Ascension of Narkul

Campaign 7 Below was the planned introduction to the new campaign, alas the game is no more.

Hurried steps echo down a stone spiral staircase. Heleste, a human man in his early 50s, rushes down from his study and into a hall, a soft fire warming the interior as the morning sun shines through open windows. If the room was darker, it would hide the ‘salt’ in his shortcut salt and peppered hair. He wears a simple light grey tunic with a contrasting dark grey messenger bag slung around his shoulder. He calls out to a figure in the hall studying a book as a larger figure sits nearby eating breakfast “Merric, we’re running late!”

Luke, would you like to describe yourself and your companion?

Before you get the chance to respond, Heleste is already halfway out the door where just outside is another figure tending to a flower bed as an Alicorn stands nearby watching. “Dru, leave that for the moment, we have guests!” as he continues past towards the closed solid log gates of the Keep.

Amber, would you like to describe yourself?

The camera jump cuts to the inside of a tavern where a female Tiefling clears a large plate with only a cleanly picked leg bone left. She turns to devourer of meals “Didn’t you say you were meeting someone this morning?” the figure quickly gets up and rushes out the door.

Ida, would you like to describe yourself?

As Riza heads toward the closed gates to the Keep, you see a figure standing at the gate looking confused, you recognise the figure as Torinn from the time he aided in the assault of Lord Francis’ estate.

Chris, would you like to describe yourself?

The camera jumps once more, high above the quickly growing township as a large eagle with a figure riding atop flies into view, the town very different to when you first saw it over a year ago, the new name of Spear’s Rest evoking memories from many decades ago. Your eyes lock onto Greyhawk Keep, seeing two figures standing outside as a few others approach the gate from the inside.

Sam, would you like to describe yourself and your flying companion?

As Heleste opens the gates to the Keep, he immediately sees two large dragonborn, Riza and Torinn. He quickly gets frightened, ducking out of the way. But his focus was not on either of you, something behind you. As you turn, you see a large eagle flying right toward you at great speed before it sharply turns upward and shrinks into a normal sized eagle, circling around and onto the shoulder of Delta as dust clears.

Heleste dusts himself off, “Welcome, here to join the Fellowship? Right this way” as he bows slightly and turns back to the Keep proper, leading you toward Dru, Merric, and Kriv. Inside is a U shaped set of tables around a rectangular fire pit set into the ground with an empty spit set up across it. Heleste takes a seat, not at the head position but slightly off to the side. He gestures for the rest of you to do the same.

A small goblin comes out of a side room with two jugs, one of water and the other of apple juice. He holds the water up, “Fresh from farm”, he quickly lowers and checks and then raises the other jug and repeats “Fresh from farm” as he offers to pour into cups set on the tables.

“Welcome all, good to see familiar faces and new ones. For the sake of everyone’s clarity, we’ll introduce ourselves. I am Heleste, I am an arcane research who has been studying and following Narkul for near 3 years when the Hand of Narkul surfaced, which corrupted and killed my brother.” He gestures openly for the next person.

After introductions are complete Heleste, stands and starts pacing. “I have been conducting my own research while aiding Dru and the beginnings to aid Merric, I’ll let them share their knowledge when and if they see fit, it’s not my place as it can be quite personal, I’m getting sidetracked. I have been trying to find methods of stopping Narkul, the first is the most direct. But currently most difficult, which is to obtain the Lich’s Phylactery, their power source if you will, an object that stores the souls of beings they’ve slain. Until the Phylactery runs dry or is destroyed, the lich will live.”

“The second option is to find the original banishment rites that sealed him away, from accounts of Narkul’s return it sounded like the Book of Vile Darkness and the Hand of Narkul were used to free him from banishment, if we can get our hands on either of these and either destroy or seal it away I am confident that the banishment will work and prevent his return again, but he will still be alive until the phylactery runs dry and there is no way of telling how long that will be. I am open to other ideas and avenues of research for other methods to stop Narkul, the more options we have the greater the chance we have.”

“Through Ray and Dru, I found that a man named Alucard was the last known captor of Sovereign, who was last seen with the Hand of Narkul grafted to her own arm, I have arranged with Lord Thomas Rollo who negotiated with the Reton Empire to grant the Fellowship freedom of travel between Greyhawk and Reton, I am not privy to the details of the arrangement but I hear it was very costly and not just in monetary value. Either way, I have arranged a meeting with Alucard in Mulburg in 14 days, he has neither confirmed nor denied that he has Sovereign and the Hand if he doesn’t he’ll at least know a lead, I don’t know what he want in return though. Getting there will take 10 days by flight or 13 days by land. We have an Alicorn that can carry two, but that’s all for flight, plenty of horses and a cart are available too.”

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