Now it can be told!

[Zhym]

A closing thread to answer all (or some of) the mysteries and secrets of the game.

That's an interesting list of burning questions; risk aversion has played a big role.

What's the deal with the effigy in Foxy's expedition?

The main theme for the Order of Monoc is questioning the moral order, and if they're good or bad. Many wizard PCs were told that they were a small group known in the south, who are willing to do the unorthodox to seek knowledge. It was said elsewhere that the Gods don't speak of what came before the Cataclysm, but that devil's and demons had no such compunction. So it would be discovered that these were neutral to good mages who thought they could "handle it."

The PCs would've found the red robed mages arrayed and performing a suspicious ritual around the effigy at midnight. It was a situation rife for misunderstanding and bad assumptions and much depended on the PC approach.

Otherwise, it was landmark marking the place to turn southwest and find the old monastery the mages were occupying and was halfway between there and the potent summoning henge to the northeast. Devilish forces were trying to break the effigy and PCs more cautious would have found the mages were reinforcing it's binding. Or, started relations with mage murder.

It was prelude and red herring. The real adventure would've been in how you approached the high level mages and their apprentices and what resulted. There were several things to discover there.

Either way, they would have gladly told you about the Archduke, and I expected Foxy to get there MUCH sooner. Archduke Gaul was actually a cast-out from their number because his own magical research was iffy. It wasn't coincidental that he found the secret knowledge allowing him to come North and built his city on the ruined foundations of the third Dreadlord... If the game hit high levels (11+), the fall of Gaul from the map was a future plot point.

In Fingers's expedition, what was the deal with that mad elf, anyway?

He was an elf turned into a Drider, and bound to the place. (Dreadlord Nystoreth was a jerk who liked binding souls.) He was actually a main threat, especially after you neutralised the Swordwraiths and consequently let them keep their treasure. You had effectively defeated him - he had used up his spells and retreated - which is the best time to kill a wizard. Had you continued on, you would have been able to deal with him and take his treasure (raiding wizard homes is how you get new spells, after all). Had you made nice, a ritual solution could be found in the Wizard Tower and you'd have a restored elf ally.

It was actually a pre-made module that adapted well.

Back in the tomb with the ghostly trial, what was buried in that sarcophagus we decided against opening?

Just treasure. You got the story of Kudul-Haddoth from several sources, but he was beheaded by Nystoreth and buried there behind the protections so nobody would ressurect him. It had his bones and his Staff of Wizardry.

The adjacent door, which you didn't open, was his sealed Chambers. Wizard locked and Fire Trapped, it was then guarded by shadows and had all his magic research, spell books, and soul tomes. It also had a soul gem containing another apprentice who would have possessed a new owner (which was a favorite moment from Keehnelf's game).

In the mandala room in the demon pit, what the heck was going on there? Was there some way we were supposed to be able to stop that from bleeding and filling up the room?

That was actually decorative. It was in balance when you found it. You guys broke it to steal the silver components, and so flooding the room and disabling passage through it was a fitting but ad-hoc consequence.

[Zhym]

Was anyone wondering how Drunil, clearly not the oldest of the Blackhelm clan, became king?

Well, he had this sword that granted wishes, see...

[Stirling]

The 'Wolfwere' was in fact a Barghest who left the blighted Abyss and encountered Foxy. She recognised straight away that fighting at 8hp with a +1 scimitar was a forlorn hope against a minor 6HD fiend and so bargained her life and her two aides in exchange for critical (but skewed), information on three dreadlord relics, the Orb, the dreadlord spell book and sword. The Barghest attacked the Orb party killing the knights but could not gain access to the Spiral Vaults so laird nearby in the Chasm.

The Orb was subsequently taken from the Vault by 'Sir Justin', who was in fact a minor devil manifesting as Justice, a Lawful but evil aligned Baudh follower. Being able to teleport anywhere he has knowledge of, he could therefore return to the Vault but not cross the unbroken runes. It was to this devil that Bremen pledged alliance in exchange for power over men, hence his sudden rise from rogue 'Capt' to Lord Commander of the White Tower. His power was fragile though as he held sway over only 1/4 of his men, the other 3/4 under influence of a growing LE Baudh cult which ultimately would have conflicted with Mark'ds Keep restoration. Bremen had a secret tunnel dug as an escape route for when not if, things turned sour.

The Barghest in a latter development took over Thijsen's nomad group and they were drawn to the encounter with Fingers because of the use of a magical Orb by Alyse.

Cruyff lead a nomad group which roamed the plains over many hexes between mountain and river. They suffer lycanthropy turning them into werewolves after being cursed by Beith centuries ago. A Beith ranger might have been instrumental in lifting the curse or adding to the stewpot.

The Chasm was several miles long, inhabited by an Ettin and at the far SW end, it terminated in a 'Petra' style dwarf temple carved in the rock.

The deceased drow was part of a scout group who were arranging to meet with White Tower 'Justice' cultists to form an alliance with them and the devil and link it to a drow community under the mountains.

Elsewhere Golgarth & company scouted the swamp. The xenophobic boglings would have resisted intruders but some truce could have been made, principally if the party helped the Boglings reclaim territory in the North swamp, having been driven out by a band of lizard men. The island in the centre of the pool contained a banshee, cursed to stay in the ruined church until Charon (or another ferryman) arrived with his boat to ferry her across the River Styx. The pool contained clams that grew 100gp value pearls which the bogling shamens used in rituals to create the wards vs Undead, a concoction needing squid ink as well.

Those lizard men were preparing a raid on Pinewood which would have taken place to coincide with Halfpints' expedition finishing in the frontier settlement.

Close to the bogling ruin was a tower used by a feral black dragon, probably related to the one which ate Issachar.

[Zhym]

Here's one nobody but me probably remembers. Almost three years ago real-time, or about four months ago game time, Fingers was leading an expedition to the kobold tower. The group fought some kobolds, took one of them prisoner, and then camped for the night. In the morning, the prisoner was dead:

Rhybek and Neegan finish their watches and help pack up camp. As they prepare to set out for the day, Rhybek admonishes others to remain and watch the still-sleeping Kobold. it is Able who notices what the others missed... the kobold's scrawny body is pale and unmoving, curled up on itself. It isn't sleeping, it is dead. Tipping it back, he notices the gash across its throat that allowed its blood to pool on the ground beneath.

There was a brief discussion about how the kobold prisoner got its throat slit in the night, but nobody admitted to it. Everyone let it drop and moved on.

It was Fingers. Here's the post from my private forum:

Fingers considers staging a fake escape so he could claim he killed the kobold trying to get away. Then he thinks about ways to deal with the kobold that won't make the means of death obvious. Alas, Fingers never learned to use poisons and doesn't have any with him anyway.

And he'd have to explain things to Able anyway. Stupid preoccupation with truth.

"Screw it," he thinks to himself. "Everyone knows what we gotta do. They just don't wanna do it." When the kobold is sleeping, Fingers covers its mouth and slits its throat.

I was going to have Fingers fess up one day as a really good confession for a cleric of Eruanna. But his future expeditions were all with followers of Baudh, so he never needed it.

[Jernau35]

The Orb was subsequently taken from the Vault by 'Sir Justin', who was in fact a minor devil manifesting as Justice, a Lawful but evil aligned Baudh follower. Being able to teleport anywhere he has knowledge of, he could therefore return to the Vault but not cross the unbroken runes.

My character, Tollander, was adamant that whatever the party did, we should not break those runes and allow "Sir Justin" access to the vault. The party listened to him. This was a good thing.

My character also argued that the party should attack "Sir Justin" and kill him. The party didn't listen to him. This was also a good thing.

[Marullus]

My character also argued that the party should attack "Sir Justin" and kill him. The party didn't listen to him. This was also a good thing.

A surprise attack does wonders. If you all had jumped him, i think the odds would've been in your favor.

... there's a certain awesomeness to Tollander punching in the devil's face with his holy brass knuckles.