"Good, I'm glad he got out of that other business."
Trevor will help carry stuff back and forth, mostly worried about the welfare of the prisoners.
He'll spend some time looking up those they freed to see if they are okay and not having too hard a time reconnecting with their previous life, in particular, the lady Ilya.
"Getting him out of that life is why Raknian had my sister killed."
"We'd better all go with him, Rauno. I think we got all the doppelgangers, but I'm not sure. That reminds me--we still have to find the people whose memories were stored in the doppelganger lair."
"I agree. Let's all go together. We can take care of that and then continue with this Raknian."
"Sure Rauno, I can do that this week." says Trevor as he adds this to his mental list.
You gather what you can and rescue the people from the pen. Returning to the surface you get the people to the authorities you worked with from the doppelganger lair.
After a night of rest you do some selling of the items you recovered as well as inquire into new items or upgrades of the ones you currently have. Trevor stops by the temple of Iomedae to discuss bringing the evil items found to them to destroy. You also get a note from Eligos explaining that his research in nearly complete and inviting you to dinner in 3 days to discuss everything he has learned.
The next day you travel to the main temple of Iomedae to get rid of the evil/cursed/morally questionable objects. Traveling to the Keystone district at the heart of the city, you come upon the temple, practically a fortress it is so large.
Once you arrive and announce yourself, you are taken to and greeted by Chaplain Tira Ronnova. As you bring the items in she has other acolytes come with lead boxes and places an item separately in each one.
A she thanks you she presents an item to Quintus, "I sense great power in you, one that should place you in a position such as mine. However, I sense that is not your destiny. Here is a diamond that can be used to bring one of your friends back from the dead. You will have need of this one day."
Turning to Trevor she says, "You, young man, look much like your father. I knew him back when he was near your age. We both trained in this very temple, though his training turned to a more martial bent than mine. He would be very proud of the man you have become. In honor of our friendship, and the good you have done this city, I have something to present to you."
A pair of acolytes come out with something cover in cloth. As the near, Tira pulls away the cloth revealing a falchion. She presents it to Trevor. "This weapon was recovered in the war against the Orcs of Belkzen that your father took a part in. I hear that you have been looking around town for a suitable weapon to continue your fight against evil. This weapon is magnificent, and I think can be a powerful tool in your hands."
As the Chaplain speaks so fondly of his father, Trevor's heart is filled with a renewed passion that spreads through his limbs, igniting his whole body with the renewed religious fervor of Her Mystery.
"Truly, she is touching me Her Grace. All these years of doubt, and faith rewards me with the gift of clear purpose!
This unfortunately doesn't translate as well, as the welt of emotions overpower the channel between thought and speech: "This is great! I never dreamed my father was anything but a forgettable watchman! This news is a balm on my childhood. I should never have listened to that idiot Denko! But please, would you know why he sold me..?"
That morning, Quintus requests of his patron a number of lesser restoration spells and a restoration spell, which he casts on Rauno and Rowena as needed.
The Taldan bows to Chaplain Ronnova and takes the diamond reverently, then gives a slight, brief grin. "Thank you, ma'am. I hope I never have to use it, though."
As he handles the blade, Trevor's gaze wanders along the intricate patterns of gray on gray weaved by the quenching process. Carefully, he lifts the blade and lets its weight sit in his grip, appreciating its perfect balance, then slides a cautious thumb across its edge.
As sharp as Truth!
He bows deeply to the Chaplain. "This sword will teach me much. I can tell... I am honoured and will spend my energy living up to the lives of those who have held it before me, in continuing Her Work."
A little later: "Chaplain, with your permission, I'd like to come back in the coming days to hear more about my father..." his voice trails off again, strangled by memory.
Kelkzar beams in his glowering, but beamy way to see the gift bestowed on Trevor. "A very fitting gift Trevor. We now have two weapons from the wars of Belkzen to wield against the evils trying to take root here."
Rowena, not a weapon aficionado, nevertheless still appreciates Trevor's excitement with the new blade, though she will miss watching Trevor swing his big axe around...
"This is great! I never dreamed my father was anything but a forgettable watchman! This news is a balm on my childhood. I should never have listened to that idiot Denko! But please, would you know why he sold me..?"
"I have not spoken to him since we were young so I have no insight. Selling his child does not sound like something the man I once knew would do, but war can change people. However if you have time to come back, I will try and tell you some stories of your father when he was young!"
Trevor's eyes suddenly go wide as the Chaplain speaks: "You mean he is alive!?!"
She pauses for a moment, "I know not if he is alive or dead. I'm sorry I don't know more to help you."
You spend the rest of the day dealing with shopping and following up on the authorities and their efforts at rounding up the doppelgangers. Though it has only been two days, they have indicated that they have caught many of the imposters and many more on their list have disappeared. Thanks to the mirror found they can verify who someone truly is.
Another night of sleep and a nice day of rest at the Crooked Inn and you are ready for dinner at Eligos's manor. A carriage comes to pick you up and take you to his white marble manor.
As you arrive, you are shown into the parlor by Eligos’s aged elven manservant Pollard who greats you each by name and a deep bow. Eligos is already waiting for you, seated in a tall, velvet-upholstered chair. Six other chairs sit in the room, arrayed around a low table set with several tantalizing dishes.
Eligos rises as you enter the room. "Good evening, my friends! I trust you brought your appetites? I tend to eat dinner as I get the chance, and I hope this somewhat informal repast doesn’t offend you. Good, I thought not. In any event, let’s eat — after dinner, I’ll tell you what I’ve learned of your little green worms. But do tell me about your exploits over the last few days. I understand you have kept quite busy."
Eligos eats his food and doesn't interrupt much, but seems amused that the greater doppelganger took his image, "Hopefully Rauno, I've trained you well enough to see through that imposter. Sounds like my manservant turned out to be quite the fighter!"
At the mention of Loris Raknian his eyebrows raise but when the Apostolic Scrolls Eligos are mentioned he pales slightly. "It is worse than I thought then. But I should start at the beginning. All the clues you have brought to me, especially those nasty little worms, point to the involvement of a minor deity of the creation and mastery of undead called Kyuss. You may not have heard of him as he hasn't been very active lately, but some say he was a powerful necromancer in the days of Azlant. The worm infested undead you fought at Blackwall keep is attributed to his creation, and named after him...Spawn of Kyuss. Be warned they are the least dangerous of what he is supposed to have created. Their presence in this region, combined with the worms you found in the swamp, confirm that the cult of Kyuss is becoming more active."
"The cult of Kyuss has traditionally been small, often consisting of single priests who live double lives as upstanding citizens. Somehow the Ebon Triad may have involved the smaller (but older) cult of Kyuss in its schemes. I'm not sure what their purpose might be, but I fear it may be related to the fabled coming Age of Worms. Tales of the Age of Worms itself are as old as anything. Often known by other names (the End Times, The Dark Age, and the Eternal Ruin among others), the Age of Worms is an ancient set of prophecies that speak of a transformation of the world, of a time when life gives way to something else. These prophecies are recorded in certain rare texts like the Book of Vile Darkness, Libris Mortis, the Necronomicon, and....the Apostolic Scrolls you just mentioned."
"I can tell you little about the Apostolic Scrolls - they are very rare, almost legendary - but I know this much: they are reputed to have been penned by Kyuss himself and detail the creation of the ulgurstasta. An ulgurstasta is an enormous undead worm capable of consuming the living and regurgitating them as undead. The Apostolic Scrolls are said to contain rituals that allow an ulgurstasta to create even more powerful undead, spewing them out at a tremendous rate. If someone in town takes an interest in them, that is unsettling to say the least."
"Tales of the Age of Worms are inscribed on the walls of ancient ruins across the world. Many cults and soothsayers have developed their own theories about the Age of Worms, but I have never seen so many references to it from so many different sources as now. Something is certainly building, and I don't like it one bit. As we all know with the death of Aroden, that prophecies may no longer be valid. I hope in this case it is true for you all as well, but I'm the type that doesn't like to leave things to chance. "
Jirin takes the moment to speak up, "I'm afraid I am going to leave and go my own way. I am planning to meet back up with Allustan however so if there is anything you want me to take to him, let me know."
Eligos nods and tells her they can speak later.
Rowena gives Jirin's hand a squeeze and her face looks sad. However, it takes only a few moments before Rowena runs to Eligos and says, "Raknian has festered and infected this plane of existence for too long now, and if he's involved in all this, it's time for him to infest the next plane. Do you know where we could find him?"
Quintus gives the departing witch a slightly awkward hug. "Safe travels." He looks down at her cat. "Keep her out of trouble, Hairy."
Trevor feels his stomach churn at all the mentioning of worms.
The Age of Worms... I shouldn't have eaten that sixth curry sausage...
He pales as Jirin mentions she'll be leaving.
"But..." is all he's able to say as they embrace clumsily. Too quickly for him to understand what's going on, inside...
Quintus won't leave anything out of the story.
"Do you think that Raknian has the skill--or can buy those with the skill--to create one of these ulgurstasta? If so, we'd better deal with him quickly."
"Raknian doesn't care about creating giant undead worms," Rowena growls angrily "Raknian cares about getting rich by exploiting those people unfortunate enough to be desperate enough to live in one of his rat holes, then sells them drugs to forget how miserable they are."
Her gaze falls on Quintus and she remembers, her face flushing red briefly. "I mean..."
The priest shakes his head. "I only bought from Raknian's people the once. Pesh made things worse for me, and that's most of what he sold." His tone is matter-of-fact, which (as he finishes) seems to surprise him.
"He needs to go. I've spent the last many years thinking about him and the path my life took because of him. Without him, my parents probably wouldn't have died horribly in front of me, my brother wouldn't have had all the joy and life drained out of him by dealing and doing pesh, my sister would never have lost all hope and turned to Callistria and died on the very cushions she whored herself on, and I would never have been rescued by acolytes if the Empyreal Way and found my way to you people to have done so much good for the world already. A cynic would say that all this evil had to happen so the good we've done could occur, but I can't believe that the world is so cold that it couldn't have found a way without Raknian destroying everybody I loved. I thought I had these issues worked out ages ago, but clearly I haven't as they're all coming back to the surface, so now I need to work them out on his slimy, pox-ridden donkey's ass of a face," she pounds each adjective out with her wine mug on the table, "and may Korada forgive me, because now I sound like a Callistrian slut, too!"
She looks down at the ruined wine cup in shame, and tries to hold back tears that won't stop coming.
Quintus puts an arm around Rowena's shoulder and holds her close for a time, not saying anything. Eventually he clears his throat quietly. "Raknian and his thugs have a lot to answer for, but you need to remember the Empyreal Way. You're acting like--well." He gives a quick sidelong glance in Trevor's direction. "Don't do this for revenge, or even for justice. Do it to make life better for all those under the thumb of Loris Raknian. What I've learned from watching the Way and my life so far is that doing lasting good is hard--much harder than just getting rid of a few bad people at the top. Not that you don't need to do that, one way or another, but you can't stop there. Kill Raknian, and that's only the start of fixing what's wrong in Underbridge...repairing the lives of all those like your family. And like I was."
"I just hate him so much, Quintus. I know I need to forgive him and heal, but it's just too hard. He doesn't even do what he does from some misguided sense of justice, ends justifying means, or something else you could at least understand. It's so he gets rich and powerful and it doesn't matter who he hurts. It's all for stuff! Things! To get more things that aren't going to matter once you are dead."
Speaking of things reminds her of something. She pulls herself off of Quintus' shoulder, wipes her nose with her napkin (yeah, he might want a prestidigitation for his coat) and picks up the ruined cup. "I'm sorry, Eligos. I've ruined it."
Kelkzar clasps Jirin's arm with a giant paw of a hand and then envelopes her in a crushing hug. "It has been good soldiering with you Jirin. I look forward to the day when your patron's plans for you align with Ragathiel's for me. Be well."
Releasing her to go, Kelkzar turns his attention to the emotional discussion of Raknian, "There is a time and a place for redemption. Now it is time for righteous vengeance. Had the orcs of Belkzen or the liches of Ustalav tried to assassinate the command of Lastwall, our response would have been swift and terrible. What Eligos speaks of is worse than war. We are sent to stop it. Raknian has made a terrible error. In seeking to finish us, he hastens his own end."
He looks from Quintus to Rowena and narrows his eyes, "Rowena. What he's done to you is unforgivable, but you need to get your emotions under control or you endanger all of us. We need you, but if you can't handle this mission the way you've handled every other one we've faced together, we should leave you behind. Pull yourself together and help. You want Raknian dead, give us the tools to make it happen. We should go in prepared. You know him better than any of us. What do you know? Who should we talk to? Let's prepare quickly, strike swiftly, and get what we need to stop this Age of Worms."
Eligos speaks up, "I may have a solution. First, the problem with going after Raknian is that he is well connected. Rooting out corruption from doppelgangers is one thing, expose the creatures for who they are and the people will turn against them. Raknian is well connected and has many politicians on his side. His more shady dealings is hardly a secret, but he brings businesses and this city a large amount of money. Take for instance the upcoming Arena Games....."
"Now to expose Raknian for what he really is will take a little more than a mirror that show his true form, or outright attacking him, that will just get you killed or arrested. And besides, any direct confrontation would just alert to him the extent of your knowledge of his plans and then he could use his contacts in the city against you. I think a wiser course of action would be to infiltrate the arena itself and and find concrete evidence that will ruin his reputation and make him toxic in this city. If you can find proof that he has ill intentions towards Magnimar, the corrupt government officials in his pocket will be forced to abandon any support they may have once given him. His plans and his standing in the city will crumble around him. Only then will any direct confrontation have a chance to wield good results. Plus if you can recover the Apostolic Scrolls and find out what he intends to do with them, so much the better. That scares me far more than greed, drug dealing, or being a slumlord."
"So the next problem is that he clearly knows who you are all, he has tried to get you assassinated. He must have heard some news out of Diamond Point about you and that you intended to come here. Regardless, he would never allow you entrance to the Arena and would have you instant escorted out. But a gladiator team fighting in this year's games would by definition already be in the Arena and be there 24 hours a day until it ends. Such a team could perhaps be able to find a moment to slip away."
"But that leads us to the final problem. The teams are already set. And this is where I can come in to help you. A friend of mine came to me the other day with an accepted team, but with no gladiators to fight on the team. So if you would be willing, I could send Celeste to you as soon as possible and see if she would find you acceptable."
"This sounds a lot like deception, no? I'm not sure..."
Rowena's eyes go wide, showing the hurt from the sting of Kelkzar's words. Her grief submerges as a cold anger appears, and Kelkzar has the uncomfortable feeling that Raknian isn't its target.
She listens quietly as Eligos outlines a sensible plan. When he's finished, she overrides Trevor's initial objections, saying, "It isn't deception, it's strategy. We'll do it," then stands up and heads to the door.
"Eligos, thank you for your hospitality and assistance. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go meditate for awhile, to see if I can get all these foolish emotions that makes Kelkzar so weak-kneed under control. Don't follow me, unless you enjoy wearing your balls as earrings," she adds, directing the last solely at the half-orc.
She heads out the door to the dining room and...
Looking considerably smaller than usual, Kelkzar waits until Rowena leaves to add glumly, "Guess I could have said that a little better."
Turning back to the conversation about the arena, he observes, "I see your point about deception Trevor, but its pretty similar to that mine we snuck into back in Diamond Point and look where that led us. This time, I don't think we'll have to do much more than get to the arena before trouble finds us. If Raknian was looking to have Zyrxog kill us, I'm sure he'll be delighted to have us fall into his lap."
Eligos takes the time to add after Kelkzar is done, "Trevor you won't be joining the fight as unknowns, in fact as emerging heroes of Magnimar this week, you should play up just who you are. The crowd will eat it up! Besides think how enraged Raknian will be when you win the whole thing!"
Eligos gets serious, "Do you know how much the Arena here in Magnimar holds? 5,000 people, and that won't be counting the other gladiators and workers. And if you don't do this then Raknian uses the Apostolic Scrolls for whatever dark purpose it is used for. I don't know what that is, but I do know it is evil and countless innocents will suffer and die."
"Right then. I'm on board!" beams Trevor.
Quintus nods in agreement, grinning, then looks to the half-orc and turns more serious. "I wasn't talking about forgiveness, Kelkzar. The Empyreal Way is about doing good on a more personal level, as I understand it. I think Rowena has--understandably, mind--lost sight of that for the moment. Just killing Raknian isn't enough. It's a start to better things for the people of Magnimar, but the fighting over his replacement will be terrible for the people of Underbridge. It sounds like we might be able to help with that, though, by discrediting him first and giving the city some motivation to help out down there. We'll see." Maybe I can help with that, too...being a visible success, rising to fame out of the slums...it could work.
"What were the names of those two people we talked to in Diamond Point? One of them--Orik? Auric? Something like that--he was talking up his team's chances to repeat this year in the games."
Eligos responds, "I don't go to the games, not my cup of tea, but I will make sure you know the rules fully before they begin. And yes, Aurik has been the champion 2 years running, a feat done only by one other....Loris Raknian. He retired as the champion and used his winnings in other business deals, including taking over running the Champion's Games."
After dinner you retie back at the Crooked Inn. Two days later you get a visitor. It is Celeste, the woman who you saw leaving the first time you visited Eligos.
By her dress and nimble movements you guess that she would be some sort of rogue or bard. She is accompanied by a handsome but rather short fellow in his late thirties who wears a fine blue robe, polished knee-high boots, and carries a lute slung on the shoulder.
"Eligos told me that you are seeking a sponsor for the Champion’s Games. I trust you know that all participants in the Champion’s Games must fight for a licensed manager. These licenses are difficult to come by, but fortunately my friend Ekaym here happens to posses just such a license but has no gladiators to fight for him. He asked me for help in recruiting some gladiators. Would you be interested?"
"Wait, Raknian was a Champion? So the bad news is that he's probably very, very capable; the good news is that there are many people who've seen what he can do, so we can be ready to face him."
"Yes he was a champion many years ago. He is getting older now, but I would assume no less dangerous."
"Eligos, while you might not take interest in the games, are there others we might be able to learn more of Raknian and Aurik from? Perhaps some of these people you'll be introducing us to?"
Trevor spends the days after the conversation dreaming of amazing shows of prowess in the arena. He can already see a great career opening for him, then he hears of Raknian, and he doesn't want to win as much as before...
When Celeste shows up, he's in shorts and a light undershirt, cleaning his armour, cursing as some of the weirdest blood won't come off. He beams at her: "I'm in! For sure I'm in! Nice to meet you Ekaym! How did you manage to get a license?!"
Rowena has been distant since the supper at Eligos', spending a lot of time in deep meditation at one or more of the various shrines scattered throughout the city. She also spends a good amount of time in Rag's End (taking Trevor for security), staring at a seemingly random hovel. She doesn't let Trevor in on her reasons, and oats his cheek affectionately if he gets too curious.
By the time Celeste and Ekaym arrive, Rowena has purged much of her rage, though she still loses focus while practicing grabs and pins with Trevor, often causing her to twist something of Trevor's excessively. Kelkzar, she avoids whenever possible.
She listens quietly as the others talk with their potential manager.
Ekaym says, "I figured that this is a great way to make a large amount of money and meet a lot of women. I had some contacts in the city help me acquire a license, but finding quality gladiators that are trustworthy was a problem, so I turned to Celeste here. She said the man Eligos could find some and that those would be the ones I would want. She trusts him and I trust her so here I am. Can I buy you lunch while we talk details and competition rules?"
As you eat lunch you learn the following:
The Champion’s Games is a five-day long gladiatorial tournament that takes place annually in the Magnimar. The games themselves consist of a massive four round elimination event, interspersed with spectacle fights that pit gladiators against exotic monsters and other unique foes. A single team can consist of no more than eight members and must be sponsored by a licensed Manager. Familiars do not count as members, but larger animal companions, mounts, and cohorts do. Finally each team of gladiators must identify itself with a name and designate a leader.
The tournament is fought in four successive rounds of elimination. The first day consists of six battles of free-for-all combat between groups of four teams. The second day is for rest and recuperating. The six winners of the first round of battles are paired off into three team-vs-team battles on the third day. On the fourth day, two of the three remaining teams fight each other, while the third teams fights a special exhibition match against an exotic monster. The final round is a face-to-face battle between the two remaining teams on the fifth day. The winner of each round is awarded a generous prize to be shared among the team members and their manager.
Not only do the winning teams of each round win a trophy, they also receive a cash payout of ever increasing value. The winner of the tournament also receives the right to wear the Champions Belt for the next year.
1. All battles are potentially lethal, but a gladiator always has the option of surrender. To surrender, a gladiator must drop his weapons, kneel, and hold both hands in the air. A Gladiator who attacks a surrendering fow is immediately disqualified. (and likely arrested for murder). A gladiator who surrendors and then attacks another gladiator is also immediately disqualified.
2. Gladiators that can fly or levitate may do so up to a height of 40ft. A gladiator that flies any higher is immediately disqualified. Burrowing into the arena's floor is forbidden.
3. A match persists until one team is victorious, either through the death ot the surrender of all opposing teams.
4. Winning gladiators have no right to the spoils of the fallen. A defeated gladiator keeps his gear, or in the case of death, ownership of gear reverts to his team or manager.
5. Any tactic that endangers spectators is grounds for immediate disqualification and possible legal action.
6. A disqualified gladiator must cease fighting at once and must move to the edge of the field of battle immediately. Failure to comply results in the disqualification of the entire team. Once a gladiator is disqualified, he may no longer take part in any remaining battles.
7. Awards are given after each battle.
Celeste adds that there is a healthy betting system with odds determined by team ranking. A team’s initial rank determines the odds for or against them in the wagering. Relative unknowns usually start their initial ranking at three, the minimum being one, and the maximum being nine. Each time you win a match, your rank will increase. There will be people walking around that night talking to all of the competitors, so you may be able to move your rank up or down at the dinner (which is mandatory) and is held the night before the first match.
To be able to bet, you will need to purchase a license ahead of time, which will cost 100gp. Bets are done between individuals. You can find people to bet with up to 250 gp with no check, though Celeste tells you that if you take the time you may be able to find someone willing to go higher
You start at Rank 3 and can increase or decrease your ranking by 1 with a successful Bluff check during the free dinner. You may attempt it 3 times during the dinner if you wish (I will make the checks for whomever is attempting and assisting if you decide to try)
Each time a team wins a match their rank increases by 1
Each time a team member score a critical hit on a an enemy gladiator, there is a 25% chance that their rank increases by 1
Rank 1 1gp pays 10gp
Rank 2 1gp pays 5gp
Rank 3 1gp pays 3gp
Rank 4 1gp pays 2gp
Rank 5 1gp pays 1gp
Rank 6 2gp pays 10gp
Rank 7 3gp pays 10gp
Rank 8 5gp pays 10gp
Rank 9 10gp pays 10gp
Finally Ekaym has one last point to discuss, "As your manager, I will be expecting 50% of your tournament winnings, not from your personal betting of course."