17 - Something Fishy in Caer Dineval

Group


 New NPCs


Marshal Report

Commander Urtz, appreciative of the help the party provided during the battle at the Uphill Climb offered to write a letter of introduction for the party even as he said how little good as it would do.  He was especially thankful for Ithkan's heroic efforts prevent death among his squad.  But his good will turned to suspicion when he noticed Gildon.  According to Commander Urtz Gildon disappeared in the attack on Caer Konig when a lot of knights died.  Living when so many others died he was suspected of aiding in attack.

Gildon told how he was charmed by the mage and compelled out of the Caer before being stabbed and left for dead. Sensing something was off and not knowing who to trust he went outside the knights to investigate by joining the Marshalls.  At least that was the explaination he gave Commander Urtz but once he had a moment alone with the party Gildon revealed he was not actually Gildon but instead a servant of Raven Queen named Johann Hart whom saw the original Gildon killed by Dzaan.  

Charged by the Raven Queen with investigating the different factions in the Dale he "became" Gildon to try and figure out what was going on only to find out that Gildon was involved in a lot of dirty things.  Mob, Knights of Dawn, Attack on knights of Dawn, Torga's human meat ring, Feud with Arcane Brotherhood.  Seemed like everywhere the group turned there was more bad news about Gildon's past and it had been a total liability by this point so he had decided to come clean with the party and reveal that he was not actualy Gildon but had been impersonating him ever since the group had first met him. Figure thing out by being one of the centrally involved figures.  But cover blown and suspicion raised he felt it was time ot come clean.

Uphill Climb inn was a crime scene and couldn't house the party as they needed the rooms to house prisoners and the remaining Knights.  Commander Urtz mentioned there was an old closed Inn on the other side of town that might work as a shelter.  The group decided to rest for the night in the refugee house despite its rough conditions. That way no one would know where they were.

During the middle of the night Gildon and Nyree heard folk in heavy armor passing by heading towards the Uphill Climb.  On careful scouting by Nyree it was revealed to be a pair of invisible Duagar investigating what had happened at the  Uphill Climb.  Nyree tracked them back to their base at the abandoned inn.  Saw signs of at least 4 dwarves present and came back to inform others but the group upon being woken up decided to not face teh dwarves in the night but instead get a full nights rest.

Next morning the group went back to Uphill climb where Nana used the magic kettle to feed each of the cold knights a hot meal after a long night spent watching teh prisoners.  Nana's hot meal makes for terrific impression. The party were given their letter of introduction for Ithkan retelling his heroics during Battle of the Uphill Climb.  

The Caer

By daylight the Caer was revealed to be a sturdy, stone keep with four defensive towers connected by icy battlements and parapets. The entire structure devoid of warmth and ostentation which squats atop the cliffs overlooking the town and the frozen harbor. The front of the keep is warded by thick, battle-hardened wooden doors. The town’s heraldry fluttering above two of the tiled, conical roofs while the other two fly the flag of the knights of the dawn but with the addition of a black sword. Within the guard towers, torches flicker.

Presenting the letter of introduction did not impress teh young gate guard but when they explain that the caravan was full of bandits the guard called out to a more senior guard whom asks a bit more about the fight.  As an aside she asks Ithkan if he knows who Agnacutie was. When he responds that Agnikuakti is his god the party is let in to the keep on orders of the Oracle and lead to Hethyl a dwarven soothsayer by an odious man named Throob.

The oracle sits in a chilly room where a draft wafts through this bedroom from the hearth which is unlit unlike teh rest of the keep. Bundled under a thick quilt and seated in a squat rocking chair in front of the fireplace is a venerable dwarf with a wooden peg leg where her right foot should be. Next to her, on a small table, is a plate of food. 


The seer is an ancient crone with milky white eyes whom looks exhausted with dark bags under her eyes.  Her breath rattles laboriously. To Ithkan, it looks like magic is being used to stave death off temporarily but this woman’s soul was barely tied to this world. She is in a room that is completely barren except for her and her rocking chair.  It looks like she is unravveling a sweater she is wearing and knitting a new one out of the same yarn.  The knitting needles look roughly made. 


Hethyl tells Thoob, “Inform Karvath that her visions have shown that Avarice is hiding something from him if you go and accost her now she is in the middle of something and might let something slip." This message sends Throob away and ensures Kadrooth would be busy for at least ten minutes. Then she begs Ithkan and his 3 friends for help. 


Conversation with Hethyl (summarized): 

“I’ve been dreading this moment, but I am glad you have come disciple of Agnikuakti.  I wish to convert and will answer questions for the next ten minutes truthfully but you must help me destroy my soul before it can be claimed by the Devil Levistus”


"Come quickly we have only ten minutes before we are interrupted and I promise you answers in return for your service. I just need you to perform your gentle repose ritual but instead of protecting my soul you need to ask your god to destroy it. I will consent which is the only way this might work but I am out of options and my magic only extends my life a few more minutes.  In return I will tell you what you need to know but I haven’t much time and if the ritual is not complete when I die I have a fate worse than death awaiting me."


"I have done many awful things in the name of Levistus.  We here in the Caer serve him and while he protects us from the cold while we live, in death we experience an eternity of suffering to lessen his torment at the hands of Asmodeus. We have worked hard to spite his gauler but I have seen the fate we were promised is a lie and of all the paths I have seen only destruction at your hands releases me from a hell worse than the mind can comprehend."


"You were wondering who knew in the knights?  Well the followers of Levistus call ourselves The black swords.  We channel connections to him through the Chardalyn once it left in the icy cold to open a connection to him. All of the black swords save a handful are here in the Caer. Kadroth lead us after the attack on Caer Konig that gave us a chance to subverted the knights in whom we have been embedded for years to finally take control and use them to our own goals."


"We have been using the knighthood to conduct human sacrifices to Levistus each week spread across the three major cities.  So long as we do so his suffering is reduced slightly and we are granted cold resistance.  But we are also tied to him so our deaths are sacrifices and once the boons are granted there is no way out save the path I have found."


"The Black Swords are not opposed to your group.  In fact Levistus wishes to work together against the dark dwarves.  The dwarves are pawns of Asmodeus who seeks to use them to raze the dale and consume a mighty harvest of corrupted souls.  The Black Swords seek your aid in stymieing Asmodeus's plots but fuck Levistus and his wishes.  Let the dwarves do their thing.  You are not mighty enough to stop them anyhow. as you are."


Levistus other goal is he seeks a codicil in Auril’s isle  that can crack open his glacial prison. But I have forseen even if he uses it to escape, Asmodeus has the power to defeat him again and imprison him so in none of the futures i have seen does Levistus ever grant the rewards he has promised."


"Hurry now, my false life will expire in a few minutes and I have exhausted all my spells to ensure I get to meet you before i pass."

The dwarf then asked Nyree to chop of the Chardalyn amulet of a sword currently fused with her chest but Nana, sensing that tempting the Hungry one would be a bad idea, steps in and helps in Nyree's place. The old dwarf quickly expires and the party is trying to put up the body when Kadroth the leader of the Knights at Caer Dineval comes barging in saying "What in the seven hells is going on here?"  


Kadroth is a portly Tiefling with suave manners. Confident and despite his outburst he does not appear sad at the oracles imminent death (He thought she was not yet dead because she was not an human icicle) He cautions the group that there may be some unnatural magic when she fully dies due to her crimes against the frost maiden and not to be alarmed if it happens.  Ithkan then pretended to perform a short lay to rest ritual where she turns to dust in his hands. (He actually had borrowed the ring from GildonJohann but Kadroth came in before he could pick her up and stow her in the interdimensional storage). 


Kadroth has the group come out of Hethyls room and into his warm office to speak. Kadroth pretends to not be a follower of an arch-devil. But he seems eager to work with party against the Dueagar but at the same time he is unwilling to send knights from the keep to fight.  He only wants to use the knights already out on patrol like the patrol stationed at the inn at the town below the Caer.  Everything the group sees suggests Kadroth runs the Caer but he suggests the group can still meet with the Speaker if they would like. While talks are going on Nana proposes that the party has food from elsewhere in the Dale and that the group could share with the knights some if they can just use the keep kitchen.  She uses this to move around and explore planning on again using the cauldron to provide food as everyone in teh keep has gotten royally sick of eating knucklehead trout for all meals.

She leans several things.  The servant Mere is in chargeof cleaning the dining room and is terrified to hear of Hethyl's death and trembles in presence of Kadroth.  The cook is a older servant with over 50 recipes for knucklehead trout but clearly afraid to say anything without a great amount of coaxing.  But after Gildon plays bad cop to Nana's good cop the group learns that there may be other servants imprisoned elsewhere in the keep.  Like possibly in the cisterns.  The party also count dishes to reveal that 15-18 people ate at the most recent meal which gives a rough number of guards in the keep.

Inspiration

Treasure

Investigation priorities / assignments

Questions to explore next time: