As Fergus looks up to see if elevating themselves to another level in the tower is an escape route, he sees more guards peering down at them, answering the alarm.
Six shadar-kai hit the levitation lift, and footsteps in the distance herald groups of four coming through the doors of each of the towers. The squad that comes up from below is led by a grizzled captain, who has ritual scars standing out on his cheeks. Two panthers move at his side with teeth bared as they hiss at you. The captain shouts, Stand down or your lives are forfeit!
Soon the garden is filled with shader-kai men, all awaiting to see if you indeed stand down or resist.
Haldor casts Cure Wounds on himself using a second-level spell slot:
sotto vote to his friends: Friends, I don't think we can win this fight. Better to stand down and take our chances.
Fergus stares at the captain. Take it down a notch; we can hear you. We yield.
The captain smirks as if he knew what the answer would be. Good. You're smarter than you look.
Suddenly, the garden is illuminated by a pulse of white light. The archway to the south flares as it reveals the black shrine, and a familiar figure steps from that chamber to this. It’s the veteran you spoke to in the Happy Beggar, but he is no longer stooped with the appearance of age and his scarred skin turns gray before your eyes. The guards around you salute the shadar-kai, who doesn’t hide his surprise at seeing you. He takes in the scene before him with a cold eye. I am Sarshan. I assume someone has an explanation for this? He then looks to you, expecting an answer to his question.
Daunted by the apparent silence from Fizz, the "brains" of the group, Fergus tries to fashion an excuse:
We, um, discovered an assassination plot against you by the guys in this tower thing. Led by that Mordra guy. Whom we killed too! And then we came here to protect you from these other foul, foul, smelly traitors. Fergus wags a finger at the assembled troops. Shame on thee, all of thee.
In conclusion ... um, long live Sooshan! Can we go now?
The captain quickly interjects. You learn that his name is Thannu and he quickly interrupts to deliver a military-style report on your incursion of the tower, noting the areas you've infiltrated and the number of the dead your party has left behind. However as the captain finishes, a warrior enters at a run, calling to his master. As he approaches to whisper in Sarshan’s ear, the shadar-kai turns to you with a look of wonder.
You are, quite literally, the last people I ever expected to see here. The charges leveled by my captain warrant torture and death. However, I am told that an episode of sabotage in my foundry appears to have been thwarted, and that the traitorous Modra has been executed by persons unknown. And here you are saying that these unknowns are you.
Sarshan nods thoughtfully. These men I trust, don't be misled by their appearances. As far as you’ve managed to infiltrate my operations, I can only assume you know a little of who I am. My wealth and reputation turn largely on honor, obligation, and secrecy. When I spoke to you of Modra, I hoped you would kill him and save me the risk of more exposure than he had already caused. The fact that you journeyed here to do the job is a surprise, but for your part in ending his threat to me and whatever he meant to do in the foundry, I am in your debt.
Sarshan pauses slightly, as if he were making sure the words he wanted to use were proper. He then continues in a more forceful and direct tone. However, for your role in the death of my personal guards, you are more greatly in mine. Here is a bargain that balances the obligation for all of us.
Join me.
Doesn't look like we have much of a choice
Fergus gives up on trying to convince Sarshan that Thannu is a traitor, and hopes Thannu forgets the accusation, too.
"Join you," how? What did you have in mind?
Fergus can tell that Thannu clearly remembers.
Sarshan answers. Your skill at arms is clearly first rate. I offer you a place to use and advance that skill. Moreover, I offer you a place where you might live long enough to enjoy the fruits of your bravery. In a month, or six, or a year, your world will be a place you will not want to live. Join me here instead.
Fergus attempts to channel his best James-Bond-asking-the-villain-about-his-plans-before-being-executed:
Thank you, mighty Sarshan, for your compliments. Please forgive my impertinence, but what do you mean, "your world will be a place you will not want to live," and how would joining you protect us from such woe?
Though I am nicely positioned to take advantage of these things, I know relatively little yet. What I do know, I cannot share for professional reasons, but trust me when I say that you do not want to know. Name your choice, friends.
Fergus goes to confer with his comrades.
Quietly: I can't and won't speak for the rest of you. But I will not join him. I vowed to fight evil, darkness, and injustice, and I'm opposed to everything that he stands for. We're supposed to be the good guys, aren't we?
But we're outnumbered, and it's foolish to think we would walk out of here alive if we were to fight all of them. What if I agree to fight him, or his captain, one-on-one, for our freedom? Thoughts, friends?
Can we play along and skeddaddle as soon as we get out of this situation?
Perhaps it would be better if you spoke for us. I am not a very good liar.
Im the thinker not the talker
Yes, erm. We accept your offer. Let us go do, um, evil things together!
Sarshan attempts to stifle a chuckle but when he looks over at his captain, both burst out in a short fit of laughter. My friend, you should leave lying to those more skilled at it. You feel a familiar shaking beneath your feet as another tremor rises and falls quickly. The shadar-kai’s dark eyes blaze, but he smiles as he shakes his head. Your conviction is to be commended. A pity it failed you in the end.
Then suddenly, an ear-splitting explosion shakes the tower. Near the eastern side of the chamber, one of Sarshan’s guards shouts out, My lord! The foundry is in flames! The guards are in motion, Sarshan all but ignoring you as he barks orders. One group is sent to the foundry, and another receives orders to keep the mercenary camps under control.
Sarshan takes a last squad of chainfighters with him as he moves for the lift. Thannu and his panthers are the only ones left with you. If I was as cruel as my reputation implies, I would send you back to watch your world die, Sarshan calls. Be thankful that I am merciful. He then gives a dismissive bandhand wave toward you and then speaks to Thannu, Kill them.
Thannu moves boldly forward, looking to challenge the paladin! You never had me fooled for a moment! Die now and leave the world to those who deserve to control it! He draws two daggers as he charges toward Fergus!
The paladin is initially up for the challenge! The strange looking panthers then move with great speed around the edges of the room then suddenly pounce on Haldor and Varis!
for
Haldor needs to make a DC 13 Strength Save. If he fails he is knocked prone and the panther then gets a bonus action to for
Versus Thannu:
for
for
Touch me not!
for
"Nothing personal feline"
vs panther (staying my hand from a finishing blow)
as bonus
Fergus slays the captain with two holy strikes! Haldor shocks a panther while Varis slashes at another!
Black -8
Green -14
Haldor uses his movement to stand. Versus the green panther:
Haldor strikes the panther with his warhammer!
Against the black panther
Shocking Grasp range touch
Melee spell attack advantage if wearing metal
2d8 lighting and can’t take actions start of its next turn
Fizz reaches out toward the panther but it manages to avoid the attack! The panthers fight on despite their master's defeat!
for
for
for
The tower continues to shake and rumble!
Black -8
Green -20
Haldor -18?
Varis -8?
Fergus -?
Fizz -?
Against the black panther again.
Shocking Grasp range touch
Melee spell attack advantage if wearing metal
2d8 lighting and can’t take actions start of its next turn
The panther is unable to avoid Fizz's electric reach this time and it hisses in pain!
Black -22
Green -20
Haldor -18?
Varis -8?
Fergus -?
Fizz -2
returning the favour
as bonus
Against Green again:
for
As a bonus action, Haldor casts Healing Word on himself and recovers hit points.
Varis misses with his swords but catches the umbral panther with a pummel to the ribs! Haldor smacks the other panther and heals himself!
Black -26
Green -28
Haldor -14
Varis -8?
Fizz -2
Against the black panther:
for
for
Fergus fans all of the combatants with mighty swings of his longsword creating a pleasant breeze.
Fergus swipes at air as his aim is off the mark! The panthers continue to rake and snap at Haldor and Varis!
for
for
Black -26
Green -28
Haldor -17
Varis -13?
Fizz -2
Versus the non-political, non-comic-book-character black panther:
for
Plus second-level Smite! for
for
for
Fergus obliterates the non-meaningful-anything panther! Haldor hammas the other but that enemy still stands!
Green -35
Haldor -17
Varis -13?
Fizz -2
Fergus uses his movement to slog slowly through the brush toward the green panther.
keep going after the big cat
as bonus
Varis strikes the lone enemy twice but it somehow manages to cling to life! Can Fizz finish it off?
Green -44
Haldor -17
Varis -22
Fizz -2
Fergus -0
FireBolt range 120ft
Crit damage
The last enemy is destroyed by a strong spell from the party wizard!
The tower continues to shake and rumble due to the explosion earlier. Another violent tremor then strikes the tower, causing more damage that can be seen down below though the open floor. From your vantage point it would seem that the area leading to the gatehouse has been buried by debris and is not passable. Other signs of damage can also be seen.
Looking out the eastern windows you can see the foundry being consumed by ongoing explosions of shadow and f lame. Although Modra didn’t complete his sabotage in a way that would destroy the tower, the foundry's systems have evidently failed.
Looking about you it would seem that the teleportation portal in this garden area is the only viable option for escape. With time, Fizz thinks he can activate it like he had the other one previously. When you saw Sarshan appear from it earlier you thought you saw the same gate that you came to in the cave brought you here from the cellar of the Happy Beggar as you had earlier.
Haldor -17
Varis -22
Fizz -2
Fergus -0
Wizard, get that gate activated and let's get out of here!
The party passes through the teleportation portal from the tower and arrive back at the Shadowfell gate that can take you back to the Happy Beggar and home. From the cavern entrance, you can see the destruction of Umbraforge in the distance. The guards that you would think are normally stationed here have likely returned to the tower themselves.
As you look to take the portal back to the Happy Beggar, a skittering fall of rock down the rift gives a split-second’s warning of another tremor, bigger this time. The cavern pitches around you—a crack like thunder echoing as the northern wall splits and heaves. And with a groan, the archway you just passed through crumbles and falls as a blast of arcane energy slams out across the chamber. Where it strikes the Shadowfell archway, a flare of black erupts from the stone, congealing into six humanoid forms. Haldor suspects these are some sort of shadow undead, tinted by the Shadowfell realm that you currently occupy.
Through the gate!
The party hastily moves through the portal and finds themselves back at the Happy Beggar. As you move away from the portal and toward the outside world, the boiling field of shadow within the archway is suddenly rent by the figures as they claw their way through it. With a shriek that sounds like shredding steel, the black mists within the Shadowfell gate are torn apart, the six shapes seeming to absorb the darkness as it fades away. The enemy has followed you thought the gate!
You recognize these creatures as specters!
Haldor -17
Varis -22
Fizz -2
Fergus -0