Session8

-Recap- traveled to myth drannor, fighting wolves and protecting Isabell and her merchandise after which she warned Faen to keep a low profile and essentially not to have any more contact with her again when he had revealed his pendant to the wolf king. You applied for your badges at which point you were challenged due to people thinking you were simply using your contacts to get a higher grade badge rather than your abilities. Winning the bet against the Wintersabers they leave feeling a little dispirit they are now short of coin and reputation, however you gained 100gold and perhaps the beginnings of a new friendship.

At this point the administrator comes back over to you and hands you each back your badges that you staked in the bet. She doesn't seem impressed as if it was to be expected.

"Here are your badges, and I officially welcome you to the silver cloud."

As she she hands each of you your badges she waves her hand over them and your name and titles appear magically engraved into them. Mammon, grand cleric. Faelkor, paladin of Astraea, Faen Galanodel and... She pauses at Hildra.

"I'm sorry umm, what was your title again?".

-puts title on and passes the badge

"Now remember, you should pin these to your robes or armor, otherwise the magic that records your contracts might not be effective. Also it will help for guards and the like to recognize your status right away".

"Ah also, my name is Summer Salem. I'm the administrator here at the Silver cloud adventurers guild. Should you you need some assistance my doors are open to you at any time. If that will be all for today I should be returning my duties. Good luck and remember the contracts board will not be open until the end of the holy district trial".

She turns around and leaves, by the point also the crowd that came to watch the spectacle have mostly departed. Although there's a young boy you recognize Jonas, from the journey here still waiting by the exit with a pen and paper and stary eyes aimed at fel'car.

"Felcar, Felcar, Can I have your autograph sir.".

--- he has not taken the test yet but after watching and learning from this fight he's sure he'll be able to pass.

Slum house Nesterin Rodithas
Following the directions given to you by the diviner you make your way through the slums of Myth Drannor, the stench of sewage and disease is thick in the air. Everywhere you look there are run down huts and people in rags. The house in your directions is no different. It's small and most one or two room hut, the windows are dirty and cracked. if the players enter
 * looking inside you can see the house is full of dust and can only be described as a shit hole. A pile of dirtied rags are in the corner and in the middle of a room you can see a man sitting at a wonky table eating some kind of gruel. He seems to have the appearance of Nesterin that you remember, however he is a human. He seems somewhat sickly and frail.

As you enter the house and he sees your face a look of confusion runs across his face followed quickly by a look of understanding.

"Ah,.. Faen?, I didn't imagine that Fevod managed to recruit even you too? Betraying your family and letting them all die, that's evil even for me. Did Fevod send you here? Isn't it too early to move to phase 2?"

PLAYERS PLAY ALONG AND TRY TO GET MORE INFORMATION--

At this point you notice what you originally thought was a pile of dirty rags shift and the form of a young elf girl, bloody bandage across her eyes and bruises and cuts all across her body. You recognize her immediately a young cousin who you often played with a child, ILrune Galanodel. (she's your uncles daughter therefore same name)

"Faen, is it true? You really betrayed our family". She begins to weep softly.

--- PLAYERS TRY TO ATTACK--

Before you can attack, seemingly ready for something to go down like it was just all too suspicious he draws his dagger and runs to the dark corner of the room, where you see what you originally thought was a pile of dirty rags. Actually turned out to be a a young elf girl, a bloody bandage across her eyes and cuts and bruises all across her body. You recognize her immediately a young cousin who you often played with as a child, Ilrune Reynan

"Faen, is it really you? I thought I'd never see you again". She begins to weep softly.

--

"Shutup you little wretch, all you do is cry. If Fevod didn't make me keep you alive, id have killed you long ago. Even if you do make the occasional good, relief." -- players touch Ilrune
 * crawls up against their leg and begs
 * He knows nothing of phase two, all he knows is that Fevod plans to murder everyone in the city and he has been plotting it for some time.
 * he doesn't know where Fevod is, but he does know that Fevod was suppose to meet up with him in in the month of kythorn (around 3 months to discuss phase 2). So he should definitely be in the city by then.

As you make contact with her body tightens and she mildly convulses.

"I, I can see it. I can see it's all of you. A grand fight inside a hidden realm, no you must not give up. Now you're in a wasteland with an old enemy. I, I think he's expecting you. Wait this isn't right. Everything is out of order, it's skipping like it's broken. What did you do.. hold on, I can see a gravestone, yes you are gathered at a gravestone to mourn the passing of one amongst you. I can't, quite, make out the name, it's too blurry".

At this point you see fresh blood trickling down out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I can't. It's too much. Someone is messing with your future".

She slumps down drained.

HOLY DISTRICT
The holy district is rich and well layed out. Gorgeous temples, palaces, libraries, workshops and even mausoleums fill the streets and even the sidewalks are made of fine marble. However what strikes you as odd is that it's all newly constructed. The temples and religions that you recognize all have long and rich history's. So the district seem out of place almost being so new.

You can hear the ringing of loud bells coming from a large bronze temple with a giant white gauntlet mantled on the roof as the center piece, (Temple of torm, religion check 10, reveals god of strength, courage, grit and determination, DC 14 reveals they favour the brave and unyielding) A group of what look to be devout paladins banging their armour and yelling loudly "The great god Torm decrees the trial of the courage shall be open to all on the 20th day of ches (ches is the name of a month,march this month, its the 18th 2 days from now), at day break in the temple courtyard. All may enter, as long as you have at least a group of 3. There are no other restrictions. Furthermore in addition to the rewards inside the trial, due to the fact that after thousands of years no one has passed, the temple itself is offering an additional reward of gold, land or servants should anyone complete the trials and retrieve one of the legendary weapons. Or should anyone be able to provide information about the trials with proof after they exit.

Just before daybreak you arrive at the temple of Torm. Crowds of people at least several thousand have gathered at the entrance. At appears you are close to the last ones here. Most of the people are in small groups forming a line toward a large bronze doorway with steps leading down.

Lining up it's at least 2 hours before it's your turn. You overhear some people in the crowds talking information about the trial. Some of the more interesting things you overhear are how the trial has opened once every 3 years for thousands of years yet no one has passed, all those who exit the trial have no memory of anything that happened inside however a few will come out with powerful weapons and artifacts.

..Finally you arrive at the great doors before you... the well lit stairs lead down toward a glowing portal. Similar in nature to the one you saw at Melvaunt, except much larger and more golden in color. You catch the group in front of you enter through it and the paladins gesture you in as to not hold up the line.

Passing down through the stairs and into the portal you arrive a large bare room at least 1 square kilometer across. There are no tables or chairs and the room is completely empty save for around 300 small ornately carved golden doors on the north wall and a large painted engraving that extends the length of the wall depicting a great battle between armies of paladins of Torm who are vastly outnumbered and outmatched. The groups who arrived before you seem to be seated on the floor and against the walls waiting for the trial to begin. It's not long after you arrive through that least people come through the portal disappears. Weirdly enough the number of doors seems to almost exactly equal the number of groups.

Not long after the portal flickers shut one of the door then opens and what appears to be some kind of spectral servant or spirit comes out. You can sense a strong divine magic emanating from it.

"The Trials shall begin now. The rules are simple. There are 4 tests you must pass. Should you find the trials too difficult, each of you is given one free pass to skip any trial you choose, . All you must do is will yourself in your mind to skip the test. The same is also true should you choose to give up at any moment all it takes is but a thought. That is all. Remember this as skipping or giving up could save your life.

To begin the first trial, enter through any of the doors of your choosing and make it to the next waiting room within 30 minutes. That is all."

First
Passing through the door a small dimly lit hallway only around 5 meters long lays before you. Statues and suits of armor line the walls leading through. A single door at the other end. As you aproach the door it automatically slides open disspearing into the roof above. You can see into a large empty square room roughly 100 ft across, in the center of each wall is another door and above each door is a letter. Above the north door is the letter 'C', the east 'G', the south is the door you're standing in, and the west 'N'. The floor is small finely cut tiles each around 1ft in size.

1) Every 6 seconds flames engulf the entire room. Running across an opening the door requires a athletics (14), (8) for everyone after or 8d6 fire damage.

2) trap every 1 minute; blinding rays of powerful condensed magic fire across the room in a random fashion. Roll a 20, odds are safe, evens take flat 12 damage;

3) pretend roll

4) here is writing under the number in the center of the room that reads, "always put your best foot forward". Players must hop on one leg, (dc 4 athletics), if players don't hop they must make a (dc14 charisma save or inflict a wound upon themselves (roll attack against themselves))

5) Detects more than 2 people in the rooom at the same time. Poison gas (constitution 12, take 2d12 poison damage)

6) Detects Weight faelkor, Mammon due to heavy plate. Spears shoot up from the floor (dex save 14 take half 2d12)

7) If any magic is attempt to be cast a fireball shoots across dealing 8d6 damage half on (dc12 dex save)

8) pretend roll

9) pretend roll

10) Writing under the center of the room reads "as nature intended". The floor is sensitive to anything that is not flesh. The tiles become incredibly hot burning anyone for (1d6 for every step they take) 40 steps, 15 jumps.

11)

12) Detects slow movement, anything at a walking pace. Fire poison darts (DC 10 dex saving) (1d6 for number of darts) (1d8 for each dart)

13) pretend roll

14) pretend roll

15) (Dc 14) perception, a tiny long spider silk line can be see running across the floor in a grid pattern with about 2 meter gaps between then. If failed spiders rain from the roof taking 1d4 damage and make a Constitution 12 saving throw or be poisoned.

16) As you walk across the ground your foot hits a spot between two tiles and a spinning circular razer slices up through the gaps between the tiles dealing 1d20 damage) To walk across the floor from one door to another players must make a dc 6 acrobatics check.

17) pretend roll

18) pretend roll

19) There is writing under the number in the center of the room that reads, live your life on the edge. Stepping on any tile other than the edge tiles results in 4d6 phycic damage (half on intelligence save) Walk along the edge of the room. -

20) Spikes shoot out from the walls toward any noise (about the level of a person talking). If a person made that noise they take 4d8 damage (half on DC14 athletics check)

21) Anything above 1.5 meters that enters the room a thin wire blade that extends the length of the entire room, (dex8) save or players are knocked unconcious immedietly.

22) Detects fast movement (about the speed of running) fires a volley of arrows from the walls at the moving target. (Dex14 save avoids damage otherwise 6d6)

23) pretend roll

Passing through the door now you enter another room, this time however the room is smaller and there are no tiles. At the other end are 5 metal golden chests and a single door leading out. Strange text is written on each chest, as you approach you see it move and slide around to eventually form words in common. There is a single word for each chest, the words are, Unrelenting, Unforgiving, Unloving, Unstoppable and Uncommitted. (the chests are unlocked but opening any door locks all the others)

--Players open unrelenting chest-- As you open the chest you hear a voice ringing inside your heads, the same voice of the spectral servant you saw earlier. "You have chosen wisely and passed the first trial, join the rest in the waiting room through the next door when you are ready". Inside the chest is a small tattered cloth bag that smells slightly of mould. Inside the bag are 9 beans. https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Bag%20of%20Beans#content

--Players open the wrong chest--

As you open the chest you hear the sound of the chests locking shut. A voice rings in your head, the same voice of the spectral servant you heard earlier. "Although you have passed the first trial you have chosen your reward poorly. "Join the rest in the waiting room through the door when you are ready"
 * unforgiving- To forgive also takes great courage.
 * unloving- To love also takes great courage.
 * unstoppable- To be unstoppable is to never know fear, and without fear how can one show courage, how can one be unyielding if one is never forced to yield.
 * uncommitted- A man must be committed to the actions he chooses. Should he find things too difficult and back out he has no place in this trial.

Second
In the waiting room you notice that the participant's have been cut down by at least 2/3's. Previously there was around 300 groups. Now there is only 100." The room is essentially exactly the same as the first waiting room. However instead of 300 doors, there are only around 100 now. Once again fitting with the number of people here. The mural now depicts the story of a paladin who fights solo against a giant to save a village before eventually being crushed, however his courage inspires the town to band together and defeat it.

It appears some people have been here for a while, and others are yet to come based on the number of doors. A few of the groups are also missing some members and some others are torn up or injured. After some time passes a few more groups come through and the spectral servant speaks up.

"The second trial shall begin now, Enter through any door with your group when you wish and make it to the next waiting room within 30 minutes".

--

Combat https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Hydra#content MUSIC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhr38Ylng1I

Entering through the door you're suddenly in a large quagmire. Apparently outdoors, no roof or exit as far as the eye can see. The door you entered from appears to be suspended by itself with no room behind it. At first though it could be an illusion. But the breeze on your face and the smell of rotting plant matter seems too realistic.
 * --come across a large 4 headed serpent in a small lake. Huge tall but long dead dried trees overhang the entire lake.
 * --water is about waist deep restricting movement by half.
 * --Inside the mouth lodged in the teeth of the hydra is a red painted wand, made of some kind of bone and hair. https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Wand%20of%20the%20War%20Mage,%20+1#content
 * --inside the mouth is an ornate door similar to the exits you have seen earlier.

Third
Passing through the door, you are not inside the hydras body as you would expect. Instead you are back in the waiting room. This time however there is only one door. There are scarcely 10 people remaining, the walls are now blank and no longer filled with vibrant painted etchings. After some time another 20 odd groups arrive, making barely thirty and the spectral servant begins to speak again.

"Enter the room one group at a time make it through to the next waiting room within 15 minutes. Note that those who fail this particular test will suffer wounds, always painful and sometimes severe and permanent that will even make living normal life difficult. You may begin."

At this point a group that was already standing right next to the doors enter immediately and you hear a clicking as the door locks shut behind them. There is almost dead silence as everyone in the room seems to be looking toward the door. Around 3 minutes later you hear a blood curdling scream from multiple people and then silence again. Everyone seems extremely hesitant to try now as the screams obviously meant a failure and no one is sure how difficult the test will be.

if the players don't enter they wait for other groups to go through eventually they determine only around 20% of people are passing, what's interesting is that some of the weaker groups have passed while groups that you can tell were far stronger have failed.

--players enter-

Entering the room you can see in the center of the room is a statue of a paladin of Torm wearing a blindfold mid stride forward surrounded by jagged spears and pits. Behind the statue against the far wall there are a number of different doors. Above each of the doors there is a number running from left to right the doors number 1 - 10. Other than that there is nothing else in this room. The spectral servant speaks as you enter. "Among these doors, only one will let you pass. All the others will lead to certain failure, incredible agony and perhaps injuries too severe to continue living a normal life. Choose wisely to pass through to the final test".

You pass through the door half expecting a terrible fate, however nothing comes. You're back in another small rule with a chest inside and a door behind. The spectral servants voice echos "Congratulations, Sometimes you have to have the courage to press on with no information on how to proceed. A man who freezes in the face of uncertainty is not worthy of this trial, take your reward and enter the next waiting room".https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Ring%20of%20Free%20Action#content

Fourth Trial
Taking the exit to the final waiting room there are only 4 other people remaining. There's kind of a mutal respect among them as you all know what you have been through to get here. You notice that all the remaining people have Adventurer Guild Badges. There is two solo C-class adventurers who don't seem to be in the same group, And there is a group of one B-class and one C-class adventurer who are together. -Flying blades. B (A well builty muscular tiefling in his thirties with a a large warhammer on his back, and a younger no older than 18 tielfing girl with short red hair and daggers by her sides.) - the girl is shy and does not talk and just hides behind the man.
 * Sailor scouts. C (Dwarf with a larger ginger beard and tight fitting white spandex pants)
 * Black moon. C(Long black haired human which covers his face and a thick heavy robe that covers his body making it difficult to discern his build or facial features).

The spectral servant now once again speaks up. "Well done on making it to this step. There are more of you than usual. Perhaps this year we will have a winner again. It has been a long time. The final and hardest trial lays before you. A trial that will test you in ways you never imagined". Enter the door when you are ready". -order doesn't matter, no information.

-players enter and inside they see what appears to be some kind of angelic being. It has a large golden flowing tunic and large golden mace. Huge wings at least 2 meters long protude from it's back. It does not talk to you and simply flies toward you to attack.https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Deva#content (double damage)-kills knocked down targets. (laughs as it kills)

-As you die you find yourself in a waiting room with the rest of your group- The spectral servant appears before you. "Only name and name have passed, The last trial was never a test on your strength, it was a test on your courage to face death, to be unyielding in the face of a force you can not defeat. Anyone who would attempt to skip any of the tests, taking the easy route and not proving their courage have no place in this trial".

Placing his hand on those of you who passed you feel the space around you shifting and suddenly you're in a mangificiant room filled with statues and beaming golden light that shines down through stained glass windows which are incredibly high up. Each beam of light seems to shine onto a row of weapons in front of you that are encased in solid crystal.

The spectral servant tells you that you may pick one.

-The hilt of a blade of some kind with a golden gem in the shape of a sun on it. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/sun-blade -A mace very similiar to the one the Deva was holding. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/mace-of-disruption -A rapier with engraved dancers down the spine. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/dancing-sword -A fine carved dwarven hammer. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/dwarven-thrower -A jet blue long sword whose blade looks like it's made of ice. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/frost-brand -A simple looking scimitar with a handle shaped like a clover. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/luck-blade -A large elvish bow with magical symbols inlaid into the wood and a jet black drawstring. https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/oathbow

--after the players pick.

The Spectral servant walks over to you with a solemn look on his face. "So ends the trials, unfortunately the great lord Torm will be removing your memories as to prevent any tampering from future test takers. However you will retain your items and the memory of having them. They should serve you well in the future. You have all proven your courage and should consider becoming paladins of Torm, Whatever long dead god I can feel a hint of on you can not show you how to become a true warrior like torm can".

---suddenly you all found yourself at the courtyard of the Temple where you arrived. Hundreds of people around you and no recollection of how you got there. However for some reason you remember the treasures you have obtained.