[Spoilers] Keraptis Returns

[Tundrra]

1494 Kythorn 11th
-The New campaign begins: Lisa Barten, Hero of Waterdeep and Savior of the Deathcurse begins selecting her party.

3 years have passed since a group of adventurers returned the sentient artifact “Wave” back to Waterdeep along with its sentient companions.

After saving the realm from the death plague and other threats to the city, Captain Lisa Barten is summoned upon by the Lords of Waterdeep to end the annoyance of Keraptis, who has once again gained possession of the powerful weapons.

Assembling her team, she will voyage through the skies to the village outside of White Plume Mountain.

[Tundrra]

Session 001
2022/11/30
kermit absent


Ringland Village
Monaric The wizard from Luskan studying Keraptis.

[Tundrra]

Session 002
2022/12/07

Jilto absent
Zelldeb absent
Zaan late
Lasarian late

-more discussion with Monaric. His research states kerapits obsession with eternal life, Keraptis made the mountain his research center, with several laboratories through out.

-airship will be surveying the area and will stop in every few days.

-party crossed the polluted river and found a patrol of gnomes who had been feed on and ambushed by 7 gnolls

[Tundrra]

Session 003
2022/12 /21


Recap
The massacred gnomes left you with a powerful scroll and written orders the patrol had to find and hire reinforcements in the neighboring regions.

Jilto devises a plan of seeming, as the party navigates the difficult terrain up the mountain pass towards the cliff that holds a small entrance into the mountain known as the “wizards mouth”.

A hour from reaching the cliff a hail storm of large boulders comes tumbling down from switchback path. Three Ogres make sport of knocking the squishies off the mountain.

A Short Rest was taken from 2-3p once you found the narrow worn trail. From there a 2hr difficult terrain hike up the switchback mountain trail continues to the party was pelted with boulders. 3 ogres we’re trying to knock the squishies off the mountain. Lisa released a cloud of fog to by the party some time to escape the falling rock.

Looking up to the small plume of mist, You believe 1 hour more of travel remains to the cliff ledge where the entrance of "the Wizards Mouth" awaits.


——

Looted bodies After Gnoll fights
Gruesome Sight
After the battle is over and you have a moment to examine the area. You count 4 bodies along the main bloody trail that led into the surround rocks, after further search of the battlefield to behind a rock cluster you find the remains of a gnome’s body who had made their last stand. The area is charcoaled black with scorch marks centered around the gnome body, a gnoll’s charred remains also can be found amongst the burnt circle.

Gear
The bodies are all wearing matching gear of chain shirts, small shields and short swords, their arm has a armband wrapped in cloth with a emblem on it.
The armband insignia is a letter ”N” superimposed over a ”K,” with snakes entwined around both. (Handout)

-what do they have in their possession.
(Identify) necklaces of fireball (1d4 charges left) on 2 bodies
Spell scroll (K:Fire)
Parchment orders
take your patrol west and north, return with an agreement with potential Allies with the Yaunti and Lizardfolk to fight the usurpers, gold and scroll are to show the power of keraptis. Captain Oaeson
gold
(35p,
100g,
3 amber gemstones(100g ea) transparent watery gold to rich gold.
Gold Necklace with small spheres hanging off it.

Captive Gnoll
-language gnoll

Entrance Question
where the mountain breathes is the entrance, guarded by Keraptis minions. We will feast on their flesh when they leave for what they have done to our pack.

Why they hate Keraptis
Keraptis has dulled (demon lord) Yeenoghu hunger...tamed my pack like house dogs.

[Tundrra]

Session 004
2022/12 /28
lasarian absent
zaan little late.


With the Ogres defeated and a short rest taken on the high cliff outside of mountain entrance, the group entered the Wizard's Mouth and descended a 100' spiral staircase. Upon reaching the final stair a gnomish voice in common shouts out, "What's the password." The group heads back up the stair case and sends Zaan down to scout leaving the guards on high alert with as the await a response.

Other than a joke from Lisa the group is silent and no pursuit follows. Zaan in his Dread Stalker stealth keeps him invisible to those that have darkvision and sets out to scout. His high passive perception barely spots the hidden tripwire in front of the stair and pit trap at the north door.

Most of the party teleported behind the murderhole wall, surprising the large gnome archer brigade! Surprise Round.

We are currently halfway through the first full round.

[Tundrra]

Session 005
2023/01/04
Zelldeb Absent

-Welcome to White Plume Mountain.
-The group teleported behind the murderhole wall; surprising the entrance guards, whom all seem fanatical about Keraptis. In the end 19 archers, 5 guards and their captain were slain. The outcome could have been so much worse if the party was attacked in the main room or without the group’s powerful AoE spells.

-Magic items were recovered from their captain, a ring, sword and another scroll similar to the one found outside the mountain. A shortrest was successfully taken, the time is just around late dusk.

-The entrance room exits to a locked door to the East, and new construction to the Door North. Based on Lisa map, it connects to the heat panel hallway.

——-


“I am Guard Captain Kabyle of the 2nd regiment, loyal to the one true Keraptis!”
"How bold Killjoy has become to attack us so; or has Spatterdock become so desperate!”
“Do you think those betrayers will pay you, they will turn you into a lifeless husk like the rest of those that aid them. You should have joined Keraptis’s army where mercenaries are rewarded!”

[Tundrra]

Session 006
2023/01/11
Kermit Absent
zelldeb was gone most of the session


Kythorn 17th early evening 730p
-The Party heads through the North corridor towards the electric hum of the heat panels, until Tig finds himself in the bottom of a pit, locating some long forgotten treasures. While the party sorts through the items Tig strays far enough out that a friendly voice welcomes the party.

-“Welcome, visitors!” You hear a greeting shouted across the room, it’s origins come from behind a familiar gloom of murderholes. “Now tell me your business in my mountain!”

-Tig and Lisa do some parley learning that this voice is Keraptis, persuaded to come out from his protective walls several gnomes with quarterstaffs funnel out of the door leading to the east corridors. The voice of Keraptis is a pale, sickly gnome and only a voice box. The new gnomes wear a “K and S” intertwined with serpents. The party not wearing Nightfear’s armband and battle worn, this new Keraptis offers the party a job.

-Kelevos discusses the terms with “Spatterdock” who controls the north and east passages. He states the imposter “Nightfear” has had his Trident stolen and the scoundrels made off with it through a secret tunnel some where along west corridors. If the party can find the correct route used, who stole it and regain the trident for him then they can discuss further benefits of their Alliance. As a show of good faith and reward, he offers safe passage through his controlled tunnels as well as a showing of his power, a scroll that allows any who read it gain the power of a fire ball (once a day as a bonus action).

-Accepting the offer the party makes their way to Keraptis’s guest chambers…A neglected prison cell where they find a worse for wear Taxabi who was part of a party hired by a Hosttower wizard. The party had found their way into the mountain in some of the under tunnels, where a battle was raging between Spatterdock and another Keraptis, himself and a dwarf named Andarr were captured. Andarr Rockcutter was swayed by Keraptis and his hammer Whelm to aligned himself with them, and leaving the Taxabi to rot in these cells. Jilto gives him rations, but he remains in his cell as the party rests for the night in Kelevos’s Tardis tent.

[Tundrra]

Recap 007
01/18/2023
Kermit and Ojike absent

-The Taxabi “Drifting Cloud” joins the party, weak and weaponless from his many days of malnutritionment. Speaking of malnutrition, Jilto sneaks a peek at the hungry LadySphinx who lets you all live after Tig answers her riddle. After being set free she teleports off to stalk gnomes in the the halls of the mountain.

-Tig struggles with the arcane as Jilto learns magic missile as a bonus action. Keraptis aka “Spatterdock” sees the party off to search for his Trident and gives the party their promised fireball scroll (the groups’ 3rd scroll) and armbands of his crest.

-North West halls: Teleporting across the heat panel corridor the Gnoll sentries engage the party leaving us at the top of round 4.

[Tundrra]

Recap 008
2023/01/25
kermit absent

-After clearing the gnoll guards, the party was unsuccessful in finding the control panel for the heat hall nor the source of a magical aura that Kelevos detected.
-Onward to the frictionless room that Lisa had warned the party of since leaving on the expedition. After Tig posed as a billiard ball and Kelevos owl dispelled, Lisa successfully flew with her wings into the room without suffering the dispelled magic effects.

-Five loyal Nightfear gnomes laid in wait for the party to come out onto the frictionless surface, and were greatly surprised when the party teleported in behind them, rolling out of bags of holding and dimension doors.

-Quickly dispatching the gnomes the party collected another Keraptis missile spell and Teagan showed Tig how easy it can be to learn the Fire scroll. A short rest was successfully taken, the hall ahead T’s off, to the South a collapsed passage, to the North a large lake with several moored canoes.

-It is late morning on your 2nd day in the mountain.

[Tundrra]

Recap 009
2023-02-01
All Present


-A large steaming lake stretches to the north with canoes moored for use. Each are an equipped with oars and jars of smelly goop.

-As the party boards and search’s the boats a woman (Kuhlefaran) comes from out of nowhere and places herself in front of Drifting Clouds. She claims to be apart of the same adventure party that Cloud was in, their group was lost in the caverns below and were split, slain and captured by Spatterdock and Killjoy. Eventually she joined the resistance, led by a man called Red.

-She wears a ring that triggered a zone of truth spell, leaving the party unsettled as she try’s to interrogate the party. She determines that the group has a common goal of destroying the Kerapti and offers information about Nightfear’s forces and that Nightfear was once a gnome descendant of the original followers of Keraptis from the settlement far below the mountain. 20yrs ago he proclaimed he was the true Keraptis and built back is domain. After adventurers caused volcanic aftershocks over the weeks following the underground lake bursting. Previously sealed sections of the mountain opened up revealing Keraptis’s old laboratories…after that others began claiming they were the real Keraptis and its been a war since.

-She asks the party to meet others in the Resistance. The party declines leaving Drifting Cloud and Kuhlefaran behind as the party rows out across the lake. Visibility is bleak as the thick sauna fog hampers vision and sound. The lake is covered in clumps of seaweed, which hide the kelp creatures that hunt in the water. After dispatching two of the monsters the party makes it ashore on the far north side.

-The streaming subterranean lake laps at the edge of a cut-stone beach where 5 outriggers are moored. It appears that this stonework was once the flooring of a chamber before the water claimed its outer wall. Piles of castoff fishbones and marks of fire in the northern section indicate that numerous groups have used this landing as a campsite. A stone door rimmed in bright light highlights a large alcove to the east.