Session 14 - Chapter 4 - Crypts & Nightmares

Hello and Welcome!

The bright light made everyone close their eyes. They felt themselves be transported away to another location. Straining against the bright light, when they sensed that the brightness was dimming, they tried to open their eyes to see their new surroundings, their eyes taking a few moments to adjust to the more normal ambient lighting.

Dafnae rubbed her eyes and found herself in a room with smooth stone walls and two doors on either side of her. She looked around herself and was surprised to see none of her companions with her. She became slightly worried what happened to them and hoped that they were safe. She proceeded to investigate the room and doors thoroughly.

Chard held his Glaive ready to strike against whatever may be waiting for him as the light subsided. Squinting through the pain he saw no immediate threat around him so he relaxed the grip on his Glaive, but only slightly. Looking around himself he saw that he was alone in a room with smooth stone walls and two doors on either side. He wondered where everyone else was. He looked around and thought to himself that he'll need to make a choice and just standing around won't help him find his friends. So he flipped a copper coin and the result yielded that he would try going right. So he reached for the door handle.

Torsion grumbled against the pain in his eyes. Before his vision fully returned he heard a familiar voice beside him ask "Torsion, is that you? I would recognise your grumble anywhere!" He replied, "Aye, PIpp, it is I" and he grumbled again. He thought to himself maybe he should not be so grumpy all the time. But there were so many troubles in the world, namely of which were these wretched Dragon Cultists. Blast them. Beside him Pipp blinked wildly to help restore her sight. Torsion saw her smile widen when she saw him and it did soften him slightly - she always had such a positive aura about her but how could she stay so positive against all these troubles? Pipp said "Oh wow - that was really bright!" as she looked around and then Torsion saw he smile start to become a bit of a frown. She asked "Wh-wh-where are Dafnae and Chard? Oh I hope they are safe! We have to find them!". Indeed, Torsion looked around himself and both Dafnae and Chard were nowhere to be found. They both surveyed their surroundings and all they saw were smooth rock walls with two doors on either side. Pipp asked "Which door shall we choose? Torsion - we have to make sure we don't get separated though! That would be the opposite of finding our friends!" He surveyed both doors and grumbled to himself as he turned his head from one to the other. He realised he was grumbling again, which made him grumble more. Blast!

Dafne completed her thorough investigation and found nothing untoward about the rooms and the doors. While listened against the doors she did faintly hear the gentle ripple of water and wind rustling through leaves. How strange she thought. Were they still in the crypt? If so, then how was there wind and water down here? She decided she would need to select a door. She called upon Lady Tymora to give her some inspiration and so she went for the right door and she started to turn the knob.

Pulling the door open, Chard again felt the same sensation as before together with the bright light. This time he was better prepared so he shielded his eyes more. Once he felt the teleportation was complete and he was trying to open his eyes, he heard a familiar voice call out "Oh - Chard! How did you get here! Have you seen Dafnae?" He turned to the sound and was greeted by Pipp's smiling face. He replied "No, but I am glad to see you, oh, and Torsion, you are here too - wonderful!" looking around himself and noticing Torsion on his other side. 

He explained that he was in a similar room and he choose the Right door and had the same sensation and that he was suddenly here. Torsion grumbled "Ah, this must be the next sort of puzzle". While listening to him, Chard stated "Right, you two stay here, I'll keep trying doors. And yes, Right was right last time, so I'll go right again!" and he reached for the door on his right with the same effect and Pipp and Torsion saw him vanish in a brief burst of light.

Dafnae felt the same sensation again and shielding her eyes, she was able to regain her sight much faster than before.  As she did her last few blinks, she already heard much more distinctly the sound of water nearby and she felt the breeze that was rustling the leaves. Around her she saw the same smooth walls and she was standing on fresh grass with a large pillar in the middle of a pool surrounded by smaller pillars with statues perched on top in the grass. There was a small grove of trees to her one side. She saw a few similar doors as to the ones she went through further down the area. The sky looked like a night-time sky at dusk, stars clearly visible, none of which were familiar to her.

She looked around and didn't see any of her friends and thought to herself that she was lucky to have found her way out of that so easily - praise to Lady Tymora. She set out to investigate her immediate surroundings. 

Chard appeared in another room, similar to the previous two. He placed a copper piece in the corner and choose the right door again.

Pipp and Torsion continued to wait and chatted a little. They didn't know what to do if Chard didn't come back. They would sit tight for now.

Dafnae suddenly saw a quick flash and he saw Chard suddenly appear. His sight quickly restored, he immediately noticed Dafnae and called out "Ah, Dafnae, wonderful. Now to get back to the other two!" Before she could reply, Chard reached for the door he had just come out of and he vanished in a blink.

Chard found himself in the same room, clocking his single copper piece. "Hmm," he thought to himself, "Right is still Right, so let's go Left." He reached for the left door and he found himself in again, a similar style of room. No copper piece, no Pipp or Torsion. He hoped they did as he asked and stayed put. In this room he put 2 CP in the corner and thought "Well, new room let's go right again!".

Going through the right door, he found himself back in the room with the 1 CP. "Strange". She he went left and was relieved to see the 2 CP. So then he went Left. 

After the flash, he was surprised again by the sound of a very loud and eager "Oh! You're back!" and a deeper question "Have you solved the puzzle?" He replied with a flourish "Yes! And! I've also found Dafnae!". This was met by Pipp's excited clapping and "Oh wonderful - let's get back together. I so hate being separated!". He explained the pattern and so they went through the right door one at a time. Luckily the 1 CP was there. Then they each went through the door on the right again, Chard going last, picking up his 1 copper piece on his way out. 

Dafnae saw her friends appear one after another, all four, very much to her relief. They all greeted each other and then all surveyed their new surroundings. They all were amazed. Torsion ritually cast Detect Magic and to no one's surprise, he sensed all sorts of magic all around them, illusion magic being the most prominent. 

They explored the area together, everything seeming peaceful and calm. The pool was serene and seemed to contain regular water but they could not see the bottom so they reckoned it must be quite deep.

The Party ventured further into the area, checking around the trees. They appeared to be healthy ancient trees, full of leaves. In the middle of the small grove, they saw a statue of a bard, arms outstretched to the sky, bow in one hard, violin in the other. An inscription on the base read the familiar words "Scale the heights if you want to succeed". Underneath that, they found the name: Riddlemaster Elvira of the Bluff. Pipp recognised her from her studies.

Not knowing what to do next, Pipp contemplated on the inscription and the large pillar in the middle of the water, she got her Lute out, gave a deep bow to Riddlemaster Elvira's statue out of reverence, and started to play a heartfelt tune from her childhood. As she started to play, slabs started to extract from the pillar, 5 feet deep and 5 feet apart - a sort of disconnected staircase _scaling_ up the pillar. She played faster and faster as she saw what started to happen as she seemed to have solved the next riddle. Chard clapped along with the tune, Dafnae was pleased her small friend found success, while Torsion was not sure what to think about such merriment in a hallowed place. 

Pipp finished her tune with a flourish and gave another deep bow to the statue and thanked her for her help and then announced to the group that she'll make the climb to the top as this is her main quest. The others didn't challenge her.

She easily made the 5ft leap from the side of the shore onto the first step. As she turned to the next step, everyone heard growls coming from above from atop the other pillars. Everyone was startled to see that 4 of the statues came alive and then battle commenced!

The Gargoyles descended, attacking the 3 members still on the land. Torsion called out to Pipp "Hurry, climb up the pillar! We'll handle these beasts!" to which Pipp replied "Yes - I'll hurry - you all be careful!"

And so each turn of combat brought a fierce exchange of blows. Torsion was able to land harder hits thanks to his magical weapon and sacred flame assaults. Dafnae was able to very cleverly hide behind one of the large trees. Pipp focused on each step as she used her nimble acrobatics skill as she leapt from one to the next, 3 planks at a time. Her total time was going to reach a total height of 50 ft.  After each of her three careful leaps, she would launch a ranged attack to help her friends a little.

The battle raged and Pipp climbed. But disaster happened as Pipp tried to make the leap to get to just 2 planks away from the top. She just missed the landing, even with her Lucky Halfling nature, and she plummeted into the water with a shriek. The others watched helpless as their friend landed with a loud splash. They had their hands full as there were still 3 of the 4 Gargoyles left, but they did appear quite damaged.

On her next turn, Pipp was able to swim to shore and climbed out with just enough movement. Dripping wet, and both angry with herself and embarrassed for having made such a blunder in front of her new friends in equal measure, she reached out to pummel the closest Gargoyle with Dissonant Whispers, crushing its mind as it crashed to the ground, defeated. 

This left 2 final Gargoyles which were finally easily dispatched, ending the battle. 

Regaining composure, luckily not having taken too much damage, they regrouped and then reassured Pipp to give the climb another try.

With renewed determination, she made the first leap again, even if a little unsteadily though. She gathered all of her focus and made each leap.

This time, she was able to successfully make the full climb. At the top, she looked back to her friends, and as they each clapped at her success, she raised her arms up and let out a rejoiceful "Ta daaaaa!". Then she looked about her to see the actual tomb and resting place of the Master Bard.

Top top of the tomb had en engraving of her, arms folded, and inlaid on top were a Bow and Violon, similar to the one on the statue below. 

She carefully reached for the items to lift them out of their inlay and as they released, she felt a warmth overcome her and a voice in her head saying "Bravo and well done! You have shown bravery and determination and purity of heart. Use these items in your quest." 

Pipp turned back to the edge to face her comrades and held the Bow and Violin aloft like the statue of the Master Bard below and then played a single note for everyone to hear.

As she strung the Bow across the strings, it let out the sweetest of melodies, not just a single note. It was amazing. 

She tucked it into her pack and easily made the climb down to re-join her party on the grassy surface. 

Dafnae then asked "Now, how to get out of here ..." They noticed there was a single room off to the far edge beyond the small grove. They went their and found the floor engraved with various markings which Pipp recognised as various musical notations. They all stood in the centre of the ring.

She got the Bow & Violin out and started to play again. As she played the beautiful music, the engravings started to glow and pulse and then they felt the same teleportation sensation and bright light.

When the feeling subsided and their sight returned, they found themselves in what looked like a in wooden room with a stone floor that looked to be dedicated for the purposes of using a teleportation circle. Pipp continued to play and then they all noticed the door on the far side of the room swung wide. 

To their surprise standing there was Master Vertigon Wintermist with a look of amazement on his face. He said "Wonderful, wonderful! I've not heard the sweet sound of this instrument for years! I thought it was lost to time! You must have proven yourself to Riddlemaster Elvira for her to bestow this gift onto you!" Then he smiled and swayed to the music as Pipp finished her tune. He explained that it was two days hence that they set off and that time in the Crypt works differently than in the real world as the four had only spent what felt like one day adventuring through the crypt. He also laid his heads on the heads of Chard and Dafnae and cast Greater Restoration to undo the aging affects of the Ghost they encountered.

They agreed that Pipp would remain there in the college and study with Master Wintermist and the others would return to the Splurging Sturgeon. They would meet in the morning and see about the status of the caravans and see if they would be able to continue their quest. 

Pipp said good evening to her friends and excitedly hurried up the stairs with the Master Bard as she was eager to learn about her new instrument. The others made their way back to the Inn.

Together with Master Vertigon Wintermist and several other students at the Bardic College, Pipp discussed and researched and studied and played music. They were all amazed and this wonderous item and learned the properties of it and learned that it was known as the Fantastical Fiddle and it had very strong magical properties. It would be a great help to them on their adventure she thought to herself. They laughed and played music late into the evening. It was a truly magical experience for everyone and she was grateful to both Master Hedare and Riddlemaster Elvira especially for completing this quest.

Meanwhile, back at the Splurging Sturgeon, Dafnae, Chard, and Torsion discussed the adventure they just finished and how proud they were of Pipp but more importantly about how they would continue the journey to hunt the Dragon Cultist the next day. 

The discussion went late into the evening but Chard's mind was elsewhere. He was thinking back to his childhood and his fiendish origin and the pact that his parents made, which ultimately, was the cause for his heritage. A cruel joke as the final price for his parents to pay by the Demon they sought out. 

His parents were hardworking, honest tradespeople living in the lower quarters of Baldur's Gate. They really wanted a child but they were never blessed to conceive. In their desperation, they turned to a Demon and made a pact so that they could have a child as all the other Healers and Clerics they consulted were to no avail. The demon granted their wish and they agreed on whatever price the Demon requested. He didn't clarify (as is usually the case when dealing with Demons ...) and all he said was that they will know the price when it is paid. 

They were so happy with the pregnancy and all the preparations for their impending birth that they put this pact out of their minds. At least until the day of the birth. It was a very difficult birth, one where is mother almost was lost, and his father pleading to both she and the baby would survive. And that is when the Pact they made came to his mind and he beseeched for it to be anything but the loss of his soulmate.

His wife survived the birth but they were initially horrified to see their new bundle of joy had deep rend skin, a tuft of jet black hair, and the starting of horns growing out of his forehead. A Tiefling child! There was a sudden hush and silence from the Midwives present at the birth as no one dared say anything at what they saw.

They both looked at each other and both came to the same understanding - this was the price for them to pay. Yes, they had the baby they were yearning for, but he was cursed with fiendish heritage. 

They were both initially ashamed of what they had done, mainly feeling sorry for what their own hubris caused for their child that they wanted so much. 

His parents went into seclusion and buried their shame and gave all the affection to their son that they could. They tried to protect him from the external factors that would shun him for what he was. But it wasn't his choice and his parents accepted without question how they were shunned. Their trade work dwindled as everyone knew what they had done. But they worked hard, provided as best they could, and above all, they loved him.

And Chard did acknowledge that his parents did the best they could for him. But his mind wandered back to the Pact they made. And his dreams, were they related? Was this the actual ultimate price he would need to pay for their moment of weakness? 

He thought that with everything at stake, there was a lot more to worry about than being shunned away from work. The entire world was at stake, all lives. Could he make a similar decision has his parents did for something so personal? Should he? Was it his time to make such a choice to help to save the world?

The conversation continued, the meal ended, cups ran dry and so they all agreed to turn in for the night. Dafnae and Torsion were so lost in their conversation that they didn't notice that Chard's mind was elsewhere. They bid each other good evening and then retired to their rooms.

Pipp continued to play the violin late into the evening. Much later than anticipated, but she was used to this from her performance days. She eventually retired, but felt her Bardic power as she levelled up to level 5.

Torsion removed all of his vestments and carefully laid them out in his room. He was always very regimented and methodical about his faith. He took his Holy Symbol and he made a prayer to Selune for her to grant him the necessary strength to carry on the quest. As he then went to sleep, he felt a sort of comforting feeling come over him. He attributed it to Selune's blessing as he also levelled up, making him stronger in his faith.

Dafnae looked out over the twinkling lights of the city that she grew up in. She admitted that despite the tough life, she love it. She fiddled with the ring on her finger, the only heirloom of her parents that she had left. She knew so little about them, having been orphaned at an early age. She thanked Lady Tymora for the help she bestowed upon them on their side quest. And she thought about what Talis was up to. It was a thought that continued to bore deeper into her mind. Not needing to truly sleep, she went into a meditative state and felt her strength grow as she too reached the 5th level.

Chard, still lost in thought, prepared for sleep. He knew he was due for another nightmare. By now he was familiar enough for the pattern to know he would not have restful sleep this evening. And sure enough, as he went off to sleep, he felt the nightmare approach.

It started as it always did. Fire, lightening, smoke - everything around him burning. But the City this time he was in was familiar. It was his home, Baldur's Gate. He sense a massive Earthquake shaking everything. He saw towers crumble and walls torn apart. The land itself was being torn asunder. 

The sky went dark, he saw the silhouettes of winged dark shapes flying overhead, shrieking a terrible noise. Amongst that he also heard screaming. So much screaming. 

Then it all froze in time but he could move. There were people in amongst the burning buildings and crumbling walls, their faces and bodies contorted into hideous expressions and poses by both fear and pain. While the bodies were frozen in place, the lightening continued to crackle and the flames continued to dance about. He also felt the thick, acidic air around him.

Chard tried to force his eye closed, to will himself awake. But when he opened his eyes, instead of finding himself in the room at the Inn, he stood in front of the same massive Bronze Gates. This time, they slowly swung open, with the sound of heavy metallic creaking and scraping against the stone floor and the clanging of giant chains as it opened fully. 

Beyond the door, was a giant winged figure, holding a large flaming sword in his hands. It walked towards him, each step booming, causing dust and grit to fly into the air. 

But as it approached, Chard felt calm. He stood fully upright, gripping tightly the Glaive he suddenly realised he was now holding.

The figure stopped in front of him and with a deep booming voice announced "I am Bel, the Commander of Armies. And you, Chard Morthos, are here to make a choice. There is a terrible fate coming for the world and I am giving you the opportunity to join me to help put an end to it."

Chard looked up at Bel. From the book he read, he knew of his history. He knew Tiamat was in his charge, having been banished to Avernus ages ago. The figure looked like the depictions of a Balor in the book, only more terrible, more fierce. This indeed must be the great Fiend Bel.

Chard asked "How will you help me?"

Bel replied "I can give immense power to take to the Mortal Realm so that you can save it. Pledge and Devote yourself to me."

Chard asked "And what of my friends?"

Bel replied "Use them as instruments in your quest but they are of no consequence to me my child."

Chard, still calm, asked "And what is the price for this power you wish to bestow upon me?"

Bel boomed his reply "When the time comes, I will ask of you to pay the price. Then you will know. Pledge to me, make a Pact in order to end the Nightmares you have now and the Nightmares for everyone else that are yet to come."

Bel stood their, sword flaming, chest heaving with each breath. Chard thought for a moment. This must be his destiny. Does he really even have a choice? Did he ever? Was this path set forth the moment his parents made their Pact? With all the hardships they endured after his birth, they still showed him love and bravery against it all to continue to fight each day. Could he be as brave as they were? Could he make such a Pact for the sake of the very existence of everything? Dare he not? 

Chard knelt in front of Bel, presenting is Glaive to him, and responded "Bel, I pledge myself to you and accept the Pact with both your gifts and your price. I accept your help to end the Nightmare for both myself and for everyone."

Bel's voice rang out "Good, good Chard Morthos. The pact is made." He then turned and left, each step again echoing. As he walked off into the ashen horizon, the great Bronze Doors began to screech and clang closed.

Chard realised that his Glaive had changed. It was now jet black with intricate fiendish engravings on it and the other end of it now instead of a blunt end had a blade. He stood and then he felt the dream resume its normal course, or so he thought.

In his mind he saw the same 5 pairs of eyes. But this time, the eyes instead of floating in blackness were instead seen socketed in 5 different great dragon heads, each one roaring a terrible roar. Then he awoke.

Chard sat up straight in his bed, again drenched in sweat. He saw his Glaive next to him was no longer the normal Glaive, but the Glaive from his dream. He grabbed it with two hands and felt the power in it surge. It was Bel's Vengeance and he knew it would be powerful to end the Nightmare coming, his own Nightmare be damned.

Chard settled back to sleep but now with the strength of having multi-classed as a Warlock of the Fiend as he gained 5th level.

The next morning they would all hopefully continue their journey.