Lord of Nessus - A D&D 5e Homebrew Campaign

Are we still out of breath?

Calanin cries out in fear

(OOC: No, you're no longer out of breath.)

The branch you're on is on a tree to big to describe. The branch alone is the size of a mountain. More glowing portals line the branches of the tree.  

Matthyse is taken aback by the beauty and the immensity of the 'tree' they are standing on.

"Just hold on for a moment. Where are we and where are you taking us? Don't get me wrong... I'm grateful to you for saving us from whatever that undead was back at the palace. But this has all been too sudden for me to understand."

The Dragonborn says all I needed to ask, so I stay silent, waiting for an answer.

(OOC: Sorry for not responding, didn't have any time to!)

Freytha walks off towards the trunk of the tree. "Come on! I'll tell you while we're walking." 

As you walk after her (I assume), she begins to talk. "Long ago, the evil lich Vecna was merely a shadow in the universe, an evil being in a time of good. And then, as the gods went to war many years ago, Vecna struck, deceiving many with trickery to trap the gods and become the Lord of Secrets, whose ultimate goal is to claim the entire multiverse for his own. About twenty years ago, as you all know, he appeared and rose to the Nessian throne, taking the guise of an elf. The elves of Coridioth, where Vecna claimed he was born, were massacred - removing the evidence. He has transformed the lower layer of the Nine Hells- Nessus- into the world you know. No one knows why, but we believe that there is a massive power source that Vecna hopes to exploit. I work for the Brotherhood- a group of spies and thieves across the multiverse who are dedicated to stopping Vecna. And yes, the multiverse, many different worlds across many different dimensions, is real- Vecna kept that a secret. We are on Yggdrasil, the World Tree, which connects all of the multiverse." She steps into a purple portal, and you can hear her voice from the other side. "You understand all that?" 

Quote from Weslockes >>

(OOC: Sorry for not responding, didn't have any time to!)

Freytha walks off towards the trunk of the tree. "Come on! I'll tell you while we're walking." 

As you walk after her (I assume), she begins to talk. "Long ago, the evil lich Vecna was merely a shadow in the universe, an evil being in a time of good. And then, as the gods went to war many years ago, Vecna struck, deceiving many with trickery to trap the gods and become the Lord of Secrets, whose ultimate goal is to claim the entire multiverse for his own. About twenty years ago, as you all know, he appeared and rose to the Nessian throne, taking the guise of an elf. The elves of Coridioth, where Vecna claimed he was born, were massacred - removing the evidence. He has transformed the lower layer of the Nine Hells- Nessus- into the world you know. No one knows why, but we believe that there is a massive power source that Vecna hopes to exploit. I work for the Brotherhood- a group of spies and thieves across the multiverse who are dedicated to stopping Vecna. And yes, the multiverse, many different worlds across many different dimensions, is real- Vecna kept that a secret. We are on Yggdrasil, the World Tree, which connects all of the multiverse." She steps into a purple portal, and you can hear her voice from the other side. "You understand all that?" 

 “I guess… but who’s Vecna now?”

"Vecna is Lord Vildarel. The undead you saw was Vecna- and you were lucky that he did not catch you. Come now!" she says from the portal. You hear the screech of a bird. 

Calanin jumps in

"I assumed so. It's easy to understand, to me. After all, I researched about it, it was what made me connected to criminal rings in the first place..."

“I shot freaking Vecna…”

Quote from Weslockes >>

"Vecna is Lord Vildarel. The undead you saw was Vecna- and you were lucky that he did not catch you. Come now!" she says from the portal. You hear the screech of a bird. 

 "This is all so hard to believe... Lord Vildarel was supposed to bring peace using the games as a substitute for all out war... And all of that was fake? We were all in the Nine Hells?" 

Matthyse looks shaken by this revalation (he never heard the guards mention Vecna and he didn't recognize the undead to be Vildarel). He follows her, obviously. Otherwise, he's afraid of being stranded in Yggdrasil.

"If that were true, what does that make us? Devils? Lost souls? Homunculi?"

"What about everyone we've known?!"

I try to keep calm, but I've lost many friends. Too many to readily accept that their lives were lies.

You step out into a freezing wasteland, a barren valley rounded by snow-topped mountains. Freytha is standing in front of you. Next to her is a bird- smaller than the Roc back in Nessus, but large nonetheless. "Welcome to Ysgard," Freytha tells you. "Realm of the berserk-"

The ground suddenly cracks and breaks under Freytha, and suddenly, she falls, screaming, as a hole opens up beneath her. You hear a crash as her body hits a floor far below. 

Quote from Weslockes >>

You step out into a freezing wasteland, a barren valley rounded by snow-topped mountains. Freytha is standing in front of you. Next to her is a bird- smaller than the Roc back in Nessus, but large nonetheless. "Welcome to Ysgard," Freytha tells you. "Realm of the berserk-"

The ground suddenly cracks and breaks under Freytha, and suddenly, she falls, screaming, as a hole opens up beneath her. You hear a crash as her body hits a floor far below. 

 

 [OoC: I reeeally want to crack a joke right about now.]

Quote from Weslockes >>

You step out into a freezing wasteland, a barren valley rounded by snow-topped mountains. Freytha is standing in front of you. Next to her is a bird- smaller than the Roc back in Nessus, but large nonetheless. "Welcome to Ysgard," Freytha tells you. "Realm of the berserk-"

The ground suddenly cracks and breaks under Freytha, and suddenly, she falls, screaming, as a hole opens up beneath her. You hear a crash as her body hits a floor far below. 

 

 "Damned Hells... It just never ends... Did anyone bring some rope? I could probably carry her back up but I have none."

"Wait a moment." I pull a rope from my satchel, along with a piton and a hammer. 

"Here." I tie the rope through the hoop and begin pounding the piton into the ground, at least 4 or 5 feet away from the dark maw of the hole. 

I hand Matthyse the rest of the pitons, saying, "If the rope gives, tie her to yourself and come back up with these."

Quote from BoldHand22 >>

"Wait a moment." I pull a rope from my satchel, along with a piton and a hammer. 

"Here." I tie the rope through the hoop and begin pounding the piton into the ground, at least 4 or 5 feet away from the dark maw of the hole. 

I hand Matthyse the rest of the pitons, saying, "If the rope gives, tie her to yourself and come back up with these."

 "Perfect. I hope that's sufficient." and he'll graciously take the pitons and hold onto the rope as he descends.

OoC: I'll have Matthyse concentrate on guidance. And if they're about to fall, he regained the use of his spectral wings for the day.

“Are you okay?” Calanin calls down

OoC: Guess we are in a 'holely hell'