendant hung on the shoulder containing a rung of rubies with an emerald in the middle. The skull of an ancient dragon, beneath which was a pile of treasure. Lit candles burned nearby, seemingly alit for a long time, but still lasting. Carved into the stone of the female statues was parts of the name Sanvi, put partially burned away, the masculine statues was labeled: "The father Ativar". The group managed to get most of the gold(7000gp), but some was too much to carry and Otto took a look at the armour and the amulet. Otto took off his chainmail and put the amour on, surprised to find it resized itself to his body. The pendant was expertly made, likely magical. The party decided to spend time attuning to the items. The breastplate took to Otto, revealing itself to be the Cathedral Brestplate. Milivoj tried to use the brooch they had found, it rejected him requiring an arcane link to the arts. Valeyo put it on and found it quite fitting, his skillset. Shiek was quite reluctant to kill the Emisar, Milivoj argued for it relentlessly saying that even the leader of Almanat cannot be trusted to not judge his family objectively and neither could Dragomir. Eventually they agreed to face the Emisar and they headed up.