The Better Part of Valor

21st Day of Fireseek - 7th Day of Readying, CY 592

Verbobonc and Chendl
We spent nearly two weeks in Verbobonc waiting on some magical items to be prepared. In the middle of that time, we journeyed north to attend the funeral of King Belvor in Chendl.

Council of the Seven Families
The noble houses met on the day after the funeral services for Belvor. In a surprise move, Baron Jemain of Littleberg voted with the northern margraves in confirming Lord Benvol Throstin II as regent. The baron has occasionally voted with the margraves in the past, but he was not expected to in this major decision. The recent industrial fire in Caronis has led many to speculate that Iuz is planning a major invasion. The leader of the Order of the Hart is considered to be a better leader for a time of war.

The fallout of this decision will not be known for some months. It will almost certainly make the taxation issue even more problematic, since the southern lords have had a major setback.

Lord Anton Hargamac will take Throstin’s place at the head of the order while he is acting regent.

Ambush on the Bridge
We teleported back to the dwarven temple on the 4th day or Readying. Uthgar received a sending from Hedrack warning us against further incursions into the Outer Fane. We made out the next morning to continue our assault. About two-thirds of the way across the fire bridge, we activated a symbol of pain. Vannay and Uthgar were wracked with intense pain, but the remainder of the party resisted the effect. This seemed to be the signal for a massive ambush by the tower sorcerers and their spider eater riders. Two massive fireballs exploded around us killing Vannay instantly. Victor would have fallen as well, but his pact with Kord kept him alive. The rest of the party was severely injured as well.

The fire door began slowly opening and fifteen spider riders appeared from the crags in the fane. We quickly made the decision to fight this battle another day. Victor hoisted Vannay’s corpse onto his back and began the retreat. Delvanos made himself invisible and followed. A group of the spider riders launched a volley of arrows down upon us nearly killing Creden, but like Victor his pact with Saint Cuthbert saved him. Everyone else moved to Safadin’s side to escape with a dimension door. Just before we escaped, we saw a huge earth elemental at the entrance of the fire door. We regrouped in the dwarven temple, and we made the decision to leave for Verbobonc immediately.

The Raising and the Calling
The next day, we made our way to a clearing outside of Verbobonc. Victor prayed over the body of his longtime companion, and he was successful in bringing Vannay’s spirit back to his body.

We spent the remaining portion of the day planning out how we could best respond to the increased defenses of the fane. Hedrack wasted no time in taunting us about our retreat. Vannay suggested calling a powerful outsider to assist in the assault. He called the most powerful of the celestial archons, but he immediately broke the circle binding the outsider. The trumpet archon was impressed with the nature of our quest, and he agreed to aid us in the battle.

We continued forming the plan for our next move. The next day would be pivotal in our quest to bring down the cultists.