Trimyrai: (to the party) "Yes, very clever."

Reverie chuckles at Jack, nodding once again. "Once again, I realized that Jack is very clever."

Jack nods, and bows. “Thank ye, Thank you.”

(OOC: I'll post the sessions for Reverie and Trimyrai now, Froskan and Iskander tomorrow, and Jack on Wednesday. That will give Froskan one more day to respond to the PM, hint hint.

This is a lot of info for your character. I hope you find it interesting. I'm hoping that you are also curious about the backstories of the party members. There is some overlap in events, but each character has their own story.)

Reverie and the Sages of Stone

(1) Reverie volunteers to be the first. She steps forward and puts a bare hand on the crystal ball. After it light up, she asks, "How can I be a good protector of Forestgleam? My family thinks am being selfish, indulging in whims away from the House."

After Reverie steps back, the Sages look into the ball, and murmur (meow) in discussion. They then face Reverie.

Frederick: "There are divisions in your House, and the core is rotting away. The enemies of your House dared not fight directly, so they hid, and schemed, and targeted the leaders one by one. When you were still in the Forestgleam House, you noticed friends and relations who would one day suddenly become cold and distant? They were subjugated by magic, their will taken away from them. You were left to roam free, but one day they would chain your mind as well. Those who still care about your well-being arranged for you to be sent to the West, out of the reach of your enemies. They spread rumors that you were carefree and willful, so that the others would not realize the strength you are gaining."

Willimina: "Your instinct is to return immediately, but that would be foolish. You do not have the power or the allies to free those you care about... Continue your adventures. Find your strength. Gather allies. There will be a day when you can return to the East, and burn out the rot in your House. But for now, be cautious."

(2) Reverie is disturbed by what she hears. But before she can speak, the Sages also offer a gift.

"We have discovered an item here that belongs to you, or at least, to the House of Forestgleam. Long ago, before your grandparents were born, it served your House, to defend against the evil and twisted. But there were some in the Forestgleam who feared its power, some who objected to its purpose, and some with corrupted hearts who wanted this weapon to remain ever sheathed. It is buried in the Shadowfell, lost to all, alone in its misery, and cursed by its time in these dark lands... It will be a painful path to restore it to its proper glory. While the weapon is cursed, it will be a danger to you and your companions. But if you can redeem this weapon and remove its curse, you have a chance to become the finest protector, the highest champion to emerge from the House of Forestgleam in over a century."

"We can provide you with a different gift, that does not require the painful path. Or you can chose your legacy, the weapon of your ancestors, with all the trials and hardships that come with it. Which will you take?"

Reverie: "I have never heard about such an item, cursed in the Shadowfell. No such item existed in the past."

"It is not surprising you have not heard about this weapon. Those who objected to its existence would not speak of it, and those that stole it would not want others to find it... The blade is sentient. But it has been neglected, denied, and spent a century seething in the Shadowfell. It has lost its identity, and now knows only rage. That anger will be shared by you, and in that way you will be dangerous around your friends... You can redeem this lost child. Restore its name. Cleanse the darkness. The blade can be restored to its true destiny, and rally those who would see the honor of the Forestgleam House returned."

There is a moment when Reverie thinks she shouldn't take it, if it is a danger to her friends. "Is there a way for it to not affect my friends, but only me?" she asks, but the Sages are silent. There is a temptation to get acknowledged by her family. "I will choose my legacy. If it belongs to the Forestgleams, then I should get it back!"

The Sages open a chest, making sure it is empty. They carry it to a particular spot on the floor. Now that the party looks more carefully, there are faint runes and curved lines all over the floor. After some low mumbling, and then kicking the box in the side, they open the lid. it is now full of dirt and rocks. The tip of a scimitar handle is poking out of the dirt. Reverie is invited to pull the weapon out of its grave. The scimitar is heavily tarnished, and the scabbard is encrusted in stone. The weapon used to have sigils and markings on both the blade and scabbard, but they are obscured by decades of neglect.

Despite that, Reverie looks thrilled to have this scimitar in her hand, like being reunited with an old friend. But the rest of the party can also see a rage flash across her face... (Reverie has a Berserker Scimitar +1, a home-brew item that was added to her inventory.)

Trimyrai and the Sages of Stone

(1) The Sages kick the box again. After checking that it is empty again (no dirt and pebbles), they move the box back to its original storage spot.

Trimyrai steps forward and puts a bare hand on the crystal ball. After it light up, he asks, "Where are my villagers, the ones who survived the raid? My family, my love... Any info you can give... If you won't answer that, tell me about the slavers who did it... Or if you won't tell me that either, then any archery secrets you sages might possess."

After Trim steps back, the Sages look into the ball, and murmur (meow) in discussion. They then face Trimyrai.

Frederick: "There are other forces that have clouded and hid what you would know. Spells of lies and concealment. We can give you a place to start, but it will be up to you to discover more."

Willimina pulls out a thick book (not the one that your group brought here). She opens it to make sure the pages are blank and stiff from newness. She closes it, whispers some arcane words, then opens it up. The pages are now worn and covered with hand-writing. She opens to a particular entry, and invites Trim to look at it. "This is the log of people entering Nunkreet from the South Gate. This is from 3 months ago, shortly before the gate was closed at nightfall." She puts a claw on a particular entry.

Trim is impassive approaching the book, but he becomes feverish as he sees the names of the people entering the city that day. The rest of the party can Trim muttering: "Warton... Darvin... Miri !..." (almost sobbing) "Rose !!" He becomes frantic, almost tearing the pages as he looks it over. "I recognize those 4 names, and 3 additional ones from my village. But where are the others? Where is Kan?! Where is Shandri?!"

Willimina slams the book shut and stares at Trimyrai. "Calm yourself mortal. As we told you, others have hidden what you want to know. We can only tell you of those that entered the city of Nunkreet on that day. And that they did not leave the city... You have worked with the Iron Gate guild. They can be hired to investigate more, if you give them names and faces to look for."

(2) Trim is still composing himself, when Frederick hands him a few items. "You also mentioned arts of archery. Since we were not able to tell you more, accept these items. These lenses over your eyes will let you see clearly as far as your arrow will fly. These arm bands will increase the deadliness of your shots. And this scroll... for five days, study the techniques and practice the skills listed. On the last day, the scroll will disappear, and your archery skill will be enhanced." (Trim now has Eyes of the Eagle, Bracers of Archery, and will obtain the Sharpshooter feat after a week.)

Froskan and the Sages of Stone

(1) The Sages invite Froskan to step forward and speak up. He starts talking as he approaches the crystal ball. "We've been fighting a lot of fiends recently. It has been frustrating that almost all of them are resistant to the cold. Can you do..." His voice trails off.

Froskan is gazing at his scaled claws on the crystal ball. After a moment, he speaks up again. "I have no memories of my parents. The people of my village don't know how I got there, or where my draconic heritage came from. I visited the sages and the hermits and the mad mystics in the wilds. They allowed me to unlock my abilities, but were limited in their knowledge. My question is: who am I?"

Froskan blinks, looks back at his friends, then smiles sheepishly. "Or tell me how to meet a metallic dragon, without getting eaten. Preferably a silver one."

After Trim steps back, the Sages look into the ball, and murmur (meow) in discussion. They then face Froskan.

Frederick: "We are limited in what we can tell you. A being of power watches over you. A patron, if you will. We do not fear it, but it would be... inconvenient... for us to oppose it. Your benefactor supports you, but also wants you to be free, to find your own path and answers. We have to be careful not to interfere in your choices... At some point in their long lives, metallic dragons gain the ability to assume the forms of humanoids and beasts. You may have met a dragon, without realizing it... If you desire to see a dragon in its native form, continue on your path as an adventurer, and that wish will come true one day."

Willimina: "If your heart remains good, a metallic dragon won't eat you... probably."

(2) Willimina hands Froskan a scroll, a crystal bottle filled with a white-blue liquid, and a mithril ring devoid of gemstone. "We can offer a gift that will aid you in battle. Take this scroll. Like Trimyrai, you must cultivate this power with your own training. Study its writings for five days. This vial contains a fluid which cannot be frozen naturally. Concentrate your arcane powers on it each day. When you've mastered this ability, you will freeze that liquid into a stone. You can mount that stone in the mithril ring, and wear it as a reminder of your new skill... You will not overcome beings immune to ice and cold, but you will have more success with your winter skills." (Froskan will obtain the Elemental Adept-cold feat in one week. I'm still deciding on what the ring will do.)

Iskander and the Sages of Stone

(1) Before the Sages can invite Iskander to step forward, he has already put his hand on the crystal ball. He asks the Sages, "For a time my memory is blank. I was on a war campaign with Heegoss and then... not. And then I was in the hut of the hermit. While I don't know the details of my missing time, i can piece together that i was either in the Shadowfell, or under some influence of this place. That is unnerving, but what's more unnerving is, how I got there. I was taken, after asking my lord for time off. Sages, tell me, who took me and why?"

After Isk steps back, the Sages look into the ball, and murmur (meow) in discussion. They then face Iskander.

 "Yes, we can see the period of time that you are talking about, buried under a web of suggestions, charms, drugs, and many high-level Modify Memory spells. Little wonder it is blank in your mind. We can piece together fragments of your memories, but not determine what happened to you specifically. Or at least, not without unweaving the web with many spells and much effort. That is a price you cannot pay right now."

"However... we have information about others who were abducted in the same manner. Who were used in experiments in the Shadowfell, to create deadlier, obedient warriors. Most of them died, but in the Shadowfell, dead men do tell tales... Your abductors were dressed as your army's enemies, but they were the secret servants of Heegoss. He gave the order to make you into a puppet under his control."

"Your weapon has a history, but that is shielded from our efforts. You will be able to find more in the future, if that is your desire. The weapon comes from the plane of shadows, but it does not have a sentience of its own. It is not evil, but the dark power can be too much for the wielder to control. Your former master probably chose you, with your celestial bloodline, as someone who could use this weapon to further his ambitions."

"If you are thinking of vengeance, a demi-god is not a being to be trifled with. If you stay hidden and avoid the attentions of Heegos, you could leave your weapon as it is... You could cast aside this glaive, although that would remove your Hexblade abilities. You would have to find a new patron to regain your power, and that could be our gift to you... If you wish to use the glaive against the might of Heegos, we are offering to unseal its potential. It would not return all at once, but even this initial amount might overwhelm you."

(2) Iskandar's eyes narrow as his face hardens, attempting the conceal the deep pain of his mentor's betrayal. He flexes his hand, causing the glaive to appear with the sound of rushing wind and hissing voices.

He holds it out to the sages, "Give me the power. Even if I am not able to kill that treacherous bastard now, I can impede his goals and better plan my vengeance." Then his face softens and his voice drops low, "And if I am once again consumed by madness, so be it. At least I will not have to endure the pain of his betrayal."

(Die rolls made by Isk & the DM.) The Sages direct  Isk to touch his glaive to a particular rune on the floor. It flares white, then black. The arm that is holding the glaive gains many shallow cuts, but instead of bleeding, a dark smoke emerges, which wraps around the weapon. Throughout all this, Iskander stands still. After a few seconds, the shallow cuts close, and the smoke dissipates. The weapon seems sharper, and seems to hum with greater power.

Willimina starts waving a paw in front of Iskander's face, with no reaction. The rest of the party can see that Isk's eyes are open, but unfocused. A small amount of drool has dripped out of his open mouth. Willimina tsk-tsks in disappointment. "Let's give him some time. Maybe he will recover on his own." (Isk is currently catatonic. He now has a home-brew Glaive of Shadows, a beefed-up version of his glaive of warning.)

Jack Black and the Sages of Stone  (part 1 of 2)

(1a) Jack is the last to step forward. He is concerned about Isk, but puts his bare hand on the crystal ball. “I do have one question. Me crew was targeted by Umberlee. I assume it was because of this.” Jack reaches inside the neckline of his armor, and pulls out a small blue crystal. (The rest of the party have seen him holding something inside his armor during rests, but this is the first time you've seen it.) “Please, tell me, What is it’s importance?”

After Jack pulls out the crystal, the Sages are silent. What looks to be astonishment is on their faces. Frederick starts to growl. Furious, he pounces on Jack, knocking him prone and pinning him to the ground. "Deceiver! Do you really think you could mock us with that fake?" Jack sees the bared teeth, and is certain that the androsphinx plans to bite out his throat. Jack struggles underneath the giant cat-creature. “What fake? Get off of me, or when I die, they will attack you...”

The rest of the party (except the catatonic Isk) starts to move, but the sphinx lets out a staggering roar that stuns them. The roar ends as Jack gets out the rest of his sentence: “...right, Reverie?” The jaws close on Jack's neck. Despite his impending doom, Jack is amused at the idea of a man half-elf of the seas would meet his end from an overgrown talking lion with wings.

"Frederick! Frederick! Fred Stone!" Frederick's teeth are at Jack's skin, but it has stopped. The tone in Willimina's voice seems to have dissipated Frederick's anger, and it looks somewhat meekly at its partner, who continues talking. "Our braziers are still lit. There is no deception. Look again. That is the real one."

Jack, moving as little as possible, helpfully holds up the crystal to Frederick's eyes. The astonishment returns to the sphinx's eyes, as well as confusion. It steps back, quietly lifts Jack to his feet, and (gently) dusts off Jack's shoulders with its paws.

Frederick walks over to Willimina for a quick huddle.They murmur (meow) in discussion. You can't make out the words, but there is real concern in the tone. (Jack looks inside his armor, and is proud of his training. He did not soil himself, despite these circumstances.)

Jack and the Sages of Stone  (part 2 of 2)

(1b) Willimina begins. "We have to speak carefully. We will not tell you all that we know. That is for your own protection. Simply knowing the entire truth of that crystal would expose you to mind readers and seers. We will tell you what we can, but for now ignorance is your greatest shield."

"Umberlee does seek that crystal. But so does every god. Some more actively than others, but all would have it. It is not powerful on its own, but it is necessary to find the deadliest of artifacts... If we thought we could protect it, I tell you now, we would break our duties of hospitality to slay your party and hide it. But we are too well known and watched. The crystal is safest in the hands of insignificant mortals like yourselves."

"But not entirely insignificant. You do have power to protect it... To let you know the seriousness of the situation, I say to you now: we will not tell your secret to our Master. It is not easy or wise to hide information from the God of Knowledge, but none of the gods can know of this. As long as Oghma does not think to ask us directly, we can hide this truth."

"We are risking that you and your companions will be able to shoulder this task... There have been others in your group that are no longer here. Jupiter (the monk) and Katrina (the sorcerer) are still hale and roaming the wilds. But it is well that Af Brazeneil (cleric of Lathander) and Theren Winterborne (Shadar-Kai of the Raven Queen) were not with you. They would not wish to betray you, but their ties to their deities would have exposed Jack to the gods. Af would be compelled to claim it for his god, and Theren to complete his mission."

Willimina carefully stretches out a claw to tap the crystal. "The crystal has some power to hide itself, but that has been strengthened. You should still keep it hidden from sight as much as possible."

(2) Frederick: "We can risk giving you more protection... You seem uncomfortable with the rapier at your side. You don't seem to mind its devilish origins. It seems to be the type of blade. Is your preferred weapon the long sword?" Jack is still processing what he was told, and responds on auto-pilot. "Me preferred weapon is the long sword, yes."

Willimina: "If you are willing to give up that rapier, we can give you a weapon more suitable for you... We can get you an ordinary magical blade. But we have access to a very potent weapon, the best you could have. But it does have a price. You would be attuned to it for the rest of your life. And the weapon has its own desires: the advancement of elvenkind and elven ideals. Courage, loyalty, beauty, music, and life are all part of this purpose. You would have free will, but before the bonding you must be certain that your lifestyle can exist with and promote these ideals. Would you take this weapon of elvish power and responsibility?"

Jack is still confused about the recent conversation, but is quick to respond to the challenge when questioned if he is good enough. (Jack's character flaw is "Once someone questions my courage, I never back down no matter how dangerous the situation.") "I will happily accept this gift. I feel I show plenty of Courage and Loyalty, I certainly know music, and have no problems with Life. And, while I may not be the most Handsome, I feel I know beauty when I see it.”

The sphinxes get the chest that was earlier used to get Reverie's scimitar. They carry it to the side of the chamber, and place it on the wall. They have to kick it several times before they are satisfied. They open the lid. "Jack of Black, take the sword within, and place your magical rapier as replacement." Looking into the chest, the bottom of it has become the doors of a wall-mounted cabinet. Jack opens it, to reveal a magnificent elvish long sword. He take it out, puts the rapier inside, then closes the cabinet.

While the Sages put away the chest, Jack swings his new long sword. It is as light as the rapier, but sturdier. The blade is a blue crystal with pale-yellow elvish runes and symbols along its length. (The blade is a similar material as Jack's special crystal, but not exactly the same.)

Willimina: "This is a moonblade, the apex of elvish lore and weapon craft. It will be attuned to you for life, if it feels you can further elvish ideals. It will be your constant companion and defender... It is potent, but not yet finished. There is room for more runes to enhance the weapon, although it will be difficult to find smiths skilled enough to work with your blade."

Frederick: "We should mention that we didn't ask for permission before taking it. The elves who made this may not be satisfied with the rapier you put in its place... Okay, okay, they will be furious. They will go to great lengths to recover it, even if it has bonded to you. Be careful around elven smiths who may recognize it."

(Jack now has a home-brew Moonblade in his inventory, and the crystal trinket is now an Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location.)

With their side of the bargain complete, the Sages remind you that the Allip (that is bugging them) should be destroyed on your way back to the prime material plane.

They place some easy chairs near the spot where you came in. There are trays of fruits, smoked meats, and mugs of water. "You are wounded. You may rest here for an hour, to recover your strength before returning to the Shadowfell." They go deeper into their chamber, and are working on strengthening the wards around this room.

After five minutes, Iskander starts to move and look around. He is trembling and sweating.

(OOC: The party has a Short Rest. Use your hit dice to get back to maximum hit points. You can talk to each other freely. You can talk to the Sages as well, but they are no longer obligated to say or do anything more for your party.

This may take a while, since I've given a massive info dump. Make a note when the party is ready to move on.)

(Rolling 4 hit dice: 3, 8, 7, 6.  Perfect, 1 hp more than I needed to get to full) 

Froskan idly slips the ring onto one finger while he stairs at the crystal bottle for a few moments, then puts the bottle away in his pack.  His eyes scan the scroll as well before rolling it back up and putting it away for the moment as well.  He remains silent as he moves to sit in one of the chairs and avail himself of the food and water provided, trying to process everything they just learned and received.  He starts slightly as Isk begins moving again, and this seems to break his mood.  The dragonborn glances around at the others, eyes finally settling on Jack, and he decides to lighten the mood a bit.  "And here I expected you to ask about the man-eating road!" he says to the half-elf.

Isk drops to his knees and vomits.  He stands back up but looks quite a bit worse for wear.  He looks to Reverie, and with a still shaking voice says, "Seems like we both have some demons to deal with back home." and offers a weak smile.

OoC - Hit die rolls 2 4 8

(Isk: You get to add your CON bonus to each hit die.)

Oh, I totally did not remember, or perhaps know, that.  Thanks!

(Roll three hit dices - 10 11 9)

Reverie sighs deeply as soon as she witnesses Jack is still alive and then witnesses Iskander coming back to his senses. Good to see that Froskan and Trimyrai are all right, but she starts to worry about another quest to do after an hour of rest. Interestingly, she gets to learn about her friends more than before, and it is a great time (except Jack got attack by Frederick). Her gaze shifts to Iskander, who is standing up after vomiting. "That we do," Reverie replies with a small smile, gazing down on the raging scimitar. "The enemy is always somewhere closer without noticing... And yet, I never thought there is an enemy within my house." After a moment, she pats Iskander's shoulder twice and says, "Get some rest before we leave. You look utterly tired." Then she looks back at Trimyrai. "Trim, are you doing all right?"

(3 hit die: 22)

Jack sighs, unsure what to do with all of his new information. “I was, but I found a new question, one that needed answering.” He looks at Trim. “Ye shouted people’s names there. What was that about?” 

Meanwhile, he holds his new Moonblade , starting into it’s familiar-looking crystal material.

(rolling 2 hit dice: 3 5 )

Trimyrai turns to the party Trimyrai: (to the party) "I am more than alright Reverie, i have a lead. I can find people from my village. As soon as we complete all of our business i would like to inquire at the Iron Gate Guild... The names i shouted were people from my village. I was so happy to see their names in the book. It had me so excited i shouted their names."

(edit: OOC: wow two natural ones, thats some bad luck.)

(edit 2: OOC: i didn't intend for it to seem like trim ignored jacks question, hopefully the edit clears it up.)

Reverie nods once at Trimyrai. "I understand. I am sure we could do that," she replies as she takes a seat on an empty chair, looking down on a scimitar that once was a treasure of her family in slightest of worry. "By the way, are you okay there, Jack? You were basically prone by Frederick in all-so-sudden." Then she looks back at Froskan. "How are you holding up, Froskan?"

“Im not sure what to think about that. Other than that i’ll Happily take this Blade to his face now.”

(hey Trim, you didn’t Answer Jack’s question- is that intentional?

Also, are you at a good enough health? I have a Song of Rest available)