Adventure Journal #5: The Elect

With Aleanor Pathsteader on her mission to inform her comrades of the characters' discoveries in Giustenal, the heroes were left to rest and wonder what would come of all these mysteries. But when word started spreading of a man preaching salvation and hope for the future, they became suspicious that a charlatan had moved into Fort Laskor to take advantage of Aleanor's absence.

The preacher, a human named Enoch, gave nightly sermons from the second-floor balcony of his room at the Highpeak Inn. There, he spoke of a new power in the world, which would bring power and glory to a chosen few--The Elect. Together, Godefroi, Ront, Zelaran, and Anaxachorus attended Enoch's next performance, where their suspicions were heightened by a strange feeling of influence that washed over them. Using his powerful intuition, the paladin Godefroi sensed an evil motive within Enoch's heart, cementing their belief that Enoch was no bringer of hope.

The next day, the characters (along with Aleanor's sage, Felix) contacted Arkas, the captain of the guard of Fort Laskor, but were rudely rebuffed. Arkas warned them to leave Enoch and his people alone, and reminded them that despite their friendship with Aleanor, their word pulled no weight in the town.

After retreating to their rooms to confer about the situation, the heroes returned to Felix's home to speak with him further, only to discover his door open and the sage nowhere to be found! Asking around, the characters leanred that Felix had been jailed! At this point, the heroes feared that Arkas had been compromised somehow, but knew that any confrontation with the captain could go very badly.

Still, they had little choice but to try to talk to Felix to learn more. To their surprise, when they arrived at the jail they learned that Felix had already been released! The guards on duty confirmed that Felix had had another visitor--the preacher Enoch. Shortly thereafter, the captain had released the sage.

Now thoroughly confused, the heroes returned to the home of Felix, only to find evidence that the sage had packed a few belongings and departed. Hoping to catch him before leaving Fort Laskor, the heroes hurried to the gate. Unfortunately, the guards on duty confirmed that Felix and two others had exited a few hours earlier. Upon further questioning, the guards noted that this wasn't an unusual circumstance these days: a couple people had left town almost every day for the past week, with none returning.

Though the heroes desperately wanted to find Felix, they also realized that Fort Laskor itself was in danger, and that Enoch was almost certainly the cause. Heading to the Highpeak Inn, the heroes confronted the preacher in his room. When the characters showed no signs of backing down from their accusations, Enoch informed his two bodyguards to convince the characters to leave. Steel flew from scabbards and a battle was joined.

But the biggest surprise of the day was yet to come, as a viscous green tentacle suddenly emerged from Enoch's forehead during the fight! This tendril lashed about, attempting to constrict the heroes as the battle raged on. Eventually, however, the superior numbers and skill of the heroes won out. Enoch was dead, and his two guards lay unconscious beside him.

Searching his quarters, the characters found a note:

Dearest Enoch,

Welcome to our new enterprise. Your talents should prove quite useful in the cause.

We would remind you that fresh specimens are preferred when possible. Please send your selections to the lumber warehouse in Riad’s Vale for processing.

Janine

Horrified, the characters realized that Felix was no doubt on his way to be "processed" in Riad's Vale at this very moment! Wasting no time, they ran to the town gate, only to be informed by the guards that they were not allowed to leave. Though Godefroi detected no evil intent on the part of the guards, the characters feared that Enoch's powers of persuasion were extending even beyond his death. In any event, they couldn't allow any further delays. With heavy hearts, the heroes raised their weapons and subdued the guards, fleeing the town before reinforcements could arrive.

Three days later, they arrived in Riad's Vale. Upon investigating the lumber warehouse, the heroes were attacked by several thugs led by a tiefling warrior named Janine. After the fight, the characters made a horrifying discovery: four fresh humanoid heads preserved in jars of clear fluid! Thankfully, Felix's head was not among the specimens in the warehouse, but that left the question of where the sage had gone, and where these heads were destined to be delivered.

Asking around, the characters learned that until recently, Enoch had lived in Riad's Vale. There, he had been known as an explorer, and certainly wasn't the type to preach or sermonize. He'd last been seen a couple weeks earlier leaving town to investigate some new discovery. A search of his home uncovered information that pointed to a network of flooded caves along the Hana River, some two days distant.

While the half-orc paladin Ront stayed on the surface to guard the mules and campsite, Anaxachorus, Godefroi, and Zelaran scaled down a sinkhole into a waterlogged limestone cave. After defeating a pair of eyeless gray-skinned humanoids guarding the "front door," the trio continued deeper into the caverns.

Along the way, they encountered more of the strange humanoids, along with a number of horrific aberrations, including a tentacled worm whose rubbery hide was nearly impervious to their weapons, a many-mouthed blob whose very appearance threatened to send the heroes fleeing in terror, and a loping one-eyed creature whose gaze dissolved the flesh of those near it. Truly, this was a sanity-shaking adventure to be certain.

After defeating the last denizens of the cavern, the characters located the missing loremaster, Felix. Unfortunately, though, they located no sign of the foul monster responsible for this group--to say nothing of the head-gathering operation discovered in Riad's Vale. Felix, perhaps fortunately for his own peace of mind, remembered almost nothing of his time in captivity.

The characters also discovered one additional oddity: a large clay jar filled with blood. The dragonblood sorcerer Anaxachorus confirmed that some faint magical aura was concealed in the dark liquid. While his comrades wondered what to do, the paladin Godefroi boldly plunged his hand into the thick red blood, discovering a fleshy object within. As he drew his hand out, the still-living strand of muscle within the blood snaked up his forearm, merging with the paladin's own flesh. Suddenly, Godefroi felt the muscle's power added to his own strength! Though both recipient and viewers found the whole thing...unsettling, they agreed that little could be done short of removing the paladin's entire arm, which seemed extreme. At least for now.

But even with their discoveries, the trail appeared cold. No further clues suggested the identity or whereabouts of the evil mastermind, though the heroes felt certain that this operation, at least, would threaten no more innocents.

For now, the heroes had little choice but to return to Fort Laskor. There, as they waited for the return of their patron, Aleanor Pathsteader, the characters spent time mending a few fences with the locals (thanks in part to Felix's explanations of events) and recovering from the whirlwind events of the previous week. It was a time of peace and (relatively speaking, for the world of Umber), happiness. Of course, they all knew it couldn't last forever--there would be more mysteries to solve before long--but for now, they simply enjoyed themselves.

After all, how could any of them realize that this was the last time they would ever see Fort Laskor?

Previous: The Lost City

Next: Return to the Lost City