1. Cloakwood

The party wakes well-rested in the Iron Throne mining camp. There's plenty of food for them and the former prisoners, thanks to the guards' storehouse. The camp is a-bustle as everyone prepares for the journey through the Cloakwood, and to freedom. Given the party's travels into the strange forest and the size of the group they intend to escort out, it's a trip that's likely to take at least a couple of days.

The former prisoners (refugees now, really) don't have much in the way of travel packs, and there are no wagons or carts capable of making it through the Cloakwood intact, but they make do with what they can find in the camp and pack as much food and water as they can carry.

When all is ready, the large group assembles at the palisade gate.

And find a group of strangers arriving there at the same time.

Aiwe's spell builds just between Drasus, Ajantis, and the priest, making cloaks and hair ripple as it prepares to erupt.

Shar-Teel, obviously pleased by the spectacle, lets out a mocking laugh. The archer behind her scowls. "Shut up, you, or I'll put an arrow in your back!" Shar-Teel snarls, but reluctantly draws her swords and takes up a defensive stance in front of the archer and mage.

Meanwhile, Drasus' head whips around to Ajantis. "I thought you said they were talkers, blast it!"

Ajantis' reply is to dive for cover.

Round 1 Player Phase!

Round 1 Summary

Aiwe's spell detonates like the crack of a hundred whips! Drasus and Ajantis seem able to endure the terrible sound (15 thunder dmg each), but their priest starts bleeding from the ears (taking 31 thunder dmg) and holding his head - which leaves him unprepared for Koveras' sudden charge! In a show of strength, the half-orc punches through the priest's armor with his shortsword and scores a hit (Priest takes another 10 dmg).

Identifying Aiwe as a magical threat, the archer in the back holds an arrow close to his mouth and whispers to it, then launches it in Aiwe's direction. It's a well-placed shot, taking her right in the upper arm (Aiwe takes 14 dmg). For a moment Aiwe finds her grunt of pain stolen from her, magically silenced, but no one silences this bard. She mentally forces away the insidious enchantment, and even has the presence of mind to raise her shield and block a second incoming arrow.

On the front line, Dieter and Runeson test their strength against Drasus and Ajantis. Dieter and Drasus seem fairly well-matched, each executing daring maneuvers that the other just manages to avoid. Finally, Drasus catches Dieter in the face with a well-timed shield bash, with enough force nearly to lift the young fighter from his feet (Dieter takes 8 dmg). Thankfully, Runeson's bolstering presence keeps Dieter from being sprawled out on the ground (With Runeson's save bonus, Dieter passes his str save!). Instead, Dieter responds with two stinging blows on Drasus' spear-arm.

Meanwhile, Aldous focuses his attention on the enemy mage. The young Silvershield's customary fire snakes weave through the air to bite at the mage, their fangs burning cloth and searing flesh (Mage takes 19 fire dmg).

The enemy priest, already badly wounded, cries out a mighty prayer of healing (All enemies regain 20 hp). The spell spreads over him and his companions, closing wounds and strengthening spirits... until Runeson's radiant weapon smashes into the priest's helmeted head. Hoar blesses his paladin this day with a surge of divine power, and the priest drops dead with a sizzling hole in the side of his helmet (Priest dies).

Ajantis, who up to this point has bided his time, speaks the words of a spell that endows him with supernatural speed and grace (casts Haste on himself). He leaps forward faster than Runeson expects, but not faster than Dieter's shield. Just in time, the fighter turns aside Ajantis' flashing glaive, saving Runeson from a nasty wound (Ajantis would have had adv on this attack, but Dieter's Protection fighting style took that way. Miss!).

With the battle in full swing, Ida casts a mighty spell, summoning a celestial guardian in the middle of the enemy's front line. With a righteous, unyielding gaze, it waits for an enemy to provoke its considerable ire.

The enemy mage makes his move, conjuring an enormous spectral lion's head just behind the party's back line. The lion opens its mouth wide and roars, sending Stella and Aldous stumbling perilously close to the fighting on the front line (Stella and Aldous each take 24 thunder dmg and are pushed 15 ft forward). Ida is also rattled by the lion's roar, but her dwarf blood sings true as she holds her ground (Ida takes only 12 thunder dmg and is not pushed). Unfortunately though, the ordeal does cost Ida her attention, and she loses focus on her Shield of Faith spell Unless Ida can somehow turn her failed save into a success (via Inspiration or something), Shield of Faith is lost.

Through it all, Shar-Teel waits in front of the archer and mage. Her eyes flick among all the combatants, weighing and measuring...

Round 2 Player Phase!!

Round 2 Summary

Stella's fireball explodes! The archer tries to dive aside, but to no avail (Archer fails his save, takes 24 fire dmg). He survives the explosion, but the burns on his face and neck speak to his agony. The mage's robes are singed, but he otherwise looks to have weathered the fire spell much better than his companion (Mage casts Absorb Elements, takes only 12 fire dmg).

On the front line, Runeson can't seem to land a hit on Ajantis. The traitor's hasted form just seems to always be one step ahead... and there's more treacherous magic at work. Runeson swings hard at Ajantis' mocking face, only at the last second seeing that, somehow, he's swinging at Dieter instead! (Ajantis uses Treacherous Strike, forcing Runeson to reroll a missed attack and direct it towards Dieter) The warhammer crunches against Dieter's pauldron, badly bruising the shoulder beneath (Dieter takes 10 bludgeoning dmg).

As Runeson struggles to come to terms with what's happened, Ajantis suddenly presses the advantage! His glaive sweeps and slashes, but it's the assault on Runeson's mind that causes the most harm. Suddenly unable to tell friend from foe, Runeson's mind involuntarily conjures images of Dieter turning to attack him. As the paladin defends against the imaginary attack, Ajantis brings an overhead blow down hard on Runeson's helmet, accompanied by a sickly radiance that burns and corrupts (Ajantis uses Divine Smite, Runeson takes 8 slashing and 8 radiant dmg).

"You're not the only one who can divinely smite their enemies," Ajantis murmurs to Runeson, then in a sudden blur stabs him through the chest with his glaive (Another Divine Smite, Runeson takes 14 slashing and 12 radiant dmg). "Although..." face just inches from Runeson's, "I've always thought a little... poison worked just as well." (Runeson takes 29 poison dmg and is unconscious and dying)

Another explosion shakes the ground and air as Aiwe unleashes another thunder spell. Drasus merely tosses his head and roars (Drasus takes 10 thunder dmg), but Ajantis seems shaken for a moment (Ajantis takes 20 thunder dmg).

A ferocious bellow and a human scream suddenly ring through the air, as the enemy mage is mauled by Stella's conjured polar bear. In a panic, the mage casts a teleportation spell, moving himself to relative safety on the palisade. Aldous launches a stream of fire up at the mage, but given the palisade's protection it's not very effective. From there, the mage pulls an ornate wand from his sleeve and throws a fire bolt each at Ida and Stella. Stella is largely unhurt, but Ida takes the bolt straight to the face.

"No! Ida!" Stephan, who until this point has kept back with the refugees, pulls out a certain familiar tome and opens it. The mageling points up at the enemy spellcaster and utters a string of dark, misshapen syllables. The mage keels over dead, black smoke rising from empty eye sockets.

Even burned as she is, Ida digs deep and releases a wave of spiritual light, singeing Ajantis (Ajantis takes 5 radiant dmg).

Severely burned and with an angry white bear nearby, the archer tries his best to silence some of the party's spellcasters. He looses an arrow each at Stella and Aiwe, but both projectiles fall harmlessly short. He turns in panic to Shar-Teel. "You! Get the bear!"

But Shar-Teel has other plans. She moves as if to approach the bear, but then turns and rushes the archer, blades whirling (Archer takes 8 dmg). "You shouldn't have forced me to come here, fool!"

With a cruel grin, Ajantis moves to finish off collapsed Runeson... only to find Dieter's shield in the way. To make things worse, Koveras joins the young fighter, and the two of them press Ajantis hard, until finally with some dazzling swordplay Dieter sends the traitor's glaive soaring through the air to land some distance away. Unarmed and facing these two dangerous opponents, Ajantis turns tail and runs, his haste spell lending him supernatural swiftness (I took the liberty of making an opportunity attack for Dieter, but it missed).

Still, Ajantis finds his cowardice punished by Ida's guardian of faith, who lashes out at the fleeing traitor with a beam of light. He manages to dodge some of it, but still grunts in pain as he continues his sprint (Ajantis takes 10 radiant dmg). A second speedy blur takes off after him as Koveras gives chase, making use of whatever magic or item gives him such quickness. The two race into the forest, dodging tree trunks and leaping fallen branches.

Before Dieter can think to pursue, he's beset by Drasus, whose spear tears into the young fighter (Dieter takes 13 piercing dmg). "You're gonna die here, boy!" Drasus' back smokes from Ida's guardian of faith, but he doesn't seem to care (Drasus takes 10 radiant dmg).

Round 3 Player Phase!!!

Round 3 Summary

The Morninglord's healing power flows through Ida's hands into Runeson's wounds, closing them up and getting the paladin back on his feet.

Then, with so many of the enemies down, the rest of the fight goes quickly.

As the archer does his best to fight off Stella's bear (bear takes 23 dmg), Shar-Teel suddenly leaps on the man's back and drives her reversed shortswords down into his shoulders. There's no recovering from that (archer's dead). She tumbles away from the body and springs back to her feet.

Drasus delivers some wounds to Dieter that will surely leave scars (Dieter takes 34 dmg), but the young fighter simply will not drop. When Aiwe's last offer of surrender fills him finally with fear for his life, the big red-haired man throws down his spear and shield, then submits to being bound.

From what Ida understands, a large portion of a living god's power comes from the number and faith of its followers. A dead god receives nothing from its former flock, no matter how many might believe in it.

And yet...

Ida has some familiarity with Bhaal and the cults that still praise his name. Indeed, at some point in her past helping Tulfgyr, she came across a saying particularly revered by the Blood Skulls. A scripture originally spoken by a renowned prophet:

The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sown from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo.

The words rise up from Ida's memory, and they remind her that even after a god's death, they can continue to influence the world. And apparently Bhaal himself fathered a 'score of mortal progeny'. If there are indeed literal children of Bhaal, could one of them possibly attain enough power to become the new Lord of Murder?

It's a chilling thought.

The words of prophecy Ida spoke prick a memory in Stella's sharp mind. She's heard these words spoken before, in Candlekeep:

There are perhaps a dozen other people walking about in the Court of Air, most of them Avowed. A small procession of Avowed make their way around the Court, reciting some cryptic words: "...the Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sown from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo..."

It occurs to her that Alaundo the Seer did in fact make Candlekeep his home, and his words are still studied and pondered there today.