DEAD IN THAY Near the village of Daggerford on the Sword Coast, the Red Wizards of Thay plotted to extend the evil reach of their land and its master, the lich lord Szass Tam. At a site called Bloodgate Keep they built a powerful portal, fueled by elemental nodes, that could allow Thayans to instantly transport whole armies into the very heart of the Sword Coast. With this power, the Red Wizards would surely overthrow and take control of the North.
However, adventurers assaulted Bloodgate Keep and were victorious, and thus Szass Tam’s plans of invasion were crushed. At least, for a while. In the ruins of the keep, the Bloodgate Nexus was discovered.
What no one expected, though, was that despite the fall of the keep itself, parts of the Bloodgate Nexus survived, and Thayan Resurrection cell leader Syranna devised a way to use it against Szass Tam to end his leadership for good - she knew how to operate the Nexus that allowed direct access to a secret Thayan training ground known as the Doomvault: the storage location of the Phylactery Vault of Szass Tam and all his elite lich servants.
Szass Tam is siphoning the souls of mortals in the quest to become a god. Someone must stop him.
"From shame and shadow, recast. In black and gold, reborn."- Creed of the Order of the Black Sun.
The Order of the Black Sun's story begins with the assault on the City of Ceraxia. That was where everything changed, where the sons and daughters of several armies went to battle together against a blasphemy we could not allow to stand. It was the last time we went to war in the colors of our old legions. But, such a tale requires context. There is an era recorded in the annals of Waterdavian history that has suffered as all recollections must suffer in time, with its details twisted into a mockery of remembrance. This was an age of relative peace and prosperity, when the fires of the Great Wars had settled down to ash, and we ruled over the land with an unchallenged grip.
What few archives survive to record this golden age in any detail now hearken back to it in reverent whispers as the clock ticks closer to midnight in the dawn of a dark millennium. Still, a tumor lingered. Waterdeep hadn't destroyed its foes. Not completely. It had merely forgotten them. Forgotten us. But we did not forget. We are the Order of the Black Sun, and this is a story of our mission into the Doomvault to destroy Szass Tam. Everything written beyond this point is considered truth.
I grew up in a thieves guild in Baldur's Gate, the Shadows. It was a family business, more or less. My mother founded the guild, raised me as her heir. I had six siblings - most of which I raised myself. I learned how to use personas, whether for simple misdirection or to do what needed to be done. When I was 21, Duke Belt hired mercenaries to destroy my guild and my family. I barely escaped, and lost most of my family in the process. The ones that are left, I hardly saw eye to eye on.
There was Tun, with his Guild of Knives. He was always too arrogant for his own good.
There was Ar, the idealist, the traveling paladin. I saw him again, once, before we parted ways once more.
And then there was Wic...the traitor.
I moved on. Went to Waterdeep, joined another group. The Order of the Stars. I made new friends, went on new adventures. I found a new family as Delilah Bard.
Isa, Ashon, Alizire, Helvara. Aramil and Zed. Even Julinka and Gale. I miss you all.
It didn't last. Fighting splintered us from within, and we went our separate ways. Isa threw herself into her duties as a High Priestess and Avatar of Ilmater. Ashon was already gone, choosing to focus on his family and responsibilities in Waterdeep. Alizire went with Aramil to the Feywild. Zed vanished in the North. Helvara decided she would be better served looking for her family and the yuan-ti slavers that took them on her own. Julinka and Gale departed easily, Julinka's family taking them quickly back into the fold.
And me? I went back to the Gate and found my brother, and became Ruby. Together, Tun and I showed Duke Belt that the Nine Hells could be brought to him. That time for me...it was both one of my darkest and one where I felt more purposeful, more defined than most of my life. There was no fear in those months. Only hatred, vengeance, and inexorable purpose.
But eventually it was over. Belt was dead. My purpose was gone, and I couldn't stay in the Gate any longer, with the memories and the darkness. I knew that if I was going to honor the brief little family I had in the Order, I would have to find a new purpose, one that would let me move on.
So I returned to Waterdeep, became Lila again, got out the shiftweave Ashon made me. I became part of the Order of the Black Sun.
Maybe this time, it won't end in tragedy and ruin.
My father was a renowned vampire hunter. He was strong and brave, and he made damn sure to send every one of those bloodsuckers and their foul spawn down to the Nine Hells. But vampire hunters rarely live to have gray hairs. When I was five, my father was murdered by one of the bastards, but fortunately his killer had the twisted sense of honor to not turn him. I cried like a baby at his funeral. My mother raised and comforted me, telling me that even though his body was dead, he'd always be there for me in spirit. It wouldn't be until I was much later in life that I realized that it wasn't just an expression in this case. When I turned 20, I joined a mercenary group. I was all tough then and ready to beat the shit out of people who could use an ass-beating. But this one battle wasn't going so well. I had bit off a little bit more than I could chew in this instance and it looked like it might be over for me. Suddenly I just feel this amazing power flowing through me. My fists felt like they were giant, but also light as a feather. My enemies started running away. It wasn't until after the battle that the rest of my company told me about how it looked like some big-ass ghost was behind me, going berserk on my enemies. I knew right then and there that it was my old man, fighting alongside me in spirit. And we've been kicking ass together ever since.
PREHISTORY Somewhere in the corners of Realmspace is the Cronian system. It consisted of a number of life supporting worlds warmed by the heart of a enormous blue giant star. The recent history of my people dates back past tens of thousands of years. What was usual about my home was that, because of reasons forever buried in lost history, magic died an eternity ago on my world. None remember the truth of what brought our race to the edge of magic abandonment.
THE HOLY ORDER OF THE MACHINE GOD Because I had to, I joined the Holy Order of the Machine God when I was 15. The first Principle I learned was the Principle of Knowledge. Knowledge is power. It is the first credo. To understand that fundamental concept is to possess power beyond measure. To harness fire, to shape the elements and bend them to your will? Such things now can only be dreamed of by lunatics and the insane, dating back to an age unremembered. An age forgotten. An age forbidden. Woe to us, man and woman who honors not the Holy One - the Machine God, for ignorance shall be our doom. The Great Clerics of Old Cronia, men and woman infused with the power of the Old Faith, were wondrous engines of creation whose powers dwarfed that of any myth or legend. They shaped entire worlds, they drank the hearts of stars and brought light into the dark places in the system. They wielded their power and bestrode the world as gods.
How far we have fallen.
WHAT THEY BELIEVE Our world is devoid of magic - it is forbidden. Only technology remains. The Spirit of the Machine God flows in bright traceries of golden energy. It moves in the heart of every machine. It brings motion and heat, energy and light. It feeds the forges, it drives the engines and is the alpha and omega of all that is and all that will ever be crafted by the hands of man. The soul of the Great Machine lives in cogs and gears, it flows through every cable, it infuses every piston and the thrumming heart of every engine. Without it, the universe would be a benighted, sterile place, devoid of light and existence. The God of All Machines is eternal and unchanging. It is the First Power: the power at the heart of all things. To know it is to be one with it, and to feel its touch is to be changed forever. Flesh fails, but the machine endures. That is what is encoded in the very bones of ancient man, and in my people today.
WHAT I BELIEVE Great Machine-born cities of metal and stone, marvel of wonders never to be known again. We live on a world in the depths of space, our sheet steel walls cold and unyielding. I read about the old Faiths, before the Machine God. We are living things, I came to realize. Our bones real, and our heart as passionate as a thousand caged stars. The cold authority of the Machine God was brutal and calculating. This could not be all that there was. Our world had changed. How far could I travel? What real miracles could I see? I yearned to feel the light of uncounted suns, a mariner in strange seas, swept out among the glittering nebulae, I wish to see sights that no man could know, no legend could tell, or no history could record. We have been enslaved by dogma, ritual and blind superstitions that place fetters on our ability to even know there are questions to be asked. I will ask those questions. I will not be enslaved. I will be the hope in a hopeless age.
It was that day I fled to a world called Toril and joined the Order of the Black Sun.
On behalf of the Captain of the Guard, City of Waterdeep, I regret to inform you of the untimely death of your son, Corporal Galatus Witherspoon. He died on the 8th day of Summertide near the City of Ceraxia, as a result of injuries received in battle. While further details are unavailable at this time, the mortuary officer will be contacting you shortly regarding mortuary affairs. If you have questions or need additional assistance, you may contact the Waterdeep Guard, and they will put you in touch with your son's commander. Again, on behalf of the Captain of the Guard, please accept the City of Waterdeep's deepest condolences.
Signed: Thomas Wexley, Major General, City of Waterdeep
FOUR DAYS AGO:
ORDERS 014-02 23rd Day of Summertide TO: Corporal Mongo FROM: MajGen Wexley, City of Waterdeep
You are deployed on an Indeterminate Temporary Change of Station (TCS). You are being assigned to duty under Captain Kit, Order of the Black Sun, City of Waterdeep. You are replacing an immediate vacancy in Captain Kit's squad. You will submit a reviewed travel voucher for this travel to the finance office within 5 working days after return from this deployment.
Purpose: Infiltrate into the Doomvault to destroy phylactery of Szass Tam Number of days: Indeterminate Will proceed date: 27th Day of Summertide Security clearance: Top Secret Movement designator code: 3AE7 (enlisted) Additional instructions: NOFORN
TODAY:
Mongo marches straight up to Kit, crisply salutes her, and barks out "Corporal Mongo, REPORTING FOR DUTY AS ORDERED, ma'am!"
Well, my name's John Lee Pettimore, same as my daddy and his daddy before. You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here. He only came to town about twice a year. He'd buy a hundred pounds of groceries, herbs and crude. Everybody knew he was up to no good. Now, the sheriff's men wanted Grandaddy real bad so they chased him down the hollow with everything they had. It was before my time, but I've been told, Grandaddy never came back from down that road. My daddy didn't care and picked right up there, making strange brews to sell everywhere. Him and my uncle, raked in that loot, sneaking through the night right past the pursuit. He wasn't one to boast, but it's been said, his name was known up and down the Sword Coast. I still remember when I heard that rumbling sound, when the guards and their horses came thundering down. Shouts and screams in the middle of night, heard my ma cryin' and knew something weren't right. I fled out the window as fast as I could. From miles around you could smell the burning wood. The say Ma and Pa died there in our home. I never went back and begin to roam. I joined the army on my birthday. Not much else for poor trash around here anyway. I done two tours of duty fighting those fiends, and that's when I came up with a plan for my own means. It was down in that hollow that I found Grandaddy's book. With it in hand, I set off to claim back everything they took.
It's been 10 years since I fled my home, running scared from those dastardly guards who killed my loved uns. I promised myself there that night that I'd never run from a fight again. That's why, when Lord Neverember put out a call for able-bodied souls to help beat back the fiendish hordes attacking Phandalin, Leilon and the likes, I volunteered. It didn't take those fightin' folks long to realize I was no warrior. But they did figure out that I was more than just a smart ass -- I was pretty smart, too. So I got hooked up the army's mages, but they wasn't those learned types. No, these mages studied magic for one reason and one reason only -- to kick ass. Two tours I did with that group, fighting all sorts of fiends. When ol' Neverember got tired of warring and such, though, I had to find something else. That's when one of my squad introduced me to the Order of the Black Sun. Look, yeah, I know...that's a real fancy soundin' name, and they got some long ol' history and such. For me, though, it's a chance to keep kicking ass, collecting supplies, doing a little of the family business on the side and, of course, finding those SOB's who killed my Ma and Pa.
MOMENTUM AND CHAOS Momentum is a currency players can accumulate in a group pool to spend, and Chaos is a currency the DM can spend. Momentum is for the players, Chaos is for the DM.
HOW TO GET IT: PLAYERS generate Momentum and Chaos. DM rolls do not generate Momentum and Chaos. - MOMENTUM: Rolling a nat20, in addition to all of it's other regular effects, adds 1 point of momentum to the pool for players to use ANYTIME. - CHAOS: Rolling a nat1 generates 1 point of CHAOS for the DM. For this game, I will not inflict additional damage from my critical table.
Momentum has a cap of 6, and goes away after the completion of the current Doomvault level, or whenever you rest.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH MOMENTUM: - Buy a d20 reroll. You can spend 1 momentum to re roll any 1d20 on an ability, attack, or saving throw roll. - You can spend 1 momentum to re roll damage for a single attack. - Ask a question. You can spend 1 momentum to ask the DM a question about the current scene that I will answer 100% truthfully. - Change reality. You can spend 2 momentum to alter something about a current scene: You can add something, change something, or remove something - making an action or intention possible, easier, harder, or impossible.
You can spend momentum anytime, and as many times as you want, but you must always take the current roll as the value.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH CHAOS: - Chaos begins at 2 per player, and is a DM resource. - Buy a d20 reroll. I can spend 1 chaos to re roll any 1d20 on an ability, attack, or saving throw roll. - Add a complication. I can spend 2 chaos to add a complication to the current battle or scene. - Change reality. I can spend 2 momentum to alter something about a current scene: I can add something, change something, or remove something - making an action or intention possible, easier, harder, or impossible. - Questionable, or unnecessarily unethical behavior can generate more chaos for me to use.
I can spend chaos anytime, and as many times as I want, and I must always take the current roll as the value.
On Cronia, I was a healer. A medic, a doctor, call it what you will. I was skilled with my hands in the science of healing. It fascinated me. With tools and equipment in the servitude of the Machine God I healed those of the Holy Order who waged war against the Death Cults. But, it was a life devoid of meaning and hope.
When I came to Toril, it's beauty and wonder held me in a grip of amazement constantly, and everything was new to me. There was so much to explore, so much to learn, so much to know. I had heard years ago that this world was special - filled with magic and miracles and the influence of many divine powers. Cronia was a world devoid of all of those things and I wanted to be a part of something wonderful, something spiritual. I knew I could find that here.
So I prayed. I prayed to whatever gods of life, love and healing there were. I prayed with all my heart that perhaps a higher power would notice me and empower me and my skills to continue to help others and save anyone I could for a meaning, for a purpose, that was beyond myself and my own.
And then, one day, the divine did notice.
I was taking a stroll one spring afternoon far from a town I had just arrived in. I had followed the road, and, for some reason, something nudged me, a feeling - something in my gut, to walk off the well used trail and take the one not so frequented. It was a beautiful day, so I followed that feeling and approached a grove of trees. There, hanging from a noose was a woman - she was still alive! I ran to her. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was not too late. She was a woman who had seen battle, I could tell from her appearance, her physique. Her face looked sad, pained, troubled. I could not believe my luck in finding her! I struggled in my panic to climb the tree, but I had enough military basic training to keep my wits and do so. I cut her down and she fell to the forest floor. I checked her pulse - still alive! Suddenly she gasped, breathing again, and began to rouse. I spoke to her in calm words, told her she would be alright. Then, when she opened her eyes, I asked her name.
When I discovered my Astral Arms, I wasn't alone. Amelia Hiriart, one of my fellow soldiers, was also there with me. They told her it was a mission for a nutcase and that she was more likely to get killed than to finish the mission. But Hiriart wouldn't let me get die alone and she damn well wouldn't let me get all the glory for myself. She fought by my side and even though I still bit off more than I could chew, I probably wouldn't have lasted as long as I did if it wasn't for her, but it certainly took a toll on her too. And as much as I didn't want to get killed, I certainly didn't want Hiriart to get killed either. It's not like she had a family back home waiting for her, not many of us did, really, but she' was a good woman who risked her neck to ensure that I'd die with a friend at the very least. So I feel like when I summoned those spirit arms to help me win the fight, I was doing it for her as much as I was doing it for myself. Amelia didn't know what the **** just happened, but she was glad to be alive and I was glad that she was as well. I blew every gold piece I made from that mission taking her to the bar and getting shitfaced afterwards, but those were some of the best drinks we had.
I raised four siblings growing up. Later, when I joined the Order of the Stars, I found myself in a similar role, taking care of people. Now, here, in the Order of the Black Sun, I've slipped into that role again, and it started with Amelia.
I'd been a part of the Order of the Black Sun for a while when I first met Amelia. She was assigned to my unit when I was still just a foot soldier. Amelia was fairly quiet, keeping to herself most of the time. But like many of us, she was there to find purpose. I myself had been with the Order for over a year, but I'd still to find a place, to feel like I fit in the way I did before. But that was about to change.
It was maybe a month after she joined that I found her. I liked to take quick loops around camp, and as I slipped back towards the tents, I heard a soft noise, something between a sigh and a gasp. I followed the noise and saw Amelia, long sword out and laid across her lap, blood on the point to go with the new, straight cut across her left arm.
My mind flashed back to another young woman I would find behind tents and in the backs of rooms. Isa drank, not cut, but still...and that wasn't even touching what Jan used to make me do. I cleared my throat softly to let Amelia know I was there. When she turned to look at me, guilt and shame flashing across her face, I shook my head to forestall anything she was about to say. "I understand," I said simply, turning my arm and relaxing my shape changing on it. The dark skin paled to white, with five stark, straight scars laid across it. My first time showing anyone in the Order my changeling abilities, but this...it was time. "We'll talk about it later, okay? For now, let's get you bandaged up after you slipped sharpening your sword."
Evening talks became a theme between the two of us after that. We'd talk about anything, from how dinner that night was to our plans for next leave.
And that's when I finally started to find a family again.
PROLOGUE SIX - AMELIA
My name is Amelia Hiriart. I am 18 years old and I have no reason to live anymore. Today I plan to end it all in a dingy forest I found while scouring for food with a rope I managed to swipe from a vendor in some town I don't remember the name of. It may sound like the easy way out but I can't do this anymore. My family is gone, whatever friends I've made are gone. Every bond I've managed to forge in this sad life has been stripped away from me before I could even try to fight it. I'm a string of bad luck. I'm no good. Maybe I'll be worthy in another life. Maybe I'll be reincarnated and actually be worth something to someone.
I'm sorry I couldn't be strong enough.
My name is Amelia Hiriart. I am 23 years old and I have found my purpose. 5 years ago, I wasn't in a good place in my life. I lost all hope. I gave up on myself and couldn't find a reason to keep going. I tried to end it all, but by chance--no, by some Gods grace-- I was found before I could go. A woman by the name of Taeli saved me, cut me down, and helped me find my place. She was insistent, and before, I could barely stand it, but now, I don't know where I would be without it. With her adamance, we found the Order of the Black Sun and soon after we joined it and were put into a group with interesting individuals. It wasn't easy for me. I could barely stand having Taeli around, even with how nice she was to me, but now there were four other people I needed to worry about.
But now? I thank Taeli every chance I get for saving me because I can't imagine my life without them. I love them all. Tae, Kit, Mongo, John, Rosamia... Every single one of them. Every little quirk they have, every flaw, I love them so much it makes my heart throb. I would do anything for them and I think I can confidently say they would do the same for me.
BY REQUEST OF COMMODORE JULIUS HAWKE LORD IMPERIAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BLACK SUN
VERBAL TRANSCRIPT OF ARCANE TRANSMISSION
CASE FILE 112:67B:AA6:Xad
"Commander Kit, this is Commodore Hawke. I'm transmitting this to you all on a private arcane channel: the details of the team's next assignment. We've gotten some information from a rebel Thayan wizard that we simply can't afford to ignore any longer. Beginning transmission."
BLOODGATE KEEP Near the village of Daggerford on the Sword Coast, the Red Wizards of Thay plotted to extend the evil reach of their land and its master, the lich lord Szass Tam. At a site called Bloodgate Keep they built a powerful portal, fueled by elemental nodes, that could allow Thayans to instantly transport whole armies into the very heart of the Sword Coast. With this power, the Red Wizards would surely overthrow and take control of the North. However, groups of adventurers recently assaulted Bloodgate Keep and it fell - Szass Tam’s plans of invasion were crushed.
BLOODGATE NEXUS What no one expected, though, was that despite the fall of the keep itself, parts of the Bloodgate Nexus - an interconnected series of teleportation circles - survived. After the fall of Bloodgate Keep, a renegade Red Wizard named Syranna, a leader in the Thayan Resurrection resistance movement, saw an unusual opportunity to rid the world of Szass Tam, and she came to us for help. Her knowledge of the secret portal network of which the Bloodgate was a part gives her the ability to open portals directly into a place under the ruins of the Keep called the Doomvault - a secret Thayan training ground.
THE DOOMVAULT Kazit Gul, a Thayan archmage, built the Doomvault to siphon the souls of those who perished within it for use in his dark experiments. One of these was the creation of an extra dimensional vault in which he stored his phylactery. Eventually, Szass Tam and his followers defeated and enslaved Gul. They changed the Doomvault into a monstrous menagerie and arcane laboratory. Although the space is still called the Phylactery Vault of Kazit Gul, it now also holds the phylacteries of Szass Tam and all his elite lich servants. Syranna knows that if you can make your way through the Doomvault and find the entrance to the phylactery vault, we could strike a deathblow to Szass Tam. Syranna can provide you access, a little bit of guidance, but the bulk of the work is in your hands. Why is all of this important? We believe Szass Tam is siphoning souls in an attempt to harness enough power to become a god. We cannot allow this.
THE MISSION Travel to the ruins of Bloodgate Keep, rendezvous with Syranna and activate the Bloodgate Nexus to gain entrance to the Doomvault. Explore the Doomvault and deal as much damage to the Thayans as possible while learning how to access the Phylactery Vault to destroy the phylacteries within it. The enemy's objectives will be to do anything they can to stop you, so expect resistance. The Doomvault is divided into nine sectors that each focus on a different theme. You will explore one sector at a time. You will be extracted once your mission is complete. Good luck.
"Travel to Bloodgate Keep and meet up with Syranna. She'll meet you all there at 0800."Commodore Hawke orders."Hawke out."
MISSION START
You are all currently in the Order of the Black Sun's briefing room deep underground in casual off duty clothes underneath the city of Waterdeep. Since you are part of a military organization, your off duty uniforms are similar mostly black clothing with small highlights in yellow and some pockets. A symbol of a sun eclipsed dominates one side of the room. Your gear is in the armory. Bloodgate Keep is near the Forlorn Hills, above Belimbiyr Vale past the Ardeep Forest. You have two hours to suit up, talk, and get to Bloodgate Keep in time to meet up with Syranna. You will travel by unmarked coach, joining a caravan heading to Daggerford.
Rosamia nods as the briefing is given. She has short white hair, a muscular frame that's covered by a simple tank top and wrappings around both of her fists. Next to her is a large bag that she doesn't allow anyone near during the mission briefing.
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Kit informs her team of the briefing details quickly and efficiently. The changeling is in her usual half-elven form with dark skin and hair in braids. She's in her off-duty uniform, although most of you know that she'll switch to one of the other outfits in her shiftweave once you leave the city. Gold beads are at the end of her front braids. Once she's given the briefing, Kit adds to the end, "This is going to be dangerous, from the very start where we're meeting with a Red Wizard to get in. But we got this." She gives the team a reassuring smile.
Amelia sits relatively lax in her seat, giving a look over her friends after the briefing to gauge how they felt about this whole ordeal. When they were starting out, Amelia had her doubts about the team, except for Taeli and Kit. The blonde knew the two rather well, she would say, and knew of their capabilities, but the new guys? She was unsure if any of them could carry their own weight.
Now, 5 years later, she could say with utmost confidence that this wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Amelia nods along with Kit's final comment an returning her commander's smile with one of her own. "This'll be a piece of cake!" She adds in happily.
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Aeydof the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\
Rosamia smiles as her friends express their confidence in their ability to complete the mission. "Of course we can do it. We're the best." She remarks. "Now who wants their tacos?"
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Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
John Lee shoots a glance at Taeli after the briefing, watching her as she takes in what is said. He then sighs, knowing he's about to head out on another mission. "Bloodgate Keep," he mumbles. "Sounds like quite the vacation spot." The short, thin and generally disheveled teenaged human drops his feet from their resting place on the table and groans as he stands. While technically in uniform, his less resembles the rest due to its terrible shape and wear...wrinkled, untucked and, yes, likely unwashed. He yawns, stretches and pulls a flask from his pocket for a quick nip of courage. Knowing that time is short, he returns to his bunk, switching out of the order's black "civvies" and into his more comfortable, simpler personal clothes -- also equally stained and wrinkled. He hefts a pack over his left shoulder, takes a look around his area one last time and goes to join the others.
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Corrin Kettlewhistle: Halfling Life Cleric (Curse of Strahd) Kip Dalton: Human Lore Bard (Waterdeep Dragon Heist) Debauchery Dalliance: Half-Drow Oath of Conquest Paladin (White Plume Mountain)
"Oh, that sounds wonderful."Taeli Arronax said, lightly.
Taeli was a woman in her early thirties. She had straight black hair that came down to the bottom of her neck, and strikingly bright green eyes. She always seemed to have a slight smile on her face, as if her team, and someone up above, always had her back - and this moment was no exception. Her physical frame showed evidence of someone who was an intellectual, but also came from a military background of some sort before joining the Order of the Black Sun. Thus, she was inquisitive, intelligent, spiritual, and had an attractive fit slender frame that was in very good shape, able to carry her weight when it came to her brains, and the armor, hammer, and shield she wielded when the heat was on.
But now it was taco time.
She glanced around the room at her companions. A new mission. So, the Doomvault. A strike against the undead and the Red Wizards. This one was serious business. Commander Kit. Mongo. Rosa. Amelia. John. She had worked with these people for many years. They were quite capable, almost like..family.
By Pelor's wisdom would she be granted the magic to protect them.
JOHN LEE AND TAELI
It was after his service in the Neverember campaign that John Lee set off for the Moonsea region. Using what he learned in the war and before to find work as an adventurer, Pettimore spent a few years in the region with short stays in Hillsfar, Mulmaster and eventually Melvaunt. It as in that final stop that he caught wind of rumors of Netheril artifacts scattered somewhere along the shores of the Sea of Dragons. In search of these rumors, the young wizard unfortunately came up against a nasty pack of Red Wizards also seeking the prized dark magics. John Lee's companions were slain and the mortally wounded mage barely escaped with his own life, expending the final charge of a magical ring that teleported him in the midst of the Thar forest. As he lay, expecting soon to succumb to his wounds, his life was spared by a strange woman wandering the wood. The woman, Taeli, nursed John Lee back to health, a begrudging friendship born, and the young mage followed her to join the Order of the Black Sun, knowing that a life debt was owed...and despite his many fallacies, John Lee Pettimore never left a debt unpaid.
COMING APRIL 2020
** PLACEHOLDER - DO NOT POST **
DEAD IN THAY
Near the village of Daggerford on the Sword Coast, the Red Wizards of Thay plotted to extend the evil reach of their land and its master, the lich lord Szass Tam. At a site called Bloodgate Keep they built a powerful portal, fueled by elemental nodes, that could allow Thayans to instantly transport whole armies into the very heart of the Sword Coast. With this power, the Red Wizards would surely overthrow and take control of the North.
However, adventurers assaulted Bloodgate Keep and were victorious, and thus Szass Tam’s plans of invasion were crushed. At least, for a while. In the ruins of the keep, the Bloodgate Nexus was discovered.
What no one expected, though, was that despite the fall of the keep itself, parts of the Bloodgate Nexus survived, and Thayan Resurrection cell leader Syranna devised a way to use it against Szass Tam to end his leadership for good - she knew how to operate the Nexus that allowed direct access to a secret Thayan training ground known as the Doomvault: the storage location of the Phylactery Vault of Szass Tam and all his elite lich servants.
Szass Tam is siphoning the souls of mortals in the quest to become a god. Someone must stop him.
"From shame and shadow, recast. In black and gold, reborn." - Creed of the Order of the Black Sun.
The Order of the Black Sun's story begins with the assault on the City of Ceraxia. That was where everything changed, where the sons and daughters of several armies went to battle together against a blasphemy we could not allow to stand. It was the last time we went to war in the colors of our old legions. But, such a tale requires context. There is an era recorded in the annals of Waterdavian history that has suffered as all recollections must suffer in time, with its details twisted into a mockery of remembrance. This was an age of relative peace and prosperity, when the fires of the Great Wars had settled down to ash, and we ruled over the land with an unchallenged grip.
What few archives survive to record this golden age in any detail now hearken back to it in reverent whispers as the clock ticks closer to midnight in the dawn of a dark millennium. Still, a tumor lingered. Waterdeep hadn't destroyed its foes. Not completely. It had merely forgotten them. Forgotten us. But we did not forget. We are the Order of the Black Sun, and this is a story of our mission into the Doomvault to destroy Szass Tam. Everything written beyond this point is considered truth.
MISSION BRIEFING ON APRIL 1, 2020
PROLOGUE ONE: KIT
I have bad luck with organizations, apparently.
I grew up in a thieves guild in Baldur's Gate, the Shadows. It was a family business, more or less. My mother founded the guild, raised me as her heir. I had six siblings - most of which I raised myself. I learned how to use personas, whether for simple misdirection or to do what needed to be done. When I was 21, Duke Belt hired mercenaries to destroy my guild and my family. I barely escaped, and lost most of my family in the process. The ones that are left, I hardly saw eye to eye on.
There was Tun, with his Guild of Knives. He was always too arrogant for his own good.
There was Ar, the idealist, the traveling paladin. I saw him again, once, before we parted ways once more.
And then there was Wic...the traitor.
I moved on. Went to Waterdeep, joined another group. The Order of the Stars. I made new friends, went on new adventures. I found a new family as Delilah Bard.
Isa, Ashon, Alizire, Helvara. Aramil and Zed. Even Julinka and Gale. I miss you all.
It didn't last. Fighting splintered us from within, and we went our separate ways. Isa threw herself into her duties as a High Priestess and Avatar of Ilmater. Ashon was already gone, choosing to focus on his family and responsibilities in Waterdeep. Alizire went with Aramil to the Feywild. Zed vanished in the North. Helvara decided she would be better served looking for her family and the yuan-ti slavers that took them on her own. Julinka and Gale departed easily, Julinka's family taking them quickly back into the fold.
And me? I went back to the Gate and found my brother, and became Ruby. Together, Tun and I showed Duke Belt that the Nine Hells could be brought to him. That time for me...it was both one of my darkest and one where I felt more purposeful, more defined than most of my life. There was no fear in those months. Only hatred, vengeance, and inexorable purpose.
But eventually it was over. Belt was dead. My purpose was gone, and I couldn't stay in the Gate any longer, with the memories and the darkness. I knew that if I was going to honor the brief little family I had in the Order, I would have to find a new purpose, one that would let me move on.
So I returned to Waterdeep, became Lila again, got out the shiftweave Ashon made me. I became part of the Order of the Black Sun.
Maybe this time, it won't end in tragedy and ruin.
Third time's the charm, right?
PROLOGUE TWO: ROSAMIA
My father was a renowned vampire hunter. He was strong and brave, and he made damn sure to send every one of those bloodsuckers and their foul spawn down to the Nine Hells. But vampire hunters rarely live to have gray hairs. When I was five, my father was murdered by one of the bastards, but fortunately his killer had the twisted sense of honor to not turn him. I cried like a baby at his funeral. My mother raised and comforted me, telling me that even though his body was dead, he'd always be there for me in spirit. It wouldn't be until I was much later in life that I realized that it wasn't just an expression in this case. When I turned 20, I joined a mercenary group. I was all tough then and ready to beat the shit out of people who could use an ass-beating. But this one battle wasn't going so well. I had bit off a little bit more than I could chew in this instance and it looked like it might be over for me. Suddenly I just feel this amazing power flowing through me. My fists felt like they were giant, but also light as a feather. My enemies started running away. It wasn't until after the battle that the rest of my company told me about how it looked like some big-ass ghost was behind me, going berserk on my enemies. I knew right then and there that it was my old man, fighting alongside me in spirit. And we've been kicking ass together ever since.
PROLOGUE THREE: TAELI
PREHISTORY
Somewhere in the corners of Realmspace is the Cronian system. It consisted of a number of life supporting worlds warmed by the heart of a enormous blue giant star. The recent history of my people dates back past tens of thousands of years. What was usual about my home was that, because of reasons forever buried in lost history, magic died an eternity ago on my world. None remember the truth of what brought our race to the edge of magic abandonment.
THE HOLY ORDER OF THE MACHINE GOD
Because I had to, I joined the Holy Order of the Machine God when I was 15. The first Principle I learned was the Principle of Knowledge. Knowledge is power. It is the first credo. To understand that fundamental concept is to possess power beyond measure. To harness fire, to shape the elements and bend them to your will? Such things now can only be dreamed of by lunatics and the insane, dating back to an age unremembered. An age forgotten. An age forbidden. Woe to us, man and woman who honors not the Holy One - the Machine God, for ignorance shall be our doom. The Great Clerics of Old Cronia, men and woman infused with the power of the Old Faith, were wondrous engines of creation whose powers dwarfed that of any myth or legend. They shaped entire worlds, they drank the hearts of stars and brought light into the dark places in the system. They wielded their power and bestrode the world as gods.
How far we have fallen.
WHAT THEY BELIEVE
Our world is devoid of magic - it is forbidden. Only technology remains. The Spirit of the Machine God flows in bright traceries of golden energy. It moves in the heart of every machine. It brings motion and heat, energy and light. It feeds the forges, it drives the engines and is the alpha and omega of all that is and all that will ever be crafted by the hands of man. The soul of the Great Machine lives in cogs and gears, it flows through every cable, it infuses every piston and the thrumming heart of every engine. Without it, the universe would be a benighted, sterile place, devoid of light and existence. The God of All Machines is eternal and unchanging. It is the First Power: the power at the heart of all things. To know it is to be one with it, and to feel its touch is to be changed forever. Flesh fails, but the machine endures. That is what is encoded in the very bones of ancient man, and in my people today.
WHAT I BELIEVE
Great Machine-born cities of metal and stone, marvel of wonders never to be known again. We live on a world in the depths of space, our sheet steel walls cold and unyielding. I read about the old Faiths, before the Machine God. We are living things, I came to realize. Our bones real, and our heart as passionate as a thousand caged stars. The cold authority of the Machine God was brutal and calculating. This could not be all that there was. Our world had changed. How far could I travel? What real miracles could I see? I yearned to feel the light of uncounted suns, a mariner in strange seas, swept out among the glittering nebulae, I wish to see sights that no man could know, no legend could tell, or no history could record. We have been enslaved by dogma, ritual and blind superstitions that place fetters on our ability to even know there are questions to be asked. I will ask those questions. I will not be enslaved. I will be the hope in a hopeless age.
It was that day I fled to a world called Toril and joined the Order of the Black Sun.
PROLOGUE FOUR : MONGO
ONE WEEK AGO:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Witherspoon,
On behalf of the Captain of the Guard, City of Waterdeep, I regret to inform you of the untimely death of your son, Corporal Galatus Witherspoon. He died on the 8th day of Summertide near the City of Ceraxia, as a result of injuries received in battle. While further details are unavailable at this time, the mortuary officer will be contacting you shortly regarding mortuary affairs. If you have questions or need additional assistance, you may contact the Waterdeep Guard, and they will put you in touch with your son's commander. Again, on behalf of the Captain of the Guard, please accept the City of Waterdeep's deepest condolences.
Signed: Thomas Wexley, Major General, City of Waterdeep
FOUR DAYS AGO:
ORDERS 014-02
23rd Day of Summertide
TO: Corporal Mongo
FROM: MajGen Wexley, City of Waterdeep
You are deployed on an Indeterminate Temporary Change of Station (TCS). You are being assigned to duty under Captain Kit, Order of the Black Sun, City of Waterdeep. You are replacing an immediate vacancy in Captain Kit's squad. You will submit a reviewed travel voucher for this travel to the finance office within 5 working days after return from this deployment.
Purpose: Infiltrate into the Doomvault to destroy phylactery of Szass Tam
Number of days: Indeterminate
Will proceed date: 27th Day of Summertide
Security clearance: Top Secret
Movement designator code: 3AE7 (enlisted)
Additional instructions: NOFORN
TODAY:
Mongo marches straight up to Kit, crisply salutes her, and barks out "Corporal Mongo, REPORTING FOR DUTY AS ORDERED, ma'am!"
PROLOGUE FIVE: JOHN
Well, my name's John Lee Pettimore, same as my daddy and his daddy before. You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here. He only came to town about twice a year. He'd buy a hundred pounds of groceries, herbs and crude. Everybody knew he was up to no good. Now, the sheriff's men wanted Grandaddy real bad so they chased him down the hollow with everything they had. It was before my time, but I've been told, Grandaddy never came back from down that road. My daddy didn't care and picked right up there, making strange brews to sell everywhere. Him and my uncle, raked in that loot, sneaking through the night right past the pursuit. He wasn't one to boast, but it's been said, his name was known up and down the Sword Coast. I still remember when I heard that rumbling sound, when the guards and their horses came thundering down. Shouts and screams in the middle of night, heard my ma cryin' and knew something weren't right. I fled out the window as fast as I could. From miles around you could smell the burning wood. The say Ma and Pa died there in our home. I never went back and begin to roam. I joined the army on my birthday. Not much else for poor trash around here anyway. I done two tours of duty fighting those fiends, and that's when I came up with a plan for my own means. It was down in that hollow that I found Grandaddy's book. With it in hand, I set off to claim back everything they took.
It's been 10 years since I fled my home, running scared from those dastardly guards who killed my loved uns. I promised myself there that night that I'd never run from a fight again. That's why, when Lord Neverember put out a call for able-bodied souls to help beat back the fiendish hordes attacking Phandalin, Leilon and the likes, I volunteered. It didn't take those fightin' folks long to realize I was no warrior. But they did figure out that I was more than just a smart ass -- I was pretty smart, too. So I got hooked up the army's mages, but they wasn't those learned types. No, these mages studied magic for one reason and one reason only -- to kick ass. Two tours I did with that group, fighting all sorts of fiends. When ol' Neverember got tired of warring and such, though, I had to find something else. That's when one of my squad introduced me to the Order of the Black Sun. Look, yeah, I know...that's a real fancy soundin' name, and they got some long ol' history and such. For me, though, it's a chance to keep kicking ass, collecting supplies, doing a little of the family business on the side and, of course, finding those SOB's who killed my Ma and Pa.
NEW RULES
MOMENTUM AND CHAOS
Momentum is a currency players can accumulate in a group pool to spend, and Chaos is a currency the DM can spend. Momentum is for the players, Chaos is for the DM.
HOW TO GET IT:
PLAYERS generate Momentum and Chaos. DM rolls do not generate Momentum and Chaos.
- MOMENTUM: Rolling a nat20, in addition to all of it's other regular effects, adds 1 point of momentum to the pool for players to use ANYTIME.
- CHAOS: Rolling a nat1 generates 1 point of CHAOS for the DM. For this game, I will not inflict additional damage from my critical table.
Momentum has a cap of 6, and goes away after the completion of the current Doomvault level, or whenever you rest.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH MOMENTUM:
- Buy a d20 reroll. You can spend 1 momentum to re roll any 1d20 on an ability, attack, or saving throw roll.
- You can spend 1 momentum to re roll damage for a single attack.
- Ask a question. You can spend 1 momentum to ask the DM a question about the current scene that I will answer 100% truthfully.
- Change reality. You can spend 2 momentum to alter something about a current scene: You can add something, change something, or remove something - making an action or intention possible, easier, harder, or impossible.
You can spend momentum anytime, and as many times as you want, but you must always take the current roll as the value.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH CHAOS:
- Chaos begins at 2 per player, and is a DM resource.
- Buy a d20 reroll. I can spend 1 chaos to re roll any 1d20 on an ability, attack, or saving throw roll.
- Add a complication. I can spend 2 chaos to add a complication to the current battle or scene.
- Change reality. I can spend 2 momentum to alter something about a current scene: I can add something, change something, or remove something - making an action or intention possible, easier, harder, or impossible.
- Questionable, or unnecessarily unethical behavior can generate more chaos for me to use.
I can spend chaos anytime, and as many times as I want, and I must always take the current roll as the value.
ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO
TAELI AND AMELIA
It's so peaceful here, on this new world.
On Cronia, I was a healer. A medic, a doctor, call it what you will. I was skilled with my hands in the science of healing. It fascinated me. With tools and equipment in the servitude of the Machine God I healed those of the Holy Order who waged war against the Death Cults. But, it was a life devoid of meaning and hope.
When I came to Toril, it's beauty and wonder held me in a grip of amazement constantly, and everything was new to me. There was so much to explore, so much to learn, so much to know. I had heard years ago that this world was special - filled with magic and miracles and the influence of many divine powers. Cronia was a world devoid of all of those things and I wanted to be a part of something wonderful, something spiritual. I knew I could find that here.
So I prayed. I prayed to whatever gods of life, love and healing there were. I prayed with all my heart that perhaps a higher power would notice me and empower me and my skills to continue to help others and save anyone I could for a meaning, for a purpose, that was beyond myself and my own.
And then, one day, the divine did notice.
I was taking a stroll one spring afternoon far from a town I had just arrived in. I had followed the road, and, for some reason, something nudged me, a feeling - something in my gut, to walk off the well used trail and take the one not so frequented. It was a beautiful day, so I followed that feeling and approached a grove of trees. There, hanging from a noose was a woman - she was still alive! I ran to her. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was not too late. She was a woman who had seen battle, I could tell from her appearance, her physique. Her face looked sad, pained, troubled. I could not believe my luck in finding her! I struggled in my panic to climb the tree, but I had enough military basic training to keep my wits and do so. I cut her down and she fell to the forest floor. I checked her pulse - still alive! Suddenly she gasped, breathing again, and began to rouse. I spoke to her in calm words, told her she would be alright. Then, when she opened her eyes, I asked her name.
That was the first time I met Amelia Hiriart.
ROSAMIA AND AMELIA
When I discovered my Astral Arms, I wasn't alone. Amelia Hiriart, one of my fellow soldiers, was also there with me. They told her it was a mission for a nutcase and that she was more likely to get killed than to finish the mission. But Hiriart wouldn't let me get die alone and she damn well wouldn't let me get all the glory for myself. She fought by my side and even though I still bit off more than I could chew, I probably wouldn't have lasted as long as I did if it wasn't for her, but it certainly took a toll on her too. And as much as I didn't want to get killed, I certainly didn't want Hiriart to get killed either. It's not like she had a family back home waiting for her, not many of us did, really, but she' was a good woman who risked her neck to ensure that I'd die with a friend at the very least. So I feel like when I summoned those spirit arms to help me win the fight, I was doing it for her as much as I was doing it for myself. Amelia didn't know what the **** just happened, but she was glad to be alive and I was glad that she was as well. I blew every gold piece I made from that mission taking her to the bar and getting shitfaced afterwards, but those were some of the best drinks we had.
KIT AND AMELIA
I raised four siblings growing up. Later, when I joined the Order of the Stars, I found myself in a similar role, taking care of people. Now, here, in the Order of the Black Sun, I've slipped into that role again, and it started with Amelia.
I'd been a part of the Order of the Black Sun for a while when I first met Amelia. She was assigned to my unit when I was still just a foot soldier. Amelia was fairly quiet, keeping to herself most of the time. But like many of us, she was there to find purpose. I myself had been with the Order for over a year, but I'd still to find a place, to feel like I fit in the way I did before. But that was about to change.
It was maybe a month after she joined that I found her. I liked to take quick loops around camp, and as I slipped back towards the tents, I heard a soft noise, something between a sigh and a gasp. I followed the noise and saw Amelia, long sword out and laid across her lap, blood on the point to go with the new, straight cut across her left arm.
My mind flashed back to another young woman I would find behind tents and in the backs of rooms. Isa drank, not cut, but still...and that wasn't even touching what Jan used to make me do. I cleared my throat softly to let Amelia know I was there. When she turned to look at me, guilt and shame flashing across her face, I shook my head to forestall anything she was about to say. "I understand," I said simply, turning my arm and relaxing my shape changing on it. The dark skin paled to white, with five stark, straight scars laid across it. My first time showing anyone in the Order my changeling abilities, but this...it was time. "We'll talk about it later, okay? For now, let's get you bandaged up after you slipped sharpening your sword."
Evening talks became a theme between the two of us after that. We'd talk about anything, from how dinner that night was to our plans for next leave.
And that's when I finally started to find a family again.
PROLOGUE SIX - AMELIA
My name is Amelia Hiriart. I am 18 years old and I have no reason to live anymore. Today I plan to end it all in a dingy forest I found while scouring for food with a rope I managed to swipe from a vendor in some town I don't remember the name of. It may sound like the easy way out but I can't do this anymore. My family is gone, whatever friends I've made are gone. Every bond I've managed to forge in this sad life has been stripped away from me before I could even try to fight it. I'm a string of bad luck. I'm no good. Maybe I'll be worthy in another life. Maybe I'll be reincarnated and actually be worth something to someone.
I'm sorry I couldn't be strong enough.
My name is Amelia Hiriart. I am 23 years old and I have found my purpose. 5 years ago, I wasn't in a good place in my life. I lost all hope. I gave up on myself and couldn't find a reason to keep going. I tried to end it all, but by chance--no, by some Gods grace-- I was found before I could go. A woman by the name of Taeli saved me, cut me down, and helped me find my place. She was insistent, and before, I could barely stand it, but now, I don't know where I would be without it. With her adamance, we found the Order of the Black Sun and soon after we joined it and were put into a group with interesting individuals. It wasn't easy for me. I could barely stand having Taeli around, even with how nice she was to me, but now there were four other people I needed to worry about.
But now? I thank Taeli every chance I get for saving me because I can't imagine my life without them. I love them all. Tae, Kit, Mongo, John, Rosamia... Every single one of them. Every little quirk they have, every flaw, I love them so much it makes my heart throb. I would do anything for them and I think I can confidently say they would do the same for me.
I will protect them no matter what the cost.
BY REQUEST OF COMMODORE JULIUS HAWKE
LORD IMPERIAL OF THE ORDER OF THE BLACK SUN
VERBAL TRANSCRIPT OF ARCANE TRANSMISSION
CASE FILE 112:67B:AA6:Xad
"Commander Kit, this is Commodore Hawke. I'm transmitting this to you all on a private arcane channel: the details of the team's next assignment. We've gotten some information from a rebel Thayan wizard that we simply can't afford to ignore any longer. Beginning transmission."
BLOODGATE KEEP
Near the village of Daggerford on the Sword Coast, the Red Wizards of Thay plotted to extend the evil reach of their land and its master, the lich lord Szass Tam. At a site called Bloodgate Keep they built a powerful portal, fueled by elemental nodes, that could allow Thayans to instantly transport whole armies into the very heart of the Sword Coast. With this power, the Red Wizards would surely overthrow and take control of the North. However, groups of adventurers recently assaulted Bloodgate Keep and it fell - Szass Tam’s plans of invasion were crushed.
BLOODGATE NEXUS
What no one expected, though, was that despite the fall of the keep itself, parts of the Bloodgate Nexus - an interconnected series of teleportation circles - survived. After the fall of Bloodgate Keep, a renegade Red Wizard named Syranna, a leader in the Thayan Resurrection resistance movement, saw an unusual opportunity to rid the world of Szass Tam, and she came to us for help. Her knowledge of the secret portal network of which the Bloodgate was a part gives her the ability to open portals directly into a place under the ruins of the Keep called the Doomvault - a secret Thayan training ground.
THE DOOMVAULT
Kazit Gul, a Thayan archmage, built the Doomvault to siphon the souls of those who perished within it for use in his dark experiments. One of these was the creation of an extra dimensional vault in which he stored his phylactery. Eventually, Szass Tam and his followers defeated and enslaved Gul. They changed the Doomvault into a monstrous menagerie and arcane laboratory. Although the space is still called the Phylactery Vault of Kazit Gul, it now also holds the phylacteries of Szass Tam and all his elite lich servants. Syranna knows that if you can make your way through the Doomvault and find the entrance to the phylactery vault, we could strike a deathblow to Szass Tam. Syranna can provide you access, a little bit of guidance, but the bulk of the work is in your hands. Why is all of this important? We believe Szass Tam is siphoning souls in an attempt to harness enough power to become a god. We cannot allow this.
THE MISSION
Travel to the ruins of Bloodgate Keep, rendezvous with Syranna and activate the Bloodgate Nexus to gain entrance to the Doomvault. Explore the Doomvault and deal as much damage to the Thayans as possible while learning how to access the Phylactery Vault to destroy the phylacteries within it. The enemy's objectives will be to do anything they can to stop you, so expect resistance. The Doomvault is divided into nine sectors that each focus on a different theme. You will explore one sector at a time. You will be extracted once your mission is complete. Good luck.
"Travel to Bloodgate Keep and meet up with Syranna. She'll meet you all there at 0800." Commodore Hawke orders. "Hawke out."
MISSION START
You are all currently in the Order of the Black Sun's briefing room deep underground in casual off duty clothes underneath the city of Waterdeep. Since you are part of a military organization, your off duty uniforms are similar mostly black clothing with small highlights in yellow and some pockets. A symbol of a sun eclipsed dominates one side of the room. Your gear is in the armory. Bloodgate Keep is near the Forlorn Hills, above Belimbiyr Vale past the Ardeep Forest. You have two hours to suit up, talk, and get to Bloodgate Keep in time to meet up with Syranna. You will travel by unmarked coach, joining a caravan heading to Daggerford.
BEGIN WEDNESDAY THE 1st
Rosamia nods as the briefing is given. She has short white hair, a muscular frame that's covered by a simple tank top and wrappings around both of her fists. Next to her is a large bag that she doesn't allow anyone near during the mission briefing.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Kit informs her team of the briefing details quickly and efficiently. The changeling is in her usual half-elven form with dark skin and hair in braids. She's in her off-duty uniform, although most of you know that she'll switch to one of the other outfits in her shiftweave once you leave the city. Gold beads are at the end of her front braids. Once she's given the briefing, Kit adds to the end, "This is going to be dangerous, from the very start where we're meeting with a Red Wizard to get in. But we got this." She gives the team a reassuring smile.
Lila (Kit's current form):
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Amelia sits relatively lax in her seat, giving a look over her friends after the briefing to gauge how they felt about this whole ordeal. When they were starting out, Amelia had her doubts about the team, except for Taeli and Kit. The blonde knew the two rather well, she would say, and knew of their capabilities, but the new guys? She was unsure if any of them could carry their own weight.
Now, 5 years later, she could say with utmost confidence that this wasn't anything they couldn't handle. Amelia nods along with Kit's final comment an returning her commander's smile with one of her own. "This'll be a piece of cake!" She adds in happily.
Aeyd of the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk
Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm
Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid
Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue
Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm
/ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\
Rosamia smiles as her friends express their confidence in their ability to complete the mission. "Of course we can do it. We're the best." She remarks. "Now who wants their tacos?"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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John Lee shoots a glance at Taeli after the briefing, watching her as she takes in what is said. He then sighs, knowing he's about to head out on another mission. "Bloodgate Keep," he mumbles. "Sounds like quite the vacation spot." The short, thin and generally disheveled teenaged human drops his feet from their resting place on the table and groans as he stands. While technically in uniform, his less resembles the rest due to its terrible shape and wear...wrinkled, untucked and, yes, likely unwashed. He yawns, stretches and pulls a flask from his pocket for a quick nip of courage. Knowing that time is short, he returns to his bunk, switching out of the order's black "civvies" and into his more comfortable, simpler personal clothes -- also equally stained and wrinkled. He hefts a pack over his left shoulder, takes a look around his area one last time and goes to join the others.
Corrin Kettlewhistle: Halfling Life Cleric (Curse of Strahd)
Kip Dalton: Human Lore Bard (Waterdeep Dragon Heist)
Debauchery Dalliance: Half-Drow Oath of Conquest Paladin (White Plume Mountain)
"Oh, that sounds wonderful." Taeli Arronax said, lightly.
Taeli was a woman in her early thirties. She had straight black hair that came down to the bottom of her neck, and strikingly bright green eyes. She always seemed to have a slight smile on her face, as if her team, and someone up above, always had her back - and this moment was no exception. Her physical frame showed evidence of someone who was an intellectual, but also came from a military background of some sort before joining the Order of the Black Sun. Thus, she was inquisitive, intelligent, spiritual, and had an attractive fit slender frame that was in very good shape, able to carry her weight when it came to her brains, and the armor, hammer, and shield she wielded when the heat was on.
But now it was taco time.
She glanced around the room at her companions. A new mission. So, the Doomvault. A strike against the undead and the Red Wizards. This one was serious business. Commander Kit. Mongo. Rosa. Amelia. John. She had worked with these people for many years. They were quite capable, almost like..family.
By Pelor's wisdom would she be granted the magic to protect them.
JOHN LEE AND TAELI
It was after his service in the Neverember campaign that John Lee set off for the Moonsea region. Using what he learned in the war and before to find work as an adventurer, Pettimore spent a few years in the region with short stays in Hillsfar, Mulmaster and eventually Melvaunt. It as in that final stop that he caught wind of rumors of Netheril artifacts scattered somewhere along the shores of the Sea of Dragons. In search of these rumors, the young wizard unfortunately came up against a nasty pack of Red Wizards also seeking the prized dark magics. John Lee's companions were slain and the mortally wounded mage barely escaped with his own life, expending the final charge of a magical ring that teleported him in the midst of the Thar forest. As he lay, expecting soon to succumb to his wounds, his life was spared by a strange woman wandering the wood. The woman, Taeli, nursed John Lee back to health, a begrudging friendship born, and the young mage followed her to join the Order of the Black Sun, knowing that a life debt was owed...and despite his many fallacies, John Lee Pettimore never left a debt unpaid.
Rosamia starts pulling out the wrapped up tacos. "I have beef and bean tacos, spicy chicken tacos, chorizo tacos, carne asada tacos. Take your pick."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
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