Embedded Files
Benefit from Hell
PREVIOUSLY - CAMPAIGN DIARIES 65 - SINKING STONE
( QUOTE: TM - "We're On The Recording" )
The Owlbear League stands nearby the Cassalantar Villa, watching as vendors and purveyors bring food and drink and all other manner of consumable for the Cassalantar's annual benefit dinner for the poor. They also watch as well-to-do secret worshippers of Asmodeus enter (C1) and descend to the secret temple below their estate where they will attempt to summon the Lord of Hell in just a few minutes. The Stone of Golorr, somehow the secret to a million dragons, is in the cult's possession and they expect to give it to Asmodeus to pay for a debt.
Nowhere says to her companions "This is so messed up. We face an enemy potentially powerful beyond reckoning in Asmodeus, but the cult we could probably decimate. Is the problem really ours to worry about, I mean what are the 100 innocents to us, as long as we get our kids back and don't die in the process?"
Dain nods.
Immeral says "We have to live with the knowledge."
Dain nods "As long as we have to continue to live, as opposed to dying."
K'ronk says "We might have a reputation problem if it comes to light we had some knowledge and didn't help."
Seraphina adds "Anything that takes someone before their time, before their deeds are done is an insult to my deity."
Atlas says "Also we need the stone to get the kids back. Maybe we can sneak in."
K'ronk sighs "Better to die standing than to live kneeling."
Dain says "Better than being a taxidermist."
I once knew a taxidermist named "Dain Dufrain" says Atlas. "He was cute."
"That's my new last name." Dain says.
"Back to the Cassallantars..." Nowhere says. "Maybe I use disguise self and go in as Amelia."
Dain says "I say we break into the kitchen and set fire to the place."
Nowhere says "Yes, we could even host a homeless dinner event at the Three Urchins Alehouse."
Atlas reminds them that breaking in and setting buildings on fire and destroying a meal for the homeless might end up with them run out of town, to which they nod and sigh.
"Unless we find the poison and bring it to the authorities as proof." Nowhere says.
Atlas replies "What about what Asmodeus said. 'They think they can get out of killing a hundred pitifuls to save their hides.' They cut a deal."
Nowhere says "So basically we have to stop the killing, and Asmodeus kills the Cassalantars for us."
K'ronk says "I like the idea of sabotaging a mass killing."
Nowhere asks "Immeral, can you go ethereal and look for the poison? It should be near the kitchen."
Immeral states "On it." and tucks himself against a building, pulls up his hood and disappears.
Deliveries to the villa are starting to come in quicker now, and Immeral passes through the ghostly forms of the staff and porters and follows them to the kitchen (C10). He looks around, seeing the big pots of stew being prepared, but doesn't see any obvious sources of poison.
Out in the garden Immeral sees tents being set up with fire pits already lit and warming the area for the staff who is getting everything ready. They set up tables over some of the box gardens making impromptu dining tables and the bring in loads of stools to go around and are even decorating the tables and setting torches.
Passing by the stables, it is clear this is how the public will come in as they are cleaning the stalls and setting up food service within. Big pots on warming fires will keep the food warm, but again there is no overt signs of poison.
Immeral returns and tells The League there is no obvious poison.
Seraphina says "It's too bad I cannot can purify food and drink, that would neutralize any poisons."
K'ronk says "perhaps Priestess Valetta could do it!"
Atlas says "They are supposed to conduct the summoning ceremony in about five minutes. Immeral are you going back?"
"If Asmodeus truly appears I have no doubt he could see me." the wizard replies.
Nowhere says "Couldn't you stay hidden and ethereal?"
Immeral summons the courage. "I can do that."
Immeral takes a position in the gallery (A2) of the secret Cassalanter temple above the main place of worship (A7).
There are dozens of worshippers to Asmodeus who are in hooded robes in the candlelit chamber. They are some of the rich and powerful of the city. And they chant while bent over is supplication before a great statue of Asmodeus to the west.
Soon after noon, Amelia and Victorio Cassalantar arrive wearing their red robes, with their heads proudly unhooded. They take a position at the front of the worshippers and speak.
"Fellow worshippers of his majesty, Lord of the Ninth, Dark Lord of Nessus. The culmination of our year of worship and sacrifice is at hand. Great Asmodeus will return to us today. He has heard your prayers, the signs are clear, and we are ready to receive his eminence." Victorio speaks
"Begin the call!" cries Amelia, and the worshippers and the Cassalantars start chanting, and in short order whisps of smoke start rising in the pentagram drawn before the statue of Asmodeus.
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Incredibly, horribly, a visage of Asmodeus appears with a bone devil tucked behind him. He smirks at the status dedicated to him in amusement. The worshippers cry and scream in joyous rapture and flail on the ground. Some just stare aghast at what is truly happening. Immeral feels chills running down his spine, even in the temperatureless ethereal realm. The deity speaks with a voice straight from the nine hells...
"Victorio, Amelia, favored worshippers and guests, is your payment ready? The time is near."
Victorio replies from on his knees with his head bowed, "My Lord, we have an object which will get us the riches not only to fulfill our debt, but raise a church to your magnificence." and from out of his vest he withdraws the Stone of Golorr and holds it out to Asmodeus in his palms with his head bowed.
Asmodeus responds: "You do not know what you possess, that is no object, and it matters little to me, your debt is due at in a few hours. Unless you would prefer I take your remaining children now. Where are little Elzerina and Terenzio, it is their ninth birthday, are they playing with Ozvaldo? " and the devil lord chuckles at some infernal joke.
Amelia says "My lord we just need more time. The stone is key to a million gold dragons that would buy us out of our debt to you. We are so thankful, but if we must kill a hundred innocents, our lives in Waterdeep will be done and we will not be able to grow your flock. Look how many followers we have brought to you, and look how much we have given back to you. We have done so much, so so much! We've given you our first son and more, and we just need a few more days."
"By more do you mean that dirty little hole of yours that you offered me? So inconsequential." and the devil lord chuckles again. It is clear that Asmodeus does not really care about the debt, he enjoys the pain of the debtor. Victorio's face goes blank and he looks to Amelia. "Oh Victorio, did Amelia never tell you she bent over for her master, offering me her pitiful gifts? You were gone for a year, and she begged for me every day in this temple while you rebuilt your trading empire. I understand she threw the child away when she saw he took after me, and he runs the streets of Waterdeep. Did you think I did not know Amelia? Were you embarrassed to bear my brood, or did you throw away the child for the sake of poor Victorio?"
One of the cultists screams "Blasphemer! You have cast out the scion of Asmodeus. The holy seed of his magnificence! You should be flayed alive!"
Asmodeus says: "Silence! The litter of this bitch matters not to me. Just as it matters not her begging, we have an agreement, and a bargain must be upheld. Otherwise what would we be, dogs Victorio? Do you want to be a dog?"
"No master" says a shocked Victorio.
"Three wishes were granted, three ways to repay. So tidy, so perfect. If you do not have a million dragons, it will be your remaining children, and if not them - a hundred innocents. Such a tough decision, the choice is yours. Poor Osvaldo would just be interest on the debt if that is all I decide to take from you."
The female worshippers start offering themselves to Asmodeus, opening their robes shouting "take me!" my lord, "I will bear your fruit!" Their husbands encourage this, and even some of the men bend over for their master and beg him to let them carry his seed.
Immeral is revolted and turns away for a moment, but stays to see or hear anything of import.
"Put away your disgusting flesh. I will be back at midnight for final payment. Do not call to me again." says Asmodeus, and he disappears in a puff of smoke with the bone demon.The worshippers howl at Victorio and Amelia, but Victorio seems a bit shell-shocked from the conversation. They scream at Amelia and ask what they will do.
Amelia says "We keep to the plan. We kill the homeless at the feast tonight, we pay the debt to our lord, we were so foolish to think otherwise. Then we find this gold and redouble our worship. The lord is testing us, and we need to regain his good graces to receive his blessings."
"They will find this temple when we are gone!" one shouts, "they will find us out!"
"No, we have planted the poison. We will leave a trail and frame one of our enemies, Mirt the Moneylender will be destroyed, and we will have the million gold to lend and build our businesses. This is a blessing, the lord has seen this!"
With that, the cultists begin to nod, and they gather and move to the next room and change to leave. Immeral removes his hood and returns to The League.
K'ronk says "Wow, that took a while! We were getting worried."
Dain adds "And cold, let's go to a tavern to warm up!"
The others agree and they travel a few streets down to The Confident Moon, and it being mid-day, there is plenty of room to find a quiet table.
Over the next half-hour Immeral shares every detail of her observation of the ceremony, and the likelihood that Squiddly is Nowhere's half-brother, understanding there may be dozens or hundreds or thousands of such relatives on Toril.
Nowhere says "We need to go to The House of Inspired Hands and get Valetta to somehow bless the food and undo the poison."
K'ronk says "Afterwards, I want to get my bag of holding back at the townhouse."
The League quickly makes way to the House of Inspired Hands and seeing Priestess Valetta seems to get easier each visit.
"Another pleasant surprise for me K'ronk, friends. I am in the middle of a project with an acolyte, but for you they can wait. What gives me the pleasure?" Valetta asks, clearly warm for K'ronk
"Can we have a quiet place to talk?" says K'ronk, and she leads them to a small library devoted to some specific mechanical subject with understandable curiosity on her dragonborn face.
K'ronk glances at Immeral and he uses the wand of abberation detection to ensure they are not talking to The Eye. Nothing in the area glows like previously.
K'ronk quickly explains that The League has learned of a horrific plot by member of a Cult of Asmodeus. They are in debt to that fiend, and will have to sacrifice one hundred innocent souls by midnight tonight."
"By the hand of the maker!" she exclaims.
K'ronk goes on to say that The League cannot make an accusation as they are powerful politically connected people, with many friends in the cult. He tells her it is the Cassalanters, and she is shocked. He continues that they have arranged for the food at their neighborhood meal to be poisoned, and the poor of the Sea Ward will be dead hours after they consume the feast.
He tempers her shock by stating the good news, they have a plan. The League will infiltrate the party and cast purify food and drink on all the pots of food, but they need extra hands to cast the spell.
Valetta says "While I certainly believe you, the Cassalanters have build such a reputation for themselves I don't know how they would do such a thing."
Nowhere replies, "Well Immeral watched them pleading with Asmodeus for more time just a couple of hours ago and he wasn't having it."
"Asmodeus, actual Asmodeus?" she asks. Immeral nods. Nowhere says "Don't say the name again, just in case."
Valetta shares "It makes sense though because the Cassalantar's were famously nearly bankrupt after Victorio's father died. Then suddenly everything turned around for them and all their businesses started flourishing."
K'ronk continues "Where this gets even stranger is that they are also after the gold of Dagult Neverember."
Valetta shares "The million gold dragons has been a legend for years."
"Well, they have the key to finding the gold." K'ronk tells her.
Nowhere states "We're working with the Blackstaff to recover the gold for Waterdeep. At first we wanted it, but too many villains want that money."
Valetta agrees "The gold should certainly be returned to Waterdeep, and I can help."
"Are you sure?" asks K'ronk.
"There's nothing that can be construed as wrong or illegal about casting a purify blessing on food." she replies.
"How are we going to get into that meal? And, we have to be there first." Valetta asks
"We have disguise spells" says Nowhere.
"We probably have to hurry, they open the doors at six bells." Valeta replies. "This is very exciting, I'll grab an old coat and some worn shoes"
Valetta runs off and The League realizes that the Cassalanters wouldn't recognize her anyway, so some old clothes will likely be enough.
They discuss the limits on their disguise magic, but decide they will have to make do, and when Valetta returns looking much less put together, they return to the Cassalanter Villa.
There are a two vagrants ahead of The Owlbear League and Valetta on the line for food, but not many. They have dirtied their faces and clothes along the way, but their clothing is sticking out a bit. K'ronk says, I can run back to the townhouse, grab some bummy clothes and my bag of holding. They agree and he runs off.
A woman joins them on the line and says "I haven't seen you guys here before." in a gravelly voice. She looks at Dain "That's a pretty clean beard for somebody whose homeless, or are you just taking food from poor people who need it?"
"I value my beard over my health." he says and turns away from her.
"Obviously poor choices" the woman says.
"That's why I'm homeless." he replies and she turns to another person who joins the line.
The minutes tick by, the line grows very long, and K'ronk returns in less than an hour, significantly out of breath, and wearing less adventurous gear. The lady behind says "no skipping the line!" at K'ronk and he scowls at her and says "you saw me here before, and so did they" and he glares at the woman. She turns around mumbling.
He then slowly replaces their outerwear with items from his bag and puts their better clothes into the bag. They do this on the sly, trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Atlas wears a cloak of disguise which allows her to appear especially haggard.
As the winter sunsix bells approaches, Nowhere casts disguise self which lasts an hour, and changes her look to appear like a male tiefling.
So every once in a while, servants come out from the coach house to make sure that everyone is lining up correctly. More and more people are trickling into the line that extends around the corner from the coach house entrance. Hours go by and The League can just see from their spot on the corner that back over at the main entrance, the carriages with all the rich lords and ladies of Waterdeep have finished departing. Obviously with the worship service of Asmodeus going sour, they have decided not to stay for dinner.
While on line, Valetta teaches Seraphina the prayers for detect poison and purify food and drink, so they both are able to act.
CONTINUED AT 1:11:00
The hours go by, the line builds, the sky grows dark and finally at 6:00 PM six bells ring out in Waterdeep and the feast begins. The doors to the stables open, it is clean, the horses have been moved, and they start shuttling the line through the stables and into the inner courtyard.
You guys are near the front, and start looking for the food but servants handing out drinks of mulled wine in tankards and welcoming you to "The Cassalanter Kindness Feast". Valetta casts detect poison and whispers "The drinks are fine, the food is not!" Dain drinks his wine swiftly and asks for more.
There are fires keeping the area warm. Valletta ensures she is within range of the pots of food as they start ladeling, and prays to Gond to purify food and drink. Her vision of poison food clears and she tells the others and Seraphina concurs.
Standing behind sometimes his father anyway, so you're all in the courtyard and more people come in and then and but who's surprisingly unpleasant is the Cassalanters. Valetta remarks that they usually show and interact with "the commoners" but all they hear from them so far is some brief yelling heard through the windows of their estate.
The yard is getting more full under the tents and benches as the line surges in, and the clerics Seraphina and Valetta make sure they have a clear line of sight to the replenished food the servants bring in and purify it from afar. Immeral signals he is going to make some observations and gets up to go to the privy tent set up in the far corner of the courtyard.
Immeral tucks behind a tree and dons the robe of stars, disappearing from this world, and moving into the shadowy border ethereal.
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Immeral walks past and through the ghostly images of the real world and enters the Cassalanter villa, moving right through the phantom walls. The first room he goes through has two children, and they are playing, but they stop and listen to arguing from time to time. This must be the Cassalanter kids. They look a little scared. They don't understand why mom and dad are fighting.
Sadly, Immeral realizes that this children are likely going to die at the hands of the insidious bargain their parents have entered. He even wonders if Squiddly is part of the bargain the Cassalanters have made with Asmodeus, but that seems unlikely since he is not Victorio's child and there was no mention of him during the bargain discussion.
Immeral continues upstairs, passing through a ballroom, a dining hall and a kitchen. Yelling comes from above, so he glides to the third floor, passing by several guards and moving into a sitting room where the noise emanates from.
Ammelia yelling through doorways at Victorio who is in an adjacent room. He fires back... "and you are a faithless worm! How can you abandon one of our lord's children? You were blessed beyond words and you discarded our lord's offspring like trash! No wonder you have poisoned him against us."
Ammelia cries "I panicked Victorio!" you were gone in Chult and when I saw the baby, I knew you would see he was not yours, with his red skin and tiny horns. I thought you would reject him, and I thought you would reject me."
They continue to argue, wondering if the evidence they planted on Mirt the Moneylender will work. The massacre of a hundred souls makes little sense for him, but they need a story, believing the poison is killing more than a hundred innocents even as they speak.
"We may be mass murderers, but at least our kids are safe." Victorio states.
"But not Osvaldo, Osvaldo is gone forever." Ammelia cries. "Part of your bargain."
"You seem to have been doing some bargaining with Asmodeus yourself." Victorio replies. "We need to stay up here so we can deny having anything to do with the food preparation. That damnable Mirt! If he had floated us the money we needed, we would not have been in this situation in the first place. Perhaps his motive is jealousy, he hated our standing in the community. It's obvious we dine with the elites, and he associates with rabble."
"I like that idea." Ammelia states, thinking of the best way to implicate the powerful merchant. "There's no evidence of the poison on the grounds?"
"No, Williford has hidden it in Mirt's stables. Narder Weke works for Mirt as a stablemen. He will make a false claim to the City Watch and the poison will be found." and Ammelia nods, satisfied and Victorio finishes more cooly "He will happily do so for our lord. When he does, this whole affair will be over." with a bit of acid in his voice.
In the ethereal plane, listening in on the conversation, Immeral realizes that the Cassalantars still believe the poisoning has occurred and that Asmodeus is gone for good. As they get their story of ignorance straight, they wander from Amelia's study (unmarked) into their bedroom (C21) and back.
Immeral notices a trap door in the ceiling of Amelia's study with a library ladder conveniently nearby. He floats up to investigate and finds a horrendous creature.
It appears to be a chain devil, but trapped by his own chains and within a A 10-foot-diameter pentagram that has been burned into the floor around him. Just inside the circle, a baby blanket with the embroidered name "Osvaldo" rests in a pile.
Osvaldo Cassalanter shrieks and moans but cannot be heard outside the thick walls and insulated floor of the attic.
Apparently guarding the room are two dinner-plate sized spiders that move from time to time, but do not react to the cries of Osvaldo.
Osvaldo's chains are wrapped around the beams and timbers that frame the room. He can't damage the house, nor can he break his own chains. He can only howl impotently at the misery being inflicted on him.
Immeral is aghast, but moves on from the corrupted child, trying to find the Stone of Golorr, not realizing there was a closet door he failed to explore near the horrifically transformed child.
Back in the garden, the guards and servants kindly ask those who have finished eating to move on to make way for others. It certainly seems they have purified all the potentially poisoned food, and high priestess Valetta, hanging on K'ronk's arm says to him, "this has been so exciting, helping those in need in such an adventurous way. I never would have thought." and she looks dreamily at her dragonborn companion.
K'ronk replies "It makes for a hell of a first date, doesn't it?"
Valetta giggles, "you even took me out for dinner!"
They go back to get a bit more food to try to buy time for Immeral to return, but the guards are growing impatient with them. Suddenly, just as their eyes are turned, Immeral returns. "I have a whole lot of intel to share, but I couldn't find The Stone."
Atlas notices something strange with one of the guards as they are heading towards the exit, one of the beards of the guards moves in an unnatural way, making the monk feel the guards are not simple hirelings and she signals her companions with a not-so-subtle stroking the beard pantomime.
K'ronk and Immeral whisper to each other "bearded devil" and continue to saunter to the exit. They consider that they could just leave and let Asmodeus bring his fury, but they decide to stay nearby in case something unexpected happens. K'ronk asks "what about their kids?"
Nowhere replies "they risked the lives of their children and lost. If Asmodeus himself comes back to claim them, none of us are stopping them." Even Valetta nods.
Immeral says "We still may need the stone to save our children. We have to find it."
Nowhere thinks "Maybe we should come back as the Owlbear League and just start a conversation thanking the Cassalanters for their generosity and see where it gets us."
Immeral says "Or we can try to sneak in the entrance that the cultists came into."
K'ronk says "That's the main entrance - it will be guarded, but maybe I can go with my ring of invisibility."
( QUOTE: CK - "Secret Cultist Backdoor" )
Nowhere says "Maybe Immeral can monitor from the ethereal."
Immeral replies "I won't be able to follow him if he's invisible. But I can listen, and pop back for help if needed."
As The League leaves the courtyard into the street Nowhere says "We do have to remember you are breaking and entering and breaking the laws of Waterdeep."
Valetta says "Maybe I should go while you conduct your 'business'." she gives K'ronk a quick peck and hurries away.
K'ronk waits and says "Laws are for fools." K'ronk pops on his ring of invisibility.
The League walks out the compound and moves to a strategic position near the entrance of the estate, with many of the poor diners loitering in the street, they do not stand out. Immeral goes and pops into the ethereal plane with his robe of stars to monitor as best he can.
K'ronk sneaks back through the frosty gardens, past some guards, keeping to the well traveled paths so his footsteps do not disturb the layer of snow on the ground. He sneaks open the door to the Reading Room (C4) and slips inside quietly. Shuffling and cursing can be heard from the next room.
The invisible wizard quietly moves into the Library and Victorio is cursing and throwing books aside. He keeps mumbling to himself "not an object, not an object, what could it be?" The servant seems to be trying to help, but seems lost to what the Cassalantar is searching for.
K'ronk carefully passes into the entrance hall, seeing the magnificent harpsichord there, and tiptoe-ing on the crimson carpet running down the hall. Light from a crystal chandelier reflects off more than three dozen holy symbols of Siamorphe perched on wall shelves, each in the form of a silver chalice with a golden sun etched on its outside.
There is another servant here, staying within earshot, but just outside of Victorio's wrath. K'ronk continues below the staircase, into the cellar (C26), but the doorway into the wine room (C28) is now locked with a big heavy triple locked steel door. There are three differently shaped keys, round, triangular and square.
K'ronk detects magic and determines the locks are not magically protected. The dragonborn turns in frustration, wishing he had thieves tools or a knock spell. He returns up to Victorio to find the keys, and sees him standing reading a book intently. The ring of three keys hangs on his belt.
K'ronk also realizes Victorio has a magical rod and spellbook on his belt. On further scrutiny it looks as if his cloak might also be magical.
K'ronk moves in to grab the keys and Victorio whispers to his nearby servant and nobody in particular, "An aboleth, it must be an aboleth. It's the only explanation for the voice and the stone's untraceability." Suddenly Victorio starts moving and K'ronk has to dodge out of the way, but he fails and Victorio knocks into the invisible dragonborn wizard.
Victorio stops suddenly and calls out "guards!" and draws out his wand.
The second guard enters the room and they draw swords.
There is an invisible intruder in the room!
K'ronk panics and blasts Victorio and servants with his staff of frost, making himself visible in the process and unleashing a cone of cold, but the targets dive from the spell, taking only some of the damage from the icy blast.
The one guard is blasted unconscious from the blast, but Victorio shakes it off and knitting his brow in anger grabs is wand and unleashes a spell from it, stating "stand down!"
K'ronk tries to fight the influence of the spell but fails and K'ronk falls under the charm spell of the wand.
In the ethereal plane, Immeral hears a cry from the first floor and moves through the floors to investigate. He quickly sees that K'ronk is in battle with Victorio and Immeral removes his hood to instantly return to his companions, tucked away outside.
"K'ronk is in trouble in the library!"
The League rushes to the entrance.
"Who are you?" Victorio asks the charmed K'ronk, and K'ronk answers "I'm K'ronk, just a humble dragonborn adventurer and wizard who seeks to make a better world with my friends."
Victorio scoffs and continues "What are you doing here?" and K'ronk answers "I heard about the feast and what was going on with the poisoning of the food and we wanted to stop it. It's just not right, so we stopped it."
Victorio is visibly startled. "Where did you hear about the poisoning?"
"From my companion Immeral eavesdropping on you. I don't understand how you could do such a thing."
"Who has you watching us?" Cassallantar asks.
"My friends and I have had you under observation recently since we know you have the Stone of Golorr." K'ronk answers.
"That damnable stone!" Victorio yells.
Outside the compound, Nowhere casts disguise self to make herself appear as Ammelia Cassalantar and races to the servant's entrance (C8). Seraphina dashes to join disguised Nowhere as she opens the door. Atlas follows behind, throwing on her cloak of elvenkind to keep her camouflaged, just out of sight of the front door. Dain follows behind Atlas, trying to stay hidden.
Immeral follows Nowhere and Seraphina into the townhome.
The guards at the servant's entrance look quizzically at Nowhere disguised as Victorio Cassalantar, thinking she was upstairs, but not stepping out of place or questioning her.
There can be heard some arguing from the south (C1). She tells the guards "they are with me", and she walks on by as if she owns the place, towards the library (C3) where Victorio is questioning K'ronk.
As soon as Nowhere enters the room, she yells "That man is an imposter, I am the real Victorio! Guards, seize him!"
The guards from the stairway rush to the room, looking back and forth at the pair of Cassalantars. Victorio yells "He is the imposter, get him you vermin!"
Nowhere exclaims "ask me anything, ask me about the secret temple and our worship of Asmodeus."
Victorio flies into a rage and attacks.
Nowhere first casts hunters mark on him to ensure she doesn't lose him. She swings Icerazor at her twin as he yells "Guards!" and she slices the Cassalantar. The guards move to defend him as Nowhere stabs him again, drawing blood as he backpedals.
Seraphina uses toll the dead on one of the guards, pointing at him as the sound of sorrowful bells fill the air and black streaks of necromantic energy scar the man as his eyes widen and he screams, grabbing his ears.
Atlas attacks the same man and launches a flurry of blows and batters the wounded man, connecting several vicious punches and knocks the guard unconscious.
Immeral decides to cast witch bolt at Victorio, worried about the spellbook attached to the man's waist. The beam of crackling, blue energy lances out toward the man, forming a sustained arc of lightning between Immeral and the Cassalantar. The electrical energy blisters the man and he howls in fury. Dain goes for the coup-de-gras, swinging Bloodstorm at the spellcaster. The first blow wounds the man slightly, and the second blow misses, but he is still up.
K'ronk stands confused as The League is attacking his perceived friend, so he yells to them to stop attacking but he sees the guard moving into attack and so the charmed K'ronk casts eldrich blast which unexpectedly kills the guardsman outright.
Backing away from The League, Victorio goes to cast insect plague at the party, but Immeral counterspells, even as he holds the witch bolt arcing towards the enemy.
Nowhere swings Icerazor again and stabs the wizard, drawing a deep gout of blood that sends him reeling. The tiefling ranger slashes again as Victorio cries out "Ammelia!" and then falls dead, bleeding out on the rug of the library. Nowhere stands over the expired body of the devil worshipper.
The charm spell on K'ronk breaks as he looks over the body of the guard he killed, realizing they are within the city of Waterdeep and might be in big trouble if they can't prove a crime was committed. The footfalls of approaching guards start pounding in the hall outside.
Will the League try to revivify the guard or Victorio for answers? Will they have to kill more guards to escape? Where is the stone? How will they explain the killings without evidence of a crime? What will happen now that the Cassalantar's have failed to pay Asmodeus?
NEXT - CAMPAIGN JOURNAL 67 - CULTIST INTERRUPTUS
This adventure used material from the D&D Module "Waterdeep: Dragon Heist".
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