"There is someone with your face here! I thought you should know."

—Keen, Heroes of the Vale

Watch Heroes of the Vale – Chapter 2, Episode 17: Soul for a Soul

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Dramatis Personae

Our heroes are 8th-level characters:

• Todd Kenreck as the Dungeon Master
• Keen, Eladrin Eldritch Knight Fighter played by TJ Storm
• Briv, Half-Orc Oath of Heroism Paladin played by Adam Bradford
• Penelope, Halfling Circle of Land Druid played by Hope LaVelle
• Alyndra Alexandria Garanahil Sarrbarand, Lorekeeper of Rime Spiro, Kinscribe of Clan Monkeymouse, High Elf Cleric/Wizard played by Jen Kretchmer
• Orkira, Dragonborn Light Domain Cleric played by Lauren Urban

Full Summary

A decision must be made to either climb up and face the unblinking wizard, or descend into the hidden parts of the tower. Despite the knowledge that it might be a trap, Briv and Keen both choose to go upstairs, and soon the whole group follows their lead. Several preparations are made in case of a fight; Orkira gives Alyndra a death ward, Neverember casts barkskin as Briv summons his armor, and Alyndra casts detect thoughts to try and sense the person behind the door. She feels absolutely nothing, but as they continue up the stairs a strange voice in her head begins to recite, “The Fates. The Fool. Ruin.” Every step brings another whispered name, and Alyndra realizes something with shock. She fears that a conversation will be overheard by unwanted forces, and insists they all head back outside so she can cast tiny hut and speak in private. The group is reluctant, but trust their friend and head back outside.

The tiny hut is cast far away from where Freely waits with the unconscious Penelope, and using the power of the spell to only allow exactly who she wants inside she lists off only a few cards; Balance, Fates, Fool, Knight, and Talons. This allows Alyndra, Neverember, Keen, and Briv inside the hut, but Orkira bounces off the shield. Alyndra tries Ruin, then Flame, but still the dragonborn is barred entry. As her friends express their confusion she explains to the others that they have all become tied to one of the cards in the Deck of Many Things, though she doesn’t know how, and is unsure which card belongs to their cleric. Eventually she specifically lets Orkira inside, and then explains to the group that she believes her father is collecting the Heroes of the Vale, as if cards in a deck.

While everyone else is inside the hut, Freely consults with Saranthis asking for advice. The Goddess stuck in the coin tells him to go downstairs, so he once again picks up Penelope’s form and starts to head back into the tower. Everyone rushes out after him and another argument breaks out over which way to go. Freely is impatient and heads down, followed by Neverember who’s excited to see what is hidden and Orkira who is trying to protect Penelope’s body. Keen is also tired of waiting but marches upstairs to demand answers, followed by Briv who is happy for action. Unhappy and unsure, Alyndra stays on the central landing, sending Grif to watch and hoping to be a bridge between the split party,

At the top of the tower the ancient wizard sits behind his stone desk and greets Briv and Keen cordially. When asked about Penelope’s soul, he recounts how the group destroyed a card and so he required a new card. Penelope Half-Pint is the new Ruin. Briv apologizes for misunderstanding the wizard’s instructions all those years ago, and asks who he is and how they can get their friend’s soul back. The wizard claims that he is the deck, that it needs to be finished, and it’s only purpose is chaos. If they have a soul to trade that is more powerful, more effective, he will make the exchange. Accepting his terms the two head back downstairs.

Downstairs Freely, Neverember and Orkira find a dilapidated basement filled with makeshift shelves covered in potions and paper. The notes are almost incomprehensible scribbling, but familiar names of the Heroes are clear. The paper is all connected by string in an elaborate web of time, with crudely drawn pictures highlighting moments from the Heroes past and branching possibilities depending on various outcomes. The powerful negative presence Freely felt is further down earthen tunnels, so he and Neverember continue to charge forward, forcing Orkira to follow the halflings. Freely carves arrows in the dirt walls in an attempt to mark their passage, and the dragonborn notices pale fingers revealed from his hasty marks. Calling for everyone to stop for a moment she uses her pole of collapsing to dig at the figures and eventually three bodies fall to the ground, all in various states of decay, all obviously versions of Avren.

Art and animation by Luke McKay

The implications of this discovery make Orkira insist on waiting for Alyndra to arrive, and she tries to prevent Neverember and Freely from continuing down the tunnels and bringing Penelope’s body into another trap. Fortunately Keen, Briv, and Alyndra show up to take stock of the situation and reveal what they have learned. Alyndra is shocked as she has never seen anything like this from her father. Fearing the consequences but requiring answers, Orkira casts speak with dead on one of the bodies. It claims to have been a clone of Avren trying to collect friends, and confirms that the Deck of Many Things is at the top of the tower.

Briv announces that he knows Freely is hiding the soul of Saranthis. He requests it to be handed over so they can trade it for Penelope's soul. Neveremeber insists that she is the one who protects Penelope, and her main purpose is to destroy Saranthis, thus will not let the trade happen. Freely is unwilling to deal with the creature at the top of the tower and continues down the path. Alyndra pauses long enough to say a prayer over the bodies on the floor, and Orkira offers a brief apology to her, before everyone is forced to follow the halfling.

They continue past more drawings and string, including a poster sized image of Freely with Saranthis standing behind him. Now even more suspicious, Neverember summons her scythe from Avernus and turns to threaten Freely. Briv uses his divine sense and can see the evil Saranthis is on his good person, and explains to the group what he can feel. Meanwhile Alyndra is examining the map of timelines on the walls and follows them all to a single point; a drawing of the Heroes of the Vale dead, with no sign of Freely. Fully confronted, the halfling hands Penelope’s body over to Orkira, then suggests the only logical answer is for him to go forward alone. The half-orc does not allow Freely to leave, quickly grabbing him and asking him to remain calm so they can remove Saranthis. As Keen steps forward to search him, Freely silently asks the coin for help. Saranthis asks to be released, claiming she will retrieve Penelope’s soul if he does. In a panic Freely announces that he will release Saranthis if they don’t let him go.

There is an argument as Freely wants to go down the hall to deal with the evil located there before doing anything else. The Heroes try to convince him to ignore it, to give the coin to the wizard so they can free Penelope, to stay with them to try and prevent everyone dying, but nothing changes his mind. In frustration Briv begins to search the halfling for the coin, but he does not get far before Freely makes good on his threat, gripping the Saranthis coin with his toes and releasing the God!

As the ground begins to shake, an invisible force yanks Neverember through the dirt ceiling! The halfling's screams are cut off as her scythe drops to the floor, and moments later the body of Penelope Half-Pint comes to life. Orkira gently puts her confused friend down, casting death ward on her, as everyone tries to fill her in on the situation. Keen wraps the scythe up to put in his pack, unwilling to touch the evil weapon nor leave it lying around. In a frantic rush Freely quickly reintroduces himself to Penelope, then darts down the tunnel to the next room. The cramped space is filled with leaking, cracked glass spheres with dead and half dead Avren clones. Some are covered in purple goo with tentacles, and the room has crude styling of an illithid hive. Many of the clones have mind flayer features, and everyone agrees that this place is horrific and should be destroyed. But there is still another room, and Freely wants to press onwards to destroy the immensely evil presence waiting there.

From the entrance Avren appears, announcing that this is the room where they will all die. “I asked you to kill Saranthis, and you did. And then I asked you to kill the Elder Brain, and then you did. And now there’s just me.”

Quietly Keen reaches into his pocket and grabs one of the coins from the tree near the grave and begins to whisper to it, communicating what he is seeing. Suddenly everyone can hear the voice of the real Avren! He is relieved someone finally made contact, explaining how he’s been dead for a very long time and the Avren they have all known is a Mind Flayer who has stolen his memories. He urges the group to kill the abomination, and Orkira obliges by hurling a fireball and starting the battle. Undead clones of Avren begin to pour out of the dirt walls and break out of the glass vats, and the bands that all the Heroes received as gifts activate in an attempt to stun them. While Alyndra and Briv both want to retreat out of the kill zone, Freely leaps forward to smite illithid Avren. Keen is right behind him striking with his flaming glaive, and muttering angrily under his breath, Briv joins in the assault with more divine attacks. Alyndra uses sending to contact her mother, warning her about the events that have just occurred, then pulls a bolt out of her pocket labeled “IKEA” to crush it in her hands. This floods her spell book, and her mind, with the spells and memories from her years with the time machine.

For once praying silently to avoid her enemy overhearing, Orkira asks her God if this is her fault for revivifying Avren back in Brimstone. She’s informed that the illithid Avren had already taken over at that point, and the cleric is saddened to think she’s responsible for bringing this evil back from the dead. Gripping the red gem tightly in fright she asks if her God will come if she calls. The Phoenix will heed her summons, but leaves the decision to do so up to their champion. The cleric asks if this means everyone will be destroyed, or if at least her friends can be saved, and the reply indicates she must choose between her companions or the world. “We don’t always get a choice. But you have to make it, not me.” With tears in her eyes Orkira turns to Alyndra to beseech her help, but Alyndra also replies that this must be her choice. Unable to decide what to do, Orkira waits a moment longer.

A sickly green ray from illithid Avren streaks out to hit Freely, a disintegration ray strong enough to turn the halfling to dust. Alyndra casts counterspell and despite the power of the disintegrate her skill is strong enough to stop it! Before anyone can celebrate, however, hundreds of zombies try to pour into the space causing the dirt ceiling to collapse on top of everyone!

Special thanks to B. Dave Walters for returning as our special guest! The next episode is the season finale! Find out who survives chapter 2, and what's in store for chapter 3, on Wednesday October 23rd at 2pm PT on twitch.tv/dndbeyond!

Lauren "OboeCrazy" Urban is the Community Manager for D&D Beyond, as well as a professional classical musician on oboe and English Horn. When she's not playing a Bard in real life she's a prolific Dungeon Master and player on a variety of livestreams and podcasts. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband Luke where they spend their free time playing video games and drinking tea. The best way to keep up with Lauren's busy schedule is to follow her on Twitter at @OboeCrazy.