Thuzuul at Orasi

A dragon of Keldoras

Current Campaign: The Thuzuulan Heresy

Episode 03: "Thuzuul at Orasi"

Location: Larkos

PCs: Bearclaw, Conan, Eyoss, Elthwain, Flanagan of Osgud, Raeslen Telwin

Previous Episode: "Gathering Gloom/The Lofty Corsairs"

Next Campaign: The Knights of Eaton

Synopsis Joshua runs into trouble in Talonshire; the party is assaulted, with a tragic outcome; Thuzuul is attacked at his stronghold in Orasi. Cast Player Characters Flanagan Joshua Telwin - Killed in combat Bearclaw - Entombed (alive, but in stasis until revived) Conan Raeslen Tewlin - Entombed (alive, but in stasis until revived) Eyoss - Entombed (alive, but in stasis until revived) Elthwain NPCs Balo Cecyl il-Alagir Velwyn il-Gathyr Doma Iae Kestral Iason Krundell Mayfn Maelost Sascha Midoria Thuzuul Story Act One: Sibling Rivalry The Molly arrives in Talonshire and the group disembarks for the local inn while Joshua looks into reports that his sword has turned up on the black market in Talonshire. A day later his investigation turns up his half-sister, the Malkosti thief Sascha, and he confronts her at a tavern. Sascha admits she took the sword as a trophy after she killed their father with it, but only because he had made drunken advances at her. Joshua lunges for the sword and their struggle sparks a row between their companions; soon the whole tavern descends into a drunken orgy of fisticuffs and thrown furniture. The town guard surrounds the building and a group of them enter the tavern and break up the fight. Joshua and his sister are among those imprisoned and they trade threats and insults with each other. The others return to their belongings at the inn to collect enough to bail him out. As they make their way to the holding cells, Flanagan meets with one of his old contacts from Loth, the Taldoran plunderer Mayfn Maelost, who relates to him rumors that priests from the cult of Thuzuul infiltrated and now control the underworld back in Larkos and that the cultists practically control Orasi. The party charters the schooner Ocean Dancer, captained by Iason Krundell, and after they bribe the soldiers to release Joshua they sail to Escalon, north of Larkos. In Escalon they track down an old hermit who knows of a secret passageway into Orasi, which allows them to bypass any Thuzuulan scouts. Act Two: Balo Unbound They travel into the foothills of north Avandell and towards Orasi, successfully avoiding agents of Thuzuul, but before they reach the secret passage they are ambushed by a squad of the Dread Legion, led by Sascha, who has come for her brother's head. A skirmish ensues and Shaka is killed as he shields Bearclaw during a heavy magical barrage. The hermit is also slain and Flanagan is sorely wounded. Joshua is isolated from his companions and he squares off with Sascha; their sword fight is dazzling and furious, but Sascha ultimately runs him through with their father's sword. He clutches it and collapses dying to the ground, his prophecy fulfilled. The group falls back from the assault and takes a position behind an outcropping and Flanagan's realizes that the group has been pushed into a kill zone. Desperate for a quick solution, Flanagan strikes a deal with the imprisoned archmage Balo: "I will free you if you vow to provide us aid and not to seek vengeance on us." Balo consents and Flanagan smashes the pendant and the archmage makes quick work the Belosians; the survivors flee to the forests. The party recovers from its wounds and buries their dead companions. Act Three: The Dragons of Keldoras The survivors fall back to the town of Garland to rethink their strategy and replenish their numbers. They spend a few days there and Flanagan runs into Raeslen Telwin, Joshua's young brother who has arrived from Talonshire with his companions Eyoss and Elthwain. Raeslen heard reports of his brother's run-in with the Thuzuulan heretics and he arrived to provide support. They agree to join the group, but the two Ashakre insist that they seek permission from the authority in Keldoras before creating possible trouble in Orasi. The next day the group begins their trek to Keldoras. A week later they arrive in Keldoras and are granted an audience with Doma Iae Kestral, Maiden Prime of Keldoras. Flanagan divulges the details of their exploits and their difficulties and Doma Kestral grants the group permission to seek out answers in Orasi, revealing that "Our Sister there has broken communication with Us and We will know why." She assigns Captain Velwyn's special forces unit to the mission and grants them safe passage to Orasi with a dragonrider retinue commanded by Cecyl il-Alagir. They mount up and the dragons spiral up out of Keldoras, high above the Kerrdos mountain ridge, and veer towards Orasi. Act Four: Deicide The dragonriders meet little resistance inside Osari and quickly reach the stronghold and sanctuary, where Thuzuul's priests and warriors are concentrated. The opposing forces slam into each other in a clash of shields and collision of spells. The skirmish in the antechamber is bloody and merciless and Elthwain is killed by an enemy spear in the final charge. Eyoss and Bearclaw breach the massive doorway and their contingent pours into the sanctuary; a second smaller skirmish erupts against Thuzuul's immediate attendants and he is lightly injured in the rush. Velwyin, Flanagan and Raeslenn race into the sanctuary and engage the high priest Thuzuul in combat, but he repels them with powerful magic. Velwyin is killed by the high priest, who absorbs his life force and heals himself. The remaining acolytes surrender their life forces to Thuzuul, who grows incredibly powerful. The remaining warriors assault Thuzuul and he fends off their attacks, but he is outnumbered and is soon severely wounded. He panics and quickly summons a rift barge to transport him away, but fails miserably in the casting; a powerful vortex opens and pulls everyone towards it. Thuzuul slips and falls halfway in and desperately struggles to climb out of it. The wounded soldiers are little match for the power of the vortex and as they roll and skid towards it, they grip each others arms. As they are pulled towards the magical portal, Flanagan clutches Thuzuul's ceremonial belt and the high priest slips further and clutches the vortex's edge with his fingers. Conan, the only warrior not to be pulled in, stands above Thuzuul and his companions and lifts his sword and cuts the high priests fingers off. When Thuzuul falls into the vortex, it releases a final blast and backdraft and pulls in Conan before it slams shut. The group regains consciousness on a beach, around them are strewn the corpses from the battle in Orasi. Thuzuul's black, dessicated corpse lies not far from them, his face contorted into an eternal grimace, a gaping hole in his chest where his heart had been. The survivors -- Conan, Eyoss, Bearclaw, Flanagan, Raeslan -- stumble to the nearest town and rest. Later the next day they return to Keldoras, where they are greeted as heroes. They remain in Keldoras for a time, tending to their wounds and recovering from the trauma of battle. Epilogue Flannagan, Conan, Eyoss, Bearclaw, and Raeslenn, sail back to Kandorr. As they arrive that evening they are ambushed by the remaining priests of Thuzuul, who Entomb all but Conan and Flanagan -- the two flee the attack and make their way back to Larkos to join Cromwell's crew. Meta Notes To this day Eyoss, Bearclaw, and Raeslenn remain Entombed, their living bodies unrecovered and forgotten. Attempts by the Ashakré to locate them have been unsuccessful. Flanagan is a hero of Kel Doras, a title which will serve to his benefit years later in The Emptiness of Quaitha.