Attack on Veroche: Part One

After speaking with Xerella, the group spent the night at Blood's Rest.

Corax spent his evening with some hookers, paying them for their time to preach the message of the Raven Queen and encourage them to seek a different line of work. He convinced one such lady of the night to look into employment with the arena. Lex spent the night in her room in brooding contemplation. Crag walked the streets. Eglan prayed the night away.

In the morning Lex went to the bar to find Jamlamin back from his errand, sitting in a lonely corner with a frozen pipe in hand. She approached him with the idea that the team was not serving their personal agendas, Lex in recovering her sister, and Jamlamin in his secretive quest. She wondered aloud if they'd be better off together on their own, helping each other to meet their goals. Jamlamin was intrigued but insisted they would need Crag, for he has something Jamlamin needs.

Just then, Crag approached, lighting the pipe with his green flame. They decided to let him in on their ideas of going their own way. Jamlamin revealed that his quest is to find the man who caused him to murder his wife. Crag was skeptical of the group following, with Eglan being loyal to the Selderine. Lex pointed out that Eglan's history wasn't exactly a picture of perfect loyalty.

Just then, the rest walked in, and the trio fell silent. Crag ushered the others away, leaving only Lex and Eglan. Just as she was about to offer an ultimatum, Eglan revealed he received an urgent missive from the Order, that there were warning signs of an impending Drow attack on a town a few days ride away. Many lives were at stake.

Lex, Crag, and Jamlamin quietly agreed to hold off on their talk of breaking away until after this mission.

They went back the the Selderine for their orders and a map, to the town of Veroche, a near 4 day ride away. On the way, Eglan spoke of his history with the Drow.

On their first night at camp, Quickroot asked of Crag, "You say you can tell if a man deserves to die. Do I?"

Crag was uncertain where this was going, "I know you, no."

"You do not, and I do." said Quickroot, and he walked away from the fire.

Corax went after Quickroot to comfort him, telling him he did not deserve death.

"In nature, everything must die, but that does not mean it's deserved," said Quickroot, "I question my motives."

"But, you are spreading beauty and flowers through the land and helping the forces of good!" cried Corax.

Quickroot smiled, but sighed, "It is interesting to see one whose spirit is in such bloom. you have not had to do the things asked of me."

Corax asked for another spore, revealing he left the other in the ruins with Lady Darstein. Quickroot was somewhat comforted, and passed him a spore while saying, "She was not my only questionable action."

They rested for the night. We road closer to the Chaos Scar, the Plaugelands to our north. That night around the fire Quickroot addressed the company.

He told them of his past and his mission in life, protecting the Shadow Wilds swamps from necromancers, and the abuse of humanity. One town that began encroaching upon and abusing the swamplands was Shademore. Quickroot's tribe made the decision to destroy the town, and every man, woman, and child therein using an ancient rite of his people.

There seemed to be more to the story, "this ritual?" probed Lex.

Quickroot revealed the tribe elder was his mother, and the ritual involved her sacrificing herself to cause nature magic to destroy the town with overgrowth. As a seeker, Quickroot made sure she succeeded and no one survived.

Just then, Corax, who had been listening from his tent, burst forth wielding his scythe. He twirled it over Quickroot's unflinching head and asked, "Do you want forgiveness, do you repent?"

Quickroot said, "I do, but cannot..."

"Why do you want forgiveness?"

"I... don't know..."

Corax then dropped his scythe, embracing Quickroot, "I know why! I forgive you!"

Quickroot shoved him away, "I'm not looking for your forgiveness!" and he walked away into the woods.

Corax knew in his heart that Quickroot wasn't going to be ready for forgiveness until he could forgive himself.

Jamlamin vomited a sparkling mass, while crag grumbled in his need for action and Eglan kept watch. Lex stroked Lady Darstein's spider pendant, which she had taken to wearing on the trip. The eventually went to sleep for the second night, except for Eglan.

The following night, weariness finally caught up with Eglan and he fell asleep. Corax noticed Lex sitting away from the rest of the party and went to talk with her.

"Nice pendant, " he said.

"I want to remember..." said Lex distractedly.

"Why do you mourn so for her?"

"I don't. I wear this because no one else cares.'

Quickroot spoke, "I do."

Lex shot him an angry look. Quickroot invited her to speak what was on her mind.

Lex began a rant against what she sees as the self-serving and hypocritical nature of elves. She decried their spiritual wars and their dogma. "Their spiritual struggles reek havoc on the lands and they take no notice or care for anyone in their way!"

Crag sat up, "Enough of this! We are a team, there are more important things to worry about now than this!" He made a grab for Lex, but she was able to dodge.

Corax was startled, "Friends, please, we're a team!"

Lex looked around the fire, "Corax, there is no team," and she stormed into the woods.

Corax looked hurt, "Friends?" he said to the party. Quickroot said to him, "Friends," and then he followed after Lex.

Lex stood near the tree line ahead, unmoving and facing away.

"Lex, I don't know what you want me to say. Elves are self-serving. My tribe certainly is. Most would look out for themselves. I do regret many of my actions. I hope to earn your trust. This team must remain united."

Lex remained silent and unmoving. Quickroot heard a sudden skittering ahead and Lex turned around, seemingly broken from a trance, "You, what do you want?" she hissed.

Quickroot was suspicious, but said only, "Nothing, I just wanted to be sure you were okay," and returned to camp.

Crag took the watch, and eventually the rest went to bed for the third night.

The next day they were close to the headquarters outside the town. The trees had given way to winy plains and rolling hills. They could see the town up ahead, covered in a cloud of darkness. Quickroot volunteered to go to the headquarters for information while the others rode onward, knowing an attack was likely already underway.

He came charging back on Sillip to inform them that the attack had been going on for days with many dead, but there was currently a lull in the fighting as the drow had seemingly withdrawn, taking live hostages and a mysterious artifact of great power, the Standard of Eternal Battle, which can only be taken by winning at battle. Eglan is worried, the Drow never take prisoners.

They entered the city and found it full of smoke and death, with corpses appearing with enough frequency that Corax gave up his attempt to reap their souls. They could sense spiders ahead, and their webs hung from every building. Eglan lead the way to the entrance to the Under Dark.

When we reached the great hole of a void, Eglan and Corax spied a silhouette of a person on a building ahead. Eglan and Quickroot snuck up on it to see it was a man in a dark purple road embroidered with golden spider webs, reading from a book. The figure spotted Eglan, "Ah, you again."

"So it would seem," said Eglan tensely.

"Why are you here?"

"I don't have to explain to you."

"Very well," said the figure, and he vanished.

Eglan returned without explanation and we decended into the Under Dark. We follow the glow of a light further and further down the tunnels until it opened into a large opening with a dome shaped building faced by a pedestal across the way. Many foot prints and drag marks lead forward.

When we approached the pedestal, we found there was an amulet on top, and it seemed to be watching us. Corax struck it with his scythe, but it bounced off, and a sharp pain filled his head while laughter rang out (took 40 damage).

"Another group, how interesting," said the amulet, "Do you come seeking power like the others?"

Corax cried out in answer, "I have come to save the innocent!"

"Then, you will need power!"

"I have the power of the Raven Queen!"

Crag interrupted, "Where are the Drow?"

The amulet laughed again, "They are an exuberant bunch, they are in my temple."

Eglan asked, "Who are you?"

Than amulet continued to laugh, mockingly, "Why should I tell you?"

"Then, what do you seek from us?"

It replied, "I like your bravery, but I do not answer to you, to enter my temple, one of you must wear the amulet."

Lex's pendant began to glow, and a distant skittering echoed in the hall.

Eglan snatched the necklace and threw it on.

The voice laughed loudly, "Welcome to my temple!" and the doors swung open.