Ptolus 4E

Xp for sessions 49-51

Eric, Tiff, and Nicole got 22890 xp each. Marc you get 20390 since you missed one session but Eric played your guy. Grant since you only played the finale you get 9240 xp.

That includes all the XP for skill challenges, encounters and the quest to retrieve the dreaming stone.

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XP for Sessions 44-48

Updated XP

Session 44-45 7875
Session 46 – 3512
Session 47 – 4075
Session 48 – 4400

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Catching Up (Sessions 41-43)

I’ve neglected to post about the last few sessions so here’s a quick wrap-up.

Sessions 41-42 Guild Rescue

AG 18 is contacted by the leader of the Delver’s guild. Another group of adventurers has gone missing in the dungeons beneath Ptolus. He promises to promote AG 18 to Master Delvers and tell them where they might find someone to lead them to the Drow City if they rescue the adventurers. AG 18 manages to rescue one surviving member of the group, who had wandered into part of Ghul’s Labyrinth. The guildmaster is true to his word and tells AG 18 that there is a Drow under “house arrest” at Castle Shard that might be able to lead them to the Drow city in the underdark.

Session 43 Phon and the Runebearer

As AG 18 prepares to head into the Underdark, they go to castle shard to see if the Drow there can lead them to the Drow city, Phaervoral. The Drow is none other than Shilukar, the mage AG 18 defeated in one of their earliest adventures. AG 18 is able to convince Shilukar to lead them into the Underdark. He is suitably bribed with new magic items and the promise of escorting him back to his own home city, and of course his freedom from Castle Shard.

In the meantime, Apostle’s friend Phon, is about to have her baby. The father of the baby, turns out to be Helmut Issinstein, the leader of the republican movement in Ptolus, and high priest of the watcher of the skies temple. He comes to Brother Fabitor’s chapel in Midtown and demands both Phon and the baby. Brother Fabitor knows of Helmet’s desire to wipe out all Runebearer children in the city and fears that Phon’s child may be one. Callista, Cheava’s sister, is somehow able to drive off Helmut in time for AG 18 to arrive and protect the temple.

Helmut returns, equipped with Chaositech devices, and horrible Chaos-bred monsters at his side. AG 18 defeats him and his minions while Phon’s child is born. The baby is indeed a runebearer. AG 18 convinces the lord and lady of Castle Shard to shelter Phon and her baby for the time being.

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Crime in Old Town (Sessions 39-40)

After an extended break AG 18 returns to adventure in Ptolus.

In search of the location of the Drow city that contains the dreaming stone AG 18 becomes embroiled in a turf war between the rival criminal organizations on the Old town district. The urchins who work for Cheava and the street children that Apostle shepherds are turning up missing. Investigating the disappearances, the group discovers that Thuella, the local Killraven boss, is both kidnapping the children and waging an all out war against Lerthan Dengstrom, the Balcazar crime boss. Lerthan has sought refuge with AG18 and swears to introduce them to the Balcazar boss if they will protect him from Thuella’s retribution.

AG 18 is lured into an ambush by Thuella using the kidnapped children. Thuella, who turns out to be a were-spider is killed in the battle. AG18 captures one of her underlings and learns that her base is the brothel and gambling hall called the white house.

Investigating the white house, the group discovers a portal that leads to the dungeons beneaht the city. They discover that the lich, Agga-Shan, is the real power behind Thuella and he is kidnapping children for vile experiments and constructing a machine to draw in all of the shadow energy produced by in Ptolus. Ag 18 defeats the lich’s minions, destroys the shadow engine and dispatches the lich. The lich’s phylactery is nowhere to be found though, so AG 18 knows they will have to face him again.

Elanna, Apostle, Cheava, and Yarkblar all participated in this adventure. Each gained 9750 xp.

At the conclusion of the adventure, Lethran is true to his word and introduces the adventurers to Malkeen Balcazar. Malkeen is impressed with the adventurers and makes Cheava the new local crime boss of old town. Malkeen’s vampire bodyguard disposes of the traitorous Lurthan, who had planned to turn the district over to Killraven in exchange for his life.

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Session 38

Everyone played in this session.

Each character receives 2533 xp. That includes the xp for completing your current quest.

Ag 18 continued their exploration of the fortress of Goth Gulgamel, in search of the portal to Dreta Phantas and hot on the heels of a group of Mind Flayers who had invaded the fortress.

The group encountered a being known as a “Soul Rider.” Soul Riders have no corporeal form but are able to possess people and control their actions. The being said that the soul riders lived in Goth Gulgamel, but that they were deathly afraid of the Mind Flayers. The Soul Rider told the group how to find the room with the portal that lead to the Dreta Phantas. The soul rider did not seem particularly good or evil but the rumors of the Soul Rider in Ptolus imply that they are usually up to no good. Many of the more powerful individuals in Ptolus are aware of the Soul Riders and use special magic items to prevent possession.

Exploring further, AG18 entered a large cavern that had become part of the elemental plane of fire. The group battled their way through salamanders and fire elementals to reach the other side. Two passageways led off from the cavern. One to the north, the way the soul rider had told them led to the portal, and one to the south, which appeared to contain a Banewarrens Vault.

AG18, being experts on the Banewarrens vaults at this point, saw that the vault was an imitation of a real Banewarrens vault. Deciding to enter it anyway, the group discovered three unusual magic items: The utterdark lenses, a tablecloth that aids in negotiations, and a window that casts feather fall on anyone who jumps out of it.

Continuing to the north, over paths made of humanoid bones, the group came upon a room containing a statue of a titan. The Mindflayer leader and his Drow and Drider thralls were waiting and a massive battled ensued. Defeating the monsters and activating the portal using the idol of the titan they had found earlier, the group was transported to where the Utheron Adar waited. Here a second portal was opened to transport them to Dreta Phantas and the Dream King.

Cheava explained to the Dream King the problem of his sister’s memory. The Dream King found this to be very interesting. He explained how Dreta Phantas was built to house the soul of the world, in order to keep the evil Galchutt trapped in their prison. (Their prison being the entire world of Pramel.) Before the Elder Gods could transfer the soul of the world to Dreta Phantas, the Drow assault stole away the city and trapped it in the Underdark.

In order to restore Callista’s memory the Dream King needs two artifacts, the Dreaming Stone, and the Cask of Frozen Dreams. These are also the two artifacts he needs to break the Drow magic that holds Dreata Phantas trapped in the Underdark. He surmised that it as not a coincidence that AG 18 had been led here to him, and that it would be of mutual benefit for Callista’s memories to be restored.

The Dream King told the group that the Dreaming Stone is located in a cavern beneath Ptolus and the Drow and built a city to defend it.

He was under the impression that the Cask of Frozen dreams was in the Banewarrens. Since AG 18 did not find it in their exploration of the Banewarrens, either it was removed before they could find it or it is located somewhere else. He promised to have the Urthon Adar begin searching for where it may be located.

AG 18 now has a new quest to retrieve the Dreaming Stone from the underdark beneath Ptolus.

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Session 37

Everyone played in this session. (Including Symba!)

1734 XP each.

Symba acquired a Cloak of Survival +3

Ag 18 began exploring the ancient fortress of Goth Gulgamel, in search of the portal to Dreta Phantas. The fortress appeared to have been sealed at some point but had been broken open in the recent past. The Elder elf had warned the group that some of the more powerful evil beings of Ptolus now used it as a hideout.

Entering the fortress, AG 18 discovered two groups of monsters, both being led Mind Flayers, who were searching the fortress. What they are looking for has not been discovered.

After dispatching he second group, AG 18 found a small idol of a Titan. On closer examination the idol appears that it might be some kind of key or possibly used in a ritual of some sort.

You DID NOT rest after this session.

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Session 36

Everyone but Symba played in this session.

In addition to the xp from encounters AG 18 completed 2 quests. Rescuing Callista from the Cruciform Prison and Cardalian the halfling who had been replaced by a shapeshifted demon.

2400 XP each.

In this session, Ag 18 continued their hit and run rescue of Callista from the Cruciform prison. The group dispatched a fearsome Snake-man sorcerer and his demonic minions who were guarding Callista. On the way out they defeated another group of demons who blocked their path.

Returning to the Pythoness House in Ptolus, AG 18 discovered that Callista had no memories from before being brought to the Dark Reliquary by the demons. She did not even remember her brother Cheva. She was inclined to believe this fact however, in addition to her and Cheva’s uncanny resemblance, AG 18 had just braved the Dark Reliquary to rescue her. Callista seems surprisingly well adjusted for having grown up in a prison full of demons and undead.

Ellanna, Aurora, Apostle were able to determine that a powerful enchantment had been placed on Callista but anything more was beyond their magical abilities. The Demons of the Dark Reliquary seemed to think that Callista knew some kind of powerful secret, but they were never able to break the enchantment.

AG 18 sought out Rill, the sorceress of Castle Shard, in order to find out more about the enchantment on Callista. Rill was able to determine that it was not an enchantment, but that Callista had been spoken to by the Elder Gods. This communion was so powerful that she no longer remembers what the Gods told her or anything about her life before that.

Rill suggested that it might be possible for Callista to access her memories in a dream and that the Dream King might be able to help.

The Dream King is the legendary ruler of the elven city of Dreta Phantas. May thousands of years ago, the elder elves, of which all the current elven races are descended from, fought a war with their dark kin, the Drow. The Drow assaulted Dreta Phantas, the great Elven city, but were never able to break the magical defenses. In an act that stunned the elves, the Drow used a powerful magical ritual to transport Dreta Phantas into the Drow kingdoms in the Underdark. According to legend, The Dream King is trapped inside Dreata Phantas to this day using the cities magical defense to keep the Drow at bay.

Rill informed AG 18 that the mysterious knights know as the Urthon Aedar are actually the last surviving elder elves and that they may know a way to contact the Dream King.

At this point, Zavere, the other Lord of Castle shard led in one of the Urthon Aedar. The Urthon Aedar revealed himself to be an elder elf. He explained that Guhl, the skull king, had cursed all elder elves with visions of the future, in order to see their own doom. This backfired as the elder elves all foresaw Ghul’s death and not their own. Despite this, the elder elves were nearly wiped out, most of them becoming the cursed harrow elves. The few reaming elder elves became the Urthon Adar and use their visions of the future to fight the minions of the Galchutt.

This particular elder elf received a vision of the future that showed him here in castle shard at this time. He explained that the Urthon Adar have a portal that can transport AG 18 to Dreta Phantas, so they may converse with the Dream King. Unfortunately, the portal is located in the heart of Goth Gulgamel, Ghul’s ancient fortress, located halfway up the Spire.

The Urthon Adar warned AG 18 that Goth Gulgamel is used a a base by some of the most powerful evil beings in Ptolus and that the journey to the portal would not be easy.

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Session 35

Everyone but Symba played in this session.

You got 1320 xp each.

AG 18 recovered from their adventurers in the Banewarrens and spent some well earned loot. The necessity of closing the Banewarrens had taken the group away from their original quest, finding Cheva’s sister, Callista. Navanna Vladaam has informed the group that Callista is being held in the Cruciform prison beneath the Dark Reliquary. The same prison that AG 18 themselves escaped from in their very first adventure.

Ag 18 gathered as much information as they could about the Dark Reliquary and headed back into the secret passage they had used to escape months earlier. Fighting their way through the demons and devils that inhabit the Dark Reliquary , AG 18 discovered that Callista was being held in a room near the Cruciform prison.

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Current Status

AG 18 is both rich and somewhat famous from their adventurers in the Banewarrens. Among the adventurers of Ptolus the group is well known. At the Ghostly Minstrel, AG18 has joined the ranks of the “famous adventures” and rarely have to buy their own drinks.

In the city at large, “the heroes who sealed the Banewarrens” are known but not usually by name.

The Delvers guild has now raised the status of all members of AG18 from “Guildsman” to “Master Delver” This includes Aurora. The fact that she wasn’t previously a member of the Delvers guild seems not to bother them in the least.

When the assembled Staff of Shards was used to to destroy the Sealing Rod and Banewarrens key it was not completely destroyed. The remaining piece of the Staff of Shards functions as a Rod of Wonder. (It’s just too cool to let go.)

AG18 has agreed the help Cheava in his endeavor to take over the organized crime elements in the city. Yarkblar also expressed a desire to bring about the downfall of House Vladaam, since the two goals are likely to intersect.

Ellanna, Apostle, and Jevicca Nor have performed the ritual to remove the curse from the Sword of Lies. Again making it into the Sword of Truth. Stats on the sword of Truth are forthcoming.

Jevicca would rather that AG18 left the sword in the Banewarrens but accepts this as a reasonable alternative.

Additionally, Jevicca has extended an invitation to Ellanna to apply for membership in the inverted pyramid.

The Church of Lothian is now ambivalent to AG18. The high temple is not happy that their Avenger is dead and that they do not have the Sword of Truth. The clerics in the other temples have mixed feelings. Brother Fabitor, the priest of the Midtown church (and a former adventurer), supports you completely, saying you “Stuck it to the old codgers in the high temple.” Other priests have less positive views.

Ag 18 has a large number of evil magic items pulled from the Banewarrens that need to be disposed of in some way.

Power, Insight, and Deceit are artifacts. Artifacts only remain with a wielder until they feel they have fulfilled their goals. With the sealing of the Banewarrens Power and Insight feel they have helped Symba and Apostle as much as they can.

Power was very pleased with Symba. When the sword moves on it permanently raises Symba’s STR by one point and permanently adds 1 to his Fortitude defense.

Insight was also very pleased raises Apostle’s WIS by 1 and permanently adds one to her Will Defense.

Deceit does not move on it seems happy where it is.

The date is now the third of Rain as AG18 prepares to reenter the Dark Reliquary and rescue Callista, Cheava’s Sister.

You can purchase any magic item of Level 12 or lower that you can afford. Jevicca will have the Dreaming Apothecary create one level 13 magic item for each member.

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Magic Items in session 33 and 34

Magic Items gained:

Deep Pocket Cloak – Yarkblar

Handy Haversack – Cheava

Armor of Sudden Recovery +3 – Yarkblar

+3 Flaming/Icy Greatsword – Cheava

Battle Standard of Tactics – ?

Imposters Armor +4 – Apostle ( I think? )

Ring of Shadow Travel – Cheava

Rod of Ruin – Ellanna

Ruby Lenses – ??

Rod of Wonder – Cheava

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