The members of the party have been called individually to meet with Lord Neverember in Neverwinter. It is strange to have a direct audience with him.
Artur questions the guards on his way in because he has a relationship with some of them. They will only say that there have been some disappearances, but that doesn't seem important enough to warrant a personal audience with the Lord.
Location: Neverwinter's House of Knowledge, Lord Neverember's Audience Chamber
also present: Priests of Oghma, advisors, guards
The meeting:
• Neverember does not shake Percy's hand.
• 4 prominent citizens have been kidnapped over the past several days, all at night:
• Eldon Keyward is a highly knowledgeable scholar who specializes in the Outer Planes.
• Indrina Lamsensettle is a human actor who moves in Neverwinter’s highest social circles.
• Sarcelle Malinosh is a human wild-magic sorcerer who plumbs the mysteries of the Outer Planes.
• Umberto Noblin is a gnome historian who has written books on various deities.
• Uprisings have been happening as well, mostly around cultists, but they have been quashed. Neverember is afraid they are connected. Pala, in disguise as Roman, thinks that Neverember seems nervous and might be embarassed about how he knows what he knows.
• Priests have divined trails that end at Hallix Mausoleum in Neverdeath Cemetery. They think something is blocking them but Neverember thinks they just suck at their jobs.
• Artur asks why all three of us are needed; Neverember says we are all seasoned adventurers. He offers Artur a house in Neverwinter if he returns but Artur turns it down.
Location: Hallix Mausoleum, in the wealthy part of Neverdead Cemetery
The mausoleum has a metal double door at the front. Its chain padlock is hanging open. There are a few undead hanging around. Inside are the Hallix family graves, many dated from roughly 40 years ago when the volcano erupted. Some of the tombs look opened and there are multiple sets of tracks on the dusty floor leading downward.
We find 5 wights in the room below. After the fight, Roman reveals himself to be Pala, a Kenku.
Percy used a prayer in Infernal to unlock a padlock on a side door, finding Sarcelle Malinosh behind it. Artur recognized the language and accused Percy suspiciously. Percy asked if she knew why she might have been kidnapped and Artur thinks she is a bit upset by the question. Artur tells her that Percy has made a pact with something evil and Percy claims that all of his knowledge comes from being a Van Helsing. Artur doesn't quite believe him.
Sarcelle tells a story of visiting an unknown plane and losing her powers temporarily. She admits that she had a vision of a terrible future: a dessicated man levitating off the ground, pulling evil energy around himself in wisps. He screamed and the energy exploded, causing something terrible to happen. She fears that this vision is why she is here. She says she has told no one but us, and that she has not heard of the names of Eldon or Umberto.
Sarcelle wants to leave and the party debates whether she should be allowed to go. Bellerand decides to escort her out of the graveyard past the undead, to safety.
In another small side room, a pressure-plated grate trap covers a pit containing a small gold harp, a handful of papers, and a piece of bloody cloth.
In another side room, Percy finds 2 vials labeled 'Healing Use Only' but there is Illusion magic on them. He thinks they're probably nefarious. He pockets them until he can Identify them further. Pala sends Suvarna to perch on Percy's shoulder and ask if he found anyone in the room, but Percy is disturbed by the contact and doesn't reveal the vials.
Up the stairs and through the door there is a room that is a crossroads of sorts to other parts of the graveyard. There are four bells of different sizes hanging from the ceiling by leather straps. Pala thinks they seem to be used fairly often.
Through the door, 5 robed cultists and someone clearly in charge, and the image of an eye/hand combo. The one in charge says, "I am the Teeth of Vecna!"
Percy knows about cults of Vecna from the family library and lectures everyone on their awful deeds. Pala has also heard of Vecna's rises and falls through his patron.
Pala pulls out a skull and begins to murmur a song; the skull begins to glow. Percy hypnotizes them and we easily take them out until more show up; three are spellcasters. We take them out as well, then search them. We keep one to interrogate. They all had identical keys around their necks; Percy takes one. Pala uses Cause Fear on the cultist and tries to psychically interrogate him, but he refuses to speak. Bellerand tries to read his thoughts but can only hear, "I'd rather die."
Percy Identifies the "healing" potions as Potions of Poison.
We go down a hallway into what appears to be a library filled with cultists and ghouls. We dispatch them, but one disappears down a hallway hidden behind a bookshelf. Percy takes two magic scrolls as Bellerand follows the cultist through the hidden door.
We follow the cultist down the hallway and Artur and Pala kill them.
In the library is the sarcophagus of Ayren Griffynstone. It is engraved with the image of a book. Percy comments that they were a renowned historian. Bellerand opens it and finds nothing but a skeleton inside.
Percy mentions that there may be something he can try before we go further. He grasps the silver cage pendant around his neck and asks, one at a time, where each missing person is located. He telepathically receives these responses from the soul of the Teeth of Vecna, which he has trapped:
Eldon: in a gallery, in a cage, to the south
Indrina: in foul stench guarded by apes
Umberto: beyond the pipe maze in what may be a watery grave
Percy reports these answers to the group, although not verbatim, and does not explain further.
We open the large stone door into the next room, where hundreds of names are etched into plates along the wall. We see two large, apelike creatures. Percy excitedly explains that they are Balguras, denizens of Hell. As we fight, one Balgura says that it would like to add our names to their wall. Artur speaks in Abyssal to it, half-heartedly trying to convince it to leave. It responds that Artur probably does not possess the ability to send him back home to Hell. We kill both of them. Inspecting the plates on the walls, it seems that they have indeed been carving names into them, although Percy shares that Balguras are generally not that intelligent. It seems that they might have heard these names somewhere or have been instructed to carve them by someone else. The names don't seem to have a magical purpose and the names of the kidnapped people are not listed.
Pala notices that one plate is looser than the others. Multiple names are carved into it, one atop another, and none seem to stand out. The plate is a lever for a secret door, and behind it is Indrina, sitting in tattered clothes in a room filled with stench. Pala tells her that we were sent by Neverember to rescue her, and she responds, "I knew he was behind this!" Percy introduces himself and Prestidigitates her clothing and the air. She is very impressed and Percy schmoozes her a bit to get her to explain what she meant about Neverember. She demures, so Percy uses Message to get her to say it secretly to only him. She explains that she thinks Neverember is punishing her for finding out that he is not descended from the hero of Neverwinter, Lord Nashar Alagondar, like he claims to be. Pala notices that they are speaking telepathically via magic, and sends Percy a Message saying that any information that is pertinent to the mission must be shared with the group.
Percy escorts Indrina out of the mausoleum. On the way out, he schmoozes her more and gets her to tell the story of how she proved that Neverember is lying by hiring genealogists. She doesn't react when Percy mentions Umberto Noblin's name. Percy tells her that he will be staying in town doing business for the Institute and that she should call on him. She is generally very impressed and charmed by him.
While Percy is away, Pala tells the group that Percy was secretly communicating with Indrina. He also implies that it is suspicious that Percy speaks Abyssal, and says that they should question him at some point later.
The group explores the mausoleum more while Percy is gone. In a small abandoned cell, Suvarna finds a notebook hidden among old blankets. It looks like it is filled with field notes about extraplanar travel, planar intersections, etc. After further exploring, the group finds a room with a large red X painted on it. Inside are overturned urns and two Wraiths, who yell, "Vecnans die!" and attack. The group kills them, finishing as Percy returns.
We find another cultist shuffling down the hallway, seemingly having heard us fighting. She shambles a bit and seems lifeless, but not undead. Percy comments to Bellerand that she seems like someone that we might have seen in Barovia. Pala and Bellerand knock her unconscious and Artur drags her into a side room for us to check on later.
We enter a large room, furnished to look like a cozy bedroom and study. There is a one-eyed, bipedal horror with spikes growing out of its head. Bellerand and Percy recognize it as a Nothic. Tapestries depicting feasting undead hang on the walls. A man is sitting at the desk. He orders the Nothic to attack us and implies that he sent the cultists to deal with us. During the fight, the Nothic refers to the man as "Master Jerot." As the fight winds down and Jerot nears death, Percy uses Suggestion to force him to tell us truthfully why they kidnapped these specific people. Jerot spits out, "The townspeople were chosen because they are believed to have particularly meaningful secrets." Percy tells him he can die happily knowing that he has betrayed his compatriots. He puts his hands to his own head and Arcane Blasts himself to death. Bellerand recoils and Percy laughs.
Bellerand searches the body of Master Jerot but finds nothing. He turns Jerot's body into a sporebie. His notes are on the table -- he was describing a ritual of draining and sacrificing a victim's secrets and knowledge to Vecna. The first test was on a disloyal cultist, but the notes indicate that the next test will use the people we were sent to find. The notes also contain information on so-called "Crevices of Dusk" -- magical gateways that can be found in Neverwinter, which connect to a plane populated by undead. Jerot has been trying to study them.
Artur hears chanting on the other side of the hallway door. He kicks it down and we find a ritual in process, with an elf in a cage in the middle of the room, looking pained. Leading the ritual is a tall, proud-looking woman, surrounded by cultists and nothics. As the leader is killed, silvery-purple energy bursts from the center of the room -- like space ripping open. We have a sensation of falling before everything goes dark. In our minds, we see flashes of images of Vecna, interspersed with terribly violent rituals being performed. We gain an understanding of how secrets can be used for power, as well as some kind of link to Vecna.
We then each find ourselves in a small, black, enclosed space -- we are in coffins. We push our way out and hear muffled cries for help. We open the coffin and it is Eldon. He regains his composure and declares that we are in Evernight -- a dreary reflection of Neverwinter, which we have reached via one of the Crevices of Dusk, which opened because of the interruption of the ritual. He says that we have to find a stable Crevice in order to get back.
He suggests that we head east of the graveyard, where there should be a martket. Ghouls follow us as we go. Artur thinks they are somewhat intelligent -- they respond to him feigning drawing a weapon. At the market, we see ghouls, skeletons, vampires, and other such creatures selling strange, ghoulish goods in muted colors. We draw a bit of attention but no one bothers us. Percy Prestidigitates himself to look more grey and sullen.
A voice calls out to us: "Sangora is here to answer your questions." She tells us that we may ask her questions for 20 gold apiece. Bellerand gives Eldon some coin and Eldon asks her what she knows about Crevices of Dusk. She says that they have caused problems for residences of both cities, and those who know the locations of stable ones guard them carefully. She says that we are more likely to find an unstable one, as they pop up randomly from time to time. For more gold, she tells us that she knows the location of a stable one -- in the tomb of the Dolindars. She does not know the location inside the tomb. She offers to keep "lowlifes" from bothering us for a while if we'd like to rest at her stall.
Pala tries to sneak around between stalls to find a place to rest away from Sangora. Some skeletons see him and accuse him of trying to steal. He walks away and morphs into Suvarna, and tries to sit atop a pole to rest. He is the only bird around. Some skeletons eventually throw stones at him, so Pala lands and turns into his human form, brandishing his sword. The skeletons do not back down, so he Prestidigitates some sparks to distract them and sneaks back to the stall.
Artur meanders around, looking for any positive religious iconography. He finds a stall with a severed hand in some kind of resin cast. It is a priest's hand, bearing rings of Deneir. The skeleton shopkeeper says that he got it himself in a church. He finds a church of Kossuth, then returns to the stall and Conjures Food and Water.
While Pala and Artur are away, Percy looks at the surrounding shops but finds nothing interesting to buy.
While resting, Percy Identifies the two scrolls that he found in the cult's library as a spell scroll of Greater Invisibility and a spell scroll of Major Image, and Bellerand conjures a Wild Companion rat to keep watch for him.
Percy and Bellerand get the feeling that while Evernight seems similar to Barovia, there doesn't seem to be any kind of magical effect on people's moods.
Eldon and Bellerand have tea before we leave for the tomb. Percy informs Eldon that we have his notebook, and Pala hesitantly gives it to him. Eldon begins to furiously write down everything that has happened to him to get him to this point. He also writes something about "Shadowfell crossroads."
We head to the Dolindar crypt. As we approach the area of the crypt, Pala and Bellerand realize that we are being followed by vampire spawns. Artur turns and greets them, and they ask us why we're here. Percy says the place is a shithole but Artur says we've met nice people. We exchange vague threats and finally fight. Eldon is hurt in the fight but Artur heals him.
Bellerand fumbles with a question to Eldon about whether he has any secrets that he's hiding. Eldon seems confused but says no, although he does think his notebook is worthwhile for the knowledge that it contains.
Entering the darkened tomb, there is a spiral staircase leading downwards. Down the stairs is a hallway lined with slabs etched with robed figures and faded writing. Pala feels like the Dolindar name is familiar to him, but doesn't recall any particular history. Artur notices a piece of paper on one of the slabs; it reads "Newmy's Room." On approaching, the ghost of a Moon Elf appears. She tells us that she keeps the crypt clean but doesn't go downstairs anymore because the Dolindars aren't "resting right." She tells us that the Dolinars generally kept to themselves and didn't really like Evernight; she theorizes that perhaps they couldn't leave. She doesn't know how long she's been there and doesn't know how long the Dolindars have been undead. Pala convinces her that we can help her by cleaning the downstairs and helping the Dolindars find peace. She tells us that one of the doors leads to "puzzle buttons" and one of them leads to "them." Pala uses his moonstone to help her focus and she tells us the correct door is to the north.
Through the door are two coffins, out of which rise multi-armed screeching monsters with large claws for hands. We kill them. Percy detects no magic in the room. The plaques for the sarcophagi read "Nolan Dolindar, Beloved Brother," and "Evisha Dolindar, Beloved Sister."
In the next room, the words “DOLINDAR” and “NO WORLD TO RETURN” are inscribed on stones.
Percy enters the next room alone and finds treasures on pedestals:
- a magical Driftglobe with Map of the Gate Towns
- a magical necklace with Conjuration magic - "my breath is yours Kevetta, take it"
- a neatly stacked pile of gold, about 2,200g. Bellerand takes it.
- a book - Out of the Endless Prison - a book about planar travel out of the prison plane Carceri
- a replica Neverwinter snowglobe
- a golden helmet
As Percy Mage Hands the L in DOLINDAR, the whole word depresses and we hear a painful, sorrowful sigh as it pops back out. Beneath the lower line, there is a mechanism that seems like something could be stuck into it. Artur presses the I in DOLINDAR and the same happens. We finally figure out that it is ALONE and a door opens. A room behind it is filled with spikes, with a ghostly figure towards the back.
The creature looks similar to the ones we saw in the previous sarcophagus chamber. Artur and Bellerand wonder if it is being held prisoner, since it was locked behind a door and spikes. Artur attempts to talk to it but it attacks. As he fights, Percy chats with Eldon to try to butter him up.
After the creature is killed, Artur reads the name Kevetta Dolindar on the sarcophagus. Percy takes out the necklace that had her name in it and begins to Identify it. It is a Necklace of Adaptation -- it allows the wearer to breathe normally in any environment.
Artur returns to Newmy and tells her what we've done. Newmy says that the only other people buried here are in the urns. She doesn't know anything about the items on the pedestals. Artur tells her to keep track of how long she's been working so that she can rest one day. She seems to like the idea. Bellerand explores the chamber and finds the lever to retract the spikes as well as the Crevice of Dusk inside the coffin.
Going through the portal, we climb out of a coffin in a dusty tomb in the pauper's graveyard of Neverdeath Cemetery. We cannot read the weather-worn name, but "Home again to rest forever," is carved into the stone.
Percy continues to suck up to Eldon and tells him that they should keep in touch to perhaps negotiate the ownership of Out of the Endless Prison, adding that the Van Helsing library would of course be interested as well. Eldon gives us his address and tells us that we are all welcome in his home. Bellerand distributes the gold found in the tomb and Eldon turns it down and returns home.
We return to the catacombs. Percy asks Bellerand where he thinks the plumbing might be. Bellerand remembers a dripping pipe that he saw and leads us there. Percy gives the Driftglobe to Artur before we go through the door by the pipe.
Through the door is a kitchen. There are more pipes, which go into the eastern wall. Artur and Percy investigate the wall but don't find anything indicating there is something behind it. We move to another room where we saw a hole in the wall. Through it is a hallway leading to a room of pipes and a stone basin. It is full of water as well as watery creatures. There is a door to the south. Artur moves past the creatures, trying to be unthreatening. Three creatures rise up, and one addresses us in Primordial, telling us we're not supposed to be there. Percy converses with him and tries to convince them we've dealt with "the bad ones" and that we're only here to rescue "the small one." Percy uses the key that we got from a cultist on the door and it opens.
Umberto is sitting on a soggy mattress in the room, which has water pouring down the walls. Percy tells him that he is there to rescue him, sent by the Lord of Neverwinter himself. He Prestidigitates Umberto's clothes so that they are dry. Artur Creates Food and Water and gives the extra water to the elementals. Percy sucks up to him a bit and asks him to tell us what he knows about Vecna. He tells us a bit of what we already know, adding that his current research has been into Vecna's "true and honest history," and this is why he thinks he was kidnapped. He says that Vecna cults have recently become more popular. Historically, Vecna's partners have either betrayed him or he has been foiled by heroes. Centuries ago, one of the betrayers was alledgedly a vampire named Kas, that Umberto believes is still alive.
As we are leaving, Bellerand turns to Gaseous Form in order to examine the items underneath the grate trap that we found. The papers are general plans to kidnap Idrina. He takes them, along with the golden harp. Percy makes plans to visit Umberto and review some of his new manuscripts before he departs from us.
We return to Lord Neverember and report our success. He gives us 2,250 gold apiece and gives each of us a deed to a house which we are allowed to pick.