Characters
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Ophelia - Nicole, a Celestial Rogue who was once of royal birth but ran away
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Eldrin - Austin- A Wood Elf Sorceror. He’s only 12 and has been a charlatan living on the streets because his family was kidnapped or killed. But the attack on his family woke up ancient Sorcery in his blood.
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Leon - muscular leather clad mercenary hired by the city, with graying hair.
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Nell - blond 10 year old street urchin and pick-pocket
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Wilke - mayor of Othit that is missing
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Soloth - elven scholar, elderly, snobby
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Daroth Duke of Tolis - the duke thats working w/ the cult
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Freg Holem - dark elf ranger, tracking cultists. Red eyes, leather armor, long black hair.
Places
- Tolis - cosmopolitan city
- Othit - small village the party starts at
01/09/2026 - Beginnings
The party starts in a tavern. Eldrin overhears a warrior looking man complaining how he cannot find the mayor Wilke. Ophelia tries to pickpocket him but is caught and Eldrin is caught trying to pick-pocket Ophelia. The man’s name is Leon and explains that he cannot find clues to the mayor’s disappearance and the city council has tasked him with finding out. He hires the party to investigate for 40gp. The house has a smashed out window from the inside and charred marks. They find a trapped chest (which hits Ophelia) and find a scroll with code on it and the hourglass symbol that was found in Eldrin’s house when his parents vanished, as well as metal shavings that indicate some kind of lightning magic item.
They next day they head to the city of Tolis where they may find a scholar who could decode it. Leon gives them a rusty dagger at the gate of the town they are leaving. They travel on foot and head into a foreboding forest. They find a boulder int he road and Eldrin climbs it finding 4 goblins waiting to mug people. He climbs down but the goblins hear them and attack. Eldrin casts a sleep spell and Ophelia robs the leader and they run away with the goblins waking and giving chase before they give up. But they get some coins and a weak potion of healing.
In the middle of the night, they find a white stag wandering into their camp but are unable to touch it.
They meet a farmer driving a wagon and say a brief hello. Later they meet a pair of travelers on the road, a merchant and his body guard. The merchant mentions nervously that they have heard rumors of a strange cult in the city of Tolis that seem to be protected by the Duke of Tolis. He sells them a grappling hook and they move on.
They come to a fork in the trail, turn right and make it on the main road to Tolis where they find many travelers, guards, merchants and farmers. They make it to the main bridge before the gate and catch a 10 year old blond boy who is running from some burly men. He has stolen a necklace and Beatrice trips and grabs him, taking the necklace so the guards won’t find it. They search the boy and let him go. Eldrin intimidates the kid into telling them where they could find a scholar so they are lead to a local bookshop.
The scholar is a high elf named Soloth who acts very snobby. He identifies the rusty dagger as having a protective spirit that can help them. He can’t make sense of the code but notes the hourglass symbol is familiar and agrees to decode the scroll for 25gp. They make a copy and leave it with him to work on. They instruct Nell to watch the scholar’s shop and tell them if anything happens like the cultist attacking the scholar.
They then look around for an inn and find the Inn of the Gold Dragon, which has a wooden namesake hanging from a pole outside. The innkeeper is a halfling who gives them free ale and they grab a meal and watch a dwarf and a barbarian human arm wrestling. And sourdough bread.
01/16/2026
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Nell and his friend track cultists and see them leaving thru hole in the city wall
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Nell and his friend leave.
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Party went to dungeon and got attacked by spiders. Eldrin knocked unconscious.. Fought them off but went back to heal up in the city at the Inn.
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Talked to Soloth and he said he seemed afraid to help them more and gave them part of the scroll.
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Scroll says “you will comply with ____ our demands or suffer _____ “
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Went into palace, Eldrin snuck off and overheard the cultists talking about a prisoner. Got caught and they were escorted out.
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Palace cultists said the mayor was killed.
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Went shopping for potions. Eldrin lost a good deal haggling. Went to another potion dealer. Who asked for moon flowers. Went and collecxted.
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Went back to cultist save and saw someone keeping guard.
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Exchanged arrows and spells and took out guards.
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Snuck and found cultists chanting, to a statue of Loth. Saw a drider.
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Went to 3 doors: closet, bathroom, prison.
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Found dark elf ranger Freg Holem who was sickly. Took him out of the dungeon. Found his weapons in a chest in the closet.
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Healed up and went back to town, rested at the Inn.
01/30/2026
The party stays at the Inn of the Gold Dragon again. Everyone bathes and has breakfast. They go to the alchemist shop who says she needs 3 days to brew the potions now that she has moon petals. Eldron asks if Freg has a wife and he mentions that he does have a wife named Lauranna but hasn’t seen her in many years. The party isn’t sure how to kill that time but Freg mentions there are jobs up by the guard house at the front gate. They find a job killing some goblins that are attacking nearby travelers and merchants. The party decides to take the map and the job listing and go goblin hunting.
They trek out into the wilderness and spend a day traveling. At night they camp but hear a noise in the woods. Tracking it, they spot the white stag who is glowing. But as they watch it drink from a pond, a bow points at it from the bushes. The party fires at the creature and chases it into a clearing where they are attacked by 4 goblins. A quick battle, they defeat them and take their trophies to bring back to the guards for the reward.
The next day, they are about to leave camp and they smell smoke. After tracing it to its source, they come to another clearing w/ a camp and stew cooking. They meet a human, 65 year old man named baratis with elven ears and silver beard. He sings them songs about their future but they don’t remember it. They have some of his stew and finds it fills their bellies for days and money appears in their pocket. when they start to leave, he and his entire camp vanishes. Ophelia receives a “blessing” that will resurrect her if she dies.
The party gets lost in the woods for a while but finds their way again. They get to town and cash in their trophies for gold. Ophelia and Freg have a nice dinner and the party picks up the invisibility potions.
The party takes the potions near the palace and drinks them, turning invisible for one hour. They struggle to get over the gates and are heard by the guards, but manage to get in w/o being seen. They find the dining hall and witness a dinner with the Duke, his aids and some of the cultists. The regent keeps trying to bring up something to the duke but he shuts him down, but after eveyone else leaves, the duke and the lead cultists, Serena start arguing about how much money the culits are “borrowing” from the treasury. The party witnesses her cast a charm spell on the duke and he agrees to her demands.
They leave and Freg says they need to find someone who knows the “dispel” enchantment or buy a scroll that does the same. They talk to a Tiefling named Vara who is blue with a tail and says she will help them for 2gp. Ophelia gives her 1gp.