Previously: Chapter 71: Awakening
The Doppelganger
As soon as Penny sees the creature through the monocular, they all see that its disposition changes from a concerned and surprised look to a more annoyed and resigned one. Penny immediately spots a ring on its finger, the same one that the last doppelganger they met had, which caused them to avoid capture through death, and reaches for the hand, trying to pry it off. She wins the struggle, and stands there with the ring in her hand. “Arin” suddenly disappears, and they see the window being broken by the shape of a humanoid, as she bursts through, landing hard on the ground below. Kal bamfs out her wings, managing to slightly extend her jump out the window, grabbing “Arin” before she gets too far away. The others can see that the wings, which previously were dead and boney, have started to get some tiny growths on it, and look a little lighter in color.
Thistlethorn jumps out after the others, taking out a rope so that they can restrain “Arin”, and finds that Kal seems to be struggling with holding on to the half-elf, and realizes that she disappears from view when they get close enough. She helps with trying to restrain her. Relic opens the door after hearing the breaking window and people falling down, sees the obvious struggle, and so places a wall of force around the entrance, hindering whoever “Arin” is from getting away. The being makes a desperate attempt to confuse the party, taking on the shape of Thistlethorn while trying to daze her at the same time, but Thistlethorn manages to resist, and they both now realize what is actually going on. Penny joins the others, jumping down just as Kal and Thistlethorn manages to pin the shapeshifter under the immovable rod, and although it tries to escape from the bonds by turning into a halfling, it is unsuccessful, and resigns to its fate.
Even though it is early morning, they want to avoid people seeing, so they decide to take the shapeshifter back inside, carrying it down into the basement. The being asks if it could be allowed to return to its natural, comfortable shape, which the party allows. They suddenly all see the disturbing anonymous shape of a doppelganger. It at first is unwilling to give its name, but when the party makes up rude suggestions, it reveals itself as Vhalak.
The party demands to know what happened to Arin, and Vhalak tells them that she is not with them any more. It apparently dumped the body in the river leading out to sea a few days ago, and so her corpse will probably be found in one of the morgues as an unknown victim of an unknown murder. It assures them that Arin died well, and that there was no pain in her passing. It then asks to be released, but the party obviously is not allowing that to happen. It begins to threaten them with retribution from Malice or Nezznar, but they consider giving it back to them, or maybe even Thervan for experimentation. Vhalak seems disturbed by this, and offers a trade. It will give them information, as long as they let it go freely.
They spend the next hour interrogating the doppelganger, asking about Malice, Nezznar, their plan, and why everything is happening. Malice and Nezznar are close, too close, considering they are brother and sister. If Malice was to lose Nezznar, Vhalak doesn’t know what she would do, but it would not be pretty. They ask if Malice has any weaknesses, with Vhalak revealing that she uses clones to extend her life and survive. Apparently she recently had to use one of these clones as she suddenly came back all new, but it does not know where or how many she has. It says that it does not know if she has a lair in Ravenforge either. They ask why it is working for Malice, with it saying that when Nezznar was killed by the party in Wave Echo Cave, it ran, and was punished for it, forcing it into Malice’s service. Curious, they ask if it knows who “Tim” is, and shows the image of the doppelganger trio that took the shape of the young stable boy. Vhalak knows of the trio, calling them a group of morons who don't understand what laying low and being careful means. It says that it knows at least one of them is hiding in Elvenroth.
They ask about why Vuthul, Malice and Nezznar want to destroy all magic, and it just repeats what they have heard several times before, that they want everyone to be equal, since if nobody can use magic, then there can finally be peace and balance. The drows also want to live on the surface, so they have to take away the sun. Relic tries to argue that nobody will have food, but Vhalak counters that there is always fish in the ocean, and the dwarves regularly grow things in caves, so it would be a hard adjustment, but not impossible. People would be allowed to live, and there will be a time when things are difficult, but when that time has come and gone, the world will be perfect.
They argue that if they take away magic then beings that require magic will die, but Vhalak laughs at this, saying that they clearly don’t understand how things work. Beings that are “magical” in the sense that they can shapeshift like Vhalak does, or live long lives, are not bound by the weave like spellcasters are. Manipulating the weave is what their followers want to stop, magical creatures would still live and prosper, but nobody can manipulate the weave to their choosing. The party thinks that it is hypocritical that Malice and Nezznar uses magic when they say they want to destroy it, but Vhalak says that it is simply a means to and end, and knows that both Malice and Nezznar will happily give up their magic and even die if it means achieving their goal.
The thing Vhalak says that is most concerning is that even though the Key is the easiest way to release Vuthul, it is not the only way. It suspects that Malice is already working on another path, as the Key is still not complete, but knows not how far along she is. It then asks if it has given enough information, but the party is not satisfied. It then makes a final offer; if they allow it to go free, it will tell them where Nezznar’s hiding place is. The party ponders about this, and while this is happening, Penny has gone upstairs to send a sending to Thervan, asking if he can come to mediate the situation. Shortly after, Thervan knocks on the door, with Penny letting him in and bringing him a freshly brewed cup of demon-coffee from the sentient coffee pot. They both head downstairs to hear about the doppelganger’s proposal.
After hearing what has happened and have been discussed, they agree that it is a tempting offer, but they would need assurances from Vhalak that he will not return to his former masters and live a peaceful life, and not harm people any more. Its word is not good enough, but they all agree that the Geas spell might be the best solution. Thervan says that if he uses his 9th level spell slot, he can make the Geas last indefinitely. They come to an agreement, making sure to word it so that Vhalak cannot harm anyone unless it is to protect itself or others, and not seek out a way to end Geas, and most importantly, not return to its masters. Vhalak agrees, and says that it will take the first ship it can find out of Ravenforge and head south to Krawdoth.
Thervan stands over Vhalak, uttering the incantation of the spell, and imprints the commands onto the Doppelganger. Kal casts bane on it, making sure that it cannot resist. As the spell takes hold, Vhalak relaxed slightly, asking to be released from its bonds. Penny and Thistlethorn both share a look, and walk over to untie it. As they do, Thistlethorn whispers into its ear that if they ever see them again, they will kill them. If they ever see them with Malice or Nezznar, they will tell them they gave them information. Vhalak gives a short nod, and rises up. It looks around at each person present, and tells them of an abandoned wizards tower near the undying peaks, west of Whitewall, near the sea. There is a dock not far from it. Nezznar used to have his Hearthstone set to that place, but he lost it when the party killed him in Wave Echo Cave. As far as it knows, Nezznar still has his lair there.
Vhalak asks if it can leave, and is let past. It takes on the shape of Thistlethorn, but she demands that she changes into something else, so it turns into Penny instead. Tired, angry and wanting to get it over with, Penny just tells it to leave. They follow it upstairs and outside, and can see that when Vhalak has gotten a bit further away, it changes to an elderly balding man, and disappears in the distance, heading towards Ravenforge and supposedly the docks there, on its way to its new life.
Thervan says that he is happy that he could help, but that he has to get back to the castle to continue working, and begins walking back. Penny makes a drawing of what Arin looks like, giving it to Kal, who takes it to the nearby shrine of Udall. Relic uses sending to summon a courier, and Fleetwind arrives, asking how he can be of assistance. Kal gives him the drawing, telling him that they are looking for their friend, and that she can probably be found in one of the morgues. He collects payment, and promises to look, and to return in about eight hours, when the party have gotten their rest. Kal then joins the others, falling asleep after a very long night.
That night, they all have various dreams and visions about themselves, their past, and potentially their futures.
Loss
After Relic has gotten back from his memories, he hears a knock on the door, finding a courier, not the one he sent for previously, standing outside. An elderly looking courier asks if he has reached “the Flock”. Relic sighs, confirming that is supposedly what they call themselves, and is told by the courier that his master, Paton Dutari is requesting their presence in Elvenbridge as soon as possible, as he has a task he needs help with. It will be quite lucrative, and should not take more than 4 or 5 days at the most, if the group is as skilled as he has been told. Relic will relay the request to his companions, and the courier reminds him that this is a time sensitive matter, so hopes that they will arrive soon. He then leaves, and Relic remains contemplating what this could be, while waiting for the others to awaken.
As they do, there is another knock on the door, and Fleetwind has returned, saying that Arin lies resting in the morgue in the Temple of Mova. Kal thanks him for the information, and tells the others that she has been found. They wonder if they should let Jen, Arin’s girlfriend know, considering they would want to know as well. Penny volunteers to go over to her house.
It is raining heavily outside, and when Penny arrives she is already soaking wet, even though it is just a couple of houses down the street. She knocks on the door, and Jen is happy to see her, but notices Penny’s gloomy disposition immediately. Penny tells her what happened to Arin, but Jen is in denial, saying that they were together the day before. She tells Jen that it was a doppelganger, and Arin is gone. Jen breaks down, with Penny holding her close in comfort, saying that they are going to try to bring her back. Jen asks, through the tears, if she can help. Penny thinks that she absolutely can, and offers her to come along. Jen gathers her jacket and umbrella, saying goodbye to her cats, before coming with Penny back to the house.
Penny uses her creation magic to make a carriage big enough for everyone, while at the same time holding Arin’s body, as they all think they should bring her back home if they are going to try to resurrect her, seeing as resurrection is generally frowned upon. The ride over to the temple of Mova is silent, nobody says a word, Jen just stares at the floor while Thistlethorn and Penny both comfort her.
Outside the temple, in the rain, they are met by Carlos, who asks if he can be of assistance or if they need a blessing. Kal tells him that they are looking for their friend, holding up the picture Penny drew. He remembers the satyr coming by a few hours ago, and offers to lead them to her. Penny stays behind with Jen, as they don’t think she should see Arin until they have brought her back.
On the way down, Carlos tells them that they found her floating in the bay, but were unable to do the usual speak with dead ritual “for obvious reasons”. The party steels themselves as to her state, not wanting to think too much about what Arin has been through. When they reach the morgue, they are led to the side, where Arin lies on a slab, covered by a white sheet. Kal wants to make sure it truly is her, and asks to see her face. What looks back is a grim sight. She is missing a jaw, and her eye has been plucked out. Her skull is cracked open, and there are several lacerations all over. There are also small parts missing, possibly nibbles from fishes who managed to start devouring her before she was found. Thistlethorn deduces that the nibbles definitely came after she passed, but everything else looks to have been inflicted when she was still alive. Enraged by Vhalak’s supposed deception, they ask to have the body wrapped in cloth, and brought out with them. Carlos summons a couple of priests, who helps wrap Arin respectfully, and carries her up to the carriage.
Penny holds Jen as Arin is brought out, and can see, even through the sheet, that she is in bad shape, as she is clearly missing an arm. They put her in the carriage, and make their way back home. Jen cannot stop staring at the body the whole trip, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Found
The party carefully brings Arin’s corpse into the kitchen, finding it to be the most fitting place to attempt the resurrection, as she could usually be found there. Thistlethorn takes Jen to the side, explaining what is about to happen, asking if she would be willing to help bring her back. Jen agrees, and prepares herself to help with the ritual. Penny asks Jen if they had any songs they felt were “their” song, and Jen sings a tune that Penny recognizes is a local song usually played in the taverns. Kal prepares the spell, having gotten a diamond from Penny who used her creation powers to make it. The others carefully unwraps Arin’s body, but keeps her covered by the sheet, exposing only the remaining hand, allowing Jen to hold it.
Thistlethorn places out some rocks and twigs as a ritual, wanting to have Faunus help guide Arin back, while casting guidance on everyone involved in the ritual. Relic silently observes from the side. Penny begins the contributions when the casting is nearing the end, playing the song that Arin and Jen usually listens to. Kal makes the second contribution, basically demanding that Arin return, so that they can give her a third chance, having already given her a second one. Jen quietly begs her love to return to her, as they promised to grow old together, and she wants her to keep that promise.
The spell finishes, and for a split second, they fear that the spell might have failed, but suddenly the cuts and bruises on the hand begin to disappear, and the cloth begins to rise where the other arm was missing. The chest starts moving, and suddenly Arin is gasping for air, rising up, ripping off the sheet, looking around, bewildered. Through labored breathing, she asks what happened, before covering herself up, seeing Jen, and embraces her in a hug. Thistlethorn apologizes for being late, holding a hand on Arin’s shoulders. Arin says that she heard them, asking, nay, demanding she return, while looking at Kal.
They ask Arin what happened to her. She tells them that she was just wandering through the streets of Ravenforge after the coronation, and was suddenly taken by a few men. They put a hood on her head, and eventually she was in a dark room, with only herself, a woman, and a terrifying beast that was looking from the side. She described Vhalak, and the woman appears to have been Malice. Vhalak apparently didn’t touch her, Malice did all the torturing. She was strong at first, not wanting to give up any information on her friends, but towards the end, she didn’t have a choice, and apologizes to the party for being weak, but they assure her that it is not her fault.
Kal apologizes for threatening Ari during the ritual, but Arin says that she definitely helped, as she doesn’t want to disappoint her. Thistlethorn says that they have found a safe haven for their friends and families, and wants them both to go there to be safe, but Arin says that she is not leaving, this is her home, and Jen can’t just leave her family behind. Jen suggests that maybe Arin get some clothes on, since she is quite exposed as it is. They agree, and so Jen leads Arin up to her room, giving her some privacy. Relic apologizes for the window, promising that he will fix it. While she gets dressed, Relic says that if they are going to stay, then they need some protection, offering to make a simulacrum of himself to stay behind to protect and also help with the research in the castle. Jen’s family runs a gemsmith in town, and offers the party half price off for any gems they need, considering what they have done for her, bringing Arin back to her.
Relic and Thistlethorn both think this is a great idea and a kind offer, so they head to the shop in the city to pick up what they need for making a simulacrum, with Thistlethorn buying a couple of agates for awakening the tree. Jen’s father, a kind looking elderly man with a big mustache, is told of the situation and is more than happy to help those who help his daughter. Relic buys enough gems to make two simulacrums, just in case. Relic also stops by Scry me a River, purchasing three rods, for the material plane, feywild and the shadowfell, for use with the planar shift spell.
When they return home, Relic tells the party about the courier that came with the request from Paton Dutari, and they agree that they should at least hear them out, but first they have to secure the house, and make sure to tell their loved ones in the Emerald Earth Sanctuary and Thistlethorn’s tribe that they should make their way towards the grove. They decide to spend the next day on preparing, and then leave the day after, heading first to Emerald Earth, and then to the tribe, before wind walking to Elvenbridge.
Preparations
The next day, the party prepares in whatever way they can. Relic takes a hike up the mountain to find enough snow to make his simulacrum, while Thistlethorn sits in the backyard trying to awaken the large oak tree. Penny spends much of the day studying, while Kal heads into town to find something for Arin. Arin and Jen stay in the house, bonding with the newly arrived Berry, having been promised by Thistlethorn that he means well, and will protect the house while they are gone. She also promises Berry that they will bring him with them as soon as Vrendol has found a way to safely carry Berry or their horses during their travels.
Wandering around, Kal eventually finds what she was looking for in Scry me a River, meeting Vontara Vishara and Lone Candle. She explains what she is looking for, and is sold a ring at quite a discount, considering how highly Lone Candle speaks of the party. Happy with her purchase, Kal returns home, giving Arin the ring. Arin jokes that she hopes Jen doesn’t see this, and is told that it is a ring of animal influence, allowing her three times a day to speak with animals for 10 minutes each. It’s better than nothing, and should help if something were to happen.
Penny, between studying, decides to head to the castle, as she has been pondering over the dream she had the night before. She dreamt of seeing herself as a human, and combined with her previous dreams, she wants guidance. Armitage meets her near the gates, leading her inside, where Thervan talks with her in his office.
Penny lays out her concerns and questions, but Thervan is unhelpful. Penny sees that it is not that he doesn’t want to answer, he can’t answer, and that there is more to it than things appear. She asks why he can’t just be straight with her, and he tells her that with things being how they are right now, these are dangerous questions to ask, but he promises that in time he will give her all the answers she needs. He apologizes to Penny for not being more helpful, but gives a small offering in that he and Gleamshroud goes way back. He also offers to set Penny up with a tutor if she wants her studies to go by faster. She happily accepts this, and is told to seek him out when she has the time available.
Thistlethorn manages to awaken the oak tree, and names him Oakenward, asking him to protect and secure the house while they are gone, making sure to just chase away those that wish them harm, and to try his best to deduce who that might be. Argus and Ira both welcome their new “brother”. Relic also eventually returns in the evening, talking with his simulacrum about their shared knowledge. Arin says that he will need a new name for the duplicate, and Relic offers up the name “Tome”. Arin is happy with this.
Before bed, Relic has noticed that Arin is still very affected by her whole ordeal, understandably so, and offers to help. If she wishes, he can modify her memory to remove the bad parts about what happened to her. Arin says that she had trouble sleeping last night, and accepts. Kal helps by using Bane on her, and when they are done, Arin can’t remember the details about what happened, but knows that she died. She immediately returns some of her more cheerful disposition, thanking Relic and Kal for helping her forget.
The Tour
The party prepares to leave early the next morning, wanting to not waste too much time, as there are several things they have to do, so they want to get this over with as soon as possible. Relic teleports the group, owls included, to The Emerald Earth Sanctuary, surprising everyone at breakfast. Penny meets with her mother, and explains the situation to her, and the need to keep them safe. She tells them that they want to relocate them temporarily to the Grove of Eternal Whispers, a safe place where nobody can hurt them. Leyla is hesitant at first, but realizes that her daughter is serious. She says that she will talk to the community with Elmwood, and prepare people for leaving the sanctuary for a time. Penny is glad that she sees reason, and gets to meet with her father and Perry, before they have to continue. Penny says that they should be back in no more than five days, and will give them a heads up before they do. Thistlethorn then opens up a portal to her tribe through the big tree, catching the tribe during their morning rituals.
Sage is happy to see her return, and is given Galen’s old staff by her, as she has found the Heartwood staff, which will be useful in the coming trials. She explains to Sage that they have to get themselves to the Grove, as they found it and managed to rid it of its malicious influence. Sage gathers everyone around the fire, and has Thistlethorn explain the situation to them in a rousing speech. Penny plays a tune on her lute in the background, inspiring Thistlethorn to do her best, and they manage to convince them that for the time being, they should make their way towards the grove. Sage says that he will lead them there, knowing where it is. He also comments on reports of a nearby forest fire, with Relic confirming that it was them, burning away the dead corruption from the hags, allowing new life to grow. Sage commends them on their wisdom, looking at Thistlethorn with pride, seeing how far she has come.
Penny takes a moment to approach Gold, asking him how the drugs she gave him previously were. He says that it was quite the ride, asking her to bring him more if she were to come across it. She laughs, and promises to do so. The tribe then begins gathering up their belongings, getting ready to head southeast. Thistlethorn says her goodbyes, and gathers the party around as they get ready to wind walk to Elvenbridge.
A Dire Situation
Finding Elvenbridge is easy enough, all roads lead there from where they fly, and soon they see the city in the distance. Built on a hill with a castle on the peak, surrounded by walls and the rest of the city, leading to a large bridge that provides the only crossing of the great river. They see that the roads leading west and north are quite busy, but not a single person can be seen on the road leading east. As they get closer, they see that the city seems to be overflowing with people, so something is definitely going on.
The party makes their way to the castle, landing on a nearby street. Penny makes sure to do a dramatic entrance with her cloak of billowing, but the entire party gets several looks of awe and surprise, before they continue with their business. Walking up the cobblestone street leading to the castle, they are stopped by a guard, saying that the duke is unable to accept visitors considering the current situation. Relic introduces himself, saying that they are expected, reluctantly giving the name of the group as The Flock. The guard then suddenly apologizes, leading them inside. They notice that this was most likely a royal castle once upon a time, but it has been repurposed to be more of an administrative center, considering there is only one regent in Moroxia.
Paton Dutari sits behind his large desk, gesturing for the party to sit. He has four chairs put in front of his desk, in preparation for the party, and has his assistant bring in a variety of drinks if they so require. He then explains to the party why he summoned them. He has heard of their various accomplishments, bringing peace to the Thax’ning Tribes, saving the queen from a certain death, and has gotten a reputation of someone who gets stuff done, more often than not from killing monsters. He then asks if they have heard about Gundraag, the Lord of the Black. Penny has heard the name, but Relic knows exactly who it is. An ancient black dragon that makes his home in the Dying Mire to the south of Elvenbridge.
Paton continues to explain that they have made offerings to the dragon for many many years, brokering a fragile peace, making sure that he doesn’t attack the city, but for some reason that peace has now been broken, and Gundraag has begun extending his territory, attacking merchants and travelers on the road heading east. Paton wants the party to travel to the Dying Mire, find Gundraag, and either make a new peace, or kill him for good, preferably the latter.
He offers them 25000 gold pieces, plus 10 percent of whatever gold they manage to recover from the hoard. Kal says that they are taking precious time away from arguably more important tasks that involves the gods, and asks to take some magic items they find in the horde as well. Paton agrees, as long as they don’t take all of them, as most of his horde have been stolen by merchants and travelers, but considering their mission, he can look the other way if any powerful weapons they might use go “missing”.
The party agrees, and Paton gives them an advance of 2000 gold pieces, to prove his seriousness. Relic asks if there is an official teleportation circle in the city, but Paton says that there is not, only private ones, telling them that they should seek out Leshanna Lethalas, a local wizard who has her own teleportation circle in her tower. It can be found on the outskirts of the city to the east. Room and board is impossible to find, as all inns are full up due to the overflow of visitors, saying that there is a makeshift shanty town outside the walls.
The party shakes the duke’s hand, and makes their leave, heading towards the main road to find the tower. On the way there they think they should look for some protection against acid, as black dragons use it for their breath weapon. On the main street, they see that a couple of tabaxis have put up a makeshift stall. They introduce themselves as Jarvis and Thanos, two brothers who is trying to make their way to Port Emerald, but have been stuck for a while now. The party asks about any potions of acid resistance, which Jarvis happily provides for the low low cost of 1600 gold pieces. He explains that he has already given a discount considering that they are trying to fix the situation. Penny agrees to buy them, and gives on to each member of the party. Jarvis says that they should come back to see them before they leave if they manage to survive the dragon encounter, as they will have another reward for them if they manage to kill Gundraag.
After their transaction is complete, the party continues eastward, seeing a large wizard tower near the edge of the city.