Session XVIII - The Last Book

Our heroes leave the charred tower and head south by south-east towards Riverguard Keep where they fully expect to encounter the Crushing Waves cult. Keeping a good distance between themselves and the keep, Tico chants a powerful incantation allowing him to spawn a naked, invisible arcane eye which he can maneuver with telekinesis sorcery. 

With his vision fully immersed in this magical implement, he scouts the keep's entire vicinity revealing what looks to be like an army of ruffians, most likely celebrating the carnage of Womford. He witnesses a significant number of shark-toothed blade Reavers, dozens of well armed denizens, a few blue-skinned fathomers, a barnacled man dressed in clergical robes, a small water elemental clad in full plate armor wielding a devilish looking trident, a few commoners  delegated to the kitchens and a bare chested man who's emanating an aura of authority.

Tico also manages to map out the location of a book storage unit and a stealthy route into the fortress. 

Waiting for nightfall, the group agrees on a stealth approach and make its way towards the fortress. In quintessential artificer's fashion, Trash quickly fabricates the right tool for the job and, with the help of his trustee flying boots, lifts up to the glass opening on the second floor and expertly carves out a gap in the window while making as little noise as half-orcly possible, catching the fragile material and gently deposing it on the ground. 

The party enters a large semi-circular room where Trash and Elthas' attention instantly turn towards  large chests resting besides a rough straw bed.

Working their way through the locks, they find some riches but no signs of the last of Bruldenthar's books.

Meanwhile, Tico meditates in the opposite corner of the room, expanding his mind outwards in search of sentient beings. Going from one mind to another, he finally manages to latch on to Jolliver Grimjaw's surface thoughts. The latter reveals to be feeling accomplished and finally recognized by higher powers. At this instant, he has the impulsive mind of an apprentice with dreams of grandeurs, high on recent success. 

Meanwhile, Halvarth and Kella are guarding the only exit to this room, carefully listening to a conversation taking place only a few feet on the other side of a hefty wooden door reinforced with iron planks. Corroborating Tico's mind reading, they hear the voice of a stern man who, it seems, poorly disguises excitement in his timber. Although they can not make up the entire conversation, they hear talks of expansion and recruitment.

Having heard enough, Halvarth breaks the silence and starts chanting arcane words. Kella hears the man abruptly ending his former jovial conversation and approching the door with the sound of keys jangling. 

True to herself and knowing offense to be the best defense, violently opens the door, swinging Orcsplitter. Taken aback, Jolliver Grimjaw takes the full brunt of the assault. Elthas unloads a volley of arrows in the man's chest while Trash kinetically jaunts forward in the opened corridor. 

With the element of surprise, the party manages to seriously hurt the Crushing Wave leader while Trash keeps his allies at bay. The former sensing his demise rapidly approaching, decides to dash forwards and jump through a window, shattering glass and crashing on the ground two stories below. 

While Kella gives chase, Elthas expertly hanging from one foot on the window ledge, releases deadly projectiles at the dying man. 

Trash takes the opportunity to barge into the adjacent room where, on accounts of Tico's arcane scouting eye, he expects to find the reason of their visit to the keep. Lo and behold, his eyes instantly set on the prize. He quickly seize the precious book, throws it in the bag of holding and dashes back into the larger room.

Tico having had released a thick magical spider web that glued a number of enemies in place, grins with arsony in his eyes, tunnel visioning on the thought of setting these souls ablaze through the wonderful art of fireball.

Kella and Orcsplitter, furious at Elthas for finishing Jolliver Grimjaw in their stead, against the dwarf's better judgement, scale the keep's palisade, enraged and bloodthirsty. Kella easily cleaves through a young man clutching a crossbow, looking a her like a deer in the torch lights. She looks up and as she catches a bolt mid air, launching it back towards its attacker, is suddenly being riddled by a lot more bolts than she can handle. As her body is being perforated, she notices a much larger army of foot soldiers amassing in the keep's courtyard. Amongst them, a Crushing Waves priest is chanting and, as he points at her, she feels her muscles tensing and suddenly feels very alone as she loses the ability to move her own limbs.

Having turned himself into a giant ape, Halvarth realises the situation has become dire for Kella and jumps to her rescue. He easily climbs the ramparts and comes face to face with the water elemental who angrily stabs him with the three pointy ends of his trident. Although his ape form absorbs the blunt of the wounds, the sudden pain makes him lose his grip on the spell and he turns back into an elf. 

While Tico finally manages to blast his victims, burning them to a crisp, the entire party realizes their newfound ally is in a very bad spot. All hands on deck, Elthas jumps into the fray, giving enough room for Halvarth to wiggle his way to Kella, on the brinks of death, and teleports both of them far away from the battlefield.

In the meantime, Trash glides deep behind enemy lines and unleashes unlimited power onto the masses who fall like flies. He quickly gets surrounded and, while one Reaver latches on to him, holding him in place, the other ones stab and slash at him with gnarly swords. Boiling with anger, the priest attempts to freeze him in place. Tico and Elthas having retreated as well, turn around with a knot in their guts as Trash, surrounded with enemies and seconds away from being completely overwhelmed, orders them to run, heroically standing his ground to allow the getaway. 

With a flash of genius, the half orc pivots on himself breaking free of the reaver's grip. Feeling his muscle tensing and losing control of his own movements, he hears Tico's distant voice, granting him the fragment of power he needed, through the Crown of Besilmer, to resist the evil priest's magical attacks and by the skin of his teeth, finally manages to make a run for it. 

Despite the multiple wounds he suffered throughout this ordeal, he takes a second to seize Jolliver Grimjaw's corpse, withstanding more crossbow bolts in the process and finally flies away into the safety of the nearby canopy.

Wasting no time, the group masks any trace of its passage, making its way north into the hills. The heroes walk for a few hours before finally allowing themselves some rest. Halvarth takes the opportunity to sit on his heels besides the deceased former lead of Riverguard Keep and, in a low and gloomy voice asks:

"Who did you serve?"

        - "Gar Shatterkeel is my prophet"

"Did you go through the gate?"

        - "Only Olhydra's chosens are granted access to his shrine"

"Do you know where Bruldenthar is?"

        - "No"

"Whose blood is in the vials around the elemental's kneck?"

        - "The vials are Olhydra's blessed implements"

"What would have been your next target"

        - "Everything is now in place to bring our lord and savior forward. The whole world will feel his wrath and be baptized in his holy waters. The Forgotten Realm is our next target!"